The Problem With Society

I am going sound like Dana Carvey's old SNL character, Grumpy Old Man, "Back in my day..."

Fine, if that makes me a grumpy old man, so be it.

I am tired of the attitude that says, I'm gonna do whatever I want to do just because I want to.

Judges 17:6 and 21:25 both say, "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit." Everyone did whatever they wanted to do.

Today, someone pulled in the wrong way at the gas station. Most gas stations do not have signs or rules about which way to pull up to the pumps. This one did. This person did whatever just because it was more convenient to break the rules than to follow them.

Scott Peterson killed his wife and unborn child because it was more convenient than to deal with the marriage and child.

I am not saying going the wrong way at a gas station is tantamount to murder, but the attitude is essentially the same. It's all about ME! ME! ME!

Sin is the root of this. Everyone does whatever he sees fit.

(Just had to vent.)

A Gutsy Player

Craig Biggio is one of the gutsiest baseball players ever. He is what many would call a "throw back" to a by-gone era. He is out of the spotlight because he labors in Houston. If he played in New York or Boston, he would be one of the most famous players ever.

Last night he got his 3000th hit, which is almost a guarantee of enshrinement in Cooperstown. As I watched the video of his hit, I noticed how he made a great effort to stretch the hit into a double. When most players would have been content to round first and jog back to the bag, he hit the accelerator and dove headlong into second. He nearly made it. As he slide like a snake, he was tagged out. That is guts and determination. That is a great work ethic.

If only more players played the game the way Craig Biggio played, the game would be better.

Knowing Our Limits

We love to push our limits. When the speed limit is 45, we want to drive 50. When the speed limit is 65, we want to drive 75. When we are told "no," we want to hear "yes."

My son tested his physical limits this week. He went, for the first time, to camp this year. Sunday, we kissed him good-bye. Mom (as all moms do) worried about the well-being of her baby.

My son has the misfortune of having asthma. He was so excited about going to camp. With wide-eyed enthusiasm, he hopped into the van and did not look back. The weather around the camp was hot and humid. The cabins were dusty. Then you have all the stuff that floats around in the air. With no air conditioning, our son pushed his limits. Whenever he is having trouble, he does that. He does not want to slow down and rest. He pushes on.

He pushed all the way to the hospital ER. We got the call at 6:00 PM last night. We hopped in the Neon and pushed the pedal to floor (pushing that old speed limit). We made a 3.5-hour trip in a little under 3 hours. He was stable, and we left about 10:45 and pulled into the driveway at 1:20 in the morning.

He needs to learn his limits. He needs to know when he is beginning to feel bad, so he can back-off, get better, and then join in.

That is like us sometimes. We try to push the limits. It is the speed limit sometimes. When I hit the buffet line, I like to push the limit of how much I can cram into my gut. We try to push it with God sometimes. How close can I live to sin? How much "fun" can I have and still be "close" to God?

Instead of pushing the limits, we should run as close to God as possible.

I'm Fed Up With Talk Radio

Sports talk radio that is. One of our local stations broadcasts ESPN radio from early evening to early morning. It is the station where my dial is set during the day. I like the so-called conservative, right wing radio, which is no more biased than NBC, CBS or ABC.

It's the sports talk radio that grinds my last nerve. I won't mention names, but these guys and gals ramble on endlessly about rumors and other stuff. It is the perfect example of verbal diarrhea coupled with mental constipation. I have to turn it off before I kick the radio.

Guys, sports is not a life and death issue. I like sports as much as anybody. I'll watch or listen to any game (except soccer), but when the game is over it is over. Why do we need to rehash why Peyton Manning ran a 37 split left rather than a 47 split right, or whatever. Who cares?

The problem is that there are too many TV and radio stations who would be broadcasting dead air if these gas bags weren't gassing on.

I used to listen to a sports guy on the radio several years ago who ended each show with the statements, "Remember, sports is the toy section of life." More of these windy broadcasters would do well to remember that.

Get some perspective. Whether or not Kobe Bryant is a Laker next years or not does NOT matter. There are other things vastly more important than sports. It's a game.

Crisis?

I have to throw credit to the Reformed Poser for this one. This is an interesting article from Christianity Today.

