Stewardship

Arlington United Methodist Church

This is the text of a talk I gave at church yesterday. Obviously, it's geared for that, but it could apply to any situation; your own church, your kid's school, the neighborhood library. Too many people feel that their contribution has to be big, so they do nothing. Find your gift, and give it, no matter how small you may think it is. Someone else may not think so.

Stewardship talk  Dec 30, 2013

Good morning. I thought I’d start with the time-worn tradition of giving you the dictionary definition of the topic. So I got out my handy-dandy smartphone, went to the Dictionary.com app, and looked up stewardship. Now I was always told not to use the word you’re defining in the definition. Ahem. Quoting: “Noun, #1 the position and duties of a steward.” Big help. BUT “#2 the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving.” That’s better. I’d say Arlington fits that definition.

There’s so many things that I feel I owe the people of this church. I feel like I should be a good steward and that I should be one of those who impact the well-being of the church and its people. But I can’t always do much monetarily. When they announced the roof repair campaign, for example, I REALLY wanted to help in a big way, but I just couldn't  But there are other ways to be a good steward. I was in the restaurant business for close to 30 years, so I know my way around a kitchen. I’m not a chef, but I can boil water. That’s a gift that I can give. There are millions of little jobs around here that YOU can help with. There’s a sign up sheet in the commons for someone to just get here a little bit early and make coffee. The Road needs people who can come occasionally and do set up and breakdown…and you get dinner! Room in the Inn needs people to do laundry. The Worship Committee needs people to be communion servers. The choir needs people to sing. Some of the committees need people to simply come and contribute ideas. And on and on. And the great thing is that many of the jobs can be done when you would be here anyway. The more hands you have, the easier the work. Can’t contribute a lot of money? Give some time instead. You’ll feel better for it. I promise.

I Don't Know What I Want to Say

I don't know what to say about Sandy Hook Elementary School. I don't. I was leaving the Surgical Center after my hernia surgery when we heard the news on the radio. All I can remember thinking for quite a while was "just kids" Just like everyone else, this tragedy seems worse because of the young children involved. And in my mind, it truly is worse for that very reason.
I have often wondered, both to myself and even out loud to others, how a parent could survive the loss of a child, especially an unexpected loss. (I believe I've mentioned this in a previous blog, but I don't feel like looking it up.) Words fail me when I try to articulate it. I just can't imagine it. That's a big part of the horror of this, the empathy with those parents who are having to deal with this right now. Lord, look out for them and help them get through it.

The discussion has moved, as it should, to two issues: Gun control, and mental illness. There must be more of an effort in this country, indeed, in the world, to identify people who have the proclivity to do something like this and help them. Posted today:

UK Prime Minister ‏@Number10gov

Worried that someone close to you is showing signs of #dementia? Visit http://www.  nhs.uk/dementia  #xmas2remember #dementiachallenge

Unfortunately, I have not seen a similar tweet from @BarackObama, @whitehouse, @Senate_GOPs, @RepublicanHouse. But I have seen this:

The Associated Press ‏@AP

White House says gun control is part of the answer to curbing violence but not the only solution: http://apne.ws/V3uQG7  -AB

To be honest, this was going to be about guns. I even did some research. I may write that tomorrow.

But after looking at this, I think the mental illness aspect demands more attention than it gets, and will get in the next little while. I've tried to do a little research, but most of what I found quickly through a Google search seems to me tainted by a reluctance on the author's part to say too much, because they want to make sure that they're not all lumped together.

 Example:

"Posing these questions is itself not without risk: being perceived as dangerous can have a devastating effect on a person's prospects for relationships, employment, housing, and social functioning. People with mental illness already bear the burden of much social stigma, and I am loath to add to it." (http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp068229)

I'm sure the author is right. I'm sure he's a good doctor, and he does go on into a deep discussion. BUT everything is political. To properly handle this issue, people must be identified in the early stages and treated and monitored. They deserve to be helped as much as I deserved to have my hernia fixed. It's all the same. It's the right thing to do. BUT, that takes money. Where is it coming from? 

I don't have the answers. I don't really know as much about this aspect as I feel I should. So, I'm asking all of you to do what I'm going to do more of: pay attention to the issue of how people with emotional and mental issues are dealt with and helped. Does it contribute to the horrible and terrible situations like Friday?

Sorry. I don't even have a good clean ending. 

Election Day 2012

Graph of voter turnout percentage from 1824 to 2008

Now this graph came from Wikipedia, so be warned!

