It's July. Midsummer and hot. I've been without football since February. I hurt. Fortunately, July offers lots of good sports drama and is my favorite non-football month. Consider:
- Tour de France: I still love this race. Nearly a month of cycling. These guys are crazy. If Lance wins, he wins. Astana is a loaded team, with Armstrong, Andreas Kloden, Alberto Contador and Levi Leipheimer all having been podium contendors in recent history. The question remains: who will be the leader of this team, who will sacrifice position to help their teammate win. That will be interesting to watch unravel.
I'm still pulling for Team Garmin and Christian Vande Velde even though he has a tough route considering the injuries sustained in a crash at the Giro d'Italia. The dude is riding after breaking 5 vertebrae. Makes my excuse of being tired seem lame. Here's a nice article in NY Times written by Vande Velde. I wouldn't mind seeing a good race from Team Columbia that features British sprinter Mark Cavendish and longtime American Mr Reliable George Hincapie.
- British Open, or The Open Championships, is also this month. My favorite golf major. This year, it will be played at Turnberry, where in 1986 Greg Norman finally won his first Open Championship.
These two events alone will get me to August and the beginning of football season. Bring on Scotland and the Champs Elysees.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
13 Pennies
I spent the last week with the Grace Youth on our local mission trip. For various reasons, the summer mission trip right in our backyard. We might not have traveled to Dalton, Georgia, New Orleans or Houston, but we might have made a larger impact on the kids who participated.
Go to my flickr page for photos of the trip.
We had many projects including Manna Food Bank, Asheville Greenworks, the local Women's Mission, the homeless Veterans shelter and a retirement home. Every morning, we started at the Presbyterian Home For Children. It takes in children who do not have parents or, because of circumstances, cannot stay with their parents. The PHFC attempts to give hope to children who otherwise would not have much hope.
In 1904, when Perry Smith, who was orphaned at 12 and grew to be a Presybterian minister, was given charge to start an ministry for orphans in Western North Carolina, the issue was raising enough money to begin and sustain the ministry. Hazel Johnson, just a child, came forward from the back of the room and asked if what she had was enough to get them started. It was 13 pennies. With that humble gift, the elders were committed to building the orphanage and the Presbyterian Home for Children gets its start.
It's never about how much you give, it's about the heart of your gifts. Whether it is tithing to your church, Christmas presents or your beloved's birthday, the love that accompanies the gift should and will be more valuable than the gift, no matter what it may be.
Mark 12:41-44
41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,worth only a fraction of a penny.
Go to my flickr page for photos of the trip.
We had many projects including Manna Food Bank, Asheville Greenworks, the local Women's Mission, the homeless Veterans shelter and a retirement home. Every morning, we started at the Presbyterian Home For Children. It takes in children who do not have parents or, because of circumstances, cannot stay with their parents. The PHFC attempts to give hope to children who otherwise would not have much hope.
In 1904, when Perry Smith, who was orphaned at 12 and grew to be a Presybterian minister, was given charge to start an ministry for orphans in Western North Carolina, the issue was raising enough money to begin and sustain the ministry. Hazel Johnson, just a child, came forward from the back of the room and asked if what she had was enough to get them started. It was 13 pennies. With that humble gift, the elders were committed to building the orphanage and the Presbyterian Home for Children gets its start.
It's never about how much you give, it's about the heart of your gifts. Whether it is tithing to your church, Christmas presents or your beloved's birthday, the love that accompanies the gift should and will be more valuable than the gift, no matter what it may be.
Mark 12:41-4441Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,worth only a fraction of a penny.
43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."
Friday, June 26, 2009
Are Republicans Relevant?
or just endangered? Below is a recent cover of Time Magazine.
Me? I'm registered independent. I consider myself moderate. I lean left on some issues and right on others. I see lots of faults with both major political parties, but I also see lots of good things. From a non-partisan perspective, here are some things I see that are making the Republicans less and less relevant and more endangered:
1) Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Sarah Palin, Dick Cheney.
When these are the leading spokespersons for your party, you are in trouble. The base loves them, but if your goal is to be more inclusive and recruit more votes, this is bad. The leadership of the party has done nothing to draw new voters. I would argue that they don't want to draw new voters. The above do nothing but alienate moderate and left voters. Fear mongering panders to the base and excludes the peripheral voters.
