Put in Perspective

Two recent stories in the news have put some things in perspective, or at least should do so. Both involve high-profile people. One is former star quarterback, Todd Marinovich. He was recently arrested on drug charges. In the early 1990s, he was the starting quarterback for the high powered University of Southern California Trojans. He was a first round draft pick of the Los Angeles (now Oakland) Raiders. He was on top of the world. His NFL career last two years longer than mine. He then bounced around the Canadian Football League and the Arena Football League. Now he has taken to skateboarding on the pier and running from police. What happened? He was the star, the big man. Hearing the story reminded me of the passage from the prophet Isaiah that says:

6 A voice says, "Cry out."
And I said, "What shall I cry?"
"All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.

7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.

8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever." (Is. 40:6-8, NIV)

Our lives are fleeting. We are on earth such a short time. Fame is even worse. It doesn't last. To be honest, Todd Marinovich had passed from my memory and conscience.

The other story that caught my attention was the will of Leona Helmsley that left $12,000,000 to her dog. All the wealth that she amassed over her life, stayed hear on earth, while she passed on. This reminds of the passage from Ecclesiastes 9:5, "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten."

The stuff we work and fight for often really do not amount to much in the grand scheme of things. In view of eternity, we often live for nothing. Our wealth will rot, when we die. Our houses, cars and other possession will rust or become a heap of garbage.

What are we living for that has eternal consequences?

One Last GRE Update

I received my official GRE scores in the mail yesterday. The only thing new was the Analytical Writing Section score, which was 5 out of 6. I was hoping to do better, but it is not bad.

Mr. Bean in Church

Did you ever have one of these Sundays?

A Media Giant Calls It Quits

The Weekly World News is calling it quits. One of those useless supermarket tabloids will no longer be on the shelves. No more "bat boy," or alien-alligator-babies. It was always good for a hearty laugh while waiting to throw your bread and milk on the conveyor belt.

The one thing that separated the Weekly World News from the other "mainstream" media is that the WWN admitted that they made it all up.

Thwack!

In a score that brings back memories of Little League, the Texas Rangers hung 30 on the Baltimore Orioles. Thirty! It set an American League record. The Rangers are in last place. How awful are the Orioles? What's worse is that they scored in only four different innings.

Putin's Ready for Sept. 12

Check out my previous post. Apparently Vladimir Putin is getting ready for the momentous day. (Story.)

Hung Out To Dry Part 3

I do not want to leave the impression that the hierarchy of the denomination was solely to blame for the collapse of the church I pastored.

Ultimately, the responsibility rests with me. I am the one who made the decision to come here. I made the decisions about ministry, and other things.

One other word of caution to prospective ministers is appropriate at this point.

When interviewing for a ministry position, be careful, very careful. Everyone is always on their best behavior at an interview. The pastor and the congregation put their best foot forward. Listen carefully what the people say. Ask questions, lots of questions. Ask off the wall questions to accurately gauge a response.

At our interview, one person said (paraphrasing here), We want to work, we just need someone to show us what to do. A little over a year later the same individual said (paraphrasing, again), Before we had a pastor we did all the work, now it seems we are doing more.

Be careful. Jesus said, "Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16).

Hung Out To Dry Part 2

One thing I have discovered about the sinking of a ministry ship. It seems to be harder are my wife than on me. I have long thought that ministry is tougher on the spouse rather than one "in the ministry." I was paid to worry about the church.

A spouse has to have an outside job, especially if it is a small church. The spouse is usually "required" to do just about everything in the church from playing the piano, teaching Sunday school, leading women's (or men's) ministry, cleaning, or whatever else the parishioners want.

When things go bad, the spouse may face some difficult times. She or he may be attacked by members. She or he may be blamed for failure.

My wife has suffered mightily through our ordeal. She has carried a burden that isn't hers. I have never thought that she had any responsibility in what happened. She was a wonderful help.

To you ministers, protect your spouse.

Hung Out To Dry

Perhaps I am unable to this thing go, but it is still something that I deal with every single day. About a year ago, we shut down the church we had pastored for nearly four years.

Our denominational leadership left out to dry. Our leader told us, at one point, that he had put us on a "sinking ship." Did they help bail water? No. They poured more water into the "ship." They punched more holes into the hull of the ship.

When we arrived, they promised to pay all of our health insurance, which lasted about four months. They continually slashed our assistance. When we offered a plan to restart the church, we were told "no." When we wanted to change locations, so we could get a nicer location, we were told "no." (We did move.)

We were told to keep "anonymous" donors happy. A bunch of old, rich people gave the church money. These people did not attend the church. We had to keep the money happy. Who cares about what is best for the church and community we serve. We had to keep these "anonymous" donors happy. If their names were known, how could they be anonymous?

I just struggle with the way they hung us out to dry. This is something that has bugged me for a long time.

If you are in the ministry, or contemplating going into it, be careful. There are many deceptive leaders out there more concerned with the money than the ministry.