So I exercised my rights, and did my civic duty, and voted. I truly believe that both presidential candidates are good men of character, and equally deserving of the office. Both of their beliefs are valid for them. My job was to vote for the one who most closely reflected MY ideals and opinion of how best to solve the problems our country faces.

I voted for Governor Romney. I think that his view of America is the one I espouse. America is unique. Its system of government is one of a kind. Its economy and economic system make it the wonder of the world, because it took an upstart, rebellious nation from nothing and helped it become the world's leader in less than 200 years. I don't want America to look like the rest of the world. I'm not interested in "fitting in" with a European view. I want America to be liked, but public opinion polls in Greece (or wherever) don't make me miserable. Europeans don't like us because they don't understand us. And I'm OK with that. And I don't even want to get into the Middle and Far East. President Obama's world view is fine for him, and by definition, his supporters. Does that make them evil? Of course not. I prefer the smaller government view, too. Government in Obama's world is too intrusive for me.

Now understand, this doesn't mean I think Romney is perfect. Far be it. His concept of repealing the entire Health Care Reform Act is an example. There are some good things in it. His view (actually, his party's view) on Immigration Reform is unworkable. You ain't getting 2 million people to go back to Mexico and start the process over. Duh. He needs to look these situations and others over carefully himself and make decisions, not listen to some party hack.

Why does he choose these extreme positions? Why do any of them, for that matter? I've said for years that these elected federal officials don't have anything in common with me. Years ago, I was flabbergasted and disgusted with a Congressional press conference. They were working on a budget compromise, and to show how hard they were working, they stood up there and made this huge damn deal out of the fact that they were there on a Saturday. A Saturday! It's a wonder the Earth didn't swallow them up! I WORK EVERY SATURDAY (basically). And so do a lot of people I know. You ain't impressing me, fella.

Why are they so far removed? Voter Turn Out. Plain and simple. I looked up the statistics http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2008G.html 


Department of Public and International Affairs
George Mason University
4400 University Drive 3F4
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444


The following is my takeaway from that page (2008 election):
Voting Age Population turn out 56.9% (of a rounded population of 230,800,000)
Voting Eligible Turnout 61.6% (of a rounded population of 213,300,000)
Hawaii  had the Lowest at 48.8% (I heard the other day that Hawaii is always low because they vote so far behind everyone else.) Continental U.S. is West Virginia at 49.9%
The highest is Minnesota at 77%.
And these turn out rates are higher than I expected.

OK, so what does this mean? The President is elected with 50% of the vote. That's only 65,696,400 people out of the ELIGIBLE voters, or 30.8%.  OR a mere 28.4% of Americans who are old enough to vote legally. You get to be President with only a quarter of the people wanting you to be President. So the candidate is campaigning to his base, the people who are WANTING to vote for him because he's in their party, but need to be assured that he believes like they do. If they had to appeal to a TRUE majority, their platforms would have to be much more broad-based and appealing to a wider audience. Like me.

Want to solve America's problems? In 2016, post on Facebook a bunch of ads about getting people registered, and then about getting them to vote. Not that Romney wants to fire Big Bird, or that Obama is reading the wrong kind of book.

Sorry if you think this got long. My promise to keep politics off my wall kinda built up! God bless America!

Just Sittin' and Thinkin'

College football is on, specifically Alabama at Missouri, but the Tide is pretty much running away with it (oops, as I type this, Mizzou runs a kick-off back for a touchdown). So I'll keep it on to keep up with it, but it doesn't keep my 100% attention, and I find myself drifting away. So I thought that maybe I'd just jot down stuff as I drift. I mean, after all, the subtitle of the blog is Whatever Pops Into My Head.

I often think that I should write this page more often. I was in a pretty good habit of it for a while, then it just went away. I need some things that give me a more creative outlet. I've always thought of myself as a creative person, but I don't have (or maybe take advantage of) opportunities to express that creativity. I get a bit of a taste of it for tomorrow at church. I'm giving a talk about "What Arlington Means to Me." 5 minutes. I'm a little nervous, but I think it'll be OK.

Both of my Scout units are in the field this weekend. Troop 275 is canoeing on the Buffalo River in West Tennessee, and Pack 924 is at Boxwell Scout Reservation near Lebanon for Cub N Family camp. I had to work today, of course. The relatively new General Manager at Sam's Club has told me that I can get the weekends off that I need for scouts, but I was off last weekend for an activity, and no matter what he says, I'm concerned about it looking like I'm taking advantage of the situation, so I felt that I'd better not ask off this weekend too. What a way to live...

