Telling the Truth Ain't Easy

It seems like a pretty tall task to tell a five year-old that they need to tell the truth when telling the truth is not an easy thing to do.

*It wasn't easy for Bill Clinton. We all know what Clinton did. And it was wrong. But what made it worse was not telling the truth. His legacy would not be as tarnished as it is had he just stepped up and done the right thing when confronted about his shortcoming. Stand up, tell the truth, and accept your punishment and consequences.

*It's not easy for Paul Ryan. I cannot imagine doing what he is doing. I know running for VP must be an incredibly difficult thing to do, especially with so many people telling you what you should be doing. And not for one minute can I even pretend that I know what it's like to be in his shoes.
But lying is not going to make it any easier for him. It can be tempting to take the easy way out, doing things like blaming Obama for shutting down a GM plant, even though Obama wasn't even in office yet (among the many other non-truths in his VP acceptance speech on Wednesday night). There are fact-checkers. They will find you out. Do what you know you should do. Do the right thing. Play the political games however you will. But be honest.

*It's not easy for manufacturers. Companies manufacturing and selling potato chips have been filling their bags of chips half-full for years. As consumers, it's sad that we have come to expect that a bag of chips will be at best half-full. But I bought a bottle of dish cleaner yesterday and was surprised to find out that it was not filled full in the production plant. Things like this may not be what we would all consider lying . . . but we can all agree that it's deceptive marketing. Manufacturers can do better than just go with the line of thinking that it's what everyone else (manufacturers) does. They can tell the truth. They can market and sell their products fairly.

As we watch and help young people grow up, we encourage them to be honest. We can see it in their little eyes as they come upon a situation in which they must decide whether to tell the truth or not. And we scold them when they go astray.

If we're going to do that for five year-olds, it's high time we expect more out of the products that we buy . . . and the politicians leading our country.

The Good Guys Win Again

I surprisingly enjoyed watching some of the Yankees game yesterday. Yes, I used enjoyed and Yankees in the same sentence.

I was doing some things around the house yesterday afternoon and had the MLB Network on TV  (if you have the means to watch it, I highly recommend it). The Yanks/Blue Jays game was the only baseball game on at that time, so they showed a good bit of the game.

I was happily surprised to hear what the Yanks broadcasters had to say. They commended great Blue Jays plays, time and again. The Blue Jays beat the Yanks yesterday. Because of that, they had better plays going on throughout the broadcast. Normally when that happens, the team broadcasters would be down on their own team, rather than praising the opposing team. But I have to give it to the Yanks broadcasters. It almost sounded like the broadcasters were neutral.

You don't see (or hear) that too often. The extreme is the White Sox broadcasters. If you have ever had the non-pleasure (I can't think of the opposite word for pleasure), you know what I mean.

When I was young, we got WGN on cable TV. WGN carries Sox & Cubs games. I can remember the Sox broadcasters always overly praising their team and trashing the other team. They're still notorious for it today. I could be wrong; but I think they still have the same play-by-play guy. He sounds the same as he did fifteen to twenty years ago. He refers to the Sox as the "good guys." So when they win a game, it's always: "The good guys win again."

I think that's trash. Well maybe not trash. But it is disrespectful, especially if you're watching the game with those broadcasters as a neutral fan or fan of the other team.

Unfortunately, that's the way it is with many things these days. I told myself that I was going to sit down and watch the Republican National Convention last night. I'm not much of a fan of watching either convention. I plan on watching one or two speeches in each . . . and that will probably be it.

But last night, I decided I was going to give it a go. I listened for a couple of minutes to one particular speech. I won't say who it was . . . but he used to be a pastor. That's troubling because the parts of the speech I heard were blatant lies. Words used to get the crowd going, regardless of their truth or their outright meanness when trying to describe the other side of politics (particularly coming from a former pastor!).

The same thing will probably happen throughout the convention. And then it'll happen again when the Democratic National Convention happens.

And it will continue to happen until we demand more from our politicians . . . and from our baseball broadcasters.

New Multi-million Dollar Idea

I've got a new idea, sure to make tons of money.

Maybe not tons of money. Probably not any money. But I do think it's a good idea.

I think there's a market out there for a web site that rates landlords. When you go to rent a place, many times you are asked for references. This is especially the case when it is a "landlord's market," (where there are more houses/apartments to rent than there are renters), which pretty much seems to be the case everywhere.

But you never come across a situation where the landlord is asked for references on him/her. And we have all had or heard of plenty of situations where the person renting a place is in no way qualified or funded well enough to be providing someone a place to live.

Hence the need for a web site that is a service for people who are renting properties to be able to check out potential landlords. Landlords could have references and/or reviews by previous tenants. Even if it did not make any money, I think it would be a huge service for people renting out there.

And while we're at it, what's the deal with the word, "landlord?" That seems to be a very outdated word that is sorely in need of replacing. Lord over the land? Sure, I understand where it probably came from. But that does not seem to be a good way of looking at it at all. How about rentee (opposite of renter). That's not catchy enough. But we do need a new word for it.

And while we're at it, someone out there with tons of money needs to put in a good, locally-owned coffeeshop in the center of town here in Huntsville. I have heard numerous people talk about how well it would do. I know I would frequent the place. All we need is someone to do it . . . and someone with money.

Bullies

Reading stories these days about bullies at school is sad. Both the perpetrators and the victims seem to be taking things to a different level. Bullies have always been around. But I am glad to know that many school-based and non school-based programs are trying to deal with this issue.

Reading these stories shows us that the situation is sad and something needs to be done for both the bullyies and the ones taking on the brunt of the actions. There are reasons people bully. And we need to be mindful and look for warning signs, on both ends, before things get out of hand.

Bullying doesn't just happen in schools. It happens in after-school programs, parks, homes, everywhere really. But bullying doesn't happen only with kids. It can happen to and be done by everyone, anywhere. Bullying is about misusing power and fear.