Interesting

You Are Austin

A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll. You're totally weird and very proud of it. Artistic and freaky, you still seem to fit in... in your own strange way. Famous Austin residents: Lance Armstrong, Sandra Bullock, Andy Roddick

What American City Are You?

This Was Unintentional

I was looking at the schedule I made up for some of my classes this semester. There are two test dates that are somewhat ominous. It was unintentional. I just filled out the schedule, and it worked out this way. The first ominous test date is: September 11. The second ominous date is: December 7.

The question is--and I don't mean to be cynical--whether the students will have the sense of history to even realize it.

In Russia With Love?

I first heard this story on the Rush Limbaugh Show yesterday, August 15. Apparently, September 12 is a holiday in Russia so that couples can spend time together attempting to increase the aging and dying population of Russia. The grand prize includes an SUV. (Apparently, the Russian are not all that concerned about global warming.)

Other Links:

Newsvine.
Yahoo.

It's Over!

Today, I took and completed the GRE. I am so glad it's over. I can go back to using small, simple words. I am satisfied with my score: 1380. It's not amazing, but it's 300 points over the average of the school to which I am applying.

I can rest. Except, that I start teaching Thursday.

I'm So Confused

My last minute preparations for the GRE (tomorrow, 8/14) are coming to a close. The hardest part for me is going to be the antonyms. I took an online practice test yesterday and a paper one today. Yesterday, I got the question:

DISSIPATE:

Answer choices: wander, coalesce, oscillate, exhume and restrain.

My brain went to the mention of dissipation in the Bible. I recalled it being a sin, so I chose "E" (restrain). Wrong-o. It is coalesce, as to dissipate means to disperse. Then I recalled the weatherdude on TV saying that the rain shower would "dissipate," or go away.

Today, on my paper test, I run across the word:

DISSIPATED

Answer choices: temperate, pleased, inundated, encouraged, and planned.

Remembering what had happened on the previous attempt, I chose inundated. The reason being that if rain showers dispersing or leaving or dissipating, the opposite would be that we would be inundated. Wrong-o! The answer is temperate, because as the book says, "The word dissipated can be a pejorative reference to someone devoted to the pursuit of pleasure--the opposite of dissipation is restraint or moderation." So the answer was temperate.

The online test and the book are from the same company. In one place they say outright that dissipate and restrain are the opposite.

Ugh! My brain is beginning to ache.

I think that I am pretty much done studying. I cannot wait until tomorrow afternoon when this test is behind me. I know I will do well (I'm using positive self-reinforcement here).

Practice Football

I realize that the NFL has overtaken baseball as the favorite sport in the US, but pre-season football is the biggest joke. They promote it as though it is "real" football. They televise it as though someone actually wants to watch it. They sell tickets to it at the same price as regular season football.

The games mean nothing. It does not matter if the team wins or loses all the games. Next month, the slate will be wiped clean and everyone will start 0-0 after four practice games. The starters play two series, if not one, in the first two games. They may play the first quarter in the third game. They may actually play an entire half in the last practice game. Who wants to watch the third or fourth string play?

Practice football is fine. I understand that they need the practice, but don't promote it as though it is "real" football.

Gratitude

Gratitude is something that we often neglect, especially when we are dealing with God. We beg and plead with God to help us out of mess. Then, when God answers, we suddenly forget all about him. We are like the farmer who prays every day for rain. Early in the morning and late at night, he is on his knees praying to God for rain. Then, when it does rain, he neglects to offer even the smallest "thank you" to God.

The Gospel of Luke contains the account of Jesus' encounter with ten lepers along the Galilee/Samaria border. These poor isolated men call out to Jesus for help from half a football field away (approximately 50 yards was the legal distance of separation between the unclean lepers and everyone else). Jesus sends them on their way to the priest (the legal requirement for certifying the healing). Only one of the men, an oft-hated Samaritan, came back to thank Jesus.

How is your gratitude toward God? I am often ungrateful.

If God never did anything other than offer us salvation, we should forever be thankful.

One of those strange things

Last night, we took the youth from the church bowling. After, we hung around the arcade. They have the oddest game there. They have a video bowling game, at the bowling alley. I just thought that was weird.

That's kind of like having a video golf game at the golf course. Perhaps some golf course does have that.

GRE Test Prep Continues

With only 13 days to go until I make my attempt to prove my worthiness for graduate school by taking the GRE, I am in overdrive for prep. My Kaplan Test Prep Book is smoking. Now that my teaching summer school has ended, I am able to devote more time.

I took a sample Quantitative Section (i.e. math) test and got 51 of 60 right. In looking back, I missed about 4 that were either because I didn't read the question carefully or made a stupid math error. That's the same types of things that I am constantly getting on my students for doing.

I have just started reading the Analytical Writing Section. One thing kind of struck me as funny. The second principle that Kaplan gives is to keep the essay simple. One should avoid being overly complicated. One should use simple words. I guess you could say that one should be pithy and avoid prolixity. In other words, don't use a lot of the words that the GRE insists that you know in the Verbal Section. One must know words like turgid, euphony, panegyric and torpor, but one must not use them when writing the essay for the test.