Don't really hear much from DJ since he moved to MTSU. I feel like I'm still up-to-date with him through social media, and he and I watch football together through text messages a lot of the time. He's dropped by a couple of Fridays when I'm usually off as he kills time waiting for his girlfriend to get out of class for their date night. I still remind him (and I am NOW, as a matter of fact) that he needs to talk to his mother once in a while! But, to be fair, he brought Savannah over last Saturday for dinner with Mom, and she liked that. (I wasn't here, of course.)

Ricky is starting to get fired up about college, but he's got that damn "Senior-itis" of putting things off. He and Monica went to Tennessee Tech in Cookeville yesterday for a college visit, and I'm thinking that will get him a little more focused.

Cincinnati Reds let me down. I really like post-season baseball, but since I don't follow it much during the season, I don't have a team, so I follow the Reds because of Monica. They had a good team this year, and I was excited about having a team to cheer for, then BOOM! they got eliminated in the first round. So it'll be a normal World Series experience for me.

Watch this space. I haven't said much today, but I've enjoyed writing it, so I think I'm going to discipline myself to pick a day to write so that I post at least once a week.

Friday

OK, so here's my schedule for my day off today (Friday, July 27)
Morning: Go by Carnival Kia and finish a piece of paperwork for the new car (45 minutes total)

Morning: Clean stuff out of Pack trailer so it can go to the Pack camping trip (10 minutes maybe)

11:10am: Leave for movie theater to see "The Amazing Spider-Man" (Yes, free thanks to DJ and in 3D)

2:45pm (roughly): Go with Joshua to buy groceries for the Troop camping trip. (Yes, both of my units are camping this weekend. I, of course, have to work Saturday.)

Before 5:30pm: Help Joshua prep for camp cooking (he is the troop cook this weekend)

Before 5:30pm: Make sure Joshua is packed for camp (he'll do 99% of this by himself, but I still have to kinda follow up)

6pm: Camp opens at Long Hunter. I plan to stay until about 9 and help with set up and so forth. Have to get home so I can get to bed for my 4am alarm clock.

Busy day. Now, many of my friends would say "Man, I wish that was all I had to do." But after all those years in the restaurant business (20+) with 60+ hours/week and often 6 1/2 days/week, my days off have always been sacred. I've been out of the business for like 15 years now, but I'm a product of the environment. I HATE to have busy days off. Now, by the end of the day, I'll be happy, but so far today I've been..well I was going to say dreading it, but that's too harsh. It's more like regretting it, maybe? And this feeling gets in the way of me getting work around the house done too. If Monica and I had the same days off (in other words, if I was off on weekends) I truly believe it would be better. But c'est la vie.

It beats the alternative, doesn't it. I'd rather be busy and involved and active and such. I get to spend some quality time with the boys today, especially Joshua, because he may not realize it, but HE'S doing the prep work, not me! (We're going to mix up a meatloaf to cook in the Dutch Oven tonight.) I think, despite the weight gain of the last few months (which I'm blaming on the "quit smoking" deal), that the active stuff keeps me in decent shape for my age. (I have noticed lately that getting up and down is easier with something to prop on.) 

So let's enjoy the day! Daniel just came out of his room to announce that it's time to go, so let's go!

HockeyBuzz.com - Paul McCann - This One Hurts...

I post this blog from the PA announcer at Bridgestone Arena (the one the fans yell "Thanks, Paul" when he announces one minute left in the period). It's an interesting look at an insider's view of the end of the season.  I enjoy Predators hockey, but I'm not a hockey fan, I'm done with hockey for the season with Nashville out of it. Fortunately, the new season starts up in only 4 months!

This One Hurts... by Paul McCann

Higher Education and Scouts

I don't really know where this is going, just some quick hits. I wanted mainly to get this blog from Scouting Magazine out there: Tackle the high cost of SAT, ACT test-prep software « Bryan on Scouting This is real, I have received the software, no charge. Now, have the boys used it....?

There are a lot of benefits to being a Scout. Eagle Scouts have access to scholarships that are just for them. National Eagle Scout Association
National Jewish Committee on Scouting
Scouting.org List

Research has proven that having Boy Scout listed on your resume carries weight. At Eagle Courts of Honor, there is often a presentation that has some fascinating statistics: for example, Roughly one boy in every 172 earns Eagle (0.6%). Yet over 15% of all US astronauts are Eagle Scouts. So are 10% of the cadets at both West Point and the Air Force Academy.

Gitarzan and His Jungle Band

I know, I couldn't believe it either, but a girl at work has NEVER heard this song.

So, just in case you haven't either, or haven't in a long time, I present the classic

Gitarzan

The video quality is poor, but that's because it's pre-MTV. Everytime I hear Jane sing I laugh like a loon. 

