tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64211424729653849062024-03-05T10:18:05.921-05:00Tie Ly GuhPastoral RamblingsJay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-55125213158926036792011-12-28T15:49:00.002-05:002011-12-28T15:49:26.946-05:00New Address, Same Great TasteTie Ly Guh has moved. You can now read my blog at <a href="http://www.jasonlsanders.com/">http://www.jasonlsanders.com/</a>. Thanks for reading!<br />
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JayJay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-16150330991988172742011-12-20T10:09:00.002-05:002011-12-20T10:12:55.754-05:00An Interview with the Farmer<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">My father and grandfather spent significant
portions of their lives on farms.
I, on the other hand, grew up in an area where the only thing that was
being grown was under a heat lamp in my neighbor Dwayne’s garage. Most of us don’t give farming a second
thought. Maybe we don’t believe it
but we still act as though the food we eat was made in some back room at your
local Wal-Mart. Come to think of
it, that may be the case but you get my point. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Recently I had the chance to ask my friend Shane a
few questions about farming, why farmers matter and how we can better
appreciate the fruits of their labors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Our country is moving further and further away from its
agricultural roots. Should we be concerned? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Yes I think so. In the U.S., most families (people) are now 3
generations removed from the farm and the average age of the U.S. farmer is
57--and rising, meanwhile the farm population is shrinking (less than 2% of the
pop., our numbers are low enough now that "farmer/rancher" is no
longer listed as an occupation on the census survey. We are now part of
the other people). As a producer this can be quite scary for several reasons. Primarily,
and I don't use this in a pejorative way, is fear and ignorance. Ignorance
is simply a lack of education. Fear, in this context, is really just
laziness masked as activism. As we as a nation get further away from our
agricultural roots, we as a people are less educated, or less aware about where
our food comes from. So many people I talk to literally think food comes
from the grocery store. That's it. Need more bread or milk? Go
to the store and get it. The end. It's quite sad actually. And,
many of our "leaders" and policy makers think the same way. That's
why I say it can be quite scary. So we as farmers and ranchers have to be
more proactive in telling our story and simply educating the non farm folks at
all levels to the who, what, when, where, why, and how of agriculture. That's
one of the reasons why each year we have all the area 5th graders come to our
farm for Ag Day, and it's one of the reasons I decided to occasionally blog on
this topic. We have to be the voice of agriculture--not documentary films
like "Food Inc." that while provocative, only tell one side of the
story. Organizations such as Farm Bureau (who do a lot more than sell
insurance), U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, and even Mike Rowe on his
show "Dirty Jobs" are acting and working to bridge this disconnect
between farmers and farming, and to show the general public that the American
farmer by large has at heart the best interests of the land, the environment,
the animal, and the end user.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Why is it important to buy local whenever possible?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Well I think it's certainly good to buy local, or participate in
community gardens and food co-ops. One, you are supporting the local
economy and local producers. Two, you are putting a face to the producer
of the product you are eating. That interaction with the producer can be
great. You can ask them questions about how they grow their product,
where they grow it and so on, and really develop a good and positive
relationship. Three, generally speaking, it's going to be a much fresher
product, and taste better. So yes, farmers markets and such should be
supported by the local community. However, these types of enterprises
often appeal to a niche market. Food and growth experts tell us that
global population is rising at such a pace, that farmers will have to produce
as much food in the next 40 years as we have in all the years combined since
the inception of farming. This is a monumental and historic task set
before us. I say all that to say that yes, let's continue to support
locally grown and community gardens etc, but let's not be naive enough to think
that these alone will solve our growing and future food related issues. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Many people worship creation and many people seem bent on
destroying it. As a Christian who farms, what do you feel is your
responsibility in caring for the land that God has given to you?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I love this question. I believe that much of the answer lies within
the question itself. I am responsible for caring for the tracts of land
(and all land in reality) that God has seen fit to entrust us with. I
think as a Christian, I have been given a biblical mandate to watch over and
care for the land (Gen. 1:28-30, 1 Cor. 4:2). This all stems from the
recognition that God created and owns everything (Ps. 24:1, Ps. 50:10). I'm
simply a manager of these resources and my goal is to leave it to the next
generation better than it was when I received it. God is glorified even
in seemingly simple and insignificant acts such as this. Dominion and
stewardship rightly understood do not mean domination or destruction. Nor
do they necessarily mean "organic" or "green." Those
are two words that are so loosely thrown around they are void of any
significant meaning. Many well meaning, well intentioned Christians, I
think, stumble all over this issue in the name of "Creation Care" or
"Christian Ecology." Again, these are not bad things. The
problem comes when someone reads say, a Wendell Berry or similar type author book,
and then takes that and tries to apply some form of "Gospel centered"
environment tag line to it, and before you know it, we have denominations
unwittingly writing position papers on the evils of incandescent light bulbs
and making resolutions for Christ centered global warming response teams. Good
stewards recognize, again, that we are to manage our temporary possessions to
the best of our abilities and teach others to do the same, while at the same
time not being intentionally neglectful or harmful to that which is entrusted
us. This discussion is so often framed in an either/or format, when in
reality it very often can be an and/both format. We can drill oil and
protect the caribou. We can spray pesticides on crops and still have
safe, clean food. We can't let our environmental conscience be guilted
into bad laws and policies b/c some folks prefer Prius's to SUV's. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Do the big box stores like Wal-Mart help or hurt local
farmers like you?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">They don't hurt, and if anything they help local producers. I have
a friend who grows pumpkins and he sells them directly to our local Wal-Mart. I
have another friend who grew sweet corn and watermelons and sold directly to
area grocery stores. They get paid a premium b/c Wal-Mart knows exactly
what there getting, when there getting it, and from whom they are getting it,
and it's not something that is being trucked in from a 1,000 miles away when
it's grown 5 miles away. Wal-Mart and other chains are a business and they care
a lot about public image. If they can put pretty little signs in their
produce sections saying these items are grown locally, people eat that stuff
up. Look, Wal-Mart, Cosco, Kroger etc. care about making a profit and
protecting their image. They also swing a huge stick, especially when it
comes to peoples purchasing decisions. If consumers are demanding product
A instead of B, what do you think Wal-Mart is going to do? That is
totally acceptable. So, if a local producer can get hooked up with a box store
and provide a commodity that people want, the folks at Wal-Mart are smart
enough to recognize a good business deal, and that ultimately is good for that
producer(s).</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Floods, droughts and tornadoes probably mean more to you than
someone in any other profession and for most farmers I know, no matter how good
the weather is, it's never good enough. How has farming affected the way
you trust in the supremacy of God?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Well, it is usually cause for a lot of repenting on my part. Arguably
two of the most important factors to a farmers success are completely out of
his control: weather and markets. More often than I care to admit,
I find myself questioning God on too much rain, not enough rain, rain at the
wrong time, too hot, too cold and so on. What have I done? I've
committed a radical form of idolatry. I've put myself in the place of God
and I'm telling God that I know better. I often shutter at my own
foolishness. So yes, this is a profession that can radically effect ones
faith, and without a solid grounding and firm belief in the sovereignty of God,
well, that person will feel a lot of anxiety and despair. Farming can
take big swings from highs to lows in relative short amounts of time, and
ultimately what I hope this does is push me to prayer, praise, humility, and
thankfulness during both those bleak looking times and the rewarding times of
walking in high cotton. As per the guys who say it's never good enough,
well I know a lot of those guys, and quite frankly, I don't really like being
around them. No matter how good things are, or how good a year it was,
they somehow manage to only speak doom and gloom. Those guys are annoying
and give farmers a bad name. Either shut up and move on or get into
another profession to complain about. One thing I rarely hear come from
my dad's lips is complaints. Some things I do hear pretty often from him
are words of thankfulness and blessings and optimism. Things are going to
work out one way or the other. It may not be the way you wanted, but
having a trust in the supremacy of God is ultimate, for without that no one
anywhere would farm. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Talk to the guy that lives on a quarter of an acre in the
suburbs. Is it important for him to grow something, even if it's a few
tomatoes hanging from his porch? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sure, yes grow something. It's pretty easy to start, fun,
rewarding, kids can do it with you, and how many things can a person do whereby
they can daily see the fruit of their labors? That's one thing I love
about farming--you get almost immediate results of your actions, and then you
get to constantly tweak and fine tune throughout the year. The
suburbanite can do the same thing on a smaller scale and watch with amazement
as nature does what nature does. Plus, people just need to get their
hands and clothes dirty from time to time. Folks who are afraid to get
dirt on their hands, or kids who are afraid to hold a worm--I don't know what
it is, but something is fundamentally wrong with that.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">How can caring for a garden, large or small, be beneficial
to biblical manhood or womanhood?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Adam & Eve, the first farmers, started out in a
garden, and were placed there to work and take care of the garden. We'll
they blew it and now I have weeds in my fields :) Caring for a garden, or
an animal, or a 57 Chevy for that matter--several things can be going on here. Perhaps
a husband and wife are building a garden wall - working, lifting, shoveling,
sweating - and in the course of this they are serving one another and modeling
a healthy marriage relationship to their onlooking kids. Perhaps a dad is
showing his son how to plow and chop and dig and weed and instilling in his son
an appreciation for a strong work ethic and a faithfulness that tiny seed
planted grows into large fruit. Maybe mom is helping her daughter take
care of newborn kittens and modeling to her tender care and lovingkindness for
something fragile and dependent, which will serve that daughter later in life
when she has her first child that is fragile and dependent on her tender care
and lovingkindness. Or maybe an older man in the community is teaching a
younger man who never had a father figure, thru conversation while they work to
restore a car, how to be a man who leads, protects, and provides for his
family. Perhaps, thru the simple, ordinary, mundane routine of life, even
something as plain as caring for a garden, conversations are happening,
relationships are being built, seeds are being planted and roots are delving
deep into something that is authentic, lasting, and true. Something that
will help men and women in fulfilling their God ordained roles. Perhaps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><i>Shane Burchfiel runs a family farm in Tennessee where
he grows corn, cotton, soybeans and wheat. He blogs regularly at <a href="http://beforethestore.blogspot.com/">Before the Store</a>.</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</span>Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-34766303166587801432011-12-19T11:38:00.002-05:002011-12-19T13:35:32.324-05:00Seven from 2011: Music<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>416</o:Words> <o:characters>2372</o:Characters> <o:company>Towaliga Baptist Church</o:Company> <o:lines>19</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>4</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>2912</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 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table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><span style="font-family:Georgia">At its current rate of regression the music industry will cease to exist by the end of next year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Dad, what’s that noise you’re making with your mouth?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“It’s called humming, son.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“What are you humming?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“A song.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“What’s a song?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Well, it’s a long story but there used to be this thing called music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There were all kinds of different styles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So great in fact that the best music had a way of sticking around in your head years after you first listened to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s where humming comes from.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“I’ve never heard of music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What happened to it?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Lady Gaga, son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Lady Gaga.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Below are a few records that might just keep the above conversation from happening for another year or so.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><a href="http://www.thedirtyguvnahs.com/music/">Youth is In Our Blood, The Dirty Guv’nahs</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">The Black Crowes and Kings of Leon had a baby and named it The Dirty Guv’nahs.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><a href="http://www.sojournmusic.com/2011/04/the-water-and-the-blood/">The Water and the Blood, Sojourn</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">For my money, Sojourn is the best of all the praise and worship groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They mix old school, biblically sound lyrics with Americana and the finished product is always well worth your dime.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><a href="<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OjpPpptMoz4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>">Dying to Live, PRo </a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">This is PRo’s first official release with Reach Records and as you might expect, he blends his brand of southern hip-hop nicely with practical theology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The future is bright for PRo. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><a href="<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/L9qUMr6feOI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>">Young Love, Mat Kearney</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">When Mat Kearney first came on the scene he was compared to Coldplay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With this album, he’s surpassed them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The album’s final song, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Rochester</i>, tells the story of Kearney’s father and caps off another excellent album from Kearney.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><a href="<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/c3GN9CqxKAY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>">Bon Iver, Bon Iver</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I can understand four words on this album but it’s some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Here’s a guarantee, if you buy Bon Iver, you’ll look cool at parties because everyone will know that you’re into a band that nobody else has ever heard of before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You get extra credit for pronouncing the name right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The only way that this purchase could go wrong for you is if you play linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens and it’s your week to pick out the pre-game musical selections for the locker room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">By the way, the video linked above may be the weirdest I've ever seen. I can't prove it but I think it was shot using a broken Etch-A-Sketch.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rehab-The-Overdose/dp/B004HQTD4W/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324313602&sr=301-1">Rehab: The Overdose, Lecrae</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Lecrae isn’t the best Christian emcee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He’s probably the best emcee period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is evident in the fact that this album of bonus material from 2010’s Rehab is one of the best records of 2011. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><a href="http://reachrecords.com/releases/show/PSA-Vol-2">PSA vol. 2, PRo</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">This is PRo’s first unofficial release with Reach Records (they offered it for free through their website and it’s still available for free through Noise Trade).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This one has the feel of a cd you’d buy from an artist out of the trunk of his Chevy about 6 months before he hits it big.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Put You On</i> comes with references to King of the Hill and The Sixth Sense and is one of many highlights on this album.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment--></span><p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-75235367399504028092011-12-15T15:07:00.002-05:002011-12-15T15:08:41.943-05:00Chainsaws, Humility and Going Soft: An Interview with Matt Hughes<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>805</o:Words> <o:characters>4593</o:Characters> <o:company>Towaliga Baptist Church</o:Company> <o:lines>38</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>9</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>5640</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Matt Hughes is a nine-time UFC champion and a member of the UFC Hall of Fame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He’s fond of chainsaws and guns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He drives tractors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Matt Hughes is a man’s man.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">But Matt also professes faith in Jesus Christ, loves his wife and takes the initiative in leading his family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Again, Matt Hughes is a man’s man.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Recently, I had a chance to speak with Matt about his career, manhood and the daily fight against pride.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Matt, you’ve experienced a lot of success in the octagon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>How have you managed to stay humble through this?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">You know, I can’t sit here and tell you that I’m a humble person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Things do go to your head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s become a lot easier the older I get.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But, you know, seven years ago I wasn’t that old, I was the champion, everything was going good for me and I did keep people around that helped me out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But I think what really kept me grounded more than anything was the fact that I really liked who I was before I became the world champion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So after I won the title I actually took my belt and put it under my bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I didn’t want to sit and look at it because I knew it was going to change me and I just decided I liked who I was before and I’m going to stay that person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To be honest, it’s a daily battle not to be a bigger person than you are.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">So it sounds like your identity is not wrapped up in the belt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Do you think that makes it easier for you to walk away from the sport when the time comes?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A lot of athletes, things don’t end well for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Does finding your identity in Christ make it easier for you when it comes time to hang it up?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Definitely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I don’t want to give it up [competition] because I love to compete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Christ just puts other things on your heart and you’ve got other identities besides that so I’ve just got to open my eyes and realize what’s the greater good here.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">But there are other things you’re known for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Of course there’s your fighting career but then there’s hunting and farming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A lot of guys are in to these things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Is there a common link between fighting, hunting and farming and how do they relate to masculinity, something that seems to be going out of style in recent years?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Fighting and hunting relate directly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Farming is a manly duty as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Manly people are going out of style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It seems like as this world gets older and older people get lazier and lazier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You just don’t see people doing manual labor like we used to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We’re creating machines to make life easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That easy lifestyle has made us lazy and turned us soft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m kind of a man’s man because I use a gun, I use a chainsaw, I split wood, I use knives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So all those things put me high on the man list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Even if you don’t use a chainsaw but you own a chainsaw that puts you a couple of points higher on the man list.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I hope that doesn’t get you put on a terrorist watch list.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I think anybody who knows Matt Hughes knows I’ve got a whole boatload of guns.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Matt, you also have a wife and kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Talk about that aspect of manhood.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">The man is the person who should end up making all the decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In the end, it all comes down to the man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If something fails, it comes down to him, not to somebody else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m very blessed in that I have a good wife who makes very good decisions so I let her make decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I really trust her judgment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I try to be the man of the house but I do try and let my wife be the woman and make those good decisions she’s known for.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I became a Christian seven years ago, got married seven years ago and right after that watched my baby girl get pulled out of my wife’s stomach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With those three things, it’s definitely softened me up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">In my house, my wife is Old Testament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>She’s strict and lays on the thunder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m New Testament and all about forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’ve really turned into a softy here lately, in the last four or five years.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Your second fight against Frank Trigg, in my opinion, was one of the greatest moments in the history of the sport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Is that kind of drive and determination something that all men have or is it just reserved for elite athletes?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">It’s very, very hard to get that mental aspect into somebody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Either you’re born with it or you’re not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In my sport, I think it’s fifty-fifty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s fifty percent mental and fifty percent physical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If I can break my opponent mentally, the physical will soon follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’ve always been a strong minded person and I think that’s what won that fight for me was the fact that I wasn’t going to give up where a lot of other people might have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But I do not know how to coach that into somebody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You’re either born with it or you’re not.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">You’ve implied before that you would like to have a chance to coach Georges St. Pierre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If you had that shot, what different approaches would you take that maybe he’s not already getting?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">With GSP, I would say he needs no help in the technical aspect of things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He’s great with his takedowns, his striking and even his submission knowledge has come along quite a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I would love to help him more on the mental side of things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It would be a simple thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I don’t think there’s been one fight that hasn’t gone the distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I think GSP has so much talent that he can finish those fights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I would like to see him go with the mindset that no matter what’s going on I’m going to keep pouring it to my opponent and break him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s the only thing he lacks in being one of the greatest is the fact that he doesn’t finish a whole lot of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext .75pt;padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext .75pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Thanks to Matt Hughes for taking the time to talk over the phone today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go out and buy a chainsaw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-82898371163773747092011-12-14T15:49:00.001-05:002011-12-14T15:51:13.318-05:00Lectures to Myself<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> 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mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I was trying to pull into a gas station but the lady driving out of the gas station had other ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Just as I committed into my turn she shows up in her gigantic car and takes up both the entrance and the exit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To top it all off she was talking on the phone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Sometimes when people do this, they will quickly see the error of their ways and give you that awkward wave to let you know that they know they can’t drive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Not this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This woman’s bad driving was unrepentant bad driving.