We all know what it feels like to be bullied. And it's not good. Yet when it happens outside of what we think are its normal bounds--schools, etc.--we don't call for it to end. Many times, we applaud it.

It happens in politics. It happens in the workplace. It happens on highways. It happens with agencies and organizations. It happens in churches. It can happen anywhere, anytime.

We need to recognize when bullying happens. We need to recognize when it happens to us. We need to call on it to end when we see it happening. And we need to realize when we are doing it . . . and put an end to it.

Killin' Time

I can remember as a youngster wishing time would fly by. I remember wishing I was older than I was when I was in elementary school. I remember wishing the day would fly by during the school day. And it would just drag along. I would try to delay looking at the clock, hoping that the next time I looked up at it, it would be much later than before.

Then, as an adult, I remember thinking the same thing. I did some substitute teaching a while back. And being on the other end of the deal, I still wanted the school day to fly by.

It's easy, and somewhat natural, for us to want the day to fly by, particularly days in which we are doing things that are not exactly enjoyable. But time is what it is: it's just time. It's going to go by at the same rate everyday, no matter how much we may wish it would hurry along to get us to something more enjoyable.

Seems that it would be much better for us to just try to enjoy the day, everyday, whatever it is we find ourselves doing. Some days will naturally be more enjoyable than others. But we are all given a certain amount of time for us to do with it what we will. Viewing time as a gift helps us take advantage of the time we have to enjoy life and do the best that we can with it. Our lives are not measured by how much time we have . . . but what we do with the time we have been given.

America, Jesus, Freedom

"America, Jesus, Freedom."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know. But people like it when I say it."

Those are the opening lines of the new movie, The Campaign. The interchange between the character played by Will Ferrell and one of his campaign workers highlights a cultural trend in America: we use words without really thinking about what they mean.

Those three lines, though, do more than that. These words also highlight a trend that is particularly scary, in my opinion. As a society, especially the spheres impacted by politics, we throw around religion however we want to, to do whatever we want with it.

In the short dialogue between Ferrell and his worker, Ferrell gives one of his catchphrases: "America, Jesus, Freedom." It's something he says a lot. And when he says it, his constituents and people all across the country like it. The underlying idea here is that when a political candidate mixes together Christianity and the American experiment, people like it . . . because it makes them feel good. They don't stop to think about what the words actually mean. They just know they like it.

When we stop and think about mixing religion and politics, we see that it's not good because it's scary. History has taught us for thousands of years that mixing the two are never a good idea. It's not that religion does not have an impact upon one's politics and the way government works. True religion absolutely does that. But when a particular brand of religion becomes too closely identified with one particular type of government, or one particular political party, the results are always detrimental, both for religion and for politics.

Ferrell's character shows us that we need to stop and think about the words we use. I would add to his example words like: "pro-choice" and "pro-life." Again, when we stop and think about it, these words do not make sense. Someone who supports the rights of women to choose things like abortion are not against life itself . . . and someone who supports legislation that puts greater limits upon things like abortion is not necessarily against a woman's right to choose various things. We don't always think about the words we use, like these. And when we do that, we allow labels like this to characterize and stereotype others. That's not good.

So let's think about the words we use and use them with real meaning and with purpose.

Along those lines, I am going to make-up a new word to use: proaction. Webster might have already coined that term. But I don't hear it being used. So I am going to make it up. We use the word reaction to describe how we react to something. Occasionally, we describe something that is the opposite of being re-active as being pro-active, taking a step or an action before something that would have otherwise triggered or caused us to act.

So I am going to take that idea; and put a twist on the word: proaction, more of a noun, I guess. "Through proaction, the officer discovered the bomb and detonated it before it went off." Or "the sun uses proaction as a solar eclipse is the sun's attempt to hide Chuck Norris." Or "that man exhibited proaction as he broke every bone in his body to avoid Chuck Norris doing it for him." See what I mean? :)

What's your new word . . . or what's a word you are going to stop using, because it is used incorrectly, to characterize or to stereotype? This is a small thing. But by taking a second and thinking about the words we use, we can really have an impact upon the world around us.

One of the Most Meaningless Traditions Around

Every concert I have been to, larger than a coffeehouse-type setting, has a curtain call. The artist/band always thanks everyone for coming, walks off stage like it's over, then comes back on stage as everyone roars in applause, in other words, for a curtain call.

It seems to have lost its meaning. A curtain call should be when the crowd is so enthralled or so enamored with what they have witnessed that their applause basically demands the person/people to come back out on stage and give them more. But now when a band walks off stage, pretty much no one in the audience leaves because they know the band will be right back on stage to do a few more songs.

Why even do that? If you need a breather, then I completely understand. But if you do it just because that's what happens in concerts, that makes no sense. And it takes away from true curtain calls.

I'll stop my complaining now and move on with life.

Rhett Miller is good, really good.

Rhett is my homeboy. Well not really; but I did get to meet him once, because of my friend, Rhylan. And I really enjoyed being around him.

And to the couple who was standing beside me last night at the concert: no one wants to see you basically try to undress each other in public, no one. PDA is never cool, especially your version of it. I'm pretty sure your mom and dad would be ashamed if they had seen you. And you should be, too.

That's it. I'll stop my complaining now and move on with life.

The Oughts of Life

I just finished reading Parker Palmer's Let Your Life Speak. It's a wonderful read. There are many beneficial, helpful things in the book. One is that Palmer speaks about the "oughts" of life. Many of us live by the reasoning that there are things we ought to do in life. We define those things and then go do them, many times at the expense of what we really should be doing.

This is a really interesting way of looking at things. Many times, the things we ought to do are not what we really should be doing. Parker is speaking specifically about vocations, stating that we often choose our jobs based upon what would be good to do for others, whether or not it is good for us or fulfills what we really want to be doing, deep-down inside.