Got a girl named Jane

With no last name

Kinda homely thing

but he loves her just the same

Cause she kindles the flame

and it drives him insane 

when he hears her sing 

She really does her thing

It's her claim to fame

Come on, sing one Jane

The Road

Unless you just want to dig the Beatles again, the first 20 seconds or so will suffice

I don't really consider myself a religious person. I have faith in God and He answers my prayers often, but I see people who are, and I know the difference. I don't mean the constantly-talking about it, always-pushing it, loudly-proclaiming it type. I mean the ones who quietly just live it. They don't judge people (at least to others), they try very hard not to be negative about others, they seem to be very supportive of people, even strangers (yes, I have a couple of people in mind that I'm using as models for this bit). I want to be like that. It doesn't come naturally to me. That's why I'm thankful that I've found the church we go to now. Arlington United Methodist Church

I'll tell one story that illustrates the people at this church. Several years ago, we suddenly decided to start going back to church  (the reason is my secret, I promised God I wouldn't tell). So that Sunday we just showed up there at Arlington again after an absence of several years (I really don't know how many, 5 or 6 I think). The Associate Pastor welcomed us back from the pulpit before the service (I didn't even know she knew us), and Monica was back up there in the choir. But the point of this story: at one point during the service, an elderly lady I didn't know (or at least didn't remember) turned around and said "It's so nice to have your family back again." And that attitude is still the biggest asset this small congregation has. THERE ARE NO STRANGERS.

We've recently been working hard to start a new worship service at Arlington. We want it to appeal to people who have, for some reason, been turned off by church. Maybe they don't have time to get all dressed up. Maybe Sunday morning doesn't work for them. Maybe they don't like the "Please Stand" "Please be seated" "Please Stand" regimen of traditional services. Whatever. You've seen me post about it on Facebook. I went to the first organizational meeting for this thing back last year because I had done something similar 40 years ago (!) and thought that maybe I could help. What it's done is get me to thinking about where I stand and what I believe and such. To me, a worship service is a personal experience. It exists to provide you with a framework to lead you to a relationship with God. A road to follow, if you will.

So I would recommend The Road if you're curious. Sunday nights, simple supper at 5PM (simple but GOOD and filling), casual worship service begins about 5:45 and runs about an hour. Come as you are, childcare provided, no pressure.

Too Much Time

Had an interesting weekend, with what could have been a potentially serious issue on Saturday. Let me elaborate...

So I was scheduled to be Master of Ceremonies for an Eagle Scout Court of Honor Saturday. Now, to put this in perspective, this is probably one of the biggest events in most boy's lives to this point. Grandparents fly in, friends take off from work, and the family digs through years of scout memorabilia to make a display. There are usually snacks and such (sorry, don't know how to spell hors d'oeuvre) at a small reception. So this is pretty major. And whenever I'm asked to MC one (I've done two in the last few weeks and I'm scheduled for two more next month), I always try to answer as "I'd be honored" (and I am, really.)

Anyway, I had to work Saturday (I know, what a shock, huh?) and I was scheduled off at 1:30. So that's ok, even if a bit tight. I figure 20 minutes to get home, a few minutes to clean up and change, a minute or two of prep work, and I can be there at 2:30, no sweat. I told a couple of semi-supervisors at work that no matter what was going on, I HAD to leave at 1:30. Period. I didn't have a car, DJ had to work, so Monica was coming to pick me up. "Don't be late, I have to be there on time."

So I'm working hard. The schedule was a little messed up so I was by myself most of the shift (again, I know you're shocked). So I look at my watch, and the hands show 12:50. "Cool", thinks I. "I've got time to do this and that and so forth." I work hard, get a few more things done, look at my watch, it says 1:10. "Wow," says I. "That didn't take as long as I expected. Good, now I can do this real quick and then book on out of here." So I rock on a bit more, and I'm feeling pretty good. I'm really going to be able to leave things in better shape than I thought. I check my watch, it shows 1:22, and I'm heading to the time clock. I get to the break room, pull out my time badge, and the clock's digital read-out shows

1:55

"Is it really almost two o'clock?" I yell. "Yep," someone answers. "Holy S*%@!" I go running out the door,looking at my phone. There are 3 text messages from Monica. "I'm here" "Hello? I'm waiting" "Where are you?" So I call, tell her I'm coming, and go running out the door.

We made it on time, basically. At least, close enough to 2:30 that no one noticed.

See? Here I am.