2) Speaking of new voters, unless the message is changed, the Republican party is dead. The demographics of the country are changing. Hispanic voters will be crucial in all future elections. Not illegally registered voters as some within the party will claim, but voters who were born in the United States and have a stake in the future of this nation. Of their nation. Census data shows that the population of Hispanics in America is growing more from births within the borders than from immigration from outside the borders. Without a new message to attract these voters, formerly safe red states such as Texas, South Carolina and other midwest and southern states will be blue for a long time.
3) The Republican party has a perception of negativity. They are not FOR anything. They are anti-government, anti-immigration, anti-health care, anti-stimulus, anti-gun control anti-regulation and so forth. It's subtle, but it affects people's perceptions. The party has to repackage those views, some of which are good (I like small government) into a way that does not seem so negative, hateful and divisive.
4) The Republican party has a perception of hypocrisy.
When you campaign as the morally superior party with the backing of evangelical Christians and you have so many leaders fall at moral levels, it sure hurts your credibility. From Larry Craig in the men's room to Ted Haggard's escapades and now Nevada Senator John Ensign and SC Governor Mark Sanford, the Republicans have been hit over and over by moral shortcomings. Not that anyone is perfect, but to outsiders, the "holier than thou" message that the party and its supporters perpetuate only adds to the hypocrisy.
5) Change for the sake of change is not always good. But failure to change when it's necessary is even worse. The Republican party is dominated by conservatives that do not want to see change. History is about change. This is a very different world now than when I was growing up. The party could be a part of it and guide the change or they can continue to resist it and reluctantly and spitefully watch as the rest of the nation and world changes.
If I were to choose a party, I would register Democrat. Some of it would be because I agree with more issues, but some would be because I don't want to be Republican. Speaking as a Christian, I see the Republican party in the same way that a lot of people see the Church: hypocritical, hateful and exclusive.
I walk the streets of Asheville and Hendersonville and the halls of the school I work in and I meet lots of people who would like to be part of a church but won't visit because they feel they are going to be judged. Or because they see the Church as hypocritical. There are a lot of people out there who have been very hurt by the Church. They cannot understand why in a place where there supposed to be much love and forgiveness that there is so much condemnation and judgment.
Fortunately, there are churches that do get it right. I hope those churches will stand out.
There are Republicans that do get it right. If they do not stand out, then the party will go the way of the dodo.
Me? I'm registered independent. I consider myself moderate. I lean left on some issues and right on others. I see lots of faults with both major political parties, but I also see lots of good things. From a non-partisan perspective, here are some things I see that are making the Republicans less and less relevant and more endangered:
1) Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Sarah Palin, Dick Cheney.
When these are the leading spokespersons for your party, you are in trouble. The base loves them, but if your goal is to be more inclusive and recruit more votes, this is bad. The leadership of the party has done nothing to draw new voters. I would argue that they don't want to draw new voters. The above do nothing but alienate moderate and left voters. Fear mongering panders to the base and excludes the peripheral voters.2) Speaking of new voters, unless the message is changed, the Republican party is dead. The demographics of the country are changing. Hispanic voters will be crucial in all future elections. Not illegally registered voters as some within the party will claim, but voters who were born in the United States and have a stake in the future of this nation. Of their nation. Census data shows that the population of Hispanics in America is growing more from births within the borders than from immigration from outside the borders. Without a new message to attract these voters, formerly safe red states such as Texas, South Carolina and other midwest and southern states will be blue for a long time.
3) The Republican party has a perception of negativity. They are not FOR anything. They are anti-government, anti-immigration, anti-health care, anti-stimulus, anti-gun control anti-regulation and so forth. It's subtle, but it affects people's perceptions. The party has to repackage those views, some of which are good (I like small government) into a way that does not seem so negative, hateful and divisive.
4) The Republican party has a perception of hypocrisy.
When you campaign as the morally superior party with the backing of evangelical Christians and you have so many leaders fall at moral levels, it sure hurts your credibility. From Larry Craig in the men's room to Ted Haggard's escapades and now Nevada Senator John Ensign and SC Governor Mark Sanford, the Republicans have been hit over and over by moral shortcomings. Not that anyone is perfect, but to outsiders, the "holier than thou" message that the party and its supporters perpetuate only adds to the hypocrisy.5) Change for the sake of change is not always good. But failure to change when it's necessary is even worse. The Republican party is dominated by conservatives that do not want to see change. History is about change. This is a very different world now than when I was growing up. The party could be a part of it and guide the change or they can continue to resist it and reluctantly and spitefully watch as the rest of the nation and world changes.