To quote Parker: "Despite the American myth, I cannot be or do whatever I desire . . . There are some roles and relationships in which we thrive and others in which we wither and die . . . There are some things I 'ought' to do or be that are simply beyond my reach. If I try to be or do something noble that has nothing to do with who I am, I may look good to others and to myself for a while. But the fact that I am exceeding my limits will eventually have consequences."

Challenging words to live by.

Well, I'll Be

That's not a phrase I use very often. In fact, I rarely use it all. So rarely that I have to question myself when I do use it.

I had a phone conversation today with what I presume is an older man, at least from the way his voice sounded on the phone. At one point during the conversation, he said something; and I found myself replying, "Well, I'll be."

If I used that phrase during most of my daily, regular conversations, I would imagine I would probably get a good number of blank stares back at me. This is because it's not a phrase that I tend to use very much. I find that I use this phrase most often when I am talking to someone whom I think would probably like to hear it, not necessarily because I want or feel a need, from within myself, to say it.

There is nothing necessarily wrong with saying that particular phrase, or phrases like it. But when we say phrases or do things out of a desire to please someone else and not at all from a sense of who we are or by being true to ourselves, we should probably pause for a second and question what exactly it is that we are doing.

When Politics Gets Personal

I have always heard that the most difficult thing about politics, running in political races, etc. is how personal it gets. In other words, it can really hurt, deep down. I knew someone who ran in a couple of races, when I was a youngster. That was a while back, so it is difficult to remember a whole lot of details from then.

But a couple of days ago, we received a political advertisement in the mail. We almost threw it away, then we realized it was attacking a friend of ours, who was running in a political race against this particular candidate who sent us the ad. What made it more odd was that it was addressed to us, here at our Texas address. But the political ad was for a race that was being held in Georgia, in the county we used to live in. As a side note, what made it even more odd was that the ad was touting the particular candidate's record of cutting spending in the last four years in his incumbent role. However, he was clearly wasting money by sending the ad addressed to us, at an out-of-state address, because we cannot even vote in that election since we do not live there. Pretty ironic.

I was glad to learn that that particular candidate who sent us the ad did not win his election last night. Rather, our friend did. I am glad my friend won because he is a really good guy. And I am particularly glad for the county that we used to live in because we came to really enjoy that county and I feel that the county will benefit with my friend in his new role.

But reading that political advertisement hurt. It hurt because it was attacking my friend. It said things that, of course, were not true and were hurtful. It almost made me want to lash out, maybe write a letter to the editor, to do something, anything . . . because of the anger that it caused to come to surface inside of me.

Political races can do that . . . especially when they get personal. That's why it seems to me that politics, as a hole, has really lost touch with people and with what it was intended to be. I know it has when it causes me to have feelings like I did the other day. The point of a political race is to get the best person, in the eyes of voters, elected to seats and positions. It's time we start demanding that that be done and that any means to get to that end is not okay, means like personally attacking someone on a level that's untrue and hurtful . . . like the ad we received in the mail.

I should not continue to be angry or to harbor bad feelings against someone. I simply shouldn't. But I have to admit that it felt good when I found out that the person who sent me the ad in the mail lost the race . . . and my friend won. I would have much rather have simply been happy that my friend won and have not had ill feelings toward the candidate who lost. But I have to admit that those ill feelings were there.

It was my fault that I had those ill feelings. But politics helped me have them. That's what politics, when done the wrong way, can do. And that's why it's high time that politics change.

Small Talk

I got a haircut today. On the drive to it, I was already dreading the small talk that always goes on during a haircut. I've gotten my hair cut at many places through the years. But one thing always seems to be a constant: small talk. I can never remember leaving a haircut and thinking to myself, "What a great conversation I just had."

Small talk, especially during hair cuts, always seems to be forced and awkward, for me at least. I've never been a big fan of small talk. Sure, I've learned how to do it, in all sorts of different places. And I think I probably do a pretty decent job of doing it. But it always feels a bit awkward, at best.

Some of the best hair cuts I have ever had had the smallest amount of conversation, particularly with people that I do not know. We both sensed that the purpose was the hair cut, exchanged a few pleasantries, but then enjoyed a few minutes of silence, that was neither forced nor awkward.

After leaving my hair cut today, I, of course, reflected on the conversation. I began to feel a little bad, maybe beating myself up a little, that I don't enjoy small talk, something that is inevitable in today's world. But then it hit me--that's just who I am. There's no need to beat ourselves up over things that we don't do well, or don't enjoy doing, particularly things we wish we were better at or wish we enjoyed. Identifying what we do well, don't do well, enjoy, don't enjoy is one thing. But to wish we were somebody we are not . . . that's not good.

So I will go on doing small talk because that's part of life. But that doesn't mean I have to be the world's best at it, or even be a fan of it . . . because that's just who I am.

Kaiden, Can You Say, " . . . "

Our two year-old nephew, Kaiden, visited us this past weekend. On a number of occasions, I found myself starting a sentence with the phrase: "Kaiden can you say . . ." Then I would go on to say something that I either thought he should say or imagine that he might say.

It's something we all do, especially with kids and pets. I have noticed myself say that around other kids, especially relatives. And I notice myself say that with our dog, too: "Jane can you say . . ."

Most often we say this to be funny or with something light-hearted. But saying the phrase got me to thinking that we could very easily use phrases like this to insert things that we think kids (or pets) should do or think or say, regardless of whether or not that is something they would actually, themselves, say.

Now sure, that is over-thinking this whole thing a bit. And many, many times, that is not the case. But there is some truth there. We do need to make sure we are nurturing and helping young people, or pets for that matter, grow and mature into the people that they truly are and not always necessarily the people we think they should become.

Good thing we don't do that with adults . . . or do we?