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I was furious but I didn’t lash out, not because of my superior self-control skills but because I was afraid that maybe she or one of her close relatives went to my church.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Man, your pastor sure is good at fighting small, middle-aged women!”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Eventually the lady went on about her way still talking on her phone and I went on about my way still fuming over the whole ordeal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I spent the rest of the day analyzing what this woman did wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">A week or so after this incident a guy was pulling into the same gas station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As he was making his entrance into the gas station he also happened to be talking on the phone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There was a car trying to exit the gas station the proper way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Because the man coming into the gas station was too busy with his phone to be bothered with driving an automobile he came inches from side swiping the poor woman trying to leave the gas station.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">That man’s actions were irresponsible.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">That man could’ve gotten someone hurt.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">That man was me.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">But for some reason I didn’t spend near as much time in anger over the second traffic injustice as I did the first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is because I’m better at pointing out the flaws of others than I am at correcting my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I did, for the record, give the awkward wave to the lady I almost hit so that should count for something.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">These two events reminded me of the importance of what Joe Thorn in his book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Note-Self-Discipline-Preaching-Yourself/dp/1433522063/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323895816&sr=8-1">Note to Self</a></i>, calls “preaching to myself.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s easy for me to tell my congregation to kill their sin and rely on God’s grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But for those sermons to carry any weight I have to preach them and live them out myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Below, in no particular order, are some of the things I made a practice of preaching to myself in 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Jay, when you are caught up in your worries and anxieties you have stopped worshiping and trusting God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You have replaced grace with human effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When you feel worry and anxiety creeping in, begin to focus intently on prayer and worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Visualize the Lord Jesus Christ guarding your heart and mind with the peace of God (Philippians 4:4-7).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Jay, think of how Jesus has demonstrated his love for you and figure out how you can model that love for your wife today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What is something that she hates doing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Find out and do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What scares her?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Instead of viewing her fear as a threat to your ability to provide and protect, move towards her fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Don’t just talk about serving her and leading her, do it (Ephesians 5:25-33).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Jay, never forget the brokenhearted pastor who told you about the time that his wife said that she felt like he was having an affair with the church he was pastoring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Never put the church before your family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This may make you a few enemies but that’s okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Remember, if you make it your aim to always please the people in your church you can pretty much guarantee that you, your family and your church will all be miserable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When you’re on vacation, make sure your phone and e-mail take a vacation too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Guard your meal times with your family vigilantly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Equip other leaders in your church to help you in this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Love the church you pastor by loving your wife and kids more than the church you pastor (1 Timothy 3:4-5).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Jay, remember to be present and engaged with your kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Being there is good and it’s a lot better than not being there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You know that from personal experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But you can still be there and not really be there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Get on the floor with your boys, wrestle with them and make leaf piles all for the glory of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Have fun with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yes, take the primary role of discipline and no, don’t try to be their buddy but remember, they need to see you smiling and having fun (Colossians 3:21).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Jay, focus more on engaging <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">your</i> culture than you do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">the</i> culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Know the people in you church and community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There aren’t a whole lot of young hipsters in your church or community who are struggling with whether or not they should accept that job with Apple or go on tour as the opening act for Jay Z and Kanye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Deal with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You do have a lot of people in your church and community who are struggling with loosing a business, poor health and how to deal with kids that do the dumb things that kids do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Remember, engaging the culture doesn’t mean just engaging what you’re in to or what’s cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It means moving towards the people in your scope and relating to them for kingdom purposes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Learn how to talk to hunters (Acts 17:16-34).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Jay, when you visit people in the hospital, stop going into the wrong room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s awkward for the family of the patient as they try to figure out who you are and it makes you look dumb when you explain why you just came in a completely random room to pray for a total stranger thinking it was someone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You’ve only been a pastor for a little over three years and this has happened twice already.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You’re grown up now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Get it together, man!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Jay, remember to preach to the self-righteous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This should be easy since you are so self-righteous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A while back someone told you that there is a broken heart on every pew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That is a true statement and you must remember that as you prepare and preach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But seated next to that broken heart there’s a heart that’s been hardened by dead, Jesus-less religion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Prayerfully and gracefully and boldly confront self-righteous legalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s probably sending more people to hell in your community than any other sin (Galatians 2:15-21).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Jay, make the number one delight and desire of your life Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This requires a lot of grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>White-knuckling it wont help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Most of the things that compete for your delight and desire are not bad things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But they are not worthy of your worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You destroy them and yourself when you act as though they are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Continually ask the Spirit to shape your heart so that you can see the surpassing value of communion with Christ (Psalm 84:10).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-62442125109255166142011-12-13T10:56:00.000-05:002011-12-13T10:56:00.931-05:00Ten from 2011: Books<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I read more books in 2011 than any other year of my
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I read books that a guy like
me was supposed to like but I ended up hating, I read books that disturbed me
and I read books that helped me to understand the gospel a little better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As usual, many of the books on this
list were written and published long before 2011 but these are ten that I
benefited from in 2011 and, for one reason or another, would recommend to you in
2012.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Preaching-Christ-Ecclesiastes-Foundations-Expository/dp/0802865356/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323790954&sr=1-1">Preaching Christ from Ecclesiastes, Sidney Greidanus</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This isn’t the kind of book that you take with you
to the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I read it over
several months as I prepared to preach through the book of Ecclesiastes last
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a very accessible and
practical read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are a
pastor you need to preach through Ecclesiastes and you need to use this book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Glass-Castle-Memoir-Jeannette-Walls/dp/074324754X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323791032&sr=1-1">9. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This book falls into the disturbing category.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jeannette Walls’ memoir details her
childhood under an alcoholic father, an enabling mother and the wreckage they
left behind them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one is not
for the squeamish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kings-Cross-Story-World-Jesus/dp/0525952101/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323791076&sr=1-1">8. King’s Cross, Tim Keller</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Keller is one of those rare authors who is able to
take complex concepts and break them down for the common reader.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This book on the Gospel of Mark is no
exception.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Where-Men-Win-Glory-Odyssey/dp/030738604X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323791117&sr=1-1">7. Where Men Win Glory, Jon Krakauer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here’s another one from the disturbing
category.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pat Tillman was an elite defensive back in the NFL and a patriot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After 9/11 he walked away from the game he loved to defend
the country he loved as an Army Ranger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The friendly fire that killed Pat Tillman in Afghanistan and the
political maneuverings that hid the facts regarding his death from his family aren’t
near as disturbing as the image Krakauer paints of Tillman using his dying
words to affirm that there is no God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is not a Christian book but it should inspire Christians to take
their disciple-making mandate more seriously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Krakauer is an excellent author and that excellence is on full display in this book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Greener-Grass-Conspiracy-Finding-Contentment/dp/1433521156/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323791174&sr=1-1">6. The Greener Grass Conspiracy, Stephen Altrogge</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This was one of the most beneficial books I read in
2011.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Altrogge’s theme of finding
contentment in Christ was spot on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This book is short, powerful and much needed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Doing-Things-Right-Matters-Heart/dp/1581348428/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323791212&sr=1-1">5. Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart, John Ensor</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I got in trouble for reading this book while I was
sitting through a jury selection process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bailiff told me that if I put it up he wouldn’t take it
away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the 4<sup>th</sup>
grade all over again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trial I
was waiting on involved a husband and wife who were splitting up and fighting
over who gets what.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish I had
let the bailiff take the book up and give it to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This book is now required reading for couples I
counsel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s another quick read
that packs a big punch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lectures-My-Students-C-Spurgeon/dp/1598565176/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323791267&sr=1-1">4. Lectures to My Students, Charles Spurgeon</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Keep your eye on this Spurgeon kid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If he keeps at it I see big things in
store for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Spurgeon’s classic is the best pastoral ministries
book I’ve ever read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are a
pastor, elder or deacon you are doing massive harm to yourself with every day
that goes by without having read Lectures to My Students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bonhoeffer-Pastor-Martyr-Prophet-Spy/dp/1595552464/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323791307&sr=1-1">3. Bonhoeffer, Eric Metaxas</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">You can use this book for bicep curls while you’re
away from your home gym but don’t let the size intimidate you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This biography reads like a thriller
and reminds us of the importance of taking the gospel seriously with our head,
heart and hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-World-Survival-Resilience-Redemption/dp/1400064163/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323791339&sr=1-1">2. Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This is another fast paced historical thriller that
is by far the most entertaining book I’ve ever read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope the movie does it justice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/When-Helping-Hurts-Alleviating-Yourself/dp/0802457053/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323791387&sr=1-1">1. When Helping Hurts, Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">My friend Marty Duren recommended this to me and
I’m glad he did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He called it a
game-changer and he was right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This book forces the reader to wrestle with the possibilities that
giving the poor family in the community a bunch of Christmas presents every
year may be doing more harm than good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But this isn’t a book that just talks about what’s wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are real solutions offered here
for how churches and individuals can engage in strategic generosity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">We question our government for simply throwing
money at needs and our questions are valid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we are no different when we do the same thing with a
Jesus stamp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>True Christ-honoring
generosity is thoughtful generosity and this book helps with that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">If you care about helping those in need you must
read this book and talk about it with those who are helping you in your vision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-83991904429355854142011-12-12T14:38:00.001-05:002011-12-12T15:08:49.842-05:00Ten from 2011: Sports<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I’ve always heard it said that sports builds character. 2011 has left many of us wondering exactly what kind of character it is that sports builds. Below are the ten most significant sports stories of 2011 as determined by me. This list includes the excellent, the absurd and the criminal. While no year in sports goes without its share of police blotter, 2012 took it to a level we haven’t seen since Bob Costas interrupted your regularly scheduled NBA game to tell us that Al Cowlings was driving his white Ford Bronco down the interstate with an old friend riding shotgun.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">10. Women’s World Cup<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Dear WNBA,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">If you market women’s professional sports well, the talent is good and the season only lasts for about two weeks every four years, people will watch. Please take note or go away.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Thanks!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Management<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">9. NBA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">After one of the best post seasons since Jordan went away, the NBA decided to take a few steps back with a labor dispute that ate up a few months out of the season. Here’s to hoping that the NBA sticks with this shortened schedule and eliminates a few franchises as well (I’m looking at you New Orleans. And Toronto. And Memphis. Okay, why not. And the Knicks).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">8. Lebron and the Heat<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">One reason why the NBA had such a successful post season last year was because everyone wanted to see a team that threw itself a world championship party before the season started not win that world championship. We got our wish.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">7. Ryan Braun<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">It turns out that the steroid era in baseball may not be over after all. Will anyone ever win a significant single season individual award in Major League Baseball without having a cloud of suspicion as to whether or not he was cheating? This is just one of many reasons why baseball has ceased to be our national pastime. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">6. The Cardinals<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But it wasn’t all bad for Major League Baseball. The St. Louis Cardinals proved that it’s more fun to wait until the last possible moment to win games and championships. They also proved that the Yankees aren’t the only team that will overpay for your best player after you win it all.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">5. Mark Richt<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">After the Georgia Bulldogs lost their first two games of the season they wanted to run their head coach out of town. After they finished out the rest of the schedule without another loss Georgia fans were scurrying for tickets to the SEC title game. After Georgia started to take their beating from an LSU team that would probably win the NFC East the Georgia fans left early and resumed their favorite pastime – cursing the coaching staff while listening to Corey Smith. Remind me again why I call myself a Georgia fan.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">4. Jon Bones Jones<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The UFC is the fastest growing sport in the world and its best athlete is a young man named Jon Jones. In 2011 he became a number one contender for the light heavyweight title. On the day that he was scheduled to fight for that title he chased down and beat up a man who was trying to rob a couple. A few hours later he would win the fight he had actually been training for and become the light heavyweight champion. Since that night Jones has easily defended his title twice against two former champions.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The UFC may not be your thing and that’s okay. But if you long to see greatness that hasn’t been seen since the days of Ali, you need to see Jon Jones.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3. NASCAR<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The drivers are all mad at each other. One of them is named Wally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The drivers would like to thank their sponsors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The drivers are not athletes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">If NASCAR is on a TV anywhere within a 20 mile radius of me, I’m falling asleep.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2. Tebow Time<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Tim Tebow makes people stupid.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">He makes so called expert analysts look dumb when they try to explain to us that he has nothing to do with the teams success.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">His supporters look dumb when they wear his jersey with Jesus written on the back and preach sermons about him on Sundays (Tebow, not Jesus).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Tim Tebow is an incredible athlete who looks and acts different than most other incredible athletes. He’s not fluid and he’s not a jerk. He’s an imperfect player and an imperfect man. It just so happens that imperfect fans like that sort of thing.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1. Penn State<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">There’s nothing more to say about Penn State.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But we can pray that justice will be served and that the victims will find redemption in Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-17472125792261604262011-12-08T11:27:00.002-05:002011-12-08T11:53:33.059-05:00I Predict 2012<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">For centuries now, everyone has had predictions about 2012. Here are my fail safe, non-apocalyptic predictions for the most talked about year that has yet to happen in human history.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Politics<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Unless he gets caught wearing a Penn State sweatshirt, Barak Obama will win his re-election bid. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This is not due to the fact that President Obama is doing such a splendid job. Instead, his re-election can be attributed to the fumbling bumbling GOP. It’s sort of like when I was a kid and my grandparents took me to the crusty old dollar store downtown and told me to pick out one toy. Usually there was only one toy that I really wanted but since it was in the $39.95 category and my grandparents were thinking more in the $1.99 category it was quickly ruled out which meant that I became the proud owner of a $0.75 Jackson 5 cardboard poster. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">We all thought I was crazy. We all lost a part of our souls.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">What the GOP taught us in 2011 was that if you want to be an adulterous jerk to your wife/wives you need to be contrite about it in public while at the same time talking about the moral collapse this country is experiencing and blaming said collapse on the current president. Also, if you could manage to marry your mistress instead of paying her off that would help to. This strategy of pretending to be moral will catapult you to the top of the polls where you’ll have a good shot of beating another GOP candidate who is pretending to be a conservative.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Meanwhile, the only candidate in the GOP that makes any sense is allegedly “unelectable.” Never mind the fact that the people of Texas have elected this “unelectable” candidate to serve as their congressman on many occasions. Judging from the candidates that we are told are electable, I’m beginning to think that being “unelectable” is a compliment.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">“Your dress makes you look quite unelectable dear.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">You try that one out first and let me know how it goes.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sports<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The NFL will finally do something to stop the rash of phantom injuries we saw this season. Something has to be done to protect the players. I think Ndamukong Suh is behind this somehow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eY26rgd4aps" width="560"></iframe></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SmT_28N4_Mo" width="560"></iframe> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The NBA strike has led to a to a shortened schedule that will actually serve the league well. Cutting out nearly three months of the schedule will bring some much needed efficiency to the league and the lack of a consistent off season camp will lead to some pretty bad yet entertaining basketball at the beginning. Maybe for one of the Christmas day opening games we’ll even get a nice little gift like this one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cisKeRht7BM" width="560"></iframe> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Major League Baseball however has not been as fortunate as the NBA. Their strike that has been going on since 1999 will continue through 2012.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">John Elway will form a secret coup with several members of the media led by ESPN Radio’s Colin Cowherd and make an attempt on Tim Tebow’s life. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Elway’s motivation will be the fact that Tebow throws perhaps the ugliest ball in NFL history and has still managed to gain a following that Elway didn’t enjoy until the end of his career when a man named Terrell Davis joined his team and won him a couple of Super Bowls.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Colin Cowherd will be motivated by the fact that Tim Tebow’s name is not Tony Romo.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The rest of the media will be motivated by the fact that Tim Tebow is a product of homeschooling, has no noticeable drug addictions, professes Christianity and is manly. This is far too much for many in the media to swallow. You can rest assured that if the Denver Bronco’s starting quarterback played every game in his girlfriend’s jeans, pronounced death to America after every touchdown and cursed at babies at halftime, he wouldn’t be nearly as controversial as Tebow.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But do not fear fans. Seeing as how Tim Tebow is the Chuck Norris of the NFL, this assassination attempt will be over before it ever really gets started.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FXgo0iPEvEA" width="560"></iframe> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Arts and Entertainment<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">You’ll hear a new song from Coldplay in 2012. I don’t know what it’ll be called but there will be a part in the middle where it goes, “Whoa, oh, oh oh.” It’s sure to be a hit.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Ryan Reynolds will make a movie with some girl. The plot will center on you wanting the two to be together but at the beginning of the movie, it looks like it just wasn’t meant to be. Oh, but wait! By the end of the movie, it’ll be raining and they’ll meet up at an airport where your cinematic dreams will finally come true with a nice kiss between the two that we thought might never find true love with one another.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Oh, you might say, this movie has already been made.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Exactly, my friend. Exactly.