lifepoint gets a facelift

Not the church but the church website. Check out LifePoint Church's newly redesigned website.

wii elbow

I think I'm developing Wii elbow.

good day at church

We had a good day at church today. Did an unplugged set with just an acoustic guitar and two vocalists. I finished a series on "What's Under Your Tree" with a message about God's forgiveness. Isn't it a wonderful thing that our God doesn't treat us the way our sins deserve! Next Sunday I'll be starting a new series based on a book by Mark Batterson entitled "Chasing Your Lions." It's about how to allow God to accomplish great things through you.

technological leap frog

Games sure have changed since I was a kid. Back then, we were told to go outside and find sticks to play with. OK, maybe it wasn’t that primitive but it seems like it when you see the stuff kids play with today.

We bought the kids a Wii for Christmas and it’s amazing how responsive the technology is. A sensor bar picks up the movement of the wireless remote and allows you to actually swing a bat or roll a bowling ball. With the addition of a guitar you can be rocking along with Bon Jovi.

On the plus side, the Wii requires the players to actually move (a sneaky way to exercise); on the down side, it requires the players to actually move. For the kids, it’s fun. For old guys like me, it just makes us sore.

Technology keeps moving on. Most mobile phones have more computing power than actual computers had less than two decades ago. Televisions are getting bigger, brighter, and with a decent speaker system can make you feel like you’re at the event you’re watching. GPS, the Internet, microwaveable meals.

We’re living in an age of technological leap-frog, where the latest advance gets jumped over by the next big breakthrough. Trying to keep up with all the changes is nearly impossible. Trying to understand them can be frustrating.

Though technology may be changing rapidly, there are other elements of the human experience that remain changeless. The needs to be loved, have friendship, and feel useful are universal needs that existed just as much during the Industrial Revolution as the Internet Revolution.

People have searched for meaning, for life’s purpose, since the beginning of time itself -- even without the advantage of GPS.

The greatest need of all never changes: the need to be in a healthy, growing relationship with God. Without such a relationship, no amount of technology can fill the void or give direction.

As we approach a new year (2009!), let us recommit ourselves to nurturing the greatest need of all. May this new year be a year when we pursue the One who pursued us all along.

God bless you and here’s to a great new year!

multi-channeling

First it was blogging, then it was tweeting, and now it's Facebook. Although I'm typically an early adopter, my wife had the first facebook account in the family. Find me on facebook and be my friend!

praying like habakkuk

Lord, I have heard of your fame, I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known (Habakkuk 3:2).

When we experience tough times, it’s easy to get discouraged. Discouragement simply means that we’ve lost courage. Courage to face a challenge or courage to change course. A difficult economy can even stretch the limits of a natural-born optimist, putting a damper on his or her courage.

It’s tempting when we face difficulties to begin doubting whether or not God can doing anything about what we are going through.

Habakkuk’s prayer (printed above in italics) is a reminder that we serve a God who is more than capable to not only meet our needs but to exceed them as well.

His prayer is a call to action, a plea for God to exhibit his power in Habakkuk’s day as he did in the days of Habakkuk’s ancestors. Habakkuk wasn’t satisfied only knowing about God’s fame and awesome deeds; he wanted to experience them for himself. And he wanted his community to experience it, too (“Renew them in our day, in our time make them known”).

Whenever you face a crisis or a challenge, it is an opportunity to put God’s fame and awesome power on display in your life. It is a chance for you to experience first-hand what others have experienced for themselves: the working of God in your life. Perhaps your prayer will be, “God, I’ve heard of what you’ve done in the past but I want to experience it for myself.”
When you pray that kind of prayer, be prepared to “stand in awe” just as Habakkuk did.

I might even go a step further and say that it is the responsibility of the church to seek God’s intervention on behalf of our friends and neighbors. We must ask God to renew his deeds in our day and in our time, just as Habakkuk did. Our prayer to experience the fame and power of God cannot be a selfish prayer.

When the news gets discouraging, remember to put your courage not in the stock market or Congress (!) but in the One who holds all of life in his hand.

hannah writes my sermon

Hannah sat down this afternoon and said she would write my sermon for tomorrow. Here is what she came up with:

Today’s sermon is about Christmas. Christmas is a time of joy, happiness, love, compassion, and many other virtues that lots of people forget. For those people in our towns, cities, states, and even our own personal lives, it’s not even about those virtues. The typical, non-Christian person’s idea of Christmas is a long morning full of unwrapping gifts and drinking hot cocoa next to a fire set ablaze.

The Christian’s idea of a Christmas scene is a Nativity manger under a shack-looking thing with shepherds and wise men huddled around the newborn baby Jesus and his earthly parents, Mary and Joseph. How different is that from the other’s view who don’t see it like that? It might be identical. The wise men brought gifts, so do we need to automatically assume that we are to offer gifts, and expect some in return? Others that see the Christmas scene as a Christmas tree with glowing lights around it and presents underneath it will see it the same way too. They give presents and also expect some. They expect Ones with their name on it written in someone else’s handwriting. Why are they looking if they already have one? Jesus’ present to us was that He died, with our name on it.

Why, then, do you ask, that they are still not content with their ultimate present? Maybe, they have not met their wise men. The wise men traveled from afar to get to the baby Jesus, the King. Some researchers found out it could have even taken 2 years to get to them. Never once did they give up, either. They kept on going throughout circumstances we are not even aware of. They came, and never gave up on getting to Jesus.

Why aren’t we like that? We should be their wise men. Travel to them, no matter what the circumstances are, and what they might be. Know that they, too, received that present, the ultimate present of eternal life that they don’t have to pay for. The one with their name on it.

Think about all those people that you may know, or you may not. Think about all of them, the ones that don’t know that they have eternal life under their Christmas tree. Be their wise man. Their wise man that will travel far to get them to their King and their Savior. Be a wise man.

reading the obituaries

I read the obituaries in the paper.

I think it originally started while we lived in Georgia and the local paper was much smaller than the Union-Tribune. To feel like I was getting my money’s worth I felt compelled to read every last bit of the paper. That included the police blotter and the obituaries. On any given day, there was a good chance I would know someone in either list.

Even though the Union-Tribune is a larger paper, I still read the obituaries. It’s interesting to me how a lifetime gets summarized in three or four paragraphs. What gets told? What gets left out? How will the person be remembered, if only for a few inches in the local paper?

There are obituaries of people who have lived over 80 years, typically with a picture from their late teens or early 20’s. You can usually tell by the hairdo or the World War II uniform.

