It's Saturday!

Looking to be a crazy day today.  My sermon is done but I haven't started my Grow Questions yet.  One of these days I'm going to figure out how do to these quicker!  We still need to get the bulletin done and it looks like I may be leading worship tomorrow - Cindy's voice has not healed fully yet and James is out of town tomorrow (have mercy one me!) so I need to put a set together.  After that, Cindy needs to get prepared for a wedding that she is doing tomorrow (printing out her book, preparing the certificate).  We also want to get hair-cuts sometime today, run up to Rockford for the wedding rehearsal (I may need to be her backup if her voice fails), drop off the sound equipment with someone for setup tonight, stop by Cody's graduation party and, oh yeah, we have a Fire game tonight.  Just another nice quiet Saturday!

For all you Cubs fans out there, here is an interesting article from John Armstrong regarding Wrigley Field.  I know that you will read this and just say it's another Cubbie Hater (and then you will say I am one too for posting the article) but I can't really disagree with him.  I know that there is some kind of nostalgia about the place, but it let's be real - the parking stinks, the sight lines stink (especially if you are behind a post), the bathrooms still stink, and the place feels cramped.  Oh, and as a neutral (and I really do believe that I am a neutral), I have never gone to a game at Wrigley and have had a good conversation with someone there about baseball.  I've done this at other parks across the nation (Milwaukee, Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit and US. Cellular - plus numerous other Minor League parks) but never in Wrigley (I've been there more times then I can count).  Instead it always seems hostile if you are not a Cubs fan (even to neutrals).  I just don't get it.

My wife and oldest son are Cub's fans, so I go for them (and I keep my mouth shut for them).  I actually ignore the cross town classic to keep peace in the house.  But if you were to ask me where I would love to see a baseball game - it would not be Wrigley (to be honest, out of all the ball parks I have been to, I really liked Turner Field).

Now back to our previously scheduled Saturday already in progress......

LinkedIn

Spent last night messing around with my LinkedIn account.  I think I was an early adapter for this .   I opened my account in January of 2007 and quickly forgot about it (I tend to sign up for a bunch of new stuff and then forget about them. I had a twitter account for years before I actually used it).  Back then there were only a handful of people who I knew that used it (I think I was turned on to it by Jordon Cooper).  Recently, I have been getting a lot of connection requests (which I were simply ignoring).   Last night I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

Amazingly, I now have a bunch of friends on LinkedIn - I was shocked.  I actually think I'm beginning to like it - although I'm still trying to figure it out.  If your reading this and are on LinkedIn, look me up.

Acts 3

I've been studding Acts 3 for this Sunday's sermon and some interesting thoughts keep coming up.  This is the story of the blind beggar at the temple gate and it's interesting how this story progresses.  Peter and John are going to the temple like they usually do - there was nothing special on this day.  This is what they always did (this is what many in their society did as well.)  Day in, day out - same ole same ole.  Yet God seems to have different plans and takes them on a wild ride.  First the beggar gets healed, then Peter preaches, then they get arrested and another 2000 come to the church. 

Here is the interesting part for me: this is completely unplanned by Peter and John.  I wonder what their plans were for the day.  Perhaps temple, then some dinner.  Just a quiet evening....but God seemed to have other plans.  This really got me thinking.  Would we be willing to do something like this?  Would we be willing to allow God to disturb our quiet evening?  

I think we find a comfort in planning (I know I do).  There is safety there.  We like to make sure that all of our t's are crossed and out i's are dotted.  And while there is nothing wrong in planning, do we unintentionally plan God out of the equation? 

Thoughts?

It's time...

...to re-engage.
...to re-activate.
...to do.
...to stop procrastinating.
...to wake up.
...to turn this thing back on.

I think it's time to start writing again.

St. Arbucks

Interesting article by Bob Hyatt at Out of Ur this morning.  But truth be told - I like the graphic the best.

Morning Reading...

Woke up this morning to a pair of great articles on different topics.