Dear Diary

We took our nephew and my sister to the pool yesterday. It's quite an impressive city pool, complete with splash park, etc. We have driven by it numerous times and have wanted to check it out. Checking it out with a 2 year-old is a much better (socially acceptable) way to do it, though.

While there, we saw a young girl who is a lifeguard that seemed to be taking a break. She was sitting off to the side, on a bench, writing in what appeared to be a journal.

You don't see that much these days. Not sure why. But I think that's great. One thing we seem to be losing is the ability, or the desire, to journal, to write about our daily happenings, to write in a diary.

I have done some workshops/lessons on journaling as a spiritual practice. And I believe that to be the case. There really is something to the art or practice of writing in a journal.

My grandmother did that. I'm not sure how long or what periods of her life all of her journals covered. But it was really cool to read back about what happened in her life, even what might have seemed like at the time the seemingly mundane, daily, regularly events. It was definitely neat to read back over those things. And my suspicion is that the act of recording those things was also neat, beneficial, even a spiritual practice for her.

The Worst Best Team Ever

We've got one of, if not the best, Texas Rangers teams ever.

The status and records show that. I forget exactly where the numbers put us; but I'm pretty sure they're right around the best team record ever, this many games in. So it's definitely one of the best teams we've ever had.

But this could be one of the worst best teams there has ever been.

I don't think any Rangers fan feel confident their team can win a game. Sure, they do win. And the record shows that we win plenty. But we don't feel confident that we can a big game . . . or come from behind . . . or even hold a lead, for that matter.

Many people blame the pitching. And there's plenty to blame there, especially since two of our opening day starters are gone for the season . . . and our big trade deadline has given up eight runs twice and isn't even with the team now . . . and Oswalt would rather complain about being in the bullpen than actually doing anything about it.

But I point towards the offense, or the lack thereof. We simply cannot come up with a big hit when we need it. Getting a run home from third with less than two outs is an absolute adventure every time. Kinsler's swinging at a first-pitch, ground out, with bases loaded last night in an absolutely huge spot is a microcosm of our year, especially offensively.

There is still plenty of time to turn it around. And, of course, nothing matters now except for what happens in October. But the evidence to this point suggests that we won't be getting it done then. I sure hope we do.

Nine-Banded Armadillo

I hope I never meet one. The name alone scares the poo out of me.

Huntsville has a system of bike/walking trails not too far from our house. We have been on them before, briefly, and were impressed. So I decided to go ride them on my bike yesterday. Great idea in the middle of some August heat.

Great idea if you're only going to be on them for a few minutes, which I was not. I got a tad lost. Long enough to make through an entire Sklabro County (not Country) episode.

Before I entered the trails, I looked at the map . . . which did me no good. There was also a list of animals and varmints one might meet on the trail. One particular critter was called a nine-banded armadillo. It seriously sounds like a cross between something Jack Black was attacked by in Nacho Libre and one of Chuck Norris' pets.

Why is the armadillo banded? And why is it banded nine times? I don't know. And I don't want to know. The name alone is frightening . . . or, at least odd, a tad askew, to quote Seinfeld.

Fortunately, I did not come across one, as far as I know. I did come across a dog on the trails, which I thought, for a second, might have been wild and rabid, ready to tear my left arm off. I must have been on-edge, waiting for the nine-banded armadillo to attack me, because the dog was neither wild nor rabid, as its owner was just around the corner. In fact, the dog was scared of my bike.

Looking back at the picture, the nine-banded bandito looked as harmless (to humans) as any other armadillo. Nothing to it. But still, I'm not messing with a nine-banded anything, much less an armadillo.

So stay thirsty, my friends . . . and stay clear of those nine-banded boogy monsters.

Forgive Them

What an incredible thing the gospel writers record Jesus as having said, as he was being put up on the cross: "forgive them." Jesus asked that the people who were causing his life on earth to end to be forgiven. Jesus, it seems, realizes that the people who were doing this did not realize what they are actually doing. That is really powerful stuff.

It is difficult enough for me to try to forgive someone who does something small against me, even when they ask for forgiveness. To ask forgiveness be given to people who are causing someone to die . . . that's just unfathomable.

Nevertheless, followers of Christ are given an example, a goal of what to shoot for. So, we are to forgive.

To forgive when someone seriously harms and/or abuses our son or our daughter . . . to forgive when we are unfairly not offered a job or a promotion . . . to forgive when people would rather talk behind our backs than talk to our faces . . . to forgive when someone's words are offensive and full of bigotry and hate . . . and to forgive when the one who has wronged us neither realizes it nor asks for forgiveness.

Can we forgive in these sorts of instances, and in all things? I don't know. Perhaps a good first step, especially in the most difficult of circumstances, is to just not lash out in anger, or in rage, or in jealousy, or in spite. If we can try to wrap our heads around that, then we are on the path of forgiveness.

We must also come to understand that forgiveness is not just something we are to extend to others. We must extend it to ourselves, too. So, "forgive them" also becomes "forgive myself."

Honey Badger Maybe Making Amends?

I was impressed to read about the latest twist from the story of the Honey Badger, former LSU cornerback, Tyrann Mathieu. Mathieu is an incredible football talent that has had trouble with substance abuse, among other things. His university, or the coaching staff, anyway, finally had enough and kicked him off the team, a fairly shocking thing to do considering how much of a blow to the team it will be.

Most people expected Mathieu to transfer to another school, possibly McNeese State, and play football elsewhere. The part of the story that I am impressed with is that he is, reportedly, considering staying at LSU, paying his own way through school this year, to get his life on track and prove to the football team, especially, I assume, Les Miles, that he is worthy of another shot:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8264350/tyrann-mathieu-interest-staying-lsu-sources-say

You don't hear stories like this much in sports. You hear stories of things going wrong, sure. But you do not generally hearing athletes saying they messed up and then trying to do something about it.