The obituaries that interest me the most are the ones that are closest in age to myself. It’s a bit sobering to read the life story of someone who is just a smidge younger or older than yourself. It’s a reminder that all of us are terminal and life is fickle. One’s story can end at any moment and be left for the next of kin to describe in three or four paragraphs.

As I read the obituaries of other people, the question that surfaces in my mind is this: “What story am I leaving behind?” Am I being intentional enough about what I value and believe that those who are left to write my obituary will have no difficulty telling my story? When I think of what I want people to remember, are those the things I am devoting my life to?

I’m not necessarily suggesting you read the obituaries every day -- but every now and then might be a good exercise. Regardless if you do or don’t, what you do need to do is to spend time thinking about your legacy and what story you are leaving behind. If it’s one that would make you and God proud, good for you and keep it up. If not, do something different. Start today living the life you want people to remember.

san diego food bank

LifePoint has become involved with the San Diego Food Bank. The food bank estimates that over 400,000 people in San Diego county will need food assistance at some point this year; of that number, over 100,000 of those will be under the age of 12. We did a small food drive at church, participated in the 5k Walk for the Hungry, and spent a few hours last Saturday sorting and boxing food at the warehouse. In 2009 we expect to become even more involved on a regular basis. It's hard to believe that in a county as beautiful as San Diego that people go hungry but it's true. When we were talking about ways of serving our community, it seemed that this was well in line with what Jesus himself did - feeding the hungry.

new podcasts

I just added three new podcasts -- the last two messages from our series on discovering life's purpose and the first message of our Christmas series. You can grab all of our podcasts at the LifePoint podcast site.

christmas in san diego

Last Friday we took the girls and two of their friends to "December Nights", the big Christmas production at Balboa Park. Balboa Park is the crown jewel of San Diego and it was beautifully decorated for the holidays. All of the museums were open and offered free admission. There was food from across the globe and three stages with live music. They estimated nearly 300,000 people attended during the two-night event.

As it would happen, I saw four people I knew within the matter of two minutes. Two were from LifePoint and the others were Hannah's soccer coach and his family. Even in San Diego, it can be a really small world sometimes.

new christmas series

We just started a new Christmas series at LifePoint entitled, "What's Under Your Tree?" We're looking at the gifts of God -- hope, peace, forgiveness -- and how they are available to us every day and not just at Christmas. If you're in San Diego, we'd love to have you -- our worship starts at 10:30.

i'm inverting

A little more than a week ago, I bought an inversion table on sale at Big 5 for $99. It may turn out to be the best $99 bucks I've ever spent, besides the $99+ bucks it cost me to get married or to feed my children on a weekly basis. For the past ten days I've been hanging upside down one or two times a day, 15 minutes at a time. I've been amazed at how much better my back feels. I'll have to upload a picture of me inverted (with my shirt tucked in so you won't freak out at my belly).

Check out LifePoint Christian Church San Diego Non-Denominational - Home

I just installed this new widget called "Tell a Friend" from socialtwist.com.  It allows you to refer a site using a bunch of different social mediums.  It's pretty cool.  I first put it on justingramm.com, the website for our worship leader at LifePoint.

an economic perspective

The economy has been on everyone’s mind. Housing reports, taxes, jobs, unemployment, stocks, bonds, credit, and so on. Our state and city governments are running budget deficits and having to make cuts. On the personal level, many of us are tightening our belts and trying to make wise choices in difficult times.

I’m not going to profess to be an economist, though some of it is common sense: spend less than you make and avoid going into debt. Other than that, my next best tip would be to buy low and sell high.

No, I’m not an economist -- I am a pastor. As such, I’m intrigued by one of economic’s most basic principles: the law of supply and demand. Simply put, the law of supply and demand states that when demand exceeds supply, prices go up. When supply exceeds demand, prices go down.

In the Christian “economy”, the law of supply and demand takes on a different meaning. Jesus once said that the harvest was plentiful but the workers were few (Matthew 9:37). The harvest Jesus spoke of is not corn or even coffee beans. The harvest represents people -- brothers, sisters, neighbors, co-workers, fellow students -- who have yet to have a meaningful, life-changing encounter with Jesus.

The demand is great but often unrecognized. We see the people in our lives -- brothers, sisters, neighbors, co-workers, fellow students -- but fail to see the harvest. Perhaps this is why Jesus said to his earliest followers, “Open your eyes and look at the fields. They are ripe for harvest” (John 4:35). Even then, it was possible to be one of Jesus’ travelling companions and not see the same things he saw.

While demand is greater than ever (the “fields are ripe for harvest”), the supply of workers remains low. Yet I believe we may be entering a time when people will be searching for something more stable than an interest rate or savings account. Times of uncertainty have a way of encouraging people to look for certainties.

The demand for real hope, real assurance, and real stability will only increase. The question is: will Christ-followers step up to the plate and offer the One real answer and solution?

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:37-38).

justin's web address

It's always best when you actually tell people where the website is found!  Here it is: www.justingramm.com.

justin gramm dot com

I just finished building a new website for Justin Gramm, our worship leader at LifePoint.  He's recorded a new CD and the site is designed to promote it.

billy mays here ...

“Hi! I’m Billy Mays here for ...”

If you watch any television at all, you’ve surely seen an infomercial featuring Billy Mays, the dark-bearded, loud-talking pitchman for products like Orange Glo, OxiClean, Mighty Putty, Weed Auger, and now health insurance. Every commercial begins with Billy Mays bursting on the screen, introducing himself, and then delivering a high-octane pitch for the next 60 seconds or 60 minutes.

Billy Mays got his start selling the Washmatik on the Atlantic Boardwalk in New Jersey. He travelled the county and state fair circuits selling food choppers (maybe the Salsa Master!) and other items. His big break came when he met the founder of Orange Glo and became their principle sales man. From there the Billy Mays infomercial franchise was born.

I found it more than a bit ironic that an infomercial pitchman can become a household name. Maybe it’s a sign of the times. Maybe it’s a sign we watch way too much television.

What makes Billy Mays so effective is his approach: he appears genuinely enthusiastic about everything he is selling. Does he actually use Mighty Putty around his house? I doubt it (according to Wikipedia he lives in a million dollar house in Florida -- I wouldn’t put Mighty Putty on digs like that). But that doesn’t matter. For those 30 or 60 seconds he makes you feel like he’s discovered the most incredible, unbelievable product ever ... and he’ll double your order if you order RIGHT NOW!