If I were to choose a party, I would register Democrat. Some of it would be because I agree with more issues, but some would be because I don't want to be Republican. Speaking as a Christian, I see the Republican party in the same way that a lot of people see the Church: hypocritical, hateful and exclusive.
I walk the streets of Asheville and Hendersonville and the halls of the school I work in and I meet lots of people who would like to be part of a church but won't visit because they feel they are going to be judged. Or because they see the Church as hypocritical. There are a lot of people out there who have been very hurt by the Church. They cannot understand why in a place where there supposed to be much love and forgiveness that there is so much condemnation and judgment.
Fortunately, there are churches that do get it right. I hope those churches will stand out.
There are Republicans that do get it right. If they do not stand out, then the party will go the way of the dodo.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Stand by Me
I know you are all busy, but watch this video. Six minutes well spent, I promise.
One classic hit.
35 artists from around the world.
A little mixing.
A vision of peace and harmony.
Playing for Peace website
One classic hit.
35 artists from around the world.
A little mixing.
A vision of peace and harmony.
Playing for Peace website
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Is Pittsburgh the New Boston?
First it was the Steelers. Now the Penguins. No city can claim "Titletown" like the Steel City. Last year, the Patriots were defeated, Celtics faltered and Red Sox choked. Pittsburgh is real America: blue collar, hard working and down to earth. Congrats!
Trivia: Can you name the 3 rivers that flow through Pittsburgh on which Fort Pitt was strategically built, the former Three Rivers Stadium got its name and for which Pittsburgh has so many cool bridges?
Trivia Answers: Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers
Trivia: Can you name the 3 rivers that flow through Pittsburgh on which Fort Pitt was strategically built, the former Three Rivers Stadium got its name and for which Pittsburgh has so many cool bridges?
Trivia Answers: Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Bethpage and Free Water
This coming week, the US Open Golf Championships will be held at Bethpage Black. The Black course is located in Bethpage State Park, in New York State. Bethpage, with it's relative bargain $120 greens fee for out of state residents, is the blue collar course to the exclusivity of Pebble Beach and Augusta and the exorbitant rates of Pinehurst, Bay Hill or TPC Sawgrass.
In the Sports Illustrated US Open Preview issue, the article Public vs Private compares New York's two Tour venues: Bethpage Black and the brand spanking new Liberty National Golf Club. Bethpage is where groups of strangers can arrive the night before and camp out, drink beer, play poker and swap stories as they wait for one of 6 first come-first serve tee times that are given out each day (the other tee times are via lottery). Liberty National, with its $500,000 initiation fee, is a place where you pay to not have groups in front or behind you on the course.
I was reading Charles Spurgeon's (1834-1892) Morning and Night, and for Morning, June 13 he wrote how Jesus says, "take freely". Come just as you are and "take freely" the water of life. He writes about how beautiful the drinking fountains in England were. No one in their right mind would come to the fountain if they were thirsty and say they couldn't drink because they didn't have five pounds. No matter how torn and tattered they may be dressed, weary and thirsty travelers will freely drink for no other reason than the fountain is there.
The fine gentlemen and ladies in their carriages that pass by, though they may be parched with thirst, will not demean themselves to drink for the fountain of the commoners. In the same way, there are those who are too rich in their own works to freely come to Christ and state, "I will not be saved in the same way as the harlot or the swearer."
Billionaire Jim Clark, founder and member of Liberty National, was asked in the article how he would feel about sleeping in his car to secure a tee time. His response, "I can't imagine having to wait half an hour for a tee time." This is not a diss on Jim Clark. He has earned the right to do with his money whatever he pleases. This is about the rest of us, who do not everyday get the opportunity to walk and play the same course as Tiger, Padraig and Sergio. For that, we will drive hours, sleep in our cars and shank our opening shot on the Number 1 Tee.
"Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come;
and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
Revelation 22:17
and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
Revelation 22:17
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Exams, Strict Construction and Covetness
Tuesday Morning... my first period is taking their World History Final. Can you answer these questions correctly (answers at bottom):
1. What time in the past does "prehistoric" refer to?
a. before the Neolithic Age
b. before the invention of writing
c. before the establishment of civilizations
d. before the appearance of Homo sapiens
27. What do Muslims believe about Muhammad?
a. He was the last and greatest of the prophets.
b. He was the only son of the one true God, Allah.
c. He was the first and only prophet of Allah.
d. He was a combination of god and man.