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">In 2011 there was a movie named Tree of Life starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, some girl and a bunch of kids. A guy that works in the video library at the Discovery Channel made 75% of this movie and a Swiss art student with one name made the remaining 25%. I had no clue what was going on for the entire film. This is another way of saying that Tree of Life will win an Oscar in 2012.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I know that most of the above predictions have already been covered by the Mayans and their calendar but thanks for indulging me. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Happy New Year!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Or, if you’re the type that likes to shop at Wal-Marts and Krogers, Happy New Years!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></div>Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-84831081875630721922011-11-30T16:33:00.002-05:002011-11-30T16:39:59.739-05:00Red Wing Boots vs Forever Lazy<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>627</o:Words> <o:characters>3575</o:Characters> <o:company>Towaliga Baptist Church</o:Company> <o:lines>29</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>7</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>4390</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">In the early 1900s a guy from Minnesota named Charles Beckman started a business named Red Wing Shoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Charles’ aim was to develop shoes that were tough enough for the harsh working conditions in places like coal mines and farms but also comfortable enough for the men who wore the shoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Charles Beckman’s primary concern wasn’t comfort or else we’d be talking about Charles Beckman, the guy who invented the bedroom slipper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For Beckman, comfort was a means to an end: getting the job done.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">The idea stuck and over a century later guys named Tully and Big Mike are still wearing Red Wing boots to the coalmine/farm/jobsite/Packers game.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Recently the United States of America was introduced to another invention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This one is nothing like Red Wing Boots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s called Forever Lazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Guys named Tully and Big Mike would call their friend T-Mac to come do harm to you if you bought them a Forever Lazy for Christmas.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Unlike Red Wing Shoes, comfort is king at Forever Lazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Getting the job done?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Who said anything about a job?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Pass the cheese curls!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">In case you haven’t been introduced to Forever Lazy, here’s a frame-by-frame analysis.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GED89KpkpGE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">0:04 – Our grandfather's fought other men in jungles halfway around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Thanks to Forever Lazy you no longer have to fight with those pesky blankets.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">0:30 – Homework?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>“Okay class, for homework tonight I want you to find a blanket that you can wear and look at a picture book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Oh, and be sure to be way too happy.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">0:40 – If you’re ever invited to “party it up” with friends and when you arrive at the party site everyone is wearing one of these things, leave immediately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Nothing good can happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Trust me.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">0:57 – Dude, just move the TV and a chair next to your refrigerator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You’re already wearing a Forever Lazy so why hold back now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Take the plunge!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">1:00 – College is a place of self-expression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s where you can finally be you without worrying about other people judging you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But I’m pretty sure that whether you go to “State” like these folks or the progressive Cal Berkley, you’re going to catch a beating for wearing this thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So whatever you do, just don’t wear it outside.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">1:04 – You just had to take it outside.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">1:08 – What’s with all of this outdoor activity?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>How can you be lazy while tailgating?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m sure the opposing team’s fans would have nothing to say to the group of people wearing their hooded pajamas out to a game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m not a gambling man but I’m 100% sure that these are Clemson fans.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">1:12 – Okay, they’re cheering so they can’t be Clemson fans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maybe Bayside High?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">1:20 – If you are a reasonably young, able-bodied person who wears pants with hatches “for when duty calls” and you are not a cartoon, you have officially lost the will to live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Find a hospital bed immediately.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Comfort for the sake of comfort is a pathetic thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Comfort should always motivate us to action.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">As believers, we are not immune to adversity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, Paul assures us of the hope that is ours in the “God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">But it doesn’t stop there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This isn’t God telling us to climb up on his lap so he can remind us of how great we are and tell us to cheer up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Instead, the comfort we have in him serves purposes greater than our own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He comforts us through adversity, “so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction” (1:4).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">For many of us, this is the best time of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We get to eat a little more, see old friends and family and take a few days off from the regular routine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Oh, and there’s more football games on TV.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">But for a lot of people these are miserable times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There’s an empty seat at the table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Perhaps the whole house that was once filled with laughter and the aroma of good food is now quiet and dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For a growing number of people, stress is high as they think about all of the things they would like to buy for their family but just can’t afford anymore.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Not one of us is immune to hardship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We all know what it’s like to endure loneliness, heartache, doubt and worry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We also know what it’s like to find comfort in the “Father of mercies.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Maybe more than any other time of year, this is a time for believers to move towards the hurting “with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; "> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-11409281652521188702011-11-28T13:07:00.002-05:002011-11-28T13:40:35.514-05:00An Interview with Dave<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here are three things you can count on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"> 1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Somewhere right now a Georgia Tech fan is blaming a referee for his team’s annual embarrassing loss to the Georgia Bulldogs.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"> 2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Somewhere right now a Georgia Bulldog fan is still drinking a little bit too much and talking about how "we gonna beat LSU."<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"> 3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Your local contemporary Christian radio station is playing a song by Casting Crowns.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I don’t know how to prove my first two statements but the third one is easy. Find a radio and tune it to your local Christian station. It’ll likely be somewhere in the low 90s on your FM dial and it will also have a word like Joy, Fish or Love in the title. Okay, go do it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I told you so.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Now wait two minutes and try again. This time they’re playing a song by Chris Tomlin. Go.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Jackpot.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Obviously, this isn’t a Casting Crowns or Chris Tomlin problem. It’s a radio problem. The same experiment works for your local hip-hop and R&B station. They’re playing a song by Drake right this second.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Bingo.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">In 1993 I started a long conversation with my friend Dave about the state of Christian music. Our conversation still hasn’t ended. Over the last 20 years, Dave has published articles about Christian music and even has his own weekly radio show. That makes him an expert. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><a ajaxify="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1727561423051&set=t.744853523&type=1&ref=nf&src=http%3A%2F%2Fhphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-snc6%2F179314_1727561423051_1058885980_31956108_7362844_n.jpg&theater&size=604%2C453" class="uiPhotoThumb largePhoto" ft="{"type":41}" href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1727561423051&set=t.744853523&type=1&ref=nf" rel="theater" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; text-decoration: none;" title=""><img alt="" class="img" height="225px" src="http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/s320x320/179314_1727561423051_1058885980_31956108_7362844_n.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 3px; margin-top: 3px; max-width: 300px;" width="300px" /></a></span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Christian music has changed in that time. Casting Crowns and Chris Tomlin are successful and talented musicians with a sincere faith. When I was growing up, Christian artists were the ones who weren’t quite good enough to make it in the mainstream. Also, Christian music is seeing a bit of a resurgence of sound theology and commitment to the local church. Again, this is evident with artists like Tomlin and Casting Crowns.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Has the Christian music industry finally been reformed? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Are the days of sappy love songs to Jesus finally over?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Have we heard the last of bands like this?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bSHLSDBaZMI" width="420"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Recently I got to ask Dave about all of this. It’s funny how a conversation that began in a college dorm room between two friends almost 20 years ago continues today on the blogosphere where millions will read it. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Okay thousands.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Hundreds?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Okay, my wife. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I love you honey! I’ll stop by the store on the way home.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Gimmie Five<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Jay: Everybody that cares about Christian music has heard Casting Crowns and Chris Tomlin. But Dave, give us five albums </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">we should check out </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">from bands we’ve probably never heard of and that are not currently played on 92.7 The Shepherd.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Dave:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://thejohnmark.com/">John Mark McMillan - Economy</a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://thecityharmonic.com/">The City Harmonic - I Have A Dream (It Feels Like Home)</a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.theambassadoronline.com/">The Ambassador - Stop The Funeral</a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.thrice.net/">Thrice - Major/Minor</a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://dominicballi.com/">Dominic Balli - American Dream</a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Digging In<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Jay: For most of the 80s and 90s a lot of Christian music seemed to be a poorly produced copy of what was popular in the mainstream two or three years earlier. Are those days fully gone?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Dave: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">I think a lot of progress has been made in that area but the Christian music industry definitely isn’t there yet. As long as there’s popular music, there’ll be someone to ape it and market it as a safe alternative to the church. Record companies are looking for what sells and not necessarily what’s pushing the envelope artistically. Safe pays the bills.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Having said that, I think quite a bit of progress has been made from a production standpoint. There’s no doubt that what you’re hearing coming from the Christian market is, in most cases, every bit as polished as what’s coming out of the mainstream and sometimes more so. So much so, that you get that “Christian music sheen” that permeates much of what’s considered popular or acceptable in the industry. Really, who can’t tell the difference between a “Christian” song and a “secular” song if they’ve been listening to the former for any length of time. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But great music doesn’t come from the production values. I just talked with Kevin Max, of dc Talk, last night about this very subject. Kevin referenced his favorite band, Queen, and how they broke the mold with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which came so far out of left field that it practically forced the listening audience to perk up and pay attention. As followers of the God of all creation, Christians should be doing just the same thing. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I think it comes down to authenticity and believability on the part of the artist. I recently read Michael Gungor’s blog, “Zombies, Wine, and Christian Music” on his band’s website. While there are parts of it that I don’t necessarily subscribe to, he’s spot on with most of the points he makes. The one that really struck a nerve with me was his comparison of most modern Christian music to a “musical zombie.” Here’s a quote. “There’s just something more believable about the whispery sexy voice that is singing about sex on the mainstream radio station than the voice that copies that style of singing while putting lyrics in about being in the arms of Jesus. And it’s really not even the style or the lyric that is the problem to me, it’s the fact that I don’t believe that the singer is feeling the kind of emotions in singing that lyric that would lead to that style of singing. It’s that same kind of creep out that you feel when somebody gives a really loud fake laugh. It’s just a weird and uncomfortable feeling.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">So to answer your question after all my rambling, I’d have to say no. There’s still a separation between music that’s considered acceptable and safe in Christian circles and music that’s artistically viable. Mainstream music doesn’t consult Christianity on trendsetting. They just do it. I wish the opposite was true. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Don’t get me wrong in thinking that I’m down on “Christian” music. I wouldn’t do what I do if I was. Bands and artists such as Switchfoot, Future Of Forestry, LeCrae, (as well as Kevin Max & Gungor) give me hope. Basically I encourage artists to be as evangelical or as parabolic as God has called them to be. There’s room for both. But whatever you do, be genuine.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Jay: Talk about the band Thrice. They're a band that gets a lot of respect from mainstream audiences (as well as other bands like Linkin Park) but Dustin Kensrue, the lead singer, is legit in his faith and committed to the local church. Why do you think this is so hard for a lot of Christian artists to pull off?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Thrice is one of those bands that gets me excited from a spiritual, lyrical, and musical standpoint. I think the respect that they get goes back to the point I was making about doing whatever you do in an authentic manner. Dustin is a Christian and his lyrics absolutely reflect that. There’s no mistaking the message in the songs. But he makes the music he wants to make without regard to fitting into a format or being pigeon-holed into a genre. His band gets respect because first, they’re exceptional musicians and treat the music as equally as important as the lyrics. A lot of folks in Christian music miss the importance of that by treating music as if it’s of secondary value. My thought on that is this – if that’s your mindset, stop doing music and go preach. There’s your calling. You don’t honor Christ by putting out second rate music to an evangelical message. The musical gifts you’ve been given come from the same creator who gave you the words to speak. But I digress.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Funny enough, I actually think it’s gotten easier over the years for artists of Christian faith to gain ground in the mainstream. Remember back in the 80s when Amy Grant caused loads of controversy with “Find A Way?” That was considered a major breakthrough. Christian artists simply weren’t being played on the radio at that time. Now, bands like Thrice (and it should be said that not everyone in the band is a believer), Switchfoot, Needtobreathe, Red, and others are doing things that would’ve been almost impossible then. I think that it comes down to authenticity again. The world at large may not agree with the message but if they can find an artist or band that’s believable, they’ll latch on to that and respect it. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">As a counterpoint it seems, sadly, that artists who got their start in the mainstream are now finding acceptance in the Christian market harder to come by. This is a reverse of how things used to be when Christian music was trying to gain a foothold back in the 80s. At that time it seemed that most anyone who came out of the mainstream music world and professed Christ (Mylon LeFevre, Kerry Livgren, Joe English, etc.) was embraced because they’re presence in the market validated the industry to a degree. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I recently did an interview with Lou Gramm, the former lead singer of Foreigner, who came to Christ several years ago. Lou is an incredibly humble guy whose life was radically changed by that encounter but he’s had a hard time being accepted in the Christian music industry because there’s skepticism about his background. It’s almost like the industry now wants artists coming from those circumstances to prove themselves indefinitely before they’re given a chance. Here’s the kicker. Lou became a Christian in 1992. Another example is Ed Kowalczyk of the band Live. A couple of years ago, Ed sent an open letter to Christian radio detailing his salvation experience and his desire to do Christ-honoring music in the Christian music industry. Live, without a doubt, was one of the most thought provoking bands to come down the pike in the 90s and Ed was the driving creative force. Christian rock radio should’ve been all over this. Instead when Ed released his first solo single “Grace” from his debut CD “Alive” it was met with indifference and skepticism and peaked way below what it should have. I had Ed as a guest on Crossroad Radio and he was genuinely one of the most gracious and humble interview subjects I’ve ever had the privilege of talking to. No entitlement whatsoever. To be fair, most of the acts I interview within the industry have much the same demeanor but I’ve had several who also thought more highly of themselves than what we’re Biblically counseled to do. Not so with Ed.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Jay: What role does good theology play in Christian art and how are those artists who pursue the study of God set apart?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Dave: Good theology is absolutely essential to art created in Christ’s name. Understanding as much as we’re able to grasp of God’s character should lead us to want to produce art of the highest caliber. Bad theology is like a cancer and it comes out not just in lyrics but also in the form of substandard music. That being said, I think that we can become a bit Pharasaical in nit-picking songs to death. You have to let a song be a song and understand that artist A may be at an entirely different point in their walk with Christ than artist B. That doesn’t mean that we should put up with bad theology or misguided ideas. But we shouldn’t expect every song to be a theological treatise either. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I have to give major props here to the genre known as “Holy Hip Hop.” Whether or not you like rap music, artists such as LeCrae, Trip Lee, The Ambassador, Flame, etc. do a fantastic job of taking the urgency of the music and matching it with the urgency of the gospel. These guys strive to be sound in doctrine while completely engaging their culture. In other words, they’re doing what Christ did when he ate with the “tax collectors and sinners.” In doing so, they’re some of the best examples of the authenticity that I spoke of earlier. The music is a vehicle for the message but it isn’t JUST a vehicle. These are artists who love their God and their craft and it shows in the quality of their product. It should be that way whenever a follower of Christ puts pen to paper.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Dave Bumgarner is a husband, Wake Forest fan (yeah, he’s the one), probably owns a Dell Curry Charlotte Hornets jersey and may be a distant relative of James Garner. For more information on his show, check out </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.crossroadradio.com/"><span style="color: #405b94; text-decoration: none;">www.crossroadradio.com</span></a></span><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">or</span><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.wbfj.fm/"><span style="color: #405b94; text-decoration: none;">www.wbfj.fm</span></a></span><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-17550177719005860072011-11-15T16:09:00.002-05:002011-11-15T16:16:07.520-05:00Like Jay Z: The Importance of Being There<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>797</o:Words> <o:characters>4543</o:Characters> <o:company>Towaliga Baptist Church</o:Company> <o:lines>37</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>9</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>5579</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 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mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">3217 Creekwood Drive.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">That was my first address that I can remember.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s the address where I learned how to play sports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s where I was introduced to the Atari 2600.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s where I got into my first fight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s where I was gripped by the gospel and repented of my sins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Most of my childhood memories took place at 3217 Creekwood Drive.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">But I hated the house that sat at 3217 Creekwood Drive.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I would sit at school all day and draw pictures of my dream house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>One where my mom wouldn’t have to work so hard and one where my room was big enough for a giant TV to hook up my Atari 2600 and my own personal swimming pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When my bus dropped me off right in front of my house I was brought back down to reality.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">At one point it was a weird puple-ish color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For a few years the panels on the garage door were knocked out because I ran into them with my big wheel so much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>On the inside, the brown carpet was stained with gum, pet deposits and Captain Crunch.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">But the house at 3217 Creekwood Drive wasn’t really that bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The only bad part was that I, along with far too many other kids on my street, would get off the bus at the end of the day, reach into our pockets for a key and unlock the door to an empty house.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Our street was nicknamed Divorce Court.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">What I wanted more than new carpet and a coat of paint that wasn’t purple was a complete family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I wanted my mom not to have to work so hard to make ends meet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I wanted my dad to come home at the end of the day, kiss my mom and tell me he loved me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I wanted presence.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I was a lot like Jay Z.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Before Jay Z was a mega-rapper and part owner of the New Jersey Nets<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> he was an 11-year-old kid who was devastated by his father’s absence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When Jay’s dad left, it impacted Jay enough to stick with him almost 30 years later when he would write a rap to his unborn son on the Watch the Throne album.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia">Promise to never leave him, even if his mama tweakin' <o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia">'Cause my dad left me and I promise to never repeat him <o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia">Never repeat him <o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia">Never repeat him<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia; mso-bidi-font-style:italic">Jay Z is the furthest thing from a Christian and he seems to have sampled every pleasure this world has to offer but he still knows the importance of a father being present for his kid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Here’s an excerpt from a recent article by Alex Pappademas at gq.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia; mso-bidi-font-style:italic"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;line-height:16.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia">“He was rich enough to provide, years ago. But he wanted to be rich enough to be present—to leave rap alone for a while, if necessary, and not in a trumped-up pseudoretirement kind of way.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt; font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia">‘Providing—that's not love,’ he says. ‘<span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">Being there</span>—that's more important. I mean, we see that. We see that with all these rich socialites. They're crying out for attention; they're hurting for love. I'm not being judgmental—I'm just making an observation. They're crying out for the love that maybe they didn't get at home, and they got <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">everything</span>. All the material things that they need and want. So we know that's not the key.’”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt; font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia">Could it be that Jay Z, the guy who drives a car worth more than the Pittsburgh Pirates, gets fatherhood better than a lot of dads who claim to be Christians?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia">Could it be that our attempts to say I love you by providing cars and phones are actually saying the exact opposite to our kids?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Could it be that even though they say what they want with their mouths their hearts and actions are saying something completely different?