When we talk to non-Christians about our faith and hope in Jesus, we obviously can’t offer to double their salvation if they respond right away. But do we speak with the same energy and enthusiasm of a person who has discovered the most incredible, unbelievable opportunity ever ... the opportunity to get right with God and tap into his unlimited power?

I’m not suggesting we shout at someone for 60 straight minutes the way Billy Mays does. And we can’t throw in a bonus offer.

What we can offer another person is a first-hand experience with the living God. Be enthusiastic about what God is doing in your life. Don’t be afraid to get excited. I’ll let you in on a secret: It’s OK.

downsizing, reorganizing

I’ve never been a big talk-on-the-phone kind of guy. But that is changing. As with many other companies, we have laid-off a number of people on the Internet side of Blue Haven Pools and Spas. This means that those who are left are wearing many hats, myself included. One of those hats includes answering the phones.

Just Friday I talked with a nice lady from Bronx, NY, who ordered a couple of our inflatable snow tubes. And I had to tell a customer she wouldn’t be getting the cover she ordered for her pool. You never know what you’re going to get when you pick up the phone.

In between phone calls, I try to write a little code, design a few pages, manage our pay-per-click campaigns, and listen to Marvin the homeless guy carry on a conversation three floors below on the side of 7th Avenue. One of the unfortunate perks of downsizing has been getting a new office with a real window, unlike the fake window in my last office. Marvin sits below my real window.

Downsizing is difficult because it’s people, not numbers, that get downsized. It’s one thing to let people go for incompetence. Incompetent people tend to fire themselves. But when a good person is let go for economic reasons, that’s a tough thing to do.

Many of you may find yourselve in similar situations. Economic news, housing trends, employment reports -- it seems like the bad news just keeps coming. Maybe you’ve delayed going on vacation or buying a house, or perhaps you’re just scaling back in general. You might even be a bit nervous about what the future holds.

I once heard (and probably said this myself) that character is formed during difficult times. Then I heard John Maxwell put a different spin on it. He said that character isn’t so much formed during difficult times as it is revealed during difficult times.

We certainly grow as a result of facing challenges. But our true character, the real you, is brought to the surface when the going gets rough. As Christ-followers, we can face difficult times with an assurance that God is bigger than our troubles. We can march into the headwind with the attitude of Paul: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

Rather than worry, try praying. And let God take care of the rest.

bobby shoots a video

My buddy Bob Brindley from Opportunity Camp has shot a video for the Doritos Super Bowl contest. It's pretty funny. Click here to watch it. He's the guy sitting at the table next the lady.

39 isn't much different than 38

A personal note for those of you keeping score: I turned 39 this past Thursday (November 6). Truth be told, it doesn't feel much different than 38.

three new christ-followers

At the close of last Sunday's message, three people made the personal decision to become followers of Jesus. That brings our year-to-date total at LifePoint to eleven people!

the point of life

I am starting a new teaching series at LifePoint Church entitled, "The Point of Life." Every life has meaning and purpose, including your life! This series will focus on how to discern God's purpose for your life ... and how to live it to the fullest. Every Sunday at 10:30 right here in San Diego!

pre-election musings

Nearly four out of every five messages on my voice mail at home have been political calls. The same percentage holds true for television commercials and postcards in the mail. During some commercial breaks, every commercial has been a political one. In case you weren’t paying attention, this is an election year.

Many people around the world live in countries where decisions are made for them and would love to have our freedoms. They do not have a say in the laws that are passed. Nor do they get a vote about who will lead them. Freedom is one of the greatest reasons why immigrants have risked their lives to come to this country since the very beginning.

Those who enjoy freedom must also accept the obligations that come with it. To remain free, people must keep themselves informed about the issues that affect not just themselves but all of us. This is a tough challenge when our list of propositions seem to multiply like rabbits each election cycle.

On this year’s ballot is a wide-range of issues, from who will be the next presiden to community college trustees, from bond issues to the definition of marriage. People ask me all the time, “How should I vote?” My response is simple: study up on the issues that matter (not just to you but to God as well) and cast an informed vote. If you don’t understand an issue, read up on it, ask friends, and if you still don’t understand it -- take a pass. There’s no requirement that you vote for everything that’s on the ballot.

On the other hand, don’t shy away from making a difficult choice because it may be unpopular. If you have certain convictions about an issue, vote in line with your conscience. Vote for what you believe in, not what you think is likely to pass.

The right to vote is what people in other countries have died to obtain. It’s what our own fathers and grandfathers died to preserve.

Honest people will come to different conclusions. You know what? That’s OK.

As God’s people, our first call is not to the ballot box but to the prayer closet. From my perspective, the best hope for bringing about lasting, redemptive change is not in the statehouse, courthouse, or even the White House. It’s what happens in your house.

new podcasts online

I just uploaded three new sermon podcasts to the LifePoint podcast blog.

hannah for president, the video

hannah for president

Since President George W. Bush is often referred to as "W", it looks like we may have to call her "G." Hannah decided to run for president of her school so we made posters, printed stickers (one featured Sponge Bob and said "All Krusty Krabs vote for Hannah"), and she had to give a speech on Friday. Well ... drum roll please ... she won! Below are a few pictures and then I'll post the video of her speech.

the retun of lee majors

Remember Lee Majors? He was the actor who became nearly every man's envy in the 1970s when he married Farrah Fawcett. He also starred in the Six Million Dollar Man, as an ex-astronaut with bionic limbs. Well, he's back.

This morning I'm drinking coffee, watching Fox News, and here comes a commercial for "Lee Major's Bionic Hearing Aid." Has it come to this? Former stars getting their own made for TV products and starring in their own informercials?

Do we really think the bionic man would need bionic hearing aids?

it's been a while

One day here, a few weeks there, and I realized this morning I hadn't posted anything since early October. This time of year -- every four years -- tends to grab my attention. Things have been busy at LifePoint and Blue Haven as well. And we still have kids ... and soccer, volleyball, girls scouts, birthday parties.

All said, we're doing very well. Both girls are enjoying their new teachers at Southwestern. Tonya has a good class. And me? I've decided to grow my goatee back in spite of the fact that it now has gray hair in it. I've gone from looking like a professor to a distinguished professor.

the real sarah palin

hope's first volleyball match

lifepoint bike ride

To offset the donuts we have on Sunday mornings, we decided to have a bike ride around Coronado. The weather was beautiful!

jim cramer on the colbert report

the awakening of cnn

company dives into lending poo

Long ago I signed up for Google Alerts, a news aggregating service that Google provides. You create profile of keywords and Google spiders newspapers and other news sources for those keywords. It then sends you an email with a brief synopsis and a link to the full story.