I have read Relational Holiness by Thomas Jay Oord and Michael Lodahl and A Century of Holiness Theology by Mark Quanstrom.

I totally agree that there is an identity crisis in the Church of the Nazarene, as I have discussed previously in my blog.

I was born in the Church of the Nazarene, went to Nazarene Sunday school, was saved in the Nazarene church, was married in the Nazarene church, became an ordained minister in the Nazarene church. You get the picture. I am Nazarene through-and-through.

Having said all that, the church is drifting. My main concern (as I have said before, and will not reiterate at length here) is with methodology. We are stuck in a 1950s mentality in general. The one bright spot that see in the leadership of the church is Dr. Jerry Porter, referenced in the above linked article. If only three or four of the other General Superintendents had his courage and fortitude to speak the truth.

Yikes!

I think I've seen this guy around where I live.

Am I Getting Old?

My daughter just returned from church camp today. She was filled with stories of shooting bee-bee guns, walking through the woods, paddle boats, meals, the worship and other things. One thing she said made me feel old.

Apparently there was some game where a junior counselor wound up with chocolate syrup and candy sprinkles on his face. My first thought, "How ridiculous is that?!" When I was 17 or 18, I would have thought, "That is soooo cool!" It's funny how our perceptions change as we age.

Anyway, she had a good time with the other kids from church. Our son heads off this Sunday for his week at camp.

Taking a Leap of Faith

Have you ever taken a leap of faith, I mean a real leap of faith? When I was almost 15, my parents picked up and moved 350 miles so we could attend a church that had a good youth group. That is crazy, their relatives said. And, here's the kicker, they had no jobs. My dad had just retired, and my mom was still working. She called a business where a friend was working and said, "Hey, we're moving to town. Do you have a job for me?" God provided. She got a job. We had food, clothing and shelter.

My cousin is now in the process of taking a huge leap of faith. He is starting a new church plant. At the age of 46, he is striking out on a "shoestring budget." You can check out his church's website, which has his blog.

Rosie to replace Bob Barker?

Story.

My response:

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ruth Graham, RIP

Ruth Graham, wife of Billy Graham, died yesterday. I will confess that I do not know a lot about her. I guess that says something about her. She was not in the headlines, like some "Christian" leaders in the last 20-30 years.

She was a faithful servant of the Lord, and I hope she has found her sweet rest in the arms of her Savior.

Rest in peace, Ruth Graham.

A Year of Bloggin'

Well, June 14, 2006 marked my foray in the blogosphere. (It's odd, my computer doesn't recognize the word "blogosphere.")

My life has changed a lot over the last year, some of which is chronicled in previous posts. God has been good to me and my family over the last year.

For those of you who read, thank you.

Being Computer Savvy

I am not the most computer savvy person in the world. I know about enough to mess everything up.

The problem is that we live in a world that is almost completely dependent upon a computer. The gas pump, ATM, cash register, and about everything else built in the last 10-20 years has some computer chip in it.

To be successful in any line of work, you need to know how to use a computer. As a teacher at a community college, I am tasked with the job of educating many non-traditional students. These are students who have been out of school for any number of years. I have had students who graduated from high school in the 1970s, before the advent of the four-function calculator. Many of these students are "cyber-phobic." (That is a term coined by my Intro to Computers instructor in college.)

The problem is that many do not have a computer at home. They have worked jobs that did not require the use of computer. Now they are entering a world where computers are all-pervasive.

All of the homework for my classes are on-line. Many students struggle with how to type an Internet address in the bar. Some do not know how to type an e-mail address (i.e. they leave out the "@" or the ".".)

We need better technological integration in our educational system. We need to "force" students to learn and gain computer skills. That goes beyond how to play solitaire.

Thoughts on Freedom

Today, I am going to pick up a man to whom we have ministered for four years. He is being released from prison today. He has spent the last 15 months behind bars.

A little over a month ago, I was able to attend his graduation from the Re-entry Life Program through Prison Fellowship. During the ceremony, they talked about how those of us on the outside can help the prisoners after they are released. They covered everything from finances to housing to jobs to spiritual matters. (This is a tremendous program!)