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Could it be that our kids could live without a car if it meant dad being around more?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Could it be that having parents who are intimately and romantically in love with each other is much better than simply having a joint business venture of two wage earners who share the same roof?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Eventually we would move from 3217 Creekwood Drive into an apartment where the carpet was clean, every unit looked the same from the outside and where I have forgotten the address.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Before we moved in my mom was showing me around the place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As we moved from room to room I was making negative comments about our future living quarters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Finally, we walked out of the front door and I noticed that the lock was a little loose.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Oh, that’s real safe.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">My mom looked at me on the verge of tears.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“You know Jay, I’m trying the best I can here.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I was crushed.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Looking back, I wish that I wasn’t such a jerk.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Looking back, I wish that my mom didn’t have to try her best just to keep our heads above water.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Men, maybe you haven’t abandoned your wife and kids like Jay Z’s dad did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But maybe your abandonment is more covert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Sure you still live under the same roof and you provide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Oh but when deer season comes around or the fellas want to hang out or the gym is calling your name are your wife and kids left feeling just like the ones who saw their God-ordained leader walk out on them?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Men, providing for your wife and kids is important but it’s not enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Take it from a 42-year-old rapper from New York who’s all too familiar with what it feels like to be abandoned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Being there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s most important.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Men, being physically present is very important but it’s not the same as emotional presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The gospel calls you to both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Take it from a withered old pastor/missionary.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. </span></i><span style="font-family:Georgia"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Colossians 3:19<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.</span></i><span style="font-family:Georgia"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Colossians 3:21<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Many of us know the pain of abandonment but through faith and repentance we can also know the joy of presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Take it from an apostle.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.</span></i><span style="font-family:Georgia"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>John 1:14<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <div style="mso-element:footnote-list"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%"> <!--[endif]--> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> There once was a professional basketball league known as the NBA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In that league there was a team from New Jersey called the Nets.</p> </div> </div> <!--EndFragment-->Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-13700556196594707462011-11-09T14:45:00.000-05:002011-11-09T14:46:37.644-05:00White Out Penn State<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>645</o:Words> <o:characters>3682</o:Characters> <o:company>Towaliga Baptist Church</o:Company> <o:lines>30</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>7</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>4521</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">If ever there was a time for the NCAA to impose the death penalty on an institution, that time is now.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">When a school cheats over a prolonged period of time and in such a way that the heads of that school are shown to be either complicit in that cheating or powerless to stop it, the NCAA reserves the right to drop a nuclear bomb of sanctions on that institution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This kind of punishment is rare because of the devastation that it brings.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">The last time a college football team was placed on the death penalty was the SMU teams of the late 80s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After repeated violations and warnings, SMU’s football program was eliminated by the NCAA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The punishment was so brutal that the school was forced to cancel even more games because they didn’t have enough players left to fill out a roster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This happened over 20 years ago but it’s the reason why even today you never hear about SMU being in contention for a championship or even playing in a significant game for that matter.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Since SMU’s punishment the Kentucky and Baylor men’s basketball teams almost felt the wrath of the NCAA’s death penalty but they were saved by an administration that acted quickly and effectively to correct the problems. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">And then there’s Penn State.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">That jewel of a program that has managed to keep its nose relatively clean and remain reasonably competitive while other schools were covering up drug tests and paying players.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Penn State was the Duke of NCAA football only with fewer championships.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">But this week we found out that the facilities at Penn State were repeatedly used by a member of the Penn State football coaching family to torture little boys.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">We found out that at least two people witnessed these crimes on separate occassions.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">And we found out that when these crimes were reported to school officials nothing was done.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">We still don’t know how many other boys were raped in the showers of the Penn State football facilities after these crimes went unpunished.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">As it looks now, Joe Paterno did the right <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">legal</i> thing by reporting this to his superiors a day or so after he found out about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But, as it looks now, Paterno did the wrong <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">moral</i> thing by not following up or even going to police on his own.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">There is probably no other coach in college football with more power than Joe Paterno.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We hear a lot about how he has used that power for the better part of four decades to mold young men and run a clean program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s just too bad that he didn’t use that power to protect young boys and remove the worst kind of filth from his program.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">It is a sad commentary on our society that scores of students would stand outside of a man’s house and cheer for him because he managed to win over 400 games but couldn’t find it within himself to protect several boys who were repeatedly raped in his facilities by one of his men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Are athletics more important than childhood innocence only in Happy Valley or is this a national phenomenon?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I don’t think I want to know the answer to that question.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Joe Paterno stepping aside at the end of this season is no kind of punishment or remedy to the situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Did anyone really expect him to return next year anyway?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s like George W. Bush getting caught committing some crazy crime and agreeing not to run for reelection after his second term as president is up.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">SMU was given the death penalty because their administration played a part in the rampant cheating that was going on at that school and essentially thumbed its nose at the NCAA when they came to investigate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">The times and scenarios are different but the administration at Penn State has done virtually the same thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Oh, rest assured, there was no cheating going on in Happy Valley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m sure no boosters bought suits for players or gave them big backs of cash under the table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Not at a clean program like Penn State.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Instead, children were raped while the administration did nothing to stop it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And of course, none of this helped Penn State win any games so don’t worry about Joe Paterno’s 400 plus wins ever being in question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">But ten years from now when you go back and look at the statistics just remember what was going on beneath the surface of that clean, successful program.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">In a statement released today, Joe Paterno said, “I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this university.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Right now there are at least nine families that are wishing that Joe Paterno had done everything he could to help them.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-10736723075531011282011-11-07T11:50:00.001-05:002011-11-07T11:51:56.213-05:00You're Not As Safe As You Think You Are<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>776</o:Words> <o:characters>4425</o:Characters> <o:company>Towaliga Baptist Church</o:Company> <o:lines>36</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>8</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>5434</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">A year ago I spent 10 days training pastors and visiting orphans in Uganda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Before I left people treated me like it was 1968 and I dropped out of college to fight in Vietnam. One guy even told me that he was glad that I went so that he didn’t have to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I have no idea what that means.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">This year my wife went to the same part of Uganda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You can imagine the increased concern on this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If it’s crazy to sign up for something like this then it must be borderline criminal to let your wife do it.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">My friend Keith hears all of this on an even higher level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My wife and I just went to Africa for a few days but he’s moving his entire family to the Czech Republic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is no short-term missions trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s an uprooting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My wife and I had to deal with passports and who would take care of our kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Keith and his crew are more concerned with visas and permanent housing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And to make it even worse, they are taking their kids with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Someone should contact DFACS.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">There’s a lot to all of the strange looks and even stranger comments but I think a major driving force is fear.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">People set off bombs in other countries.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Airplanes crash.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Al-qaeda might come after you.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">These fears are silly but I understand them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I understand them because I have them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I spent most of my childhood living in this kind of fear.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">When I was a kid my mom would load us up in the station wagon<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> every few months and we would all ride down to see my grandparents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This was before the days when children under the age of 32 were required to ride in a car seat so that meant that the back of the station wagon was all mine<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When that got old, I would just climb over into the backseat without the car ever stopping.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I lived on the edge.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">After one visit, we were loading back up in the family wagon to head home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My mom and sister assumed their normal seats and I climbed back to my area in the back so I could give awkward stares to the drivers behind us on the interstate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But as I was making my way back to my area the sermon began.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">My grandfather began a long story about some kid a few counties over that was riding back there and got killed when the car wrecked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Thanks for the send-off, grandpa!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">My area was now ruined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What was once my own miniature Chuck E. Cheese on wheels was now a deathtrap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’ll bet there was even led paint and DDT somewhere back there.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Looking back, it’s interesting that the man who spent a few years fighting in the south Pacific during World War 2 and came back in one piece was concerned about my area of the station wagon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But the seeds were planted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I was afraid of what might happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">My default mode is to allow that same type of fear to keep me from obeying Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">It really is safer over here so maybe I should leave international matters to others while I focus on my own nation.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">But even our country is pretty crazy right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Something could go terribly wrong so maybe I should just focus on my own community.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">But the areas of our community that need the gospel the most are also the most dangerous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’ll just focus on my own church.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">But someone could walk into our sanctuary or even on stage while I’m preaching and do something terrible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maybe I should just focus on my own family.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">But then I’ll get really attached to them and what if something were to happen to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I would be devastated.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">So it looks like the only rational thing for me to do is to sit at home, isolated from everyone and watch the news where all of my fears can be reinforced.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I’m sure that Jesus is very pleased by that kind of “careful planning” and “alertness”.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Thankfully, there is another option and Jesus shared it with a church in a place called Sardis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This church had a great reputation but Jesus saw beyond that to their reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What he saw was death that resulted from incomplete works (Revelation 3:1-2).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To the few from this church who cared about obeying him, Jesus gives a great word of motivation for moving beyond the mediocre, phony discipleship that was on the rise.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Revelation 3:5<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Those who truly belong to Jesus Christ can go about fully obeying him in a very dangerous and unpredictable world knowing that though their bodies may be harmed, their hearts may be broken and their bank accounts emptied their souls cannot be touched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“I will never blot his name out of the book of life.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">As it turns out, my wife made it back from Uganda unharmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I asked her if she saw any riots in the streets where kids pushed police officers off of motorcycles and cops were called in wearing riot gear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">She said no.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I asked her if she saw any cars get run off the road by armed men demanding money.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">She said no.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Just before she left and while she was away, those things happened here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Right here in our allegedly safe neck of the woods.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">You’re not as safe as you think you are.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">But if you’ve surrendered your life to Jesus, you’re more secure than you can possibly imagine.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>John 10:28-29<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <div style="mso-element:footnote-list"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%"> <!--[endif]--> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Complete with wood panels and upholstery hanging down from the ceiling.</p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Some people refer to this part of the car as “the back back” and others refer to it as “the way back”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In the interest of being fair and balanced I will refer to it as my “area”.</p> </div> </div> <!--EndFragment-->Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-89698322449597630472011-11-02T16:30:00.002-04:002011-11-02T16:30:55.189-04:00The Eleventh 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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I had been dreading the day for a week or so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew it wouldn’t be easy and it
wasn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole thing was my
idea and it was a good idea, just not an easy one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">My wife Marsha was getting in a car that would take
her to a bus that would take her to a plane that would take her to Africa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would be helping to spread the
gospel in villages all across Uganda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was really proud of her for going but I was also sad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My oldest son took it even harder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s weird how watching your kid cry
for a legitimate reason is so much harder than watching him cry for something
that doesn’t really matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">My sons are a lot like their dad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saying goodbye doesn’t come easy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I hated saying goodbye as a kid when my mom had to
go away for another surgery or to see another specialist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I hated the ten months of saying goodbye to Marsha
while we were engaged and she lived 8 hours away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">She would always mail me these things that she
called Countdown Calendars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the
end of every day I could mark off another box and be reminded that I was a day
closer to seeing her again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Countdown Calendar was a good reminder that time was headed somewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needed those daily reminders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">My sons are a lot like their dad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They need a Countdown Calendar too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Right now, on the side of our refrigerator, there’s
a Countdown Calendar just low enough for my boys to reach and check off another
box each day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It reminds them that
things are headed somewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
separation will be over soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">In Revelation 1-3, Jesus speaks to seven churches,
some of which are enduring hardcore tribulation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For churches like the one in Smyrna (2:8-11) it’s not just that
they miss loved ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were
about to be missing loved ones who would be thrown into prison and perhaps even
killed for their devotion to Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">After giving this warning, Jesus says something
unusual to the Smyrnans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">“For ten days you will have tribulation.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Because this phrase happens in the book of
Revelation, the theories are limitless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The ten
days represent the ten pillars on the guy’s house that lived next to the temple
in Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each pillar was ten
feet tall and the house was built in ten days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So here we see very clear evidence that Jesus will come back
on 10/10/10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>10/10/12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hang on a minute….<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The ten
days represent ten of President Obama’s cabinet members thus proving that Obama
is in fact the antichrist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">We miss something big if we allow ourselves to get
distracted by trying to decode the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The point here is that there will be an end to the tribulation these
people are about to face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
will know tribulation very intimately for some time but that time would
end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There will be an end to their
tribulation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">There would be an eleventh day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Jesus is saying to his people, “I’m at work here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things are going to get difficult but
I’m still with you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s an end
to all of this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hang on to me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I am so thankful that my sons have been able to see
both parents go halfway around the world to spread the gospel and care for
orphans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pray that their
experience will impact them in such a way that when they become men playing a
part in international missions and orphan care will be a natural part of their
lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But there’s another reason why I’m thankful for the
tears and heavy hearts my boys have while their mother is away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As they endure the difficulties of
missing their mom, at the beginning of every day they get to walk over to the
refrigerator and check off another box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In a very real and personal way, they are being taught that time is
moving towards something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
difficult as the ten days apart from mom are, by God’s grace the eleventh day
is coming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">A while back my oldest son was seeing how long he
could hang from the top of a swing set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His buddy had just made it for eight seconds and he wanted to go for
nine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I picked him up, let him get
his grip and quickly started my watch as I backed away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">My son fell and looked up at me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could see in his eyes that he knew he
didn’t make it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three seconds short.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">After calming him down and giving him a pep talk he
was ready to try again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This time I picked him up but after making sure he
was holding on to the top bar good I didn’t back away as far when I started my
watch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mouth was right beside
his ear as he hung there by himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">“Come on man, you got this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just nine seconds.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">“Just keep hanging.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">“Don’t let go yet.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">“You can do this, man.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">“If you want dinner tonight, you better keep
hanging.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6421142472965384906#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">“Hang on, man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You got this.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">He fell to the ground and looked up at me with that
same disappointed expression.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I looked at my watch and looked back at him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">“Thirteen seconds.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">He was hyped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">As Christ-followers endure tribulations of varying
degrees, we are told to hang on not by a father who simply whispers in our ear
with his hands behind his back but by One who as been holding us all along
(John 10:28-29).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">And we are told to hang on, not for some earthly
prize that will soon be forgotten but for the greater prize of dwelling with
our Father who will, “wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be
no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying nor pain anymore, for the
former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6421142472965384906#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Not really,
DFACS.</div>
</div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-81489938818373473602011-10-27T23:33:00.001-04:002011-10-27T23:40:16.516-04:00In Defense of Barn Party USA<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I made Louisville, Kentucky my home for a couple of
years. During that time there were
a few things I could count on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1. Around
April 15, sports talk radio stations would start breaking down the upcoming
college basketball season. Yes,
that’s about a week after the old college basketball season just ended and
maybe another six months before the new one starts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2. Any given week, you could count on
either 12 inches of snow or a 75 mph wind from out of nowhere. Either way, you can forget about having
any power for the next two or three days.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3. Every Saturday night at 10:00, no
matter who was at my house or whatever else was going on, my TV was locked on
the local cable access channel for Barn Party USA.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Barn Party USA was
basically the same thing every week.