31. Why did Kublai Khan favor Mongols and foreigners for government posts?
a. He did not believe in Confucian teachings.
b. He feared that Chinese officials would support Japan.
c. Genghis Khan had wanted him to remove all Chinese officials from power.
d. He believed that Mongols and foreigners had no local loyalties.
34. What was the chief goal of the Crusades?
a. to spread Christianity throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa
b. to recover Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslim Turks
c. to improve trade among Europe, Asia, and Africa
d. to force the Byzantines to become Catholics
60. How might small farmers of the agricultural revolution be compared to the working class of the Industrial Revolution?
a. Both endured long working hours.
b. Both suffered job losses due to progress.
c. Both lived in climates of social restructuring.
d. All of the above are true.
65. Which country was not a part of the “Big Four” that signed the Treaty of Versailles?
a. United States
b. Italy
c. Soviet Union
d. France
86. Which of the following gave the Europeans the greatest advantage against the Native Americans:
a. Disease
b. Guns
c. Horses
d. Religion
---------------------------------
Strict Construction -
(narrow construction) n. interpreting the Constitution based on a literal and narrow definition of the language without reference to the differences in conditions when the Constitution was written and modern conditions, inventions and societal changes. By contrast "broad construction" looks to what someone thinks was the "intent" of the framers' language and expands and interprets the language extensively to meet current standards of human conduct and complexity of society.
Perhaps Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor perhaps took a Strict or Narrow Construction view when her friends and supporters told her to "break a leg" before the Senate.
Sotomayor Breaks Leg on the Way to Capitol Hill
To her credit, despite the broken ankle, she kept her appointment for the day.
-----------------------------
"Thou shall not Covet" - Exodus 20:17
I blame and curse Apple. My iphone was the coolest and most useful (and addictive) thing ever. Key word: was. Apple introduces the new iphone 3GS, that boasts faster speed, more features (video recording, voice activation), more memory (16 and 32 gigs) and is available in white!
See the comparions between phones
I WANT ONE!
--------------------------
Answers to exam samples: 1- b; 27 - a; 31- d; 34- b; 60- d; 65- c; 86- a
1. What time in the past does "prehistoric" refer to?
a. before the Neolithic Age
b. before the invention of writing
c. before the establishment of civilizations
d. before the appearance of Homo sapiens
27. What do Muslims believe about Muhammad?
a. He was the last and greatest of the prophets.
b. He was the only son of the one true God, Allah.
c. He was the first and only prophet of Allah.
d. He was a combination of god and man.
31. Why did Kublai Khan favor Mongols and foreigners for government posts?
a. He did not believe in Confucian teachings.
b. He feared that Chinese officials would support Japan.
c. Genghis Khan had wanted him to remove all Chinese officials from power.
d. He believed that Mongols and foreigners had no local loyalties.
34. What was the chief goal of the Crusades?
a. to spread Christianity throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa
b. to recover Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslim Turks
c. to improve trade among Europe, Asia, and Africa
d. to force the Byzantines to become Catholics
60. How might small farmers of the agricultural revolution be compared to the working class of the Industrial Revolution?
a. Both endured long working hours.
b. Both suffered job losses due to progress.
c. Both lived in climates of social restructuring.
d. All of the above are true.
65. Which country was not a part of the “Big Four” that signed the Treaty of Versailles?
a. United States
b. Italy
c. Soviet Union
d. France
86. Which of the following gave the Europeans the greatest advantage against the Native Americans:
a. Disease
b. Guns
c. Horses
d. Religion
---------------------------------
Strict Construction -
(narrow construction) n. interpreting the Constitution based on a literal and narrow definition of the language without reference to the differences in conditions when the Constitution was written and modern conditions, inventions and societal changes. By contrast "broad construction" looks to what someone thinks was the "intent" of the framers' language and expands and interprets the language extensively to meet current standards of human conduct and complexity of society.
Perhaps Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor perhaps took a Strict or Narrow Construction view when her friends and supporters told her to "break a leg" before the Senate.
Sotomayor Breaks Leg on the Way to Capitol Hill
To her credit, despite the broken ankle, she kept her appointment for the day.
-----------------------------
"Thou shall not Covet" - Exodus 20:17
I blame and curse Apple. My iphone was the coolest and most useful (and addictive) thing ever. Key word: was. Apple introduces the new iphone 3GS, that boasts faster speed, more features (video recording, voice activation), more memory (16 and 32 gigs) and is available in white!
See the comparions between phones
I WANT ONE!
--------------------------
Answers to exam samples: 1- b; 27 - a; 31- d; 34- b; 60- d; 65- c; 86- a
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