Optimism

"The optimists are usually wrong and the pessimists are usually right. Yet, all the great changes in history were done by optimists."

Thomas Friedmann, three-time Pulitzer Prize winner [quote is not verbatim]

Fragile

"I envy those few people who truly understand that life is a fragile bargain, rescindable at any time by the other party, and live their lives accordingly."

Joseph Epstein

Nonsense

Why do all these clever newspaper reporters point out that only a victory counts in Tuesday's game - when it is a direct elmination competition? You always have to win in the DFB Pokal. Which is what we will do.

Greulich Fuerth Means Nothing

What's all this Schmarn about the game against Fuerth deciding Babbel's future?

Let's say we win. Whoop-dee-doo. We beat a team from the second Bundesliga. That would make me keep a coach. Are we going to win against Sevilla and Bayern afterwards? I'd love it, but I don't see it happening. You can lose games like that. Any of our best coaches has at times. Now, keeping on losing afterwards wouldn't be pretty, and that needs to stop.

Let's say we lose. You really want to fire your coach and waste whatever stimulus you're hoping for from a new coach on very possible losses to Sevilla and Munich? Nice move. Either way, let's just give Babbel time at least until after the Moenchengladbach game.

And yes, Markus Babbel needs to remain our coach. We need to become a team like Manchester United or Arsenal who stick with a great coach for years.

P.S. Send that Mappus fellow across the border to Bavaria. Or better yet, France. Traitor.

Nothing Has Happened

Alright, let's assume that we're going to lose in Sevilla, too. What does that mean?

Nothing.

Of course, I'm assuming Sevilla keeps on winning. As long as they do,

• if Glasgow beats Unirea in Romania, we need to tie Glasgow and beat Unirea
• if they tie, we need to tie Glasgow and beat Unirea
• if Unirea wins, we need to beat Glasgow and Unirea

If we managed to tie Sevilla, we could even afford a loss to Glasgow if they beat Unirea. All this would leave us second in the end. While all that doesn't look pretty, our chances are anything but terrible.

And yes, Markus Babbel needs to remain our coach.

Playing It Safe

Out of the blue, I quoted (the German translation of) Augustus this morning after he heard of his army's defeat by Arminius:

"Varus, Varus, gib' mir meine Legionen wieder!"

Ch gave me a skeptical look, and decided to respond with an answer she deemed safe:

"I love you."

Shortly thereafter, La chimed in,

"Ich hab' den Bananen-blues."

Guess we still need to work on that German language expertise.

Doing My Best

If the 18 teams of the Bundesliga (top German soccer league) have an average of 25 players on roll, that's 450 pro's. Compared to the 6.3 million members of the Deutscher Fussball-Bund, that's 0.007%. Am I in the top 0.007% in my calling? Am I on my way there? Or do I want to spend my life playing Kreisklasse?

Yes! Yes! Yes! BIG News

Source: Logos (probably originally Zondervan)

I know, most of you probably couldn't care less. But to me, this is just about the biggest news that could have happened - as far as Bible study, pastoral service, etc. is concerned. Zondervan has been one of - if not the - hottest publisher in Christian resources recently. One of their highly acclaimed resources is the NIV Application Commentary. They also publish all the Purpose-Driven materials, as far as I know. Until recently, they used their own software, making all their great resources unavailable to Logos users. But as of Monday last week, Zondervan is going to publish resources in Logos format. That's just plain about the best news on the Bible software front that I could have had. Some of the resources I'm looking forward to:

Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: New Testament
NIV Application Commentary: New Testament
Africa Bible Commentary

There are OT counterparts, too, and plenty of other great stuff - and it'll only get more.

In His Law He Meditates Day and Night

How do we go about "meditating in His law day and night" (Psalm 1:2)? Well, there's a new tool out there that may help. Logos has put up six twitter feeds, where you can have scripture sent to you on various schedules. Sounds interesting - if you use twitter, that is.

Meet the Girl Who Threw the Ball Back

Video of The Girl Who Threw the Ball Back, including talk show appearance

Some thoughts:

1. Great choice. It's a baseball - what's the point in keeping it?
2. So, throwing a baseball away gets you on the talkshow now? We're so decadent.
3. Great response from the dad. Hope I respond that way if I get into a similar situation.

Here's Your Sign

So I tried to microwave some leftover tea on Sunday morning, and I pressed start on the microwave, and it goes something like, "puff," and the clock disappears, and that was it. Obviously, I head to the breaker box (De? Vo?). None of the breakers is messed up, so Ly and I try various ones for a while until we have acertained that the microwave has gone to microwave-heaven. Alarmed, I head to the washing machine, which still contains the load I did last night, which should have been in the dryer. I pull out the dial ... nothing. You see, the microwave and the washing machine were on the same outlet. I plug in a light later that day, which works just fine.

I'm very relieved that new washing machines are only $328 and up, with some fairly respectable ones at $450. At the same time, I'm hoping the machine had a fuse or something that took the hit. We sure liked it - it was perfect for us. I decide I'm going to open it up and see whether I can attempt surgery. Since I'm pretty busy, we spend the week without a washing machine until I finally get to it Friday night.

Inside, there gazoos of wires going every direction, but none look especially bad. I recognize that there's nothing I can do, so I put it back together and try one more time. Nothing.

Then again, maybe there's not supposed to be any water going when the dial is at the end of the washing cycle ("Off").

Balanced Lives

Most people struggle with life balance simply because they haven't paid the price to decide what is really important to them.

Stephen Covey

Word of Wisdom for Those Buying a New Camera (System)

Source: CanonEOS.com

When you're thinking about buying a new camera...

You're not buying a camera. You are buying into a lens system.

Buy your camera for the lenses.

In other words, the lenses are the razor, the camera is the blade.

Why I Want High Speed Rail in Oklahoma

Pity the Bugs

Source: 16 Valvulas. No idea who or what they are. I should have put a real photo here, but I liked this one, and you don't really want to see photos of bugs, do you?

So, none of my children are afraid of bugs. I'd say that's a good thing. Jo was at the living room patio door the other day, trying to catch a moth. When he just couldn't get it, he tried to at least smuch [:slap with the hand with the intent to murder:] it. He didn't succeed in that, either. If his sisters cry, "there's a bug!" he'll come and pick it up and throw it into the trash can. Great job, boy - you're hired! Anyhow, apparently the girls don't mind bugs, either, at least not really small ones. This morning Ch came to me with a little beetle of some kind in her hands, telling me,

It's not dirty or mean, so don't kill it, but it just wants to get some rest.

Yes, ma'am. Shortly thereafter, La had another one like it. Life (our house?) is a zoo.

Texting While Driving

Marine Debris

Thoughts Regarding a Biblical Perspective on Domesticated Animals

What is the significance of our domesticated animals in the kingdom of God? Does He care about life and death of a pet? How much should a Christ-ian care? Which sacrifices are appropriate, given that there are many people we could sacrifice for instead?

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.

John 10:11

Is this verse relevant? It is a metaphor, no doubt. However, in order for the metaphor to work, there must be a shepherd who would literally give his life for the sheep. Let's remember that this is likely a hired shepherd, too. Note also the significance: Christ uses this metaphor to describe his death on Calvary, with which He bought eternal life for all humanity! Clearly, then, Jesus Himself affirms that animals are not just objects of little or no value.


Counter-Point:

It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.

Mark 7:27

Does this say anything about domesticated animals? Firstly (according to my understanding), dogs were not really domesticated then. They were roaming freely, and stole what food fell off the table. They didn't get a bowl of food better than what 95% of the world population get to eat. Yet, the principle that stands behind Jesus' words is clear: humans have a greater value than animals. Applied to our lives, how much energy, effort, and resources can be put into animals as long as there are countless humans in need of care?


The Conclusion

You didn't seriously think I'd burn my fingers by posting a conclusion here and now?

Praise The Lord! and Hallelujah!

Wow. I'm doing some research about church web sites for my class, and I came across one that started like this:

[Church Name]
Bubble 1: Praise the Lord! Help us spread the word of God by donating to our cause
Bubble 2: Hallelujah! Become an ordained minister of the [church name] today!

Hmmm.


Then, there's the Church of R_eality ("if it's r_eal, we believe in it"), which has a link on their main menu to "Our Hidden Agenda."

Intergenerational Differences in Perspectives

It is amazing how divergent the views of two people can be who are merely a generation apart.

For instance,

My 1-year old really, really, really doesn't want to go to bed
While I really, really, really do.

Obviously, we then proceed to do the two-sons-sent-to-the-field thing: he goes to bed, I don't. I hear life is unfair sometimes.

Fruitfulness