Charles Barkley was correct when he said that athletes are not role models. But, nonetheless, kids, and even adults, look up to them. So when you hear of something like this, you want to applaud and pat Mathieu on the back.

The Christian Thing to Do

I have heard that phrase, I guess, all my life: "the Christian thing to do." It's an interesting one. What does it really mean? Sure, I know what most people mean when they say it. They are usually referring to what they ought to do: they ought not make fun of someone, they ought to go help their neighbor, etc.

But when you stop and think about it, and sort of dissect it, what does it really mean?

For instance, is the Christian thing to do to support the death penalty or to oppose it? Is the Christian thing to do to go eat at Chick-Fil-A on a certain day or to not support them at all with your money? Is the Christian thing to do to not oppose legislation that benefits people who are homosexual or to "hate the sin but love the sinner?" Is the Christian thing to do to support nonviolent protests or to picket injustice with posters and screaming? Is the Christian thing to do to be pro-life or pro-choice?
(And while we're at it, maybe the Christian thing to do is to quit using labels. Neither of those aforementioned labels truly encapsulate people who might line up with that way of thinking . . . nor do those labels make any sense. "Pro-life" does not mean that one necessarily supports legislation that denies death in all cases, be it abortion, criminals, etc. "Pro-choice" does not mean that one necessarily supports legislation that upholds one's choice in all cases, be it abortion, right to health care, etc.)

"The Christian Thing to Do." The Christian thing to do is to love one another. Beyond that, it looks like it's pretty stinkin' hard to nail down exactly what the Christian thing to do is, at all times, in all instances. The reality is most people fall in-between the sides listed above. . . . because there's a wide variety of how Christians view things and believe. And that's a good thing.

The Black Sheep of the Family

I remember a song from my childhood by country music artist, John Anderson. The title is, Black Sheep. In it, Anderson sings about being the black sheep of his family. I remember thinking the song was fun, because of Anderson's deep voice. I also remember not knowing what in the heck he was talking about by being the "black sheep." Remember, I was a kid.

As I have grown older, I came to understand what being the black sheep of one's family, or social grouping, means. I understand that sometimes we, or sometimes we become, make others the butt of our jokes or derision as we take out our own fears and limitations upon others who might be a little different than us or everyone else. It's too bad. Too bad especially for the one going through that.

I listened to a Sklarbro Country podcast episode yesterday. Normally, they have a comedian on in which they talk about sports, comedy, pop culture, etc. Yesterday, they had Richard Simmons on. Yes, that's right, Richard Simmons. They met him on a plane ride; and he agreed to come on their show. This particular episode was a complete departure from anything they had done in their over one hundred episodes to date.

The guy is crazy, in a good way. He is, as they described him, "the mayor of wherever he is at." I had kind of always thought the guy was a bit strange, myself. But after having spent over an hour with him yesterday, I have a whole new appreciation for him.

One of the more interesting things I learned about Simmons is that he never does anything socially. He says that he never goes to parties, get-togethers, etc. He has not been to someone else's house in over seven years; and he rarely has people over to his house, except for meetings. Besides doing work at his workout studio, he spends most of his time at home, with his housekeepers and his dog.

The main reason for this, he said, is because he still remembers being made fun of and being the black sheep as a kid, in school. School, particularly elementary school, was not kind to Simmons, as I can only imagine. Simmons is unique, in many different ways. The scars he bore from his childhood are still with him to this day; and they keep him from doing much of anything in social situations.

That's horrible. The bullying and abuse Richard Simmons received as a kid keeps this incredibly famous  person from ever going out because he's afraid it might still happen to him.

We need to remember things like that when we are tempted to make fun of someone. We need to remember things like that when we, ourselves, are the butt of other people's jokes. And we need to remember things like that when we have the chance or the opportunity to stand up for someone, especially the opportunity to do something about the awful epidemic of bullying in schools.

Thank you, David

I preached at a church in Houston this morning. They did a really cool thing to begin the service. They started off with announcements, getting that done before the service actually begins. While this happened, the choir and worship leaders stepped inside the sanctuary, at the back.

Then the first hymn started and the choir/leaders stepped into the foyer in the back. As the first verse began, we all walked down the middle aisle together, as a sort of processional, signaling the beginning of worship. At the chorus, we all stopped halfway up, sang the chorus, then when the second verse began, and we all walked up on the stage.

That was really cool, I thought.

As I walked into the church this morning, the person waiting for me was there. After we met, we walked into the church to get things ready for the service; and he slyly fixed my suit coat collar. I seem to always have it flipping up. And he, without a word, fixed it for me.

I really appreciated that. Saved me lots of awkward moments and probably some embarrassment when I met the other members of the church later. It was a small thing, done without notice or words.

We have people in our lives who do big, great things for us. Maybe they offer us big-time advice at some point or maybe they make something happen in our lives. But we don't need to forget the Davids in our lives who, in the background, do the small things that make a big difference.

". . .," nobody says, ever.

I like this new phrase that I'm starting to see in social media, pop culture, etc. It works well with so many things, like: "I could take Chuck Norris down with no problem," nobody says, ever. "I love how the Rangers won it all last year," nobody says, ever. "Brian Edwards is the coolest person on the planet," nobody . . . well, wait that might be said.

I have been on church staffs as a student minister for eleven years. I felt that because of that and because I was around young people a good bit, I had a pretty decent handle on pop culture, new music, movies, etc. But having not been a student minister for the last year, it seems that I have had to look to other things to gauge a sense of what's in and what's out.

Twitter has helped with that. Keeping posts to less than 140 characters is just right. You can get your point across without being too wordy. So you can do things like "nobody says, ever" well.

And speaking of that phrase, I see a new trend starting within the trend of this phrase. It should be ". . .," nobody says, ever. NOT ". . .," Nobody says. Ever. or NOT ". . .," Nobody. Says. Ever.