The only thing I can figure is that, at some point there around 1PM, I must have hit the watch stem on the side of a box and pushed it in just enough to slow the watch down, not stop it. That's why time kept running and fooled me. And I can't STAND being late. But that's a subject for another post.

Notice how I didn't say ONE WORD about the obligatory "I can't believe it's been so long since my last post". Aren't you proud of me?

The Little Fairy Syndrome

 Click here for the Wikipedia entry for Tinkerbell

So here's the scenario:

As anyone who has ever bought lettuce and tried to keep it in the fridge for a week knows, fresh produce slowly goes bad over time. Now multiply that situation by a factor of about 496.28 and you see what we who work in fresh produce face everyday. Product that looks fine in the morning may degenerate enough by night time that it is no longer suitable to be merchandised and sold. So it has to be removed from the sales floor and disposed of as a "damage". Damages are a fact of life. Everybody faces it every shift. It is unavoidable.

As a child, most of us have heard of and believed in fairies. There are tons of stories about Fairy Princes and Sugar-plum Fairies and Fairy Tales (or is it Tails?). As we get older, we begin to lose faith in fairies (not to be construed as a confession that there ARE no fairies). I say "we", I should say "most". There are apparently many people who still believe in fairies. I bet you work with some of them too. How can you identify them? Easy. Especially at Sam's Club:

THEY LEAVE STUFF UNDONE AS IF SOME LITTLE FAIRY WILL DROP DOWN FROM THE SKY AND DO IT FOR THEM.

In produce, it's leaving damages piled up all over the place instead of putting them in the barrel that's back there for them (or in the case of the worst offender, ON TOP OF THE BARREL), so that, before a person can pull their own damages, they have to dump those. It's filling up the cardboard compactor and not pushing the button to start the machine, causing someone (ok, me) to have to wait for the compactor to run before putting their own in there. In all the restaurants I ran over the years, there also were numerous ways to identify these people. I, being a grown-up and all, would tell my employees that "There's not some little fairy that drops down and does this. If you don't do it, someone else will have to. " I crushed many dreams back then.

As you can tell, this has LONG been a pet peeve of mine.

How do you identify the Fairy-lovers in your work-place?

The New Scoutmaster

The troop poses at Pegram Cemetary after placing flags for Memorial Day 2011
See more at Troop 275's webpage

You may recall the last post where the discussion was how busy I had allowed myself to get, and how tired I was. The Scoutmaster of my boy's Boy Scout Troop, of which I am the Advancement Chair, had decided to retire after several years as Scoutmaster. I was considering taking the position, and struggling with additional responsibilities when I already frequently felt stretched and stressed enough.

The following Sunday was Scout Sunday, and the pastor gave (as usual) a very fine sermon, telling stories about his brother the Eagle Scout, and keeping the young scouts entertained with campfire stories. He then went on to the meat of the sermon, which, in a nutshell, made the point that using your talents in something you're passionate about is a form of praising God and giving service to others.

It seemed he was speaking directly to me. So I decided to give it a go. I notified the troop that I would be their new Scoutmaster.

I'm eager to get going. I don't want to rush the current guy out; he's done a remarkable job for many years (15, I think). But that being said, I of course have my own ideas how I want things to go, and I find myself chomping at the bit. I have to remind myself that this is going to be a process. 

Scouting offers an opportunity for true service to others. What a chance to help shape and develop future leaders of our community. This gives them the chance to see and experience new things, new people, and new ideas, while reinforcing the constant virtues of responsibility and values, without them even knowing it. My job is to keep them interested and excited. I think I can do that. So keep me in your thoughts and prayers while I take this big step.

Whew!

I've posted along these lines before (see Staying Busy ) so it's a recurring theme, and I don't want to bore anyone but here we go (no, no, not the Bud Light commercial)

This has been one of those weeks. By Sunday night's bedtime, I will have been out of the house 7 nights out of the last 8. Now that may not seem so bad to you young whippersnappers, but remember, I get up at 4AM everyday but Friday, and 6:30 on Sunday, so 8PM to me is late. I manage to stay up most nights until about 9:30, but sometimes even that is a struggle. Admittedly, a lot of that is my fault. Three of these nights are Scout-related. I worry about getting burned-out. I sure don't want scouting to be a chore.

And here I am seriously considering becoming the Scoutmaster for the boy scout troop.

I just got back from helping the Boy Scouts prepare Hamilton UMC for Room in the Inn. We set up for the guests, including their bedding, and cooked and served dinner. And as expected, it was time well spent. Which really is part of the problem. I enjoy what I'm involved in. I don't know where to cut back. I guess I need to just keep in mind that this week was just a weird connection of several unusual things. It's the thought that "Oh man, gotta go out again tonight" that's the issue. Once I get there, I'm cool.