One of the profiles I created is for my day job at Blue Haven Pools and Spas Supplies Direct. Today I got an alert that read, "Company Dives into Lending Pool." It took me to the New Orleans Business News website. Here is a screen shot of the story:


To read my comments in yellow, click the picture to view a larger image. The URL is quite funny (at least I think so). It reads, "company_dives_into_lending_poo.html."

Here's the orginal story.

chivalry

Chivalry lives in San Diego! Of all places, I saw it first-hand on the trolley last Friday night.

It was about 5:30 and the train was filled up. At the City College stop, an older lady got on board and began to grab a handle, having resigned herself to standing up. Two different guys and one gal actually got up and offered her their seat. I felt like giving them a thumbs up.

It’s a sad fact that we’re not surprised much any more by bad behavior. What people do find surprising are the little acts of kindness and courtesy that get extended to them unexpectantly.

Acts 10:38 describes Jesus as someone who “went around doing good.”

May God's people be known as a church community of people who go around doing good. Plus, it’s fun surprising people.

say it ain't so, joe

Just finished watching the vice presidential debate. Two thoughts: 1. Wow! Governor Palin came off as normal, authentic, likeable, and knowledgeable. 2. There will be a clip on YouTube within a few hours of Senator Biden saying, "Bush's, Bush's, Bush's" where every time he said "Bush's" it sounded like bushes, with the last syllable a squeaky higher pitch than the first one.

video you'll only find on youtube

What can we expect from the upcoming vice-presidential debate? This is courtesy of Hot Air.

on the record

I'm watching "On the Record" and Newt Gingrich is the guest. They're talking about when the government bailed out AIG, the troubled insurance company. The only private sector person in the room was the current chairman of Goldman Sachs. Henry Paulson, the Treasury Secretary, is the former chairman of Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs has about a 20 million dollar investment in AIG. No other investors were brought into the discussions.

This "bail out" conversation gets more interesting by the minute.

follow the money

Congress rejected the hastily prepared bail-out bill and the market lost nearly 7 percent of its value. Many people believe that the runaway sub-prime housing bubble has caused the current crisis. Behind that would be those two siblings, Fannie and Freddie. And to whom has Freddie and Fannie given loads of money to in Congress?

Find out.

it would mean no more chunky monkey for me

This just in from Vermont:

VERMONT -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, cofounders of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., urging them to replace cow's milk they use in their ice cream products with human breast milk, according to a statement recently released by a PETA spokeswoman.

Here's the actual letter from PETA to Ben and Jerry's:

September 23, 2008

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Cofounders
Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc.

Dear Mr. Cohen and Mr. Greenfield,

On behalf of PETA and our more than 2 million members and supporters, I'd like to bring your attention to an innovative new idea from Switzerland that would bring a unique twist to Ben and Jerry's.

Storchen restaurant is set to unveil a menu that includes soups, stews, and sauces made with at least 75 percent breast milk procured from human donors who are paid in exchange for their milk. If Ben and Jerry's replaced the cow's milk in its ice cream with breast milk, your customers-and cows-would reap the benefits.Using cow's milk for your ice cream is a hazard to your customer's health.

Dairy products have been linked to juvenile diabetes, allergies, constipation, obesity, and prostate and ovarian cancer. The late Dr. Benjamin Spock, America's leading authority on child care, spoke out against feeding cow's milk to children, saying it may play a role in anemia, allergies, and juvenile diabetes and in the long term, will set kids up for obesity and heart disease-America's number one cause of death.

Animals will also benefit from the switch to breast milk. Like all mammals, cows only produce milk during and after pregnancy, so to be able to constantly milk them, cows are forcefully impregnated every nine months. After several years of living in filthy conditions and being forced to produce 10 times more milk than they would naturally, their exhausted bodies are turned into hamburgers or ground up for soup.And of course, the veal industry could not survive without the dairy industry.

Because male calves can't produce milk, dairy farmers take them from their mothers immediately after birth and sell them to veal farms, where they endure 14 to 17 weeks of torment chained inside a crate so small that they can't even turn around.

The breast is best! Won't you give cows and their babies a break and our health a boost by switching from cow's milk to breast milk in Ben and Jerry's ice cream?

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President

Source

upcoming lifepoint events

All of our San Diego friends are invited to the following LifePoint events. Please note: a few of these actually involve something called "exercise."

LifePoint Bike Ride around Coronado.
Volunteering at the San Diego Food Bank

For more details, visit the LifePoint Church website.

joe biden and the history of television

Katie Couric was interviewing Joe Biden about the recent financial upheavals and this is what he had to say:

“When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn’t just talk about the princes of greed. He said, ‘look, here’s what happened.’”

A few quick observations:

1. Franklin Roosevelt wasn't the President when the stock market crashed in 1929 -- Herbert Hoover was. FDR wasn't elected until 1932.
   
2. Even if FDR had been President in 1929, he couldn't have gone on television and said anything about the stock market crash. NBC didn't begin regular broadcasts until 1939.

And what did Katie Couric say to such an obviously wrong statement? Nothing.

See the video.

feeding the soul

Every day you provide your bodies with good to keep them from failing. In the same way your good works should be the daily nourishment of your hearts. Your bodies are fed with food and your spirits with good works. You aren’t to deny your soul, which is going to live forever, what you grant to your body, which is going to die.

St. Gregory the Great

bail-outs and more

Amazing. Incredible. Unbelievable. These were just a few of the words that crossed my mind during the past two weeks as I’ve watched the financial news unfold. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware of the high profile bail-outs that have occurred recently. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG ...

Experts estimate the eventual cost to be between 500 billion and 1 trillion dollars. Just for the fun of it, I thought I would type out what one trillion dollars looks like:

$1,000,000,000,000

Maybe this will help you understand one trillion dollars. It comes from the internet, so it must be true:

If you had gone into business on the day Jesus was born, and your business lost a million dollars a day, day in and day out, 365 days a year, it would have taken you until October 2737 to lose a trillion dollars.

Or another way of looking at it ...

If you counted non-stop without eating or sleeping it would take approximately 23 days to count to a million. To count to a billion literally would take a lifetime: 95 years. Counting to a trillion, assuming we get started right away and don’t waste any time, would take about 2,000 centuries -- 200,000 years.

Any way you look at it, that’s a big bail-out. An amazing, incredible, unbelievable bail-out.

I’ve had people ask me over the past few days, “Are you scared of what might happen?” My answer has been the same: “No.” And I’m not being disingenuous. I’m really not scared.