The Reed Brothers Band hosted the show from a different record
store/truck stop/Waffle House each week.
In between interviews with record store owners/truck drivers/Waffle
House cooks we were treated to a continuous loop of music videos from The Reed
Brothers Band. One of those videos
was for a song called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guns Already Drawn</i>. It was my favorite.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">At first glance you’ll be
tempted to think that this video, and by default every other video from The
Reed Brothers Band, is a poorly produced vehicle for name recognition by some
ignorant weekend musicians. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Not so fast.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The Reed Brothers are
geniuses. I can’t tell you one
artist or group that has won a Video Music Award but it’s been three years
since I lived in Louisville and I’m still talking about The Reed Brothers Band. In fact, last week a friend sent me a
message that said, “I heard you’re gonna need fresh horses.” I knew immediately that he was
referring to another video by The Reed Brothers Band. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Pure marketing genius on
the part of The Reed Brothers Band. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Oh, but you want
proof. Well sit back, relax and
enjoy <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guns Already Drawn</i> by The Reed
Brothers Band. Again, the name of
the song is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guns Already Drawn</i>. I remind you of this in the event that
hearing it repeated 73 times during the song just doesn’t do it for you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rStUQM9ewjU" width="420"></iframe></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">0:12 – Some bands wear
make-up and flashy costumes<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6421142472965384906#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference">[1]</span></a>. Not The Reed Brothers Band. I’m pretty sure that the bass player,
whom we’ll call Dwayne, just got off of work at some factory and didn’t have
time to change clothes.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">0:21 – Here we learn that
the Reed Brothers are wanted for doing something wrong. We also learn that the printers back in
the old west are better than the one currently in my house.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">0:39 – The slow motion
effect means that trouble is coming soon.
Wait for it, wait for it…<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1:05 – Here it is. I have no idea what that is. I’m pretty sure that it’s some woman
holding a puppet. For some reason
they’re not happy. In fact, it
appears as though the woman is being killed by the puppet. What this has to do with guns already
being drawn is still a mystery.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1:14 – In case any
terrorists are watching, take note.
Our drummer has an America shirt.
Oh, and he can sing too. So
take that terrorists.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1:23 – I thought she was
killed by a puppet. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1:31 – Here’s a behind the
scenes shot of the Reeds in the “studio”.
By studio, I mean large office complex. I’m pretty sure that this belongs to the factory where
Dwayne the bass player works.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1:34 – Notice the woman in
the background.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">“Ma’am, could you please
keep it down? We’re trying to
shoot a video here and we’ve only got the office space for another 15 minutes.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">“I’m just here for my
paycheck.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">“Jackie will be with you
in a minute but right now she’s holding the camera for us. Now hush!”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1:47 – Notice the kid’s
reflection in the window.
This is frightening. There
are two possibilities here.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Option A:</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">
50 years ago this kid was killed at this very sight and now he’s back to stop
the Reeds from filming their video.
I think this happened before on the set of Three Men and a Baby and The
Wizard of Oz.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Option B:</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">
Poor production.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I’m sure the FBI is on the
case. They’ll get back to us on
this.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2:07 – The Reeds are back
in the lab. Look, I’m no Rick
Rubin but shouldn’t there be sponges on the wall or something to help with the
sound? Not if you want to sound
authentic. The Reeds are
authentic. The sound of
typewriters and women waiting on their paychecks only makes things better.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2:40 – Okay, now we’re
getting somewhere. There’s finally
a gun being drawn in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guns Already
Drawn</i> video. This woman is
going to stir up all kinds of trouble in this town. She’ll kill anything that moves until she gets to the Reeds
for one dramatic showdown at the end of the video.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Okay wait. Never mind all of that. Did she get shot? Can’t be. There’s no blood.
Apparently she pulled a muscle in the bicep of her firing arm. It looks like this is the last we’ll
see of her.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Is this the same one that
was mauled by the puppet earlier?
If so, this woman really shouldn’t be around guns, or heavy equipment or
the Reeds for that matter. She’s
bad news.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3:07 – The lady waiting
for her paycheck now has her purse in her lap. She’s getting impatient. The bank closes in 7 minutes. Maybe we’re finally starting to see where the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guns Already Drawn</i> storyline is heading.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3:30 – Someone is being
hung for something. You should
notice that the person about to be put to death is not one of the Reeds. A huge miscarriage of justice is about
to go down.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3:38 – But our soon to be
dead criminal doesn’t seem too worried.
He’s still able to give a nice nod to the ladies.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3:58 – Best hideout ever!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">4:05 – Worse hideout ever! And another pulled muscle.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here’s what we’ve
learned? If you’re in a band and
you want to make a music video, don’t let the lack of a good budget and the
lack of a good story line stop you.
If you can just somehow find a way to get it on TV there’s a good chance
that three years later some idiot will be writing a blog about it in the middle
of the night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<br />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6421142472965384906#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference">[1]</span></a> KISS and
Rascal Flatts. More so Rascal
Flatts.</div>
</div>
</div>Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-56915890051977566502011-10-20T11:45:00.002-04:002011-10-20T11:53:24.835-04:00On Being and Acting<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>693</o:Words> <o:characters>3953</o:Characters> <o:company>Towaliga Baptist Church</o:Company> <o:lines>32</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>7</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>4854</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 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mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">In the movie <a href="http://www.theaccountantmovie.com/">The Accountant</a>, Ray McKinnon plays an old school accountant on a mission to save the southern way of life one family farm at a time and by any means necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As he explains his philosophy to the two brothers whose farm he is trying to save, he reveals that the problem is much deeper than sloppy bookkeeping and questionable farming practices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And it’s through this conspiratorial explanation that we get a nice chunk of wisdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The real danger for these two brothers is not losing the family farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The real threat is that one day they will stop <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">being</i> country and start <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">acting</i> country.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Being</span></i><span style="font-family:Georgia"> country is wearing the necessary clothes for the job you have to do.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Acting</span></i><span style="font-family:Georgia"> country is wearing a sleeveless flannel and beat up jeans because that’s what Larry the Cable Guy wears.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Being</span></i><span style="font-family:Georgia"> country is driving a car that you can afford.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Acting</span></i><span style="font-family:Georgia"> country is getting way over your head into debt just so you can buy a brand new truck with a 6 inch lift, horns on the hood and a sticker on the back that says “Ain’t Skeered” because anything less wouldn’t be country enough.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Being</span></i><span style="font-family:Georgia"> country is teaching your little girl what it means to love a husband and help support a family.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Acting</span></i><span style="font-family:Georgia"> country is dragging her all over the state, dressing her up like Dee Snider<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> and hoping she gets first place overall in some shady “beauty pageant” because that’s what Southern Belles do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Of course the struggle between being and acting is not limited to country living.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">In high school I had a good friend named Joe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Joe wore different clothes and talked different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Joe just looked different from everyone else in my suburban Atlanta community because Joe was from New Jersey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He would even get mistaken for Joey Buttafuoco in restaurants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>People who are born and raised in the south don’t get mistaken for Joey Buttafuco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But Joe was just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">being</i> New Jersey.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">On the other hand, there’s Snooki.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>She’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">acting</i> New Jersey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And by acting, I mean that in the truest sense of the term: scripts, staging, camera angles and all the rest of the stuff that goes along with reality TV shows<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Even sports are not immune to this phenomenon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Sign up for a 10k and take some time before the race starts to look over the runners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The guy you see with the brand new shoes, swanky shorts and weird leg sleeves will not win the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Count on it.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">When you find the guy that looks like a homeless dude in his underwear and somebody else’s shoes, you’ve found your winner.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">The same is true of any other sport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Think back to your junior high days and the guy with the $300 pair of Jordans and $100 Nike outfit<a style="mso-footnote-id: ftn" href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[3]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> that couldn’t hit a layup if you built a staircase under the rim for him.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Acting is dressing the part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Being is winning.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Acting and being is a problem in the church too.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Two thousand years ago, Jesus commended a church for its good works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He gave the church at Ephesus a thumbs up for patiently enduring through trials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He was pleased with the discernment they displayed as they encountered peddlers of a false gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">And then, in Revelation 2:4, he drops the hammer.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">This church was doing all of the right things and they seemed to be avoiding the things that were not pleasing to God or good for his church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And yet they forgot the most important part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Perhaps they were doing all of the right things out of habit or rote tradition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All we know for sure is that they weren’t doing it out of a love for God and others.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">They were acting instead of being.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">The remedy that Jesus offers is not this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>“Come on church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Get over that theological stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Theology is for seminaries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is the real world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All we need is love.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Instead, he tells them to repent and to make loving God and loving others the springboard from which they do their good deeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He tells them to be what they already are.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I really enjoy talking with Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s a great way to put what you study into practice and hopefully see people who are blinded by a false religion come to see Jesus Christ as fully God and fully man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But sometimes I walk away from the conversation convicted.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Was I trying to win a debate?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Was my goal to prove that I was right and that they are wrong? <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Or, was my motivation the fact that I love God so much that I don’t want to see his gospel distorted and that I love those people so much that I don’t want to see them make the biggest mistake of their lives and buy into a false gospel? <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Trying to keep good morals, stay away from bad stuff, and convince others to do the same because that’s what Christians do is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">acting</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Loving God and neighbor because of God’s demonstration of his love for me on the cross is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">being</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Are you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">acting</i> Christian or are you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">being</i> Christian?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <div style="mso-element:footnote-list"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%"> <!--[endif]--> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> See also Christina Aguilera </p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> The second you put a camera in someone’s face they stop being themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is exponentially true when you follow them around with that camera for 6 months out of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With the exception of sports and maybe Cops, there is no such thing as reality TV.</p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[3]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Boys over the age of 3 don’t wear outfits.</p> </div> </div> <!--EndFragment-->Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-79771898139474845012011-10-12T15:38:00.001-04:002011-10-12T20:55:56.930-04:00Seven Deadly Sayings<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">There are many certainties in life and here are
two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, words are
powerful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James compares them to
fire (James 3:5) and Jesus says that they are excellent indicators of one’s
heart (Mark 7:14-23).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second, the
power of words combined with the power of sin in our hearts means that we will
often misspeak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of our verbal
mistakes are harmless and humorous while others reveal a severe problem of the
heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Below are seven examples
from culture, family and the church.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“I’m a Yankee fan”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Translation</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">: “I only like teams with a history of winning.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">If you, your dad or son played for the Yankees or
if you actually live somewhere in or around New York, go play Angry Birds until
we move on to the next point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You’re legit and this doesn’t concern you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This one is for they guy that lives 800 miles away
from New York and has no ties to the team whatsoever other than the fact that
he lets ESPN cram them down his throat every morning during Sportscenter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is for the guy that really didn’t
have a problem with the Yankees getting knocked out of the playoffs last week
by a team with a much smaller payroll because he knew that his favorite NFL
team<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6421142472965384906#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
and college football team<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6421142472965384906#_ftn2" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
would pick him up later this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This guy’s only problem is worrying about whether or not there will be
an NBA season so he can cheer for his favorite pro basketball team<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6421142472965384906#_ftn3" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[3]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If not, there’s always college
basketball and the North Carolina Tarheels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Remedy</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">: Spend a season cheering for the Pittsburgh
Pirates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The
best team doesn’t always win”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Translation</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">: “There’s no way for me to deny the fact that my
team just got curb stomped so I’ll just come up with my own formula to prove
that getting beat 45-0 isn’t all that bad.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The best team does always win.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s kind of the point of
sports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If recruiting classes, fan
bases and traditions were all that mattered Clemson would be working on their
24<sup>th</sup> national title this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sadly for them, as good as those things are, they don’t mean a whole lot
unless you actually win games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This saying is reserved only for losing teams who don’t want to admit
that they were manhandled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s
a reason why you’ve never seen a coach stand on the podium at midfield after
leading his team to a Super Bowl victory and use this phrase.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Remedy</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">: Replace this phrase with its younger, less whiney
brother: “We just weren’t the best team that day.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That way you fess up to getting beat but you still get the
pleasure of leading people to believe that had this game been played on the
following Tuesday, the results would’ve been much different.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“I’ll tell you the truth”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Translation</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">: “Everything I’ve said up until this point is a
complete lie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But now, I’m
shooting you straight and I think that you were meant for this gently used 1988
Ford Escort.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Remedy</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">: If you use this phrase, stop using it and just
tell the truth all the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
someone uses this phrase on you, run away as fast as you can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nobody was meant for a gently used 1988
Ford Escort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“One,
two, three”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Translation</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> (what comes out of the parent’s mouth): “Dylan, if
you don’t quit choking that little girl, I’m gonna keep yelling at you, then
give you a few empty threats and then start counting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I know you don’t wanna hear mamma count.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Translation</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> (what the kid hears): “DYLAN, KEEP DISOBEYING ME
UNTIL I SAY THE WORD THREE!!!!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I’m convinced that this is why kids grow up so
confused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t prove it but
hearing mixed messages like this their whole lives has got to be the reason why
guys wear their girlfriend’s jeans and why girls wear their pajamas out in
public.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The only thing worse than The One Two Three Method
is The One Two Two and a Half Three Repeat Child’s Name Start Back Over At One
Method.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure who invented
these methods but they were probably Yankees fans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Remedy</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">: Kids will never say this but they actually like
structure and being shown the consequences of their actions so give it to
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This helps them grow up to
be real men and women who know, in the words of Tedd Tripp that delayed
obedience is disobedience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Gospel-centered”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Translation</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Man 1: “I took my kid to see (insert Elmo on Ice,
The Super Bowl etc…).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Man 2: “What did you think.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Man 1: “Not gospel-centered enough.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Don’t get me wrong on this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m a big fan of what seems to be a
resurgence of the gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If my
preaching isn’t gospel-centered, I’ve failed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gospel-centeredness is the goal of every sermon I preach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Small groups and classes at our church
have used and benefited from curriculum entitled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Gospel-Centered Life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>Being
gospel-centered is the way to go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But the problem comes when we make being
gospel-centered the new legalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We can spend all of our time and energy policing blogs, movies, sermons
and songs for a lack of gospel-centeredness that we begin to love that more
than, get this, the actual gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jared Wilson gives us wise counsel here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">It is a very real danger to be
gospel-centrality-centered rather than gospel-centered, just as it’s a very
real danger to talk for miles about Jesus without following him an inch.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Remedy</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">:
Continue to pursue gospel-centeredness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just don’t flip out if the newest Veggie Tales video doesn’t lay out the
creation-fall-redemption model to your liking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never blame a tomato for not teaching your kids what you’re
supposed to be teaching them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
think Thomas Jefferson said that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Look it up and get back to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“This economy”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Translation</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">:
“I enjoyed hording all of my money back in 2006 but now that the economy is in
the tank, I’ve finally got something to blame it on.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">It
goes a little something like this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Well,
we’d love to (insert sponsor a child, give more to missions, build an orphanage
etc…) but you know how it is with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this
economy</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">There
is no denying the fact that times are tight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But for many in our country, our lifestyles are as much to
blame as the economy is for these tight times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t get much more funny than to hear a person with
two homes and four cars talk about being “poor”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been to some pretty poor places around the world and
one thing I’ve noticed is that poor people rarely tell you how poor they
are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Poor talk is a rich man’s
game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Remedy:
Philippians 4:10-20<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I’m not racist but…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Translation of “I’m not
racist”:</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"> “I enjoy Denzel Washington’s films, I don’t
belong to the KKK and I really appreciate that young black male that scores all
of those touchdowns for my favorite team.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Translation of “but”</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I’m a racist.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Imagine
the following scenario.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">You’re
in line at the bank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you wait
in line, a man walks in wearing black military boots, black pants, a black
trench coat and a black ski mask.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He also happens to be carrying a pretty big gun with a name that you