Actually, a LOT of this stress I'm feeling is work-related. And I bring a lot of that on myself. I want things to be perfect, and when some of the people I work with keep things from being as good as they can be because they don't care as much as I do, it gets to me. And that makes me tired. And that makes me not want to do anything. And on and on.

So I'll keep trudging along, trying to contribute and participate. I really think I just need a vacation, which is coming up the last week of March. Do you ever notice that, the closer a vacation is getting, the more you realize you need it? Is that a self-fulfilling prophecy?

A Review

Publicity Photos by Jeff Frazier

More info: Nashville Shakespeare Festival

I'd forgotten how much I like live theater 

This afternoon, Monica and I went to see Eddie George in the title role of Julius Caesar. It was at the Troutt Theater on the Belmont University campus. This small theater was sold out (at least on the main floor, there may have been some available in the balcony), which may have been 200 people.

I was very impressed with the whole production. The acting was very good, yes including Eddie George. He has done several other acting gigs, and seems to do well at it. The actor playing Brutus I thought really brought some sincerity to the role, and the actress who played Caesar's wife was excellent. There was also a young lady in the play, Maya Abrams, who Monica and DJ know. 

The staging and direction showed some imagination as well. Having the actors in the crowd scenes start out in the audience brought us into those scenes, especially the Brutus speech at Caesar's funeral ("Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears"). The use of lighting and the minimum stage props helped give some dimension to the scenes. And the death of Caesar was brilliant! Instead of just having 5 or 6 guys stab him, Caesar fought back, and it was the most active fight I've ever personally seen on stage, so much so that, when Brutus made the fatal blow, you actually gasped, and felt the sorrow in Caesar's "Et tu, Brutus?"

I love live theater, especially when it's well done. And reasonably priced ($22 each today). It always takes a little extra work for Shakespeare because of the flowery language, but it's worth it. So many people will probably never experience the atmosphere of live theater, the feeling that those actors on that stage not far away are doing this just for you. Today was the last day for Julius Caesar, but I'm going to keep my eyes open for further productions, especially Shakespeare in the Park. 

Personality Flaw

I find myself doing it all the time. Someone will come up to me at work and ask some kind of silly question, and after they leave, I'm thinking "That *#@?*. Can't they see I'm busy? I get so tired of that stuff." And then, moments later, I'm kicking myself for my lack of patience.
Today I'm working in the cooler, and suddenly several boxes that were in the doors are falling where someone outside had pushed them back. Now I'm standing there with 3 or 4 boxes scattered on the floor. To say that I was livid is an understatement. I'm mentally calling that member every name in the book. As I'm putting the boxes back, the door opens and standing outside is the member. "Sorry" he says. It only takes a moment for me to realize that he's mentally challenged. Man,do I feel bad!
"That is God telling me again to be more patient," I said to myself.

I don't know why I have so little patience. It bugs me that I have such a quick temper. I really do work on trying to correct this part of my personality. One thing that I pray for constantly is divine help to be more easy-going and less judgmental And I guess it's better than it used to be, but still! It absolutely drives me up a wall that I can be so immature.

This past Sunday was the baptism of our pastor's infant daughter. They also had a service for everybody, a Renewal of Your Baptism type thing. There was a lot of talk about how everyone is special. They had a bowl of water-smoothed stones there for everybody to take one, as a constant reminder. So I'm carrying it with me all the time, hoping that it may be an influence on me. Every time I feel that patience slipping, I rub the stone to remind myself to calm down and relax. We'll see how it goes. Two days isn't a large enough sample size!

(Sorry if this is a boring post. I'm writing to get it off my chest. Maybe if I force myself to see it out in the light of day, that may help me learn how to manage this flaw.) 

Tebowing

There's an interesting discussion going on over on a very good friend's Facebook page. It concerns Tim Tebow. It came up here during the playoff game between Tebow's Broncos and New England. Right now, 3rd quarter, 2 minutes left, the Patriots are ahead 42-10. Tebow right now is 5 for 16 for 61 yards. If you're not a big football fan, suffice it to say that those numbers are not very good. The Broncos are simply out-classed. But that's not what the conversation's about.

This is what the conversation's centered on.

The question is who does the above action promote? 

I don't think anyone doubts that Tim Tebow is a fine person. Every game, he brings a family that is going through some difficult times to Denver, sets them up in a hotel, takes them to the game, and generally tries to do something special for them. He seems to have a genuine enthusiasm for the game and how fortunate he is to be able to play in the NFL. 