Jesus made a promise to me (and to all others who follow him) a long time ago and it hasn’t failed yet. The promise? “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). The “other things” he was referring to were the basic necessities of life.

The reason I find comfort in what Jesus promises is because of what Jesus has already delivered -- an amazing, incredible, unbelievable bail-out. Not in financial terms, but in terms of spiritual wholeness, health, and purpose. When you’ve been bailed out like, what is there to be afraid of?

blast to the past

Just found this link to vintage toys. It's amazing what people will do with too much free time.

http://www.timewarptoys.com/toptoys.htm

unlikely endorsements

John McCain Has Some Odd Fans:
His Jailers at the 'Hanoi Hilton'

They Play Down Torture and Wish Him Well;
Museum Visitors Want to See His Cell

By YAROSLAV TROFIMOV
September 13, 2008; Page A1

HANOI -- As a U.S. Navy pilot, John McCain flew 23 bombing sorties over Vietnam before he was shot down and incarcerated in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" prison camp. The courage he displayed behind bars gave him the aura of a war hero, and it is still powering his electoral appeal.

Yet now, even the jailers who once tortured Sen. McCain are lining up to offer effusive -- if somewhat embarrassing -- endorsements for his presidential candidacy.

"If I had a vote in the U.S., I would choose McCain," beams retired Col. Tran Trong Duyet, the camp's former commander. "I want him in the White House."

This unlikely sentiment is widely shared in this fast-growing country of 85 million. "The majority of the people in Vietnam know Sen. McCain and feel comfortable about him," says Duong Trung Quoc, a member of Vietnam's National Assembly and secretary-general of the Association of Vietnamese Historians. "Nobody here knows about Obama."

The fascination with Sen. McCain's presidential bid shows what has and hasn't changed in Vietnam in the more than three decades since Hanoi's Communist regime won its "American War." Converts since then to a gospel of free-market economics, Vietnam's rulers today see America not as a foe but as an increasingly valuable partner with shared geopolitical interests, such as counterbalancing a rising China next-door. "Vietnam needs a strong America, not a weak America," says Mr. Quoc.

Sen. McCain, as a leading advocate of normalizing U.S.-Vietnamese relations after the war, was instrumental in this rapprochement. Hanoi nowadays has an actual Hanoi Hilton hotel within a few blocks of the former prison, as well as Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises and a cowboy-theme nightclub decorated with Confederate banners.

Tran Trong Duyet

Yet, despite such economic liberalization, Vietnam still remains a repressive authoritarian state whose regime draws its legitimacy from defeating the U.S. Its official narrative of the war makes no mention of excesses committed by the Communist North. And, when it comes to the treatment meted out here to Sen. McCain and other American POWs, the "Hanoi Hilton" is still presented as something resembling a vacation resort that its guests were almost reluctant to leave.

Most of that French-built prison complex, known as Hoa Lo in Vietnamese, was demolished in 1993 to make room for an office tower. One surviving wing, however, has been preserved as a museum dedicated mostly to Vietnamese revolutionary leaders who had been jailed at Hoa Lo by French colonialists.

More Museum Space

Over the past several months, as Sen. McCain edged closer to the presidential nomination, the museum adjusted its exhibition. The section dedicated to him and other downed American pilots, incarcerated here between 1964 and 1973, now occupies two full rooms, up from just half a room last year, says Hoa Lo's deputy director Nguyen Thi Hien.

"The visitors who come here now focus on the American pilots," she says. "They all want to see where John McCain's room was." (Sen. McCain's cell happens to be in the demolished part, and no longer exists.) Accompanied by a soundtrack of air raids, Hoa Lo's exhibit makes no mention of the systematic beatings and torture that are so prominent in the accounts of Sen. McCain, who spent five and a half years in the camp, and of his fellow POWs.

Instead, propaganda photographs show smiling, well-coiffed American inmates having cookies and tea. "There's plenty of fruit in this tropical land. It is as if one is being in California, somewhere on the West Coast," says one poster depicting POWs playing basketball and guitar. Another, purportedly painted by American POWs, contains this misspelled appeal: "Lets' fight so the Yanks quit, and the puppets topple. Foreward!"

One photograph shows Sen. McCain -- who complained of being denied critical care for his broken limbs -- being examined by a Vietnamese doctor. A large display case exhibits what is billed as his flight suit -- strangely intact, even though Sen. McCain was severely injured after ejecting from his Skyhawk dive bomber, and was bayoneted and beaten immediately after his capture in Hanoi's Truc Bach Lake in October 1967.

A Prize Catch

A crumbling concrete monument on the lake's edge, next to fancy new restaurants, still marks the spot. While not "Hanoi Hilton's" most senior POW in rank, Sen. McCain was considered by his captors as a prize catch because his father served as head of the U.S. Navy Pacific Command. Because of this particular status, Sen. McCain refused Vietnamese offers to release him from the "Hanoi Hilton" out of turn.

"He came from a very prestigious family and he acted like a prince," recalls the camp's former commander, Mr. Duyet, who is now regularly made available for interviews by the Vietnamese government. McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds declined to comment for this article.

On a recent afternoon, the 75-year-old Mr. Duyet extracted a folder with faded black-and-white photographs and waxed lyrical about how "my friend John McCain" once taught him English and how the two frequently discussed "girls."

Speaking in a leafy garden where he keeps caged birds, Mr. Duyet also insisted that "prisoners liked me because I was good to them and treated them nicely." Sen. McCain had a starkly different recollection of Mr. Duyet. In an interview with the magazine U.S. News shortly after his release in 1973, Sen. McCain described Mr. Duyet -- nicknamed "Slopehead" by the American POWs -- as "a particularly idiotic individual" and "the bad guy" with a penchant for sadism.

Making a Movie

Ms. Hien, the Hoa Lo museum's director, says that the abuse of Sen. McCain and other American prisoners is not shown in the exhibit because no such thing occurred here. "What we display is based on historical evidence, and the evidence is that the POWs were all treated in a humanitarian way," she says. Because of growing interest in the issue, Hoa Lo plans to further expand the American POW section. She says she is also preparing a short documentary film for visitors.

Vietnam's oft-repeated official line, to be reflected in the documentary, is that American prisoners at the "Hanoi Hilton" actually enjoyed higher living standards than their captors. "The American body is different from the Vietnamese body -- the American diet is different, and so the American prisoners were receiving much bigger portions than our ordinary citizens," says Luu Dinh Mien, an official with the Vietnam War Veterans Association who served as a propaganda officer and interrogator in the camp. (Sen. McCain recalled that, on many days, the only food he received was pumpkin soup and soggy bread.)