can’t pronounce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After bursting
through the doors, he jumps up on the main counter and says, “Everybody listen
up!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not a bank robber or
anything but give me all the money in here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Nothing
exposes the power of words more than contradictory statements from the same
mouth (James 3:9-12).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">If
you’re constantly (or occasionally for that matter) having to explain away your
racist comments, you probably are a racist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that kind of an accusation get’s thrown around a
lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t mean it in the “Oh,
you cheer for Duke so you must be a racist” or “You just quoted Farrakhan so
you’re obviously a racist” sense of the term.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean it in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all
that’s missing is the white sheet</i> sense of the term.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Perhaps
I don’t understand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it’s
just the way you were brought up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t have a clue what it was like growing up during the civil rights
conflicts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But imagine if 30 years
from now a friend introduced you to someone who was an obvious sexual
deviant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After voicing your
concerns, your friend responds with, “Yeah, I know but it’s just the way he was
raised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean there was
pornography everywhere back then.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Somehow I don’t think that such an argument would be well received.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Remedy</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">:
Ask God to forgive you for the sin of not loving him and your neighbor (Mark
12:28-31; 1 John 4:7-21), ask him to take over your heart with his
lovingkindness (Psalm 51) and thank him for giving you more grace than you have
been willing to give to others (James 2:1-13).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6421142472965384906#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> The
Patriots.</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6421142472965384906#_ftnref" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Notre Dame.</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6421142472965384906#_ftnref" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[3]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> The Lakers.</div>
</div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment--></span></div>Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-90960304119648567152011-09-27T10:59:00.001-04:002011-09-27T11:01:22.627-04:00The Demon In Your Church<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>824</o:Words> <o:characters>4698</o:Characters> <o:company>Towaliga Baptist Church</o:Company> <o:lines>39</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>9</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>5769</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">The church where I grew up had demons in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I mean the place was covered with them.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">What was that weird noise upstairs?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Demons.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Why won’t this bus ever work right<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Demons.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Why is the graveyard across the street so spooky?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Demons.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">It seemed like everything that went wrong in our church was blamed on demons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was fascinated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Going to church became sort of like going to see a horror movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There would always be people talking about the weird thing that happened in the graveyard that bordered our church parking lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There were surreal stories about lights in people’s homes going on and off on their own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And of course there was the semi-annual rock and roll seminar where we were reminded that Ronnie James Dio thought the devil was a pretty cool guy and we should avoid buying his music.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Today, the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Talk of Satan and demonic activity is reserved for the Christian Fiction section of your favorite Christians bookstore<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We’re too intellectual for this kind of thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Angels?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Demons?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>No way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Obviously, both extremes are wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We can become so obsessed with demons that we begin to view the enemy as a novelty rather than a legitimate threat that has wished nothing but harm for God’s creation since the beginning (1 Peter 5:8).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And we can become so intellectual that we rationalize our enemy right out of our sights and leave ourselves even more vulnerable to his attacks.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">So were there really demons in my childhood church?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">You bet.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I never did hear voices when I walked past the church graveyard.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I never turned a corner in the church hallway to find a small child with black hair, pale skin and a voice like Dikembe Mutombo telling me to “Get out!”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vD8ByCSRP_Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">What I did see was much more frightening.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I saw it when I came home from college for visits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I didn’t know all the details then and I still don’t today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Whatever it was that happened did great damage to the church where I was baptized and discipled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m not sure if that church has ever recovered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maybe they have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I hope they have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m just not sure.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I saw gifted, godly leaders run out of town by influential, long-time members.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I saw the atmosphere of joy, generosity and mission leave right behind them.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I saw a church that was so passionate about international missions suddenly too busy putting out internal fires to get the gospel to the international community that had literally gathered in our own town for the 1996 Summer Olympics.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I saw my church die.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I learned that Satan can do great damage to a church without ever really going public with some crazy tactic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maybe that’s because in a lot of churches, weird voices and blood running down the walls might<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[3]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> wake them up to the threat that is against them.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I have no doubt that the phenomenal events can and do happen in churches and homes around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But it seems that things like gossip, fear, idolatry, lust for power and bitterness have been much more effective at destroying churches than creepy voices and floating hymn books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">A long time ago I went walking through the woods with my cousins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We were carrying led pipes and shovels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We were hunting for snakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>More specifically, we wanted to find a rattlesnake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Even at that young age, I had enough sense to wonder to myself, “What are we going to do if we find one of these things?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Many in my childhood church were hunting for the supernatural.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Sadly, even though they were looking in the wrong place, they found what they were looking for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The demonic problem wasn’t in the walls of the church or in the buses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was much closer than anyone seemed to realize. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">History has shown us that there are those who have grown quite accustomed to the demonic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In Mark 5:1-20, Jesus encountered a man with not just one but many demons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>People would try to tie this guy up and keep him hidden from site but “no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So every day and night they’d hear the wails and moans of this naked man who hung out in the graveyard cutting himself.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">When Jesus arrives, we see a truly chilling confrontation; the naked, scarred body of a man with many demons standing face to face with a man who would soon be stripped naked and scarred for the sins of his people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Immediately after Jesus casts the demons out of this man, we see the formerly possessed man “sitting, clothed and in his right mind.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">And then things really get scary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For the first 14 verses of this account, we hear no mention of the people being afraid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The story is told as if the people in town were comfortable with the local demon-man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was like going out to grab your shoes after the dog carries them off to the backyard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You don’t like it but it’s just part of the gig.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">The first we hear of the people being afraid is when Jesus shows up and restores this man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In fact, these people were so afraid that they asked Jesus to leave their town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The demons were familiar but the holy was frightening. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Might this be true of a church?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Could it be that the regular routine of gossip, slander, bitterness and power grabs, as destructive as they are, are just the way things are done and the truly redemptive pattern of forgiveness, love and repentance is too frightening?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I think so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s almost like Satan and his demonic forces advance without ever firing a shot.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">The question isn’t whether or not there is a demon in your church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The real question is what’s more frightening to your church, the destructive power of a demon or the restoring power of the One who “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them” (Colossians 2:15)?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <div style="mso-element:footnote-list"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%"> <!--[endif]--> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> In the year 325 AD at the Council of Nicea, church fathers decreed that all church buses should either never crank up or break down in the middle of where the movie Deliverance was filmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Any bus that works properly is a heretical bus.</p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> As you walk in, go past the angel figurines and books co-authored by the wives of country music stars, take a right and you can’t miss the Christian Fiction section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>89% of the books are westerns with titles like “Love Whispers Slowly” or “Love Crawls Home”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The remaining 11% are somewhat evenly divided between books about demons with titles like “Demonic Disturbance” and books about the end of the world with titles like “The Obama Code”.</p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[3]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> I said might.</p> </div> </div> <!--EndFragment-->Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-84803653012426554002011-09-22T13:35:00.001-04:002011-09-22T13:35:50.630-04:00Troy Davis, Them and Me<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>1060</o:Words> <o:characters>6042</o:Characters> <o:company>Towaliga Baptist Church</o:Company> <o:lines>50</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>12</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>7420</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 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mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">It started out simple enough.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Sir, could you please help me carry these things?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Little did I know that my response in the affirmative would lead me to a place where I never thought I would be when I woke up that morning.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">The population of the small town where I live doubled yesterday because of one man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Troy Davis was convicted to death for his role in the murder of a Savannah police officer several years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yesterday was the day that Davis was scheduled to be put to death for his crimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And just like every other convicted criminal who is put to death by the state of Georgia, the execution went down a mere minutes from my house.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Usually there are a handful of protesters gathered out in front of the prison on the day that an execution is scheduled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This one was different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The pope had gotten involved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Jimmy Carter had spoken out against it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The execution of Troy Davis was an international story.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">So, of course, I had to go check it out.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">As I sat in the gas station parking lot across the street from the prison, talking on the phone, two desperate looking women came up to me and asked for my help carrying a bunch of bags and boxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I hung up my phone and told them that I would be glad to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Usually, when someone at a gas station asks me for help it goes like this.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Sir, could you please help me?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Yes.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“My firing pin isn’t hitting the alternator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Do you have a crank valve that I can use on it?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Yo soy en el bano.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Vamanos (as I disappear into the horizon).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">But even I can carry a few boxes and bags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was pretty amped that I actually got to help someone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But I found out pretty quick that I wasn’t being asked to help carry a few bags to some car across the parking lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They wanted to load up my truck and have me drive this stuff across the street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And by across the street I mean the lawn just inside the prison gates where the attention of the whole world was focused.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">And so I found myself driving in my truck with a large man I’d never met before onto the most heavily guarded prison this side of Guantanamo Bay.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">As I drove up to our first checkpoint, I had to explain to the officer that I was just helping these folks carry their bags over here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>No problem here, officer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m just being a Good Samaritan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’ll be free later next week so you can give me the key to the city then.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">And then the guards started searching the boxes and bags in the back of my truck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They found food in those bags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A lot of food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As it turns out, food was not allowed on the prison grounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was attempting to carry contraband through what seemed to be a hundred heavily armed guards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maybe I should have asked what was in those bags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What else was in those bags?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The headlines flashed through my mind.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">LOCAL PASTOR ARRESTED FOR CARRYING MALOTOV COCKTAILS ONTO PRISON GROUNDS<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">ATTEMPT TO FREE CONDEMNED INMATE STOPPED WHEN SAVVY COPS NAB IDOIT PASTOR/CONSPIRATOR <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Thankfully none of that happened but I did have to pull over to a holding area while the guards figured out why this food was being brought onto prison grounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As it turns out, the food was for some of the protestors that needed to eat in order to take their medicine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The guards were very accommodating and told me to drive my truck all the way over to where the protestors were gathered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After going through a few more check points I parked next to a couple of hundred protestors and a growing number of members of the media from all over the country.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">To say I stuck out would be a lesson in stating the obvious.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">All of the media looked like well-dressed movie stars.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">There was the woman in the clerical collar.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">There was the man trying to preach a sermon.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">There were several men in really nice suits.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">There was the woman(?) from the very progressive Free Speech TV.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">There were scores of people representing groups like Amnesty International and a few others I’d never heard of before.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">There were a lot of people singing.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">And there was me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Wearing my flip-flops, standing beside my truck while strangers ate chips and tuna sandwiches off of my tailgate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was soaking it all in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I listened to people talk about how Jesus was a liberal just like them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I listened to people complain about Georgia being a backwards state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And thankfully, I didn’t see any drama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Almost everyone I encountered, guards and protestors included, was extremely nice.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have a hard time carrying on a conversation with a group of strangers who were eating chips and sandwiches off of my tailgate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But these weren’t normal circumstances.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“So, you said your name is Jay, right?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Yeah.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Hey! That’s Al Sharpton over there.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“And you said you were a preacher?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Sure.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Is that Steve Harvey?<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“What’s the name of your church?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Baptist.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Where’s Big Boi?<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">And before I knew it, the sandwiches were done and the protestors were back to the reason why they came to my town and I was free to go but not before some lady took our pictures for the website of her organization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So much for any chance I had at running for president.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Whatever comes of that, just know that I was only there as a caterer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">In typical pastoral fashion, I had to ask myself what I learned from this experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Here are a few things.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Always know what’s in the bag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Unless, of course, you’re at the airport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In that case, it’s okay to carry bags from strangers or even to allow them to pack your bags for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What’s the worst that could happen?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Jesus moved towards people who were different from him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">That’s sort of the point of the incarnation (John 1:14) but it’s also something he did throughout his ministry (John 4).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I ended up accidentally spending the afternoon with people worlds apart from me theologically, politically and culturally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Jesus did this intentionally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He was driven by obeying the mission his Father gave to him, not by fear of what others may think of his associations.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Know your enemy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">We do no good for the advancement of the Kingdom of Christ by simply repeating the talking points of Ann Coulter or her liberal counterpart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As believers, our job isn’t to convince those who do not know Christ to vote like us but to plead with them to repent and believe in the gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is why knowing our enemy is so important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The enemy isn’t the lady in the CCCP shirt, the dude trying to cram Jesus into a political image more to his liking or Troy Davis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Our real enemy is the one who has been whispering in our ears from the beginning of time, “You will not surely die.” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I didn’t follow the Troy Davis case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If his execution had not have gone down in my town, I probably wouldn’t have given the story much thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All I know is that a few minutes past 11 last night, he was standing before his Creator and bowing, either as one bows before an enemy in defeat or as one bows before a Master in triumphant rejoicing (Philippians 2:10-11).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And one day those of us who were on those prison grounds will be in that same position.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It won’t matter then whether we were prison guards, protestors or pastors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All that will matter is whether we are carrying the guilt for our sins or if Jesus Christ has taken it for us (2 Corinthians 5:10-21).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Some of the last words Troy Davis ever spoke on this earth were, “I am innocent.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I hope he was right.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-28599125770404760102011-09-20T15:15:00.002-04:002011-09-20T15:31:02.108-04:00Who Was Tesla?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I read a story a while back about a guy that died
while being arrested. It wasn’t a
case of police brutality but of criminal foolishness. The man being arrested had drugs on him and tried to swallow
them while the police were attempting to arrest him. I haven’t taken the time to do any extensive research on
this but I’m pretty sure that this technique has worked zero times in the
history of crime.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>Sergeant</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">: "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Did you find any drugs on the guy?"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>Officer</b>: "No sir. And we looked
everywhere. But, come to think of
it, he was talking kind of funny.
Hey, wait just a second!"</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">It didn’t work in this case either. Instead of swallowing the drugs, the
man choked on them and, despite the best efforts of law enforcement, the man
died. One last thing. This happened on Florida’s gulf
coast. Feel free to take a break
from reading while you gather yourself from the shock of something like this
taking place in The Redneck Riviera.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Compare this man to Nikola Tesla. Nikola Tesla was one of the most
influential inventors who ever lived.
We know this because there is a crater on the moon named after him. You get craters on the moon named for
you when you are very smart and very influential. Nikola Tesla has over 100 U.S. patents and he’s the one you
can think for having something to do with the invention of wireless
electricity, radio and even the death ray. That’s right, the death ray. As if that weren’t enough, there’s also a rock band from the
80s named after him. For my money,
having a rock band named after you is much cooler than having a crater on the
moon named after you. Unless of
course that rock band is Nickleback.
Apologies to Mr. Jeremiah Nickleback.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">It certainly doesn’t seem like it at first but the
guy who choked on his own bag of dope has a lot in common with the guy who gave
the world the ray gun. Nikola
Tesla was a genius. But now he’s a
dead genius. Not only is he dead,
but for the most part, he’s forgotten.