All reports that I've ever read say that he is sincere in his faith. I believe that it takes a certain amount of intestinal fortitude to continue as he does with all the negative talk. I think that he is a role model for others who may not be so sure that it is OK to profess your faith so. But, again, the question: Who does it promote?

Is it really necessary for Tebow to pray out in the middle of the endzone for everyone to see? This is copied and pasted from an image search:

Google 

Search tebowing
About 1,520,000,000 results (0.24 seconds)

A billion and a half pictures. Most of them are of Tim Tebow.
I think that your opinion of this is based on about 1.5 billion different influences. People either like it or they don't. It doesn't mean that they have more or less faith than anyone else. It's all a matter of comfort levels, and an individual's sense of propriety. I for one am glad to see someone so strong in their faith. I think that he may encourage others who need it. To me, a lot of his public displays are a bit over the top, and getting a little old and worn out.

The real problem is the media.

And that may be a good argument that he may need to back down a little. Last week, Tebow threw for 316 yards. Immediately, many in the media started talking about a (divine?) connection between that yardage and John 3:16, a verse that Tebow promoted in his college days by writing it in his eye black. THAT is over the top. Stop it. That's enough.

From the aforementioned Facebook discussion:

Carson W**** OMG!! One of the judges on the Miss America pageant just asked a question centered around Tebow. For Pete's sake! (I actually said something else, but cleaned it up for Facebook, lol)

I wrote this to remind everyone that people's opinions are their opinions, and they have a right to them. Good, open, honest discussion is healthy. Getting too intense and personal is not (which didn't happen in that conversation, by the way.) Let's remain civil, people.

John 3:16
New International Version (NIV)

 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The "S" Word

From Channel 4's Weather page for Wednesday at 7:45PM

EDIT 1/14/12:This map must be updating, because this is not the one I pasted here. The original map showed FORECAST snow totals for Thursday, 1/12/12. Don't know what I did here, but this is kinda cool.

Now I'm sure you notice that there is NO WHITE over the city of Nashville. But does that stop the tweets coming in from all the local TV news?

Josh DeVine @WSMVJoshDeVine 5h  Reply  Retweeted  Favorite · Open

According to @TDOTDeanna, crews will start preparing in the morning for possible snowfall. Rain kept them from brining today.  This is from my favorite station

WTVF - NewsChannel 5 @NC5 29m  Reply  Retweet  Favorite · Open

Are you ready to see some snow? TDOT is! They have 50,859 tons of salt, 632,300 gallons of brine, 234 salt... fb.me/1m5OQ2Kqq  I don't really like these guys

WKRNHeadlines @WKRNHeadlines 9h  Reply  Retweet  Favorite · Open

FROM WKRN-TV: Snow possible in Middle Tenn. Thursday bit.ly/AD4zXK  Can you tell this is the #3 station in town?

And a local sports talk show is having fun with it:

Brent, Clay & Blaine @3HL1045 2h  Reply  Retweet  Favorite · Open

Yes. Come see us! Get some bread & milk #thundersnow RT @SportsGirlTN: Is tomorrow the day @3HL1045 is at Kroger in Hermitage? #myhood  This is a really great show, these guys crack me up.

I'm not sure that this even requires editorializing on my part...

18 years old

So it was pretty cold when we left to go to the hospital that morning. It ended up with snow flurries that afternoon. Somewhere between those two events, DJ was born. 

DJ stands for Daniel, Jr, obviously. Now he goes by Daniel to most of the general public, but I still stumble over that. He says that he doesn't care one way or the other. Good thing.

He was always a pretty good kid. He never cried much as an infant. He was never any trouble to get to sleep. In fact, we were pretty impressed that he would often put himself to bed when he got to be a toddler. He always wanted to help. I've told the story a million times about the time that he and I were sitting in the family room in the old house. It was a long, narrow room with a bathroom at one end. He got up and was heading that way, so I called "Hey, go to the bathroom for me while you're in there." He said ok, took a couple more steps, stopped and said "How do I do that?"

You remember that beer commercial with the frogs, right? He was real little then, sitting in my lap when it came on one time. The next thing you know, he and I were sitting there going "Bud" at each other and laughing like loons.