Among a handful of interviewed former Hoa Lo personnel, only retired Col. Pham Cong Khoi, who served as a cell guard responsible for Sen. McCain, offered a reluctant admission that the "Hanoi Hilton" was not quite the paradise it's made out to be.

"I personally did not beat anyone," he said when asked about Sen. McCain's accounts of frequent thrashings. "But it is very normal that something like this happens in prison, when you question someone and they don't want to answer you." Minutes later, Mr. Khoi returned to toeing the party line. "We saved McCain's life and treated him well," he insisted with a broad smile. "And in return we think McCain will do something good for Vietnam."

national journal's most liberal senator ratings

http://www.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/lib.htm

For someone who criticizes his opponent for voting with the President "90% of the time," it's interesting that Obama has voted with his own party 100% of the time. At least McCain has broken with his party 10% of the time. If someone promises to "reach across the aisle" but never has ...

junior padre day at petco park

Today was "field day" for the junior Padres, which meant all the kids were free to roam on the outfield grass and sit in the dugouts. I took Hope with me and we played catch out in right field, near the same spot that Brian Giles normally roams. Here's a few pix I snapped for your enjoyment.

greg gutfield on sarah palin

Who Hates Sarah Palin?

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

By Greg Gutfeld

According to many in the media, we truly have discovered someone worse than Hitler — and it's Sarah Palin.

Head to any left-wing blog or even CNN for that matter and you'll find the zaniest of conspiracies -- froth that even a dude with rabies would find unseemly.

So how can one person create so much bile among folks who claim to be the most tolerant in the universe? I mean, liberals are the good people: They're open-minded, caring and of course, fair.

But somehow, a Republican lady in her 40s is exempt from this treatment. Perhaps, she truly is the devil in a dress, a ghoul that eats children and pollutes the planet and possibly beats Barack Obama, the patron saint of every customer buying wheat germ in bulk at GNC.

But I know the real reason why every single elitist media type is terrified of her. They've never met her. And by "her," I don't mean Sarah Palin. I mean "her", an actual normal woman with a bunch of kids, an average husband and no desire to watch "The L Word."

She's scary to these folks the way Wal-Mart is scary to them: Both are alien to someone who blogs about their chakras. They won't go there, because they've never been there.

To them, hating Sarah Palin is a symptom of larger bigotry against the rest of us, the normal. If they saw her at a party, they would wonder how she got in. She's the anti-Obama, the anti-New York Times, the anti-everything that Tim Robbins loves, which is why I love her — and you should too.

And if you disagree with me, then you sir are worse than Hitler.

Greg Gutfeld hosts "Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld" weekdays at 3 a.m. ET. Send your comments to: redeye@foxnews.com

Source

new meaning to bi-vocational

Many of you know that I am a bi-vocational pastor. That's a fancy way of saying that I work two jobs -- one as a pastor at LifePoint and the other as ecommerce manager at Blue Haven Pools and Spas Supplies Direct.

While perusing Google News, I noticed another route to being bi-vocational. This is from USA Today.

Priest charged with selling coke from campus rectory

A Catholic priest was charged this week with selling cocaine from his office and residence at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, local news organizations report.

The Rev. Christopher Layden, 33, was arrested Wednesday after police found "about 3 grams of powder cocaine and items of drug paraphernalia" while executing a search warrant on the campus, according to The Pantagraph.

Layden pleaded not guilty to three charges, the paper says.

The News-Gazette reports an informant told police that he has used cocaine with the priest "40 to 50 times" since 2007. "First Assistant State's Attorney Steve Ziegler said in court Thursday that the UI police monitored a cocaine purchase by the informant from Layden on Sept. 4," the paper says.

Here's the campus police department's blotter entry about this case.

The Peoria Diocese says in a statement to the local ABC affiliate that it was "shocked and saddened" to learn of the priest's arrest. He has been suspended pending the outcome of the case, the statement says.

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Side Note: The University of Illinois is only a short drive down Interstate 74 from Peoria.

old co-workers and friends on tv

During the Olympics, I'm watching a commercial for 24 Hour Fitness and one of the guys is a friend of mine from Opportunity Camp. A week or so later - while watching PBS with the girls - he's on another commercial. Bobby Brindley hosts our nightly talent show at camp and is a genuinely funny and nice guy. Of course, he "officially" goes by Bob, but we still call him Bobby.

So ... today I'm watching the early morning news (around 6:15 or so) and who do I see on a local Jerome's furniture commercial? One of my former co-workers from Blue Haven. Here's the link to see his commercial. He's the last of the "fake" sales people in the commercial.

even cafepress is doing it

As many of you know, I have a cafepress store that sells a few designs of mine. I'm a big cafepress store but this is disappointing ... It was a "Featured Product" of all things!

sarah palin and her daughter

I've been following the media frenzy over the fact that John McCain's newly minted running mate has a 17-year-old daughter who is pregnant. The news came to light because of a liberal blog that spread the rumor that Palin's infant son actually belonged to her 17-year-old daughter. This nasty rumor forced the Palins to set the record straight, which included sharing the news about her pregnant daughter.

What is amazing is how much air time and print space is getting devoted to this story. It seems rather ironic -- and a bit hypocritical -- that the press would pursue this story when we were told that a politician's sex life didn't matter when that politician was named Bill Clinton. And we're not even talking about the candidate herself but her 17-year-old daughter!

At first blush, it appears to be two things: 1) it appears to be the liberal press saying, "Gotcha" to a conservative candidate. 2) it appears way out of line and I think most Americans will feel the same way ... ask the candidate hard questions but leave the kids out of it.

Why would anyone want to gloat over the fact that a young girl has gotten pregnant? According to the liberal mindset, we should be celebrating the fact that the younger Palin has expressed her individuality -- I thought that was the reasoning behind why most liberals do not support parental notification when it comes to abortion. A 17-year-old should be old enough to know what to do with her body.

Of course, the real issue is not the 17-year-old but Governor Palin. Her nomination must have scared the beejeebies out of some people based upon how quickly things turned nasty.

Could it be that those on the left understand that Sarah Palin will reasonate with average, ordinary voters in states where Obama-Biden do not?

more book updates

I've been plowing through books like crazy. So, here's an update on what I've been reading.

Many a River by Elmer Kelton. It's about two boys orphaned in West Texas when their parents are killed by Comanches.

Scottsboro: A Novel by Ellen Feldman. The Scottsboro Boys, as they were called, were nine black teens accused of gang-raping two white women on the Southern Railroad freight run to Memphis on March 25, 1931. Feldman tells their tale through Alice Whittier, a fictional, left-leaning white journalist for a socialist newspaper in New York.