Try it for yourself. Ask
the average person on the street who Tesla was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><b><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
You</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">: "Who was Tesla?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">
<b>Average
Person on the Street</b>: "Tesla? They
were great. I went to their
concert in Fresno back in 1988 and I’ve still got the quarter length sleeve shirt
to prove it."</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">For all of his accomplishments, nobody really cares
about Nikola Tesla anymore. The
great engineer and inventor is just like the guys you see on TV shows about
dumb criminals that die doing foolish things.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Dead and forgotten.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Einstein gets all the glory. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wisdom is a great thing but in the human form its
limitations are numerous. The
author of Ecclesiastes knew this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">He knew that you could devote your whole life to
the pursuit of wisdom and still feel empty (Ecclesiastes 1:13). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">He knew what it was like to mix wisdom and pleasure
so that at the end of your life you’re left with plenty of both. But he looked back on it all and called
it a vapor (2:1-11).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">He also knew that wisdom was much better than
folly. Some would say that all the
wisdom in the world may not bring happiness but at least it keeps you from
ending up like some idiot. The
author of Ecclesiastes knew better than this. Both the wise and the fool die and are not remembered
(2:12-17).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But not me!
I’ve managed my business well.
I’ve got things in order.
When I’m gone, my family will be set and they’ll remember how wise I was
in providing for them.
Ecclesiastes tells us to slow down with that thinking too. Yes, you should provide for your family
and do your best to insure that they will be taken care of after you are
gone. But, we are reminded, when
we are gone, all that we have worked for is out of our hands. There is a very real chance that our
name and our money will be long gone after we too are long gone (2:18-23).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Jack Whittaker didn’t even have to die to learn
this lesson. Whittaker grew up
poor but started his own business that would eventually be worth several
million dollars. One day he found
himself holding a lottery ticket that was worth a record $315 million. Whittaker loved his granddaughter and
knew that this new money was his chance to really make sure that she was
financially secure. For Whittaker
and his granddaughter, financial security meant a $5 million home with a room
shaped like a genie bottle, a $2000 a week allowance and four cars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Like almost every other person who wins big in the
lottery, Jack Whittaker is now broke and divorced. But his biggest loss came 2 years after he became a
multi-millionaire when he discovered his granddaughter’s lifeless body wrapped
in plastic in a place called Scary Creek.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But it’s not all gloom and doom. In Ecclesiastes we are reminded that
true pleasure is found in knowing God and living in submission to him instead
of wasting our lives waiting for the day when we’re rich enough or smart enough
or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">whatever</i> enough to be really happy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">There is nothing better for a person than that he
should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God. Ecclesiastes 2:25<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your
heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your
eyes. But know that for all these
things God will bring you into judgment. Ecclesiastes 11:9<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">It may be wisdom, it may be money or it may be
something else but having a lot of it doesn’t bring you salvation or even
happiness. True joy comes when we
begin to see that God created us to delight in him, not our things. At the cross we see a man who died for
the sins of his people. When you
understand what Christ has done for you at the cross, you can’t help but
delight in him. When you see that,
by God’s grace and through faith, your just punishment is placed on Christ it
frees you from living a life devoted to more things and compels you to live a
life of pleasure in Christ now as preparation for pleasure with Christ later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment
with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to
hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is
here.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> Matthew 12:42<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></i></div>
</span></div>
Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-75352830259415340082011-09-15T22:36:00.002-04:002011-09-15T23:50:50.779-04:00Bold Predictions: Lady Antebellum, Romo and Dream Teams<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">We begin with another letter, this time to the NFL.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Dear Commissioner Goodell,</span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Please never allow Lady Antebellum to sing the national anthem before a game ever again. People who care about the NFL do not care about Lady Antebellum. The people who care about Lady Antebellum were too busy watching Army Wives or The Real Housewives of _______ or Not Without My Daughter to watch this game. <a href="http://youtu.be/HJLvCM4j2mg">Was Carl Lewis already booked or something?</a></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sincerely,</span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Concerned Fan</span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">And now to the Bold Predictions where we begin with the college games.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Auburn @ Clemson</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">For the first two weeks of the season, Auburn has been the luckiest team on the planet. In week one, they played my old little league team and found themselves down early by triple digits. Somehow, my old little league team figured out a way to let that one slip through their hands. Some things never change. Last week Auburn was able to stop a very game Mississippi State team in a last second goal line stand.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Clemson on the other hand has been pretty bad for a pretty good while. We know this because every game they play is on ESPN 6 at 8:15 on Tuesday mornings with some lady doing play by play. I like to go with the trends so I see Auburn winning in a close one. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Clemson 10, Auburn 10.012</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Coastal Carolina @ Georgia</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">You know when you’re in church and someone does a special presentation that involves a mime or creative movement or interpretive dance? It always starts out with good intentions then leads into you looking at the floor biting your lip with your eyes clinched shut and it always ends in tragedy. You’re not the one dressed in all black moving glow sticks to the beat of a bad 80s song but for some reason you’re still embarrassed.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> That pretty much sums up the Georgia season so far. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">But lucky for them, it’s Coastal Carolina and their very reserved coach. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">In case you've never enjoyed an experience like the one discussed earlier, here's a nice example.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lBlaXV3Akn8" width="420"></iframe></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Two things about this video.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">1.) 0:05 - Apparently this guy is in charge of the Happy Hands Group and he's very much in love with his job.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">"Okay guys, if you forget your moves, just watch me. But you shouldn't forget your moves because you're only doing two moves the whole time. Either way, just watch me."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">2.) 0:45 - The mom who casually walks in front of everybody to pick up her kid.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">"Hey! Hey! Grab your kid and get out of the way, lady. We've had a long, hard week of studying and now we just want to enjoy some good creative movement. Is that too much to ask?"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Georgia 27, Coastal Carolina 24</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">One more thing. I consider myself a Georgia fan and I plan on staying one for a long time. But, if you throw down the 40 bucks to watch this game on Pay Per View, you have allowed the terrorists to win. Save that money for when Bob Seger comes to town.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Ohio State @ Miami</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Miami was good in the 80s and 90s. They reminded you of this by wearing camos when they got off the team bus and by doing a lot of cocaine. But now it’s a new millennium and things have changed in Miami. They no longer wear camos and they aren't any good.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Ohio State has had a great deal of success in recent years but it turns out that they’ve been cheating. This game is a tough one to pick but I think it’ll come down to the last minute. By the end of the game, whoever has the most players still eligible wins the game. I’m going with the Buckeyes winning by a late game stabbing. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Ohio State 38, Miami 31</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Michigan State @ Notre Dame</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">If the college football season were a presidential race, Notre Dame would be the candidate that was just found driving around the seedy part of town with a dead body in the trunk and Taliban pamphlets in the passenger seat but still has all the news hacks wondering what color curtains they’ll go with when they move into the White House. The Irish are 0-2 and their BCS chances are still alive and kicking. Could this be said about any other team in the nation? Please Mr. Sparty, pull the plug on the Irish. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Michigan State 28, Notre Dame 10</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">As we move to the pros we go to another media darling that never performs well, at least when it counts.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Dallas @ San Francisco</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I often wonder how different things would be if Tony Romo played for the Cleveland Browns. Maybe instead of dating some Hollywood starlet he’d have to settle for <a href="http://youtu.be/k_GxXRbSFDg">the woman that played the house mom on The Facts of Life.</a> Would he even be in the league anymore? Isn’t there a rule somewhere that says that you must be kicked out of the league within 12 months of taking a snap for the Browns? Why am I talking about the Cleveland Browns? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Dallas 24, San Francisco 21</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Philadelphia @ Atlanta</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This calls for another letter.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><i>To my fellow Atlanta Fans,</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><i>Please get your head straight on Michael Vick. He didn’t kill a bunch of people. He was mean to some dogs and served his time. Also, when he was in Atlanta, he brought a breath of fresh air and two really cool playoff wins. You should want to see him do well.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><i>But just not this Sunday night. If you are an Atlanta fan, you’re not supposed to cheer for the other team’s quarterback unless he is your son, nephew, father or brother. I know this is hard for you my fellow Atlanta fans. You love letting Cubs fans outnumber you at Braves playoff games. I even got to sit by a legion of Knick fans through a whole first round series a few years back. You made me feel like I was watching the game in some dudes basement in Queens. But, I forgive you. Just remember, Vick is our friend. Root for him but just wait until next Sunday to do it.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><i>Sincerely,</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><i>Concerned Fan</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">I’m picking Atlanta in this one for one obvious reason. The Eagles are often referred to as The Dream Team. When a team gives itself a nickname like this before the season ever starts and Bird, Magic and Jordan are not on the roster, things go sideways quick.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Atlanta 17, Dream Team 6</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-87826428524010511342011-09-13T16:17:00.002-04:002011-09-13T16:22:30.373-04:00False Gospel<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>983</o:Words> <o:characters>5606</o:Characters> <o:company>Towaliga Baptist Church</o:Company> <o:lines>46</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>11</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>6884</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Nick Diaz blew it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Diaz is one of the best 170-pound fighters in the entire world and he’s not even 30 years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For the past year or so he has been lobbying for a title shot in the UFC and a few months back he got it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Last week he was a no-show at two scheduled events meant to promote his upcoming fight with champion Georges St. Pierre. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After the second no-show, UFC president Dana White removed Diaz from the title fight and gave the opportunity to someone else.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">The fruit of years and years of hard work, bleeding and trash talk rotted on the vine.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">I’ve thought a lot about Nick Diaz over the past several days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’ve wondered to myself what would make a very talented fighter like Diaz walk away from the greatest opportunity of his career.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It wasn’t to join the Navy or to be a missionary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So what was it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Was he afraid?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maybe it was a fear of the spotlight or even a fear of success that got to Diaz.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Was it all the pressure?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maybe it all finally got to him and he couldn’t take the onslaught of mindless questions again so skipping out on his contractual obligations seemed like a good idea.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">There has also been talk of some type of social anxiety disorder, similar to what made Ricky Williams do interviews with his helmet on when he first got into the NFL.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That almost certainly has to play a part in Diaz’s decision.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">I don’t know Diaz’s life story but I do know that he grew up with no dad around and that he got into martial arts at a young age so that he could defend himself against the bullies that seemed to always be gunning for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For Diaz, fighting was a way out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Like so many other fatherless young athletes in our country, his sport was his gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And as we have seen season after season, the Gospel of Sports is a false gospel.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">At the youngest of ages, our kids find out that their ability to play a sport well could get them on a better rec. team, a starting spot as a freshman on the high school varsity team, a college scholarship and afterwards<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[1]</span></span></a> a substantial payday for playing a game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Like most false gospels, this one looks really good at first glance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There’s certainly nothing wrong with excelling at a sport and scoring a college scholarship and a nice payday for your talents<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[2]</span></span></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But the danger of the gospel of sports lies in what you are not told.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">The Gospel of Sports doesn’t tell you that you are not your talent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Brady, Manning and Vick were created in the image of God just like every other human being and one day they will stand before their Creator, not as men who had rocket arms and the ability to change plays at the line of scrimmage but as men who either stand in their own righteousness (Matthew 25:41-46) or the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">The Gospel of Sports doesn’t tell you that your talent will one day betray you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Manny Ramirez was once a young, power hitting phenom with a few quirks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At the end of his career he was an old<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote">[3]</span></span></a> guy with a pretty good bat and a lot of quirks that was forced into retirement because he couldn’t pass a steroid test.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Now he’s got a judge telling him that he can’t have contact with his wife because he allegedly slapped her during an argument.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Brett Favre was once a player with the talent of a superhero and the passion of a kid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>By the end of his career he was an old guy<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftn4" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[4]</span></span></a> that hung around too long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The man who once reminded us of kids playing ball in the front yard began to remind us more of the Jehovah’s Witnesses that wont get off of your porch at 8:00 in the morning.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">The Gospel of Sports doesn’t tell you that you are the manager of your talent, not the owner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>God, in his infinite wisdom and sovereignty, gave Nick Diaz the ability to box, grapple and run triathlons at an elite level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In his wisdom, God gave Dwayne Wade the ability to drive to the basket and convince other skilled players to come and play on his team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And he has also given me my talents<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftn5" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote">[5]</span></span></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But whatever talents we have been given we do well to remember that we are not the owner of those talents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They have been given to us for a reason and that reason goes way beyond “I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for allowing me to win this Grammy for my song about stealing a man’s wife and drugs.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Taking full ownership of your talents is a guarantee that your talents will one day take full ownership of you until, like the tick on a dog, both the host and the parasite are dead.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">The Gospel of Sports forgets to tell us that the final score is important but not the most important thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Keeping score is important, yea, even essential in sports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">“Dad, who won my game?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Son, we all won today.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">That may look good on a poster in your Sunday School class but it is a waste of a sport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Winning and losing at a young age can teach a kid how to win and lose well as an adult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s better to correct a 6 year-old who can’t handle losing than it is a grown man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s much easier to teach a toddler how to win with dignity than it is an adult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is why keeping score is important.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">But the final score (and stats for that matter) aren’t of the utmost importance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We have seen many elite athletes stand before Congress to give an account for the coincidence that they finally became power hitters at a time in their career when most athletes their age are in decline and also why their foreheads are suddenly bulging, their shoe size has gone up and they turn green when you make them angry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All that to say, you can win and succeed in sports and still be a lousy person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">The Gospel of Sports always focuses on the final score and the career stats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But the real gospel, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, focuses on the heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It offends us by showing us that regardless of our success as athletes, accountants, pastors, or whatever else, we are failures because of sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And this failure isn’t just a dropped pass or air ball free throw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s something that comes from the very core of our being and makes itself known in such a way that no talent on earth can hide it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But the offense of the gospel is what leads us to the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At the cross we see that our significance is not found in our talent but in a Savior who was crushed on our behalf (Romans 5:6-8).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">My sons are at the beginning of their sporting lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I get the privilege of seeing them play and I even get to help coach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I hope they do well in sports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’d love to see them excel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But even if they make it to the pros I hope I lead them in a way that they are constantly reminded that they will stop playing some day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And if that day when they stop playing happens to be next year, I want them to know that their dad loves them no matter what.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But more importantly, I want them to be men who love Jesus Christ with all that they have, whether or not that includes a world title.</span></p> <div style="mso-element:footnote-list"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%"> <!--[endif]--> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Unless the child plays college ball for Miami, Ohio State or Auburn in which case the substantial paydays occur all throughout college.</p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Ibid.</p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[3]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Late 30s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is old in sports and I don’t like it.</p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[4]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Ibid.</p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[5]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Standing and drinking sweet tea are just a few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I could go on but don’t want to brag.</p> </div> </div> <!--EndFragment-->Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-48161863704603188802011-09-07T15:01:00.003-04:002011-09-07T15:09:51.011-04:00Bold Predictions: Ugly Uniforms, Peyton Manning and Baby Seals<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Before we get to the bold predictions, let’s start with an open letter to the NCAA.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Dear NCAA,</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">I know how much you love rules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You don’t care if the rules are too burdensome or even contradictory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Most college football fans hate your fascination with rules but I speak on behalf of fans everywhere in asking you to add just one more command to your already enormous rulebook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You know all the legalese so feel free to add words like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">hitherto</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">therefore</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">asunder</i> to make things sound legit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But here’s the basic skeletal structure I’m looking for.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Teams are no longer allowed to switch up their uniforms every week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Simple home and away jerseys will suffice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Also, it would be great if those uniforms matched.</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Oh, and could you please place the Oregon Ducks on probation for 5 or 6 years since they seem to be the ones that got this whole thing started?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Thanks!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Concerned Fan</span></p> <div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext .75pt;padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext .75pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">If there’s one lesson we learned this past weekend it is that the uniforms in college football are out of control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What’s going on here?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Under Armour Rep: Hey, you should think about some new uniforms for your home opener.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Maryland Athletic Director: Sure, we’ll take every advantage we can get.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What do they look like?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Under Armour Rep: Well, it’s hard to explain but try to picture a cross between something someone would wear at the Renaissance Festival and a taxicab.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Maryland Athletic Director: Where do I sign?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">The bad news is that Maryland won so we may have to see these uniforms again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But know this Terps, the 1970s Atlanta Braves and 1980s Milwaukee Bucks said to tell you thanks for taking over their place as the ugliest sports team of all time.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Things didn’t work out so well for the Georgia Bulldogs and their new uniforms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Nike Rep: Hey, you should think about some new uniforms for your season opener.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">UGA Athletic Director: I don’t know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We usually get beat when we start messing around with our uniforms too much.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Nike Rep: I understand where you’re coming from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But these are all red and look like something a little league team would wear.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">UGA Athletic Director: Hmmmmm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If you can make it where the helmets fall off too easy you’ve got yourself a deal.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Don’t expect to see these uniforms again, unless you happen to be a fan of a semi-pro team in Albania.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Enough with what we learned last weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Here’s what you can expect from the week that awaits us in college football.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">The Lions will still be the Lions.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">A week or two before the NFL season starts, fans and analysts alike say this to themselves, “If I pick the Lions to be good this year, and by some cataclysmic event<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[1]</span></span></a> they happen to win their division or earn a wild card spot, I’ll look like a genius.