First, Dan Edelen at Cerulean Sanctum asks the question: "Does anyone still care about the Great Commission".  In the midst of his article he says this:

How is it that we can get whipped into a frenzy about aiding the poor, stopping same sex marriage, putting more conservatives into the halls of American power, and a million other causes, but the simple act of helping lead a lost soul to Christ is something we have neither time nor energy for?
Let’s be honest here. The Great Commission no longer compels us. The proof is right before our eyes, but we don’t want to see it.

Link

 I've been thinking about this stuff for the past couple of years.  We seem to have more passion for doing what Pat Robinson tells us to do then what Jesus tells us to do.

The other comes from Tim Challies at Challies Dot Com and is a review of Leonard Sax's book "Boys Adrift".

He narrows in on five factors: changes in educational models; video games; medications for ADHD; endocrine disruptors; and a lack of good role models. Schools, he says, have begun to focus on academics at too early an age, leaving boys hating education from their earliest days. Programs that focus more on fun and less on academics up to age seven or eight would reap educational dividends. Important also is the distinction between learning as merely collecting facts and learning as experience. Regarding video games he believes that boys today are dedicating far too much time to this form of entertainment. As boys play these games they gain false perceptions of power and inadvertently remove themselves from reality until eventually they prefer the world of video games over the real world. ADHD is vastly over-diagnosed and huge numbers of boys are given medications they simply do not need. These medications have been proven to change the way boys develop and do far more than simply calm down hyperactive children. Endocrine disruptors, and especially artificial estrogens found in plastic bottles and other similar products, are delaying boys’ development (while accelerating girls’ development) and contributing to many associated problems. And finally, boys are suffering from a distinct lack of good and manly role models, both in their homes and in their communities. Each of these five areas receives a chapter-length treatment and in each case the arguments are convincing. Yet the book does not end with only this list of problems, but with the author’s attempts to suggest solutions.

Link
Interesting stuff

The elephant in the room.

I saw this last week on another blog (sorry, I don't remember who) and I figured now would be a good time to post it here (since my readership should be at an all time low.)  Disclaimer - this is supposed to be satire.  There is a real gem if you can make it to the end.  Colbert leaves us with a difficult truth - perhaps a truth that we have been wanting to ignore for too long.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Jesus Is a Liberal Democrat
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Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog</a> March to Keep Fear Alive

Welcome 2011

Happy New Year!  May God bless you in this upcoming year!

Happy New Years Eve!

It's New Year's Eve again - time to look balk over this blog as see what a poor job of posting I did this year.  Including this post - 13 in one year.  That is pathetic.

On January 1, 2010, I posted my goals for the New Year.  Let's see how I did:

1) Get healthier.  Grade: C.  I really didn't do much here.  I've dropped some weight in the past year but I didn't do anything purposeful to do it.  Perhaps I need to rethink this one for next year.

2) Read more.  Grade B+.  I think I did a good job on this.  I started the year strong, but then slowed down during the summer.  The Kindle that I received for my birthday kicked it back into gear (I've read about eight books in the past two months).

3) Write more.  Grade: D.  Thirteen posts and a lost Moleskine.  Do I need to say more?

4) Work on my marriage.  Grade:?  Not sure how I would grade this one (perhaps my wife can let me know).  I think I've been a better husband this year - although I probably still have some work to do.


2010 has been an interesting year for me.  Better than 2009, but still a lot of challenges.  There is a part of me that is happy to see this year go by because 2011 is looking very promising.  Perhaps I need to put a new list of Goal up for 2011.  You'll have to stay tuned to see if I do....

Have a wonderful New Years!

Sunday's Coming...

It's Wednesday night.  That means that tomorrow is Thursday.  Which means that Sunday is just around the corner and I haven't started to prepare for it.  This week has been so crazy - and it feels like it's getting away from me.   I really need to take some time tomorrow and study.   I just don't know if I will have the time.


Oh well - until then, here's some Mr Bean before bed....