Screwball by David Ferrell. I really enjoyed this one. It's about baseball and a serial killer. 'Nuff said.

winter safety covers for your pool

If you are looking for a safety cover, you are looking for the best way to protect your pool. Safety covers not only protect your pool, but they provide an extra line of defense for your children and pets. They provide a convenient way to keep your pool clean through the winter months, making it easier (and quicker) to enjoy your pool the next year.

We recently spent some time revamping our selection of winter safety covers at Blue Haven Pools. You can view our standard, in-stock covers or try our custom design option.

i'm telecommuting today

In light of the fact that I'm telecommuting today, I thought I would share this great Dilbert cartoon on the evolution of telecommuting. View it here.

more trolley observations

Our parking situation changed at work and instead of parking downtown I’ve been riding the trolley to work. Now that I’ve been a trolley rider for the past three weeks, I thought I would share a few of my observations with you.

When riding the trolley, you need to add a few minutes to any schedule to allow for red lights and other delays.

San Diego is much more diverse than most people realize.

It’s not unusual for people to mumble to themselves. And I’m not only talking about other passengers.

People check their phones just to have something to do.

Having a current library card is a life-saver.

Mom was right when she told you to wash your hands.

All joking aside, there are real benefits to letting someone else drive you to work. I’ve read more books in the last three weeks than I had in the previous three months. Even more impressive (at least to me), they have all been works of fiction. With 30 minutes to an hour each way, that’s a good bit of book reading each day.

I do feel less stressed when arriving at work. No more worrying about knuckleheads who weave in and out of traffic. No more traffic jams on Interstate 8. Of course, the trade-off is not knowing what urban adventure will await you each time you board the train.

Riding the trolley to work takes me through parts of San Diego that I haven’t been through in years, if ever. I’ve shared seats with all sorts of people, some of whom have been at varying levels of drunkenness. It’s been a reminder that not everybody is just like me ... lives like me ... or dresses like me.

It’s also reminded me, however, that people who are look (and maybe smell) different are still just people. They get up and go to work just like other people do. Their thoughts drift to their children, the shopping list, the day’s activities. If the trolley is delayed, their schedules get adjusted, just like mine.

Maybe all Christ-followers should have a two-week trolley assignment. Two weeks of experiencing a different slice of life. Two weeks of new perspectives. Better yet, make it a month and buy a pass.

spam gets creative

An email just landed in my spam box with this subject line: "McCain Chooses Paris Hilton as VP."

elvis and the king of kings

You may not have known this, but last week was “Elvis Week.” If you didn’t know, don’t worry -- no presents are exchanged.

It’s a little known fact that people often send me emails detailing their most recent “Elvis sighting.” Here are just a few places Elvis has been recently sighted ...

• Eating at Dunkin’ Donuts in Paducah, Kentucky.
• Selling RV’s in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
• Face painting at the Tremont Turkey Festival in Tremont, Illinois.
• Working as an undercover Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas.

OK, maybe people don’t actually send me Elvis sighting emails but there really is a Tremont Turkey Festival in Tremont, Illinois.

People have become more fascinated with Elvis since he died than when he was alive. I remember watching an “Is Elvis Alive?” TV special in the early 1990’s, hosted by Bill Bixby.
The entire show was devoted to showing both sides of the argument.

Conspiracy theorists would have loved it. For example, it was alledged that Elvis’ middle name was misspelled on the original grave marker. Obviously he wasn’t dead!

The best part of the show was the end: they displayed two 1-900 numbers for people to call in and vote. One to vote “No, he’s dead” and the other to vote “Yes, he’s alive.” I could understand that someone who was convinced Elvis was still alive would spend money to say so. But I couldn’t understand people who thought he was dead -- why waste the money?

It’s unfortunate that we often see Elvis portrayed today as a caricature of his last years. The lamb chop sideburns, sparkling outfits. Elvis impersonators jump out of airplanes and perform weddings, often doing both at the same time.

Before he got caught up in fame, drugs, and his sparkling outfits, Elvis recorded some of the best versions of Gospel music you’ll ever find. That was before he became the King, when he was just plain-old Elvis.

Today is the day we celebrate a different king, the King of Kings. No lamb chops or sequin suits. They share a few conspiracy theories about how they died and if they are alive. And one King is alive ... which one do you think it is?

a love-hate relationship with the trolley

My love-hate relationship with the Trolley system continues. Tonight the girls have a softball game so I decided to drive into Old Town, park, and ride the Trolley into downtown from there. That would allow me a short ride back to Old Town after work where I could pick up the car and drive south to the game. Of course, that is based on the presupposition that there would be AVAILABLE parking at Old Town! After ten minutes of circling the lot, I gave up and figured most of those cars were from people going to work and few would be leaving. That meant I had to drive to the next closest trolley stop that has public parking -- back in Fashion Valley. Back on the freeway, up another highway. Then ... wait ... wait ... for about 20 minutes until the next trolley arrived. It took me back to Old Town (where this whole adventure had started) where I had to get off and wait for a transfer trolley to downtown. Unbelievable! Part of why I'm writing this is so I can remember where I parked when I leave work tonight ... and I'm not kidding!

what i've been reading

Since I surprised several of you with my recent post about my reading books, I thought I'd share with you what I've been reading. Click at your own risk -- you might actually end up reading one of them.

After Long Silence (This is a non-fiction account of how one family dealt with their Holocaust experiences).

Memorial Day (fiction)

Act of Treason (fiction)

Step On a Crack (fiction)

i'm a trolley rider

We shuffled up our transportation plan at Blue Haven Pools and Spas Supplies Direct and I'm now an official trolley rider. The trolley in San Diego was built originally as a tourist attraction and not so much for commuters. Having lived in the Bay Area for five years, the trolley system is far behind BART -- Bay Area Rapid Transit. But ... it does save me money on gas and allows me time to read.

Since becoming a trolley rider, I've read two books by Vince Flynn. Yes, they are fiction. Maybe this trolley business is changing me ...

wedding in saint louis

My niece, Sarah, got married last weekend in St. Louis. The girls traveled by train and I flew in on Thursday. As the circle of life goes, Sarah was the flower girl in our wedding some 18 years ago this December. She was a young girl, three or four years old, and decided to empty the flower petals into a makeshift basket she had made by pulling up her dress. But that was then. This is now ...

I'm surrounded ...