I am not at all a fan of this new thing where people put a period after every word in a sentence to give it emphasis. Don't do that. I don't have like a big moral or ethical reasoning for saying this. I just don't like it. It. Bothers. Me. Greatly. Because. I. Really. Really. Really. Really. Don't. Like. It.

See what I mean?

The Best American Ever

One of the catch-phrases for the new movie that's out, The Campaign (the Will Ferrell/Zach G. movie), is: "You know who the best American ever is? Jesus."

That's funny. So funny it's sad. Because a whole lot of Americans believe that. Too bad it's so incredibly incorrect (not to mention, wrong, on so many levels).

That reminds me of the Talladega Nights scene. You know the one: eight pound six ounce Baby Jesus. This one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6AlEYreD6k

We like to think of Jesus in terms that we like, be it baby Jesus, grown-up Jesus, teenage Jesus, bearded Jesus, in a tuxedo t-shirt, as a Republican, as a Democrat, or as an American.

These terms are our own, not Jesus'. To be impacted by the incredible, life-changing, upside-down story of Jesus, we have to let the story impact us, not the other way around.

If we don't and are not careful and mindful of this, our Jesus can have giant eagles wings, singing lead vocals for Lynyrd Skynyrd or our Jesus can justify any wrong or atrocity that we commit against other people . . . or worse.

Seems to me that Will Ferrell, with his ways of showing us who we really are and how we really act, makes for a pretty good American . . . and not too bad of a prophet.

A Story With a Good Ending

I guess I'm pretty cynical. No, I know I'm pretty cynical (just asks anyone that knows me).

I really enjoy watching a movie that does not have a good ending. Does that make me a bad person? Not sure. But I know that I have seen hundreds upon hundreds, if not thousands, of movies in my lifetime. I'm no Gene Siskel. But I have seen my share of movies.

I have seen enough to guess how most movies will end. The good person will eventually win out. The bad person will get what's coming to them. So when you have been set up for that ending, over time, it's sort of novel, sort of unique to watch something that doesn't end how you expect it will, something that surprises you.

The truth, I think, is that deep down we all want good endings to movies (even me, deep down). We want the good person to win, the bad person to lose . . . because that's how we want it to be in our lives. Our lives are like movie scripts (or is the other way around??). We have good stuff happen to us and plenty of not so good stuff mixed in, too. We hope that everything turns out in the end . . . like most movies do.

That's why, I believe, so many people are drawn to the story of God, particularly the whole Jesus part. It has a good ending. And I do not mean the Get Out of Jail Free Card that modern Christianity seems to be so enamorated with. There's more to the story of God than what we conjecture will play out after our earthly lives are over. Much, much, much, much more.

That's because God's story is still unfolding, it's still being acted out. It seems to me that God is very, incredibly interested in what's going on in our world. Not necessarily like a white-bearded old man ready to zap us when we do wrong. Actually, nothing like that at all (though many famous preachers and ministers might have you believe that).

Through the good story of Jesus, we see that God wants us all at the table. The rich, the poor, the fortunate in life, the unfortunate in life, the successful, the unsuccessful, men, women, Jew, Greek, slave, free, _____ (insert ANY other barrier that we have humans have come up with). God wants us all there. God likes us. God thinks good of us. God loves us. We're good enough, we're smart enough . . . you know the rest.

That's one thing (one very important, huge, gigantic) thing that the story of Jesus shows us. God is for us (not against us). I feel as though I'm rambling. So here it is: we find victory in Jesus when we live like Jesus. When we help bring others to the table, particularly the lonely, the hurting, the vulnerable (in other words, all of us). When we do that, our stories can't help but end GOOD. When we live like that, our lives are good . . . and the ending will be pretty darn good. Trust me, it will be. Or better yet, trust God.

You're Never Really Laughing If You're Never Really Crying

You probably woke up this morning and thought to yourself: "I want to find a new artist to listen to." Well you're in luck.

I highly recommend our friend, Dylan Sneed, to you:
http://about.me/dylansneedmusic
http://www.myspace.com/dylansneed

Dylan has been described as a mix between Bob Dylan & Townes Van Zandt. I haven't heard a lot of Townes Van Zandt. But he's definitely some Bob Dylan . . . maybe some Ryan Adams . . . and just really good stuff. A rockin' folky singer.

Anyway, he's good. You should check him out.

I was listening to a song of his this morning, called Selfish Boy. There's a line in the song that says: "You're never really laughing if you're never really crying." I think that's great. We can't really laugh, and experience the good things that we want to in life, if we never cry, and experience that stuff that we don't necessarily want to in life. At least that's my take on it. Life is about the full range of emotions. And to really experience life, we have to be open to all of it . . . and not push down the stuff we don't want to deal with.

Easier said than done. But Dylan has some wisdom in his lyrics. There's a real maturity to them. And what I really appreciate is that his lyrics are impacted by his faith and spirituality . . . but he's not pushy or showy with it. It seems to me that his faith has helped make him who he is. And that just sort of comes through, seeps out in his lyrics.

Seems to be much more genuine and much more real than many of the so-called "Christian" songwriters and singers, in the Christian music industry. In my opinion, many of the lyrics of songs in that subculture are pretty shallow and have "theological holes" all in them. That's not to brand everyone doing that stuff that way . . . but there's a good bit out there that's just plain not good.

Dylan does not seem at all, from my perspective anyway, to want to be labeled by any terms like that. He seems to be a singer/songwriter, doing his thing. That sure seems to be a better way of doing things to me. But then again I'm biased. But anyway, he's good. Check him out.

A Good Time Was Had By All

Small-town newspapers are great. You can find all sorts of nuggets of awesomeness in there.

Growing up, our small-town newspaper had reports from even smaller towns that were in the surrounding area. People from those communities would write a few paragraphs about what had been going on: whose relatives had come in, family reunions, vacations, particularly good crops, etc.