To this day, I still find myself wishing he hadn't gotten hurt on that tackle and having to end his football career. He really loved playing. He was in the first grade and one day we were watching football when he said "I can't wait until I'm old enough to play." I told him they have leagues for his age group, and the rest as they say is history. He played 8 of the next 10 years after that. {I've come back 2 or 3 times to edit this paragraph to make the first line more powerful, but I can't quite get it to express the true sadness I feel about the situation without being too dramatic.}

I try not to treat him like a kid, especially in front of his friends, but I am a dad, after all. For his birthday yesterday, he wanted to go to BB King's Blues Club downtown for dinner, so the family met him and his girlfriend Savannah and 3 other friends there for dinner. Of course, while we were there, I pulled a dad on him when I heard him order his cheeseburger medium-well. Now I've always ordered his stuff medium-rare for him, so when I heard that, I thought he misspoke. Yes, you got it, I asked him if he was sure he wanted it medium-well. He rolled his eyes with that teenage patience and said "Yes, Dad. I'm sure."

Happy birthday, buddy. I expect the next 18 years to be just as much fun!

Murfreesboro Road and Me

We live in a part of Nashville called Antioch. Now, Antioch has become basically a generic name for a very large and spread out portion of southeastern Nashville-Davidson County.  A friend of mine who is a life-long resident says he is frequently surprised at areas that the people on the news will say is part of Antioch.There are all kinds of areas in Antioch, from well-to-do family areas to run-down shopping malls, from streets that you can walk down at 3AM to areas where you're scared 24/7. (We live in a good part of town, don't worry.) Because of this diversity, it has become quite a melting pot of different types of people and cultures.

If you're not familiar with Nashville, there is a major road that runs through what is basically the center of Antioch called Murfreesboro Road. It runs from downtown (where, like many roads in Nashville, it has a different name, Lafayette Street), into and through Antioch, and all the way into Rutherford County to the town of, yes, you guessed it, Murfreesboro. Most of this road is 4 lane divided highway, and even if not divided, still 4 lanes.

THIS is the sign you see on about 90% of this bustling, busy, major thoroughfare. So why do I constantly find myself going 30 MPH here? I'm driving down the street in the left lane, and if there's two other cars on the road, one will be in front of me going 30, and one in the right lane half a car length ahead going 31, preventing me from going around. We'll travel down the road like this for two or three blocks. One of the most amazing things about this is that we'll brake at intersections, even when we have green lights. Finally, physics being what it is, we'll get a little separation, and I can pass the guy. Then I get two or three blocks of speed limit driving (which feels like the Autobahn by then), until BOOM! there's the next group, doing the same as above. Sometimes I have to ride with my foot on the brake because MY CAR DOESN'T IDLE THAT SLOW! This has even happened on my way into work, which as many of you know is generally about 4:30 in the morning (3:30 the last couple of weeks). Must be a law or something.

Many years ago, my best friend commented that he was surprised that I didn't have a bunch of speeding tickets. He said I drove faster than anyone he knew. I don't think that's true, but I admit that I drive as fast as the road and conditions allow. I've only had one speeding ticket in my life (given to me on Oporto Blvd. near the old Eastwood Mall in Birmingham on my 20th birthday.There's something cruel about a cop handing you a ticket and saying "Happy birthday.") I don't want to go 100, I just want to go the speed limit. I constantly tell these other drivers (yes, I talk to them in my car) that I agree that it's their God-given right to drive 20 MPH....just do it in the RIGHT-HAND LANE!

And don't get me started on phone use in the car. I was pulling away from the curb in front of DJ's school today and while waiting for a lady to go by, she stopped dead in the middle of the block right in front of me. Even though I was sticking out into the road at a 45 degree angle, even with my front end pointed right at her passenger door, she obviously didn't know I was there. It took a serious horn to get her to move. Why can't everyone drive as well as I do?

When NORAD tracked Santa

When NORAD tracked Santa: Bruno Bowden on the TED Blog

This is an interesting story about how this cool tradition came about. I had read this story before, and it always makes me feel good.

The Post Office and their work with the letters to Santa program gets me too. (See Miracle on 34th Street. The original is the best.)

Both of these programs are examples of how good things can happen when people want good things to happen. It's so easy in today's world of hustle and bustle and economic troubles and terrorists and space junk falling to forget how easy it is to do this stuff. Another one is trick or treat. Imagine a world where everybody forgets their troubles and offers free candy to all the kids in the neighborhood. Every year at Halloween I think about how cool this is. (We live in a family area, no doubt. We probably have 100 kids come to the door. I love it.)

Do you find yourself shaking your head (smh) all the time, saying "What's this world coming to?" Do you sometimes feel like everyone in the world is selfish and self-centered? I know I do. I'm going to have to return to this post often. I'm tired of being cynical. I want to be positive. There's a New Year's resolution for you. Attitude adjustment. Do you need one too?