One thing struck me. They talked about decisions. Everyday, we makes hundreds of decisions. We decide on everything from which socks to wear to what route to take to work to what we will eat. We make mundane decisions, and we make major decisions. Nonetheless, we make hundreds of decisions today. They pointed out that prisoners make only a couple dozen decisions each day. They are told when to get up, what to wear, when to eat, what to eat, when to shower. Simple decisions that we take for granted are made for them. So, when they get out they have to adjust to the decision-making process. They are not told when to get up, what eat, etc.

I was just thinking that our freedom is all about decisions. Living in the United States, I can decide where to work, where to live, etc. My freedom in Christ also allows me to make decisions. Christ does not dictate to us how much time we spend with him, or what acts of mercy we do. We are free to decide. As with anything in life, we have the option to make good and bad decisions.

Don't take freedom for granted.

A Significant Day

Today (June 6) is a significant day to our country, and to the world. June 6 gets lost among the other important days, but we should always remember what this day means.

Today is the 63 anniversary of D-Day. D-Day is that momentous day that was the beginning of the end of World War II. The Allies had been successful in North Africa and were marching through Italy. The Russians were turning the tide on the eastern front. They only thing that remained was the cross-channel invasion. I am reading Stephen Ambrose's book Eisenhower: Soldier and President. He spends a great deal of time on D-Day.

On this day, thousands of young American and British soldiers crossed the English Channel to storm the beaches of Normandy and confront Hitler's "Atlantic Wall." The day could easily have ended in complete failure. Had the Germans repelled the Allied invasion, the war would have turned out differently. The Allies would have been humiliated.

Take some time to think about the those young men from small towns, farms, and big cities who breathed their last breath on the sandy shores of France. Think of the blood that was spilled. Think of the fathers, sons, husbands and brothers who perished that day in something far greater than themselves. For the freedoms we enjoy today, we owe them an immeasurable debt of gratitude.

If anyone who reads this is a D-Day veteran, or the family of a D-Day veteran, I say, "Thank you." That seems so paltry in the scope of sacrifice that was made that day, but nonetheless, "Thank you."

Road Rage

The biggest problem on the roads today is not people talking on their cell phones, putting on make-up, reading the newspaper or whatever. It is simply people that do not know the rules of the road, or proper driving etiquette. Some drivers have the etiquette of a golfer who tears up the putting green with his 9-iron.

I have noticed over the last few years the amount of drivers who have no regard for others, or have no clue what to do.

1. I have seen drivers decide that, despite the fact that they are in the left lane, they wanted to make a right turn. They proceed to do so without the slightest thought that there may be a car in the way. If there is a car, then it's the other idiots fault.

2. The simple concept of a four-way stop is apparently astrophysics or Latin to some drivers. People, the first car to stop is the first car to go. If you were there before everyone else, then you get to go first. If it's a tie, then the car to the right goes. As far as I know, these are universal rules. Some localities may have different rules, but I have never heard about them.

3. Cars turning left at a stoplight have to wait until all the oncoming traffic has cleared, unless they have a green turning arrow.

These are fairly simple rules. If everyone would just abide by them, and have a little consideration of the other person, my life (and yours) would be easier on the road.

Happy Hurricane Season

Happy Hurricane Season, everyone. Today is the first day of hurricane season. Again this year, doom, death and destruction are predicted by the media types:
MSNBC; NOAA; Fox News. You get the picture.

The media feeds on disaster. Last year they were disappointed by a slower than normal hurricane season. I am sure they will be disappointed if the season is slower this year.

There a couple things to remember. First, predictions are just that, predictions. They are guesses. Sure, they are not blind guesses. They may be based on facts, patterns, and other things. They are, nonetheless, guesses. Most meteorologists have difficulty predicting what the weather will do tomorrow, much less what will happen during an entire hurricane season. As Marge once told Homer, "You couldn't predict 6:00 at 5:30!"

Second, averages are just that averages. I used to wonder why we never hit the "normal" temperature. It was either hotter or colder than the average. Average is simply what would happen if the same thing happened every year.

I am not advocating a lack of preparedness, but let's keep things in perspective.