I'm at the Padres game and I'm surrounded by Mormon missionaries ... At least there won't be a drunk guy within five feet.

the earth just moved

All I can say is "Whoa!" Sitting here at my desk at 11:42 on this beautiful Tuesday morning I felt my desk (and floor!) sway back and forth. It must have been an earthquake of some sort. Of course, it's comforting to know we work in a 100-year-old building!

Revision at 11:45 ...

According to the Union-Tribune website, it was a 5.8 on the Richter scale and located just north of San Diego.

I read a book last night

Every now and then I get in a reading mood. This past Sunday I picked up a paperback copy of "Night" by Elie Wiesel. I faintly remember reading it while in high school and had seen a hardback copy of it at Barnes and Noble recently. That being said, when I saw it for 99 cents at a thrift store (and in good shape), I gladly plunked down some loose change to buy it. Three hours later, after a grande coffee at Starbucks, I finished it and went home.

"Night" is Wiesel's recollection of being sent to a German concentration camp during World War II. It's a short but powerful read. The particular edition I had purchased also contained a copy of his 1986 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. One line in the speech jumped out at me and forced me to re-read it several times:

"Our lives no longer belong to us alone; they belong to all those who need us desperately."

If you haven't read it before, I'd recommend you do so. If it's been a while, read it again.

leaving on the train

Tonya and the girls left on Wednesday on a train bound for Texarkana. We drove up to Union Station in Los Angeles and the girls boarded an Amtrak train. Here are a few pictures I snapped ...

random thoughts on prayer

Since I'm starting a new teaching series on prayer at LifePoint, I’d like to share a few reflections on prayer in general. These are drawn from quotes I have found meaningful as it relates to prayer.

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“Do not pray for easy lives, pray to be stronger men and women. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.”

That quote is from Phillips Brooks, a Boston pastor in the late 1800s. During his life he championed the cause of ending slavery and gave one of the most moving eulogies of President Abraham Lincoln the Sunday after his death*. He lived through difficult times and knew the temptation to pray for an easier path. But there is also an expectancy in his words -- pray for powers equal to your task and you’ll receive them.

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“The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.” - C. S. Lewis

My first thought: easier said than done! But what we do in those first few moments of the day really do set the tone for the rest of the day.

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“The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.” - Samuel Chadwick

Chadwick once burned seven year’s worth of sermons because he felt he had been relying too much on self and not enough on God.

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* The sermon on Lincoln is part of the "Making of America," a really cool portal that is a collection of historical works.

custom spa covers

We just released a new custom product builder at Blue Haven Pools and Spas Supplies Direct. It allows you to design a custom spa cover online. Of course, you need to be able to measure your existing spa ... we haven't figured out how to do that for you ... yet.

podcasts updated

I just pushed up another batch of podcasts for all of my twelve faithful listeners.

baseball's all-star game

In a few days, major league baseball will have its annual All-Star game. This particular game is significant (as far as baseball fans are concerned) because it will be the last All-Star game played at Yankee Stadium. Long considered baseball’s hallowed ground, Yankee Stadium will be torn down and a new stadium will be built for the Yankees.

A piece of American history will be lost. No longer will fans be able to refer to the Yankees ballpark as “the house that Ruth built.” Instead, they’ll have to point to a parking deck across the street and say, “That’s where it used to be.”

Gone will be the spot where Lou Gehrig stood after being diagnosed with ALS disease and said, “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.”

Gone, too, will be the mound where Don Larson pitched the only perfect game in World Series history.

Converted to condos will be the grass where Notre Dame once played Army in a college football game. The game during which Knute Rockne delivered his “Win one for the Gipper” speech.

For people outside of the baseball family, those sorts of things seem trivial. After all, it is just game. Let me say it again -- it is just a game. But for people who love the sport, it’s a part of our national identity.

Perhaps that’s why I like the following quote from Leo Durocher. Known as one of baseball’s old-school managers, Durocher was often blunt and straight-forward. The fact that he managed the Cubs for a few years also endears him to me.

Durocher once commented on the similarities between baseball and church: “Baseball is like church. Many attend. Few understand.”

As both a baseball fan and a pastor, that hurts. It hurts because it’s often true. It’s one thing to sit through nine innings and not know what’s going on. After all, it is just a game.

But it’s unfortunate that some churches don’t make much of an effort to be understandable for newcomers (and old-timers, too). Because church isn’t a game -- it’s about life.

May God help us to help others understand what that life is all about.

I originally wrote this for our newsletter at LifePoint Church.

do it yourself lasik

A friend of mine referred me to this site today. It's too bad I didn't find it before I had a professional surgeon do my lasik surgery. I could have done it at home in the kitchen.

Lasik at Home

When you go there, make sure you click on the tab that says "Four Easy Steps."

it's true ... i'm really doing it

fourth of july

The Fourth of July has always been a special holiday for me. My childhood memories are of going to Fondulac Park in East Peoria, establishing a beachhead with the family, and then racing around the park for hours with friends.

Later, when I was able to drive myself around, I started going across the river to the fireworks in Peoria. The Peoria fireworks had live music and grilled bratwursts -- it was big-time compared to running around Fondulac Park.

Tonya and I have carried on the tradition with our girls. When the girls were little, we went to Old Navy and bought these matching gray t-shirts that had a flag emblazoned on the front. We put Hope in her stroller and went to the 4th of July parade in Concord, a town just east of San Francisco. I kept that t-shirt until it was almost see-through ... something I didn’t wish to inflict on any passerby.

This past Friday, we took the girls to the fireworks show at Lake Murray. We walked down from the house to the lake with a few friends. Along one of the walking trails we set up camp, which consisted of a few chairs and a blanket. In the background we could hear a local band playing cover songs from the 1980s. Closing my eyes, I could almost smell the bratwursts grilling alongside the Illinois river.

The 4th of July reminds us of our story as Americans. It celebrates the birth of a great experiment -- the experiment that mixed liberty, freedom, justice, and democracy.
Has the experiment been conducted flawlessly? The obvious answer is no. Our story contains less-than-noble chapters: slavery, segregation, the Japanese internment, political scandals, moral failures. We have people who fall through the cracks and those who help push them through.

But that’s not our entire story. The American story contains many more chapters of personal sacrifice, creativity, entrepreneurship, benevolence, and individuals who simply did the right thing.

On Independence Day, we remember and celebrate our freedoms. Freedoms that are often used in ways our founding fathers never might have imagined but for which they gave their lives. As did thousands of men and women from subsequent generations, including today’s.

For whatever reason, God has made you a part of this story. What will history have to say about the chapter you are writing?