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And all it takes is about three or four of the right people pushing the Lions down our throats for us to start buying stock in the Lions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But in the words of Chuck D., don’t believe the hype.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Lions will always be the Lions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My guess is that the wheels will start to fall off of the Lions Are Going to the Super Bowl Wagon around the 10:23 mark of the second quarter of this weekend’s opener.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">This week’s score: Tampa Bay 11, Detroit 5<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref" title="">[2]</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; "> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Michael Irvin’s head will explode.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">If you don’t get the NFL Network, you should get it for no other reason than Mr. Michael Irvin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For the record, I hate the Miami Hurricanes and the Dallas Cowboys but I love Michael Irvin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There is no other analyst in the NFL more passionate about the game than Michael Irvin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m not sure how I feel about life coaches but if I ever need one, Michael Irvin will be getting a tweet from me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Verizon, why is there still not an app that allows me to hear a motivational speech from Michael Irvin every morning before I get out of bed?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Make this right!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Parents will have some explaining to do.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">For the first time in 227 games, Peyton Manning will not be playing for the Indianapolis Colts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is a tragedy for the 3.7 million parents in our country who name their kids after Peyton Manning each year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>During that 227 game streak, father and son conversations went a little something like this.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Son, you see that quarterback there, the one that just threw for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s who we named you after.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>No go do something successful.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“You bet, dad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Oh, and I love you.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">This year, the conversation will look a little more like this.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Dead-ee<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[3]</span></span></a>, why'd you name me Peyton?”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Well son, we named you after that guy they keep showing on the sidelines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The one that’s not wearing a uniform but is still yelling at everyone.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Child walks away dejected and considers devoting his life to video slot machines.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">But parents, don’t worry too much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At least you didn’t name your kid O.J.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Here’s to hoping that Jeff Saturday doesn’t own a white Bronco.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Lou Holtz will say something weird.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><a href="http://youtu.be/QXF_wvpaCRU">Just trust me on this one.</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">The English language will be brutalized.</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Here are some common examples of the marriage between football and improper speech.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You can expect to see and hear things like these a lot more for the next 20 0r so weeks.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“We” – Dudes that are either way too big or way to skinny like to use this one when referring to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">their</i> team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>“We can’t block!” or “We win!” are two of the most common.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If these same dudes manage their money well, they eventually get to be the owner of the Washington Redskins where they can legitimately use the we phrase.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; "> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“If” – This is another fan favorite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s always used by fans of losing teams that have yet to realize that they are in fact fans of a losing team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My personal favorite is, “Well, if we played them 10 times we’d beat them at least 6.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Georgia Tech fans are typically prone to use <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">if</i> in referring to their team’s mishaps.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“We’ve just gotta go out and take it one game at a time.” – Athletes are taught to use this phrase sometime before they enter college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I have no idea what it looks like for a team to take it two games at a time.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“It is what it is.” – This is a favorite among athletes, especially after they’ve a.) intercepted a ball but scored in the wrong end zone, or b.) killed someone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The it is what it is phrase makes all transgressions go away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>“Oh, so you’re saying that it is what it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Thanks for the clarification.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Misquoted” – This happens after an athlete says something dumb and a member of the media happens to be close enough to report on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The athlete in question is able to smooth things over by saying that he was misquoted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Twitter really makes being misquoted interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>“So let me get this straight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When you tweeted, ‘the Holocaust never happened & I’ll be leading a riot @ the mall sometime around 2pm’ you misquoted yourself?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>“Exactly.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">The Dawgs win big.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">I’m not referring to the game against South Carolina on Saturday night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Victory there for the Dawgs is becoming more and more uncertain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier has a demented talent for inflicting serious damage upon the University of Georgia and a win this weekend would do just that.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">The win I’m referring to is the lack of police activity around Athens lately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Usually, the summer and early fall sees a high rate of arrests among Georgia players but not this year (so far).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Dawgs need a win where they can get it and this is one worth having.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; "> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Also, in the highly likely event that a player is caught driving around town on a suspended license with a blood alcohol content of 1.0, he’s always driving a scooter (without a helmet).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s another sign of a clean program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>No Escalades or BMWs for these guys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Take that, Nevin Shapiro.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Jack Del Rio will club a baby seal during half time of this weekend’s Jags Titans game.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Here’s the scenario.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Step One: Coach Jack Del Rio has long time starting quarterback, David Garrard go out to speak to Chamber of Commerce in an effort to help drum up support for a struggling franchise.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; "> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Step Two: Garrard does as he is told, even going so far as to hug the teams annoying mascot.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Step Three: Garrard returns from his assignment to find that he has been cut by Coach Del Rio.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia">Yes, this really happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <div style="mso-element:footnote-list"><br /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%"> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote">[1]</span></span></a> A runaway train that shuts down half of the country thus forcing the Packers, Bears and Vikings to forfeit 10 of their games.</p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote">[2]</span></span></a> If that turns out not to be the final score of this weekend’s game, just know that I was really referring to the Rays and the Tigers.</p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="#_ftnref" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote">[3]</span></span></a> Southern for dad, this term is a cousin to pawpaw and momma.</p> </div> </div> <!--EndFragment-->Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-82093718368881951482011-09-02T05:13:00.004-04:002011-09-02T05:24:30.578-04:002011 Football Forecast<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">Sports Illustrated writer Peter King predicted this week that the Atlanta Falcons will beat the San Diego Chargers to win Super Bowl XLVI.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is already a big win for both franchises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I hope Peter King is right but just in case, there’s already talk of a victory parade through downtown Atlanta sometime this weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The whole premature celebration thing almost worked out for the Miami Heat and at this point, Atlanta sports franchises will take any championship they can get, real or predicted.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">Here are a few more things you can expect from the upcoming college and pro football seasons.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">A Big Year For Notre Dame<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">Traditional powerhouses like Alabama, Florida and Ohio State will not do well this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>By that I mean that they may lose three games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But a three loss season is just what it takes to get The Fightin’ Irish into the national title picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In fact, there is a better than 75% chance that Notre Dame will be the first team in the history of college football to lose three games, make it to the national title game, lose that game too and still win the national championship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You heard it here first.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">A Bad Year For The ACC<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">By midseason Florida State, Clemson and Virginia Tech will announce their departure from the conference for the greener pastures of the SEC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maryland, North Carolina and Duke will petition the NCAA to make basketball a year round sport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Georgia Tech will eliminate its athletic department all together in order to focus more time and money on getting really good at College Jeopardy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Miami Hurricanes will take their considerable resources and experience with them and join the Taliban.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They will still be suspended for the first six months of their membership.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">A Bad Year For Kirk Herbstreit Takes A Turn For The Better<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">The Ohio State Buckeyes will have a bad year and fire new head coach Luke Fickell midway through the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Following a legend like Jim Tressell never works out well but when you have a name like Luke Fickell it turns out even worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The usually fair and balanced Herbstreit will not take this well and will not shy away from making his frustrations publicly known.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>By about the third game of the season, Herby will be named as Fickell’s replacement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He will keep his jobs as an analyst on ESPN College Gameday and color commentator for ABC’s Saturday night game.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">And Speaking Of ESPN’s College Gameday<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">They will continue making dudes cry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Each week, you can expect a story that starts off a little something like this.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><i>The University of Memphis’ unofficial mascot was an old mutt affectionately </i><i>named Scooter. Scooter showed up at practice one day and never seemed to </i><i>leave, until the day that The US Army requested his services for their bomb patrol </i><i>unit in Iraq. Although Scooter never made it back from his call of duty, his spirit </i><i>stuck around the Memphis locker room to help one player who was told that he’d </i><i>never play football again.</i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">And The Final Score Of Your 2011-2012 National Championship Game Is…<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">…Georgia 34, Florida State 31.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">(But watch out for Notre Dame.)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">A League Of Their Own</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">Over in the pros, ESPN will petition the NFL to make the Dallas Cowboys play the New York Giants every game of the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This petition will be granted but both teams will still somehow find a way to go 3 and 13 on the season.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">Lions<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">I have no idea who the Lions are playing on Thanksgiving Day but I can tell you two things.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1. I will ramble on and on all morning to my sons about how much of an important<span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>tradition this game is.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>2. By the second quarter when the score is Detroit 3, _________ 42, I'll ask them if they<span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>want to watch Veggie Tales instead.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">And the Final Score of Super Bowl XLVI Is…<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">…the Atlanta Falcons 21, the Baltimore Ravens 17.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">(But again, watch out for Notre Dame.)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421142472965384906.post-69154364995452436592011-08-23T12:09:00.004-04:002011-08-23T12:25:52.271-04:00On Footloose, Beaches and a Theology of Vacations<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">The family vacation has come under attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When you speak of something as devastatingly selfish as a family vacation, you should be prepared to defend yourself from at least two different points of attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It goes a little something like this.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">The Financial Guru Follower:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">“Oh, you’re going on vacation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>(This is always said with a very concerned look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You know, the look your 5<sup>th</sup> grade Sunday School teacher gives you when she finds out you stayed up all last night watching wrestling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I call it the Bless Your Heart Look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s her way of saying that she thinks you’re an idiot.) We’ve decided to skip our family vacations until our mortgage is paid off, we have at least 6 years of salary set aside and we are able to help pay off some of the federal government’s debt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But I sure hope you have fun.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>(This wishing us fun is closely related to the “We wish him the best” phrase NFL owners use when they fire a head coach for going 3-13 for 3 years straight and a distant cousin of the “I don’t think it’s God’s will” phrase college kids use when they break up with each other.)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">Keith Green’s Little Brother<a style="mso-footnote-id: ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6421142472965384906&postID=6915436499545243659&from=pencil#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[1]</span></span></a>:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">“Oh, you’re going on vacation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So what will you be doing, feeding homeless kids in Atlanta?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Helping Sudanese refugees develop basic job skills?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Oh, body boarding?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I wish you the best but I don’t think that this is God’s will (grabs smart phone and iPad<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6421142472965384906&postID=6915436499545243659&from=pencil#_ftn2" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote">[2]</span></span></a> and leaves, outraged at your materialism).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">Certainly both of these groups have legitimate points that we should pay attention to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If you’re funding your vacation on your credit card and hoping that Jesus comes back before the bill is due, you should get things in order before rolling out to the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If you are living your life for the next getaway while neglecting the needs of the poor and hurting, you should repent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But we go too far when we delay any shred of present day joy or relaxation in hopes of saving up for some time down the road when every minute detail is in order and the world can manage without us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>How sure are you that that day will even come (Ecclesiastes 3:9-15)?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">As a pastor, planning family vacations can be even more difficult.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">“You only work one day a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Why do you need a vacation?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">“Man, what are we paying you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I wish I could afford a vacation?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">“I had to have some surgery<a style="mso-footnote-id: ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6421142472965384906&postID=6915436499545243659&from=pencil#_ftn3" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[3]</span></span></a> while you were away on vacation last week (said with Bless Your Heart Look).”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">It’s important for pastors to show their wife and kids that they come before the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A family vacation isn’t enough to show this but it certainly helps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The cold hard truth is this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You can pile up all the 70-hour work weeks you want but there will still be people in your church who think you’re not working hard enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When pastors sacrifice their families in order to please their congregation they usually end up with broken families, spoiled congregations, poor health and a strained relationship with Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If you really care about your congregation, get your family together and get away from them for a few weeks out of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It will refresh your family and it will remind your congregation that one way or another, at some point in time, you wont be their pastor anymore.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">And last week that’s just what the Sanders family did in St. Augustine, Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As I’ve said before, St. Augustine dominates Panama City, the beach of choice for most people from my neck of the woods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Here are a few reasons why.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Georgia;mso-fareast-font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:9px;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Georgia;">Waves<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">There are no waves in the gulf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In the Atlantic I was able to teach my son how to boogie board.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s always fun teaching your kid how to do something that you don’t know how to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This was a memorable moment that wouldn’t have happened in the gulf.</span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Georgia;mso-fareast-font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>2.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:9px;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Georgia;">No Cowboy Hats on the Beach<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">I can’t find it but I know it’s there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There’s got to be an article in the Constitution of the United States that prohibits people who are not from Texas from wearing cowboy hats on the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Why is it necessary to do this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Again, if you’re from Texas, I get it but it just doesn’t work for anyone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I blame Kenny Chesney.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Thanks for nothing, Kenny.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Georgia;mso-fareast-font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>3.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Georgia;">History<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">St. Augustine is America’s first city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s origins date back to the 1500s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There’s a huge fort there that’s been around since the 1600s and is made out of some weird mixture of sand and seashells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There’s more to St. Augustine than just a bunch of sky rise hotels and shrimp restaurants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>People actually live there and have done so for hundreds of years.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">If you were to take a guided tour of the city of St. Augustine you’d learn about the layout of the city, famous battles and architectural influences.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">If you were to take a guided tour of Panama City, this is what you would hear.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">“See that right there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s where my deadee (father) bought my mama her first airbrush t-shirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It said ‘Donnie ~n~ Lillian 4-ever’.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">“Oh, and over there’s where I saw one of the girls from Teen Mom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>She was checking me out.”<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>4. Signs</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">The signs on the beach in Panama City say, "Protected Area. Please keep out of dunes."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">The signs on the beach in St. Augustine say, "Please keep out. There are poisonous snakes in the sand dunes."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">This is the more efficient use of signage. See for yourself in the following example.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">Example A: "Caution, Wet Floor" </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">Example B: "Caution, Wet Floor and there's a rattlesnake over in the corner."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">Which sign are you more likely to obey?</span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Georgia;mso-fareast-font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>5.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Georgia;">Footloose<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">This movie edges out Point Break for the best worst movie of all-time and John Lithgow is the reason why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He plays the fightin’ fundie, small town, Midwestern pastor whose two favorite things to do are banning (in this case dancing) and burning (in this case books but I’m sure there were a few Led Zeppelin albums thrown in the fire with all of those copies of Slaughterhouse Five).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">It’s been said before that the old school fundamentalists never had any <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">fun</i>, focused too much on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">damn</i> and not enough on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">mental</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Lithgow was able to channel that for this role and he hit the ball out of the park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Other than Robert Duval’s role in the Apostle, this is the finest job in the history of movies that any actor has ever done in playing a pastor<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6421142472965384906&postID=6915436499545243659&from=pencil#_ftn4" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[4]</span></span></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m pretty sure that there are still a few seminaries around that tell students, “Look, when in doubt, do what the preacher in Footloose did.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">You can bet that when Hollywood remakes this movie, Shia LaBeouf will play Kevin Bacon’s old part since for some reason he gets to be the star in every movie we all wanted to be in as kids (Transformers, Indiana Jones etc…).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Also, if Lil’ Wayne isn’t in the remake I’ll be conducting a DVD burning of this movie in my church parking lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maybe he could be the pastor.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">
<br /></p><div style="mso-element:footnote-list"> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%"> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6421142472965384906&postID=6915436499545243659&from=pencil#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote">[1]</span></span></a> For the record, I’m a huge fan of Keith Green, just not of the guy who tries to be Keith Green by making you feel guilty for owning a car and not having 20 homeless people living in your basement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Hence the term Keith Green’s Little Brother</p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6421142472965384906&postID=6915436499545243659&from=pencil#_ftnref" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote">[2]</span></span></a> Also a fan of smart phones and iPads.</p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6421142472965384906&postID=6915436499545243659&from=pencil#_ftnref" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote">[3]</span></span></a> Root Canal </p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6421142472965384906&postID=6915436499545243659&from=pencil#_ftnref" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote">[4]</span></span></a> Apologies to whatever preachers may have appeared in those Facing the Firefighter movies they show at churches.</p> </div> </div> <!--EndFragment--> Jay Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985663845945823390noreply@blogger.com0