One particular community had a woman wrote the weekly report for her community for years. Whenever a specific story dealt with a number of people doing something together, she would almost always finish it with the phrase: "And a good time was had by all."

That phrase has stuck with me through the years. That is normally our goal whenever we, along with others, come together to do something: whether it's a family reunion, a trip somewhere, going to a ballgame, whatever it may be. For various reasons, this does not always happen. But when it does, we can rejoice that a good time was had by all.

Come to think of it, that would be a pretty good way to be remembered, once our time here is up. If we helped others have a good time, enjoy themselves, better themselves, help them understand who they truly are, deep down, that'd be an allright way to be thought of. Perhaps we can shoot for having that phrase on our tombstone: "A Good Time Was Had By All."

Ode to Whataburger

Whataburger, you are awesome.
Whataburger, you are incredible.
Whataburger, you fill my stomach.
Whataburger, you do it well.

Your hamburgers are unlike any others.
The buttered bun is buttered and toasted just right.
The pickles and onions are placed perfectly, with awesomeness right in the middle.
And the meat, wow.

Your french fries are a perfect complement to any meal.
The crispyness is a little crisp but not too crisp
The flavor is just right because the salt is just right (not like McDonald's, with too much salt)
And when you dip the fry in the ketchup, wow. Speaking of ketchup . . .

Your ketchup is out of this world.
The ingredients are a mystery.
The little carrier you are in is so cool.
And when you go onto a hamburger, wow.

Your milkshake is unlike any others.
The ice cream has just the right flavors.
The wait for it to unthicken seems to last forever.
And if I drink you too fast, I get an ice cream headache.


Whataburger, you are awesome.
Whataburger, you are incredible.
Whataburger, you fill my stomach.
Whataburger, you do it well.


(And don't even get me started about your breakfast.)

Some Mistakes Are Bigger Than Others

I know virtually nothing about water polo. But I do know that a mistake with one second left in an Olympic semifinal match that leads to overtime when your time was about to win is big. Huge. Bigger than probably any other mistake imaginable.

I turned the U.S. Women's seminfinal match on this morning just in time to see the Americans win it . . . almost. I turned the TV on with about two minutes left in the match, with the match tied. The Americans score a goal to go up by one. The Australians later shoot and miss with one second left in the game. The U.S. coach calls a timeout. The only problem is the Americans don't have the ball, possession.

That creates a situation in which the Australians get a free shot at the goal, with one Australian and our goalie. Sort of like a technical foul in basketball. Chris Webber, anyone?

The Australian player makes the goal; and the match goes to overtime.

Wow. What a mistake. Mistakes were made all throughout the match . . . and all throughout the Olympics. But none bigger than that one.

So it is with life. We make mistakes all day-long (or at least those of us who admit to them). But some mistakes are bigger than others.

What we need is people around us like the U.S. coach had around him. As soon as the foul/penalty was assessed, his players rallied around him and encouraged him to shake it off. The players all knew the enormity of it. But they also knew that it could have just as easily been them to make a huge mistake. And I would imagine they all realized the good things their coach had done for them.

Who do you have around you that encourages you to shake it off, to move on, to keep on going, even after you mess up worse than you could ever possibly imagine?

Enough is Enough

After yet another staged shooting at a large gathering of people, I ask the question: When is enough enough?

Admittedly, I do not understand the motives and reasoning of people clamoring for all types of guns to be available to the general public. I do not own a gun. I do not plan on owning a gun in the near future. But it seems to me that the only types of guns that should be available are ones for recreational purposes. Why are guns that help perpetrate things like the mass killings in Aurora, Colorado at the movie premiere allowed to be available to people?

I really do ask that question wanting to know honest answers. Because I do not have any.

We Report, We Decide

I have finally found it. Well, sort of.

I have been on a search for real news for a long time. Over the past few years, any semblance of news among our media has dissipated, dissolved, faded, gone away. Now sure, I was not around when the so-called Giants of News were among us. When it was Walter Cronkite and others doing news for the network news outlets and when cable news was not even a figment in people's imaginations, I wasn't here yet. So I can't say for sure if the good ol' days really were all that good.

But I can say that over the past decade-plus, the desire for so-called news organizations to report the news has gone by the way-side. Out with unbiased reporting, in with partisan politics over the airwaves. It's a sign of the times. And it simply is what it is. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Things are to the point where I really do not care about watching or listening to the news because I am simply going to get one side of the news. That's why some of the slogans of the cable news outlets are funny to me. "We report, you decide." Bull corn. You report & you decide for me. Or: "Lean Forward." More like, lean forward in the direction and way that we tell you to.

There really is no unbiased news. That is one thing we can be thankful for learning as news has blended into entertainment in the decade of the 2000s and into the 2010s. We have definitely learned that. All news organizations can do is try to take themselves out of the story and report it as best they can. But that's not 100% possible.

This is why I am glad to have come across two new news outlets: 92.1 FM news talk radio in Houston & the CBS Morning Show. The latter is not exactly new, just a new format. Both of these organizations have attempted a new or re-branding effort at simply reporting the news and not trying to be flashy about it or overly-partisan about it. They seem to realize that they cannot completely take their human biases out of the news reporting. But they're sure giving it their best shot.

If you haven't come across them, I would encourage you to give them a try. You just might find some news out there.

"He's a Boy. He Doesn't Need to Be Creative."

Leave it to philosopher, Hank Hill, to put it in just the right way. I thought I had seen just about every King of the Hill episode. But an episode came on yesterday that I don't think I had seen.

In this particular episode, Hank decides to send Bobby to a class on learning how to be a clown. He was having a difficult time dealing with Bobby and his imagination. Bobby had been acting up everywhere, at school, at church, at home, trying to be the funny guy. Peggy noted that Bobby needed a better outlet to be creative and use his imagination, at which point Hank shot back: "He's a boy. He doesn't need to be creative."

Mike Judge and the other creators of King of the Hill do a great job with the show, particularly in somewhat over-exaggerating different belief systems and thought patterns of people living in small town Texas (and all across the southern U.S. for that matter). Whether it's showing that the fictional town of Arlen puts way too much stock and importance in their football team or showing how children are expecting to grow up in that town, they really hit at some important facets and values of small town life.

The idea, of course, in this episode is that Hank believes that Bobby should grow up like him: enjoying sports, working on trucks, and not being creative or artistic, or using his imagination (which perfectly describes Bobby). It's too bad that Hank, and so many people, tries to pigeon-hole his child into his own image . . . rather than allowing him to mature and flourish into his own person.

We do that with children. I, for one, have seen plenty of it. Maybe not always shaping children into parents' exact images, but definitely plenty of shaping into who parents think their children should be. (It must be noted, though, that having thoughts and wishes for children is not always a bad thing. It becomes bad when we allow that to shape who they are becoming.)
But we also do that with adults . . . and with everyone, really. At the least, in our heads, we try to make others be who we think they should be. At worst, we allow that to influence how we treat other people.

We are at our best when we try to be who we truly are . . . not who we think others think we should be.

It's All About People

As I think back over the past year of being at a new place, what strikes me the most is people, relationships. We have struck up a number of new, meaningful friendships and relationships, have maintained friendships, and have been able to continue and re-kindle past relationships.

I am by no means mature in my years . . . or all that wise . . . but it seems to me that what is, or should be, very important in our lives is people, relationships.

The Jewish and Christian scriptures start off that way. The first two chapters of the first book of the Bible describe, in detail, the importance of relationships, of our being in relation to one another . . . and to God. So many other wisdom and religious literature speak of life being about deep, meaningful relationships, or friends, if you will.

My years of vocational church ministry have taught me the importance of people. I was taught, early on, that if I had to choose between working on some type of church program/activity/event or spending time with someone(s), always choose spending time. And that has proven to be true. What has made the most impact over the years, both in my life and in the lives of others, is relationships, spending time with others, doing life with people.

What relationships do we need to devote more time and energy to? What relationships do we need to strike up . . . or begin new again? How do we need to use our imagination and creativity to re-invigorate old or maybe somewhat stale relationships?

What a Difference a Year Makes

One year ago today, we moved, somewhat across the country. I can still remember many particulars of the day. The overwhelming sense or feeling I remember most was is wondering what kinds of changes that particular move would make upon our lives.

What a difference a year makes. When we look back, it's always difficult to say exactly how we have changed or matured . . . because we are different people today than we were before. But I am a different person, with different attitudes, different hopes, different outlooks on life.

Completely different? Probably not. At least I hope not. Because what we were before, minus whatever changes needed to be made, is still good, very good. But a changed and hopefully somewhat more mature person. I hope so.

We need to celebrate, or at least recognize, markers in life. Be they birthdays, anniversaries, or significant days in our journeys--these things mark who we are. These markers help us recognize the kinds of people we are becoming. And they help point us to and towards the people we hope to become.

Left Lane: A Right & A Responsibility

Seems to me that if we would all view the left lane as a right AND a responsibility, things would all move just a little more smoothly.

You know what I mean. You've been there. You're driving down a multi-lane road, like an interstate or a freeway. Traffic is moving a little too slowly for you. So you move over to the left lane, the fast lane, to get around. Once you get there, you seem to be stuck. Not really going slower than traffic . . . but definitely not going faster than traffic, either.

This is mostly due to that car who gets in the left lane to just cruise. They see the left lane as their right. Their tax dollars help pay for that left lane; and they have every right to drive in it. Absolutely.

But the left lane is also a responsibility. That's what the sign on the side of the road means when it says: "Left Lane For Passing Only." When we get in the left lane, we need to remember that we have a right to be there. But if we are there, it's also our responsibility to do something with it.

There's probably a life lesson in there somewhere.

Video Game Mentality

In a comment on my post yesterday, my man, Yi-Fu, used a really neat phrase: "video game mentality." He was referring to how he wants to just get through the Rangers regular season to get to the playoffs, in a way that you just breeze through a season in a video game to get to the end. I'm right there with him. I just want to close my eyes and boom, it's playoff time. But as he noted, we have to endure and live through all the highs and lows that a baseball season can bring us.

I can remember doing that with video games, growing up. In particular, I remember a friend and I would play a football video game and just let the game simulate a season so that we could get to the playoffs and begin there. Doing that sort of took the fun out of it. That made winning it all sort of lackluster, took some joy out of it.

It's the same with life. If we try to simulate life to get around the hard times, we rob ourselves from much of what life has to offer us.

Doing a baseball season in video game mentality means that we want to steer around the difficult times . . . like the past month for the Rangers. I'm to the point where I just turn it when the Rangers are stinking the joint up . . . like the third inning last night. Had I stuck with it, it would have been an incredible feeling to watch what eventually happened in the tenth inning.

In the same way, when we try to steer around life's obstacles, we miss the incredible feelings that come with getting through the difficult times to the not-so-difficult times. We're better off to try to get through the difficult times. If we try to go around hard things just to get to the good stuff, the good stuff doesn't mean nearly as much . . . and it isn't nearly as enjoyable and worthwhile.

Okay, the Rangers Stink

I posted a little while back that the Rangers are not impressing us because they are not over-achieving. At this point, I am wrong. They are now under-achieving.

This team stinks, as of late. Can't blame it on Jon Daniels or anyone in the front office. Can only blame Wash some. He has finally pulled some strings and messed with the batting order, with great results following. Perhaps he could have done some other things along the way.

But the blame falls all at the players' feet, particularly the lack of offensive production. Proven veterans making tons of money simply aren't producing. Until they do, we can expect more of the same . . . and a slip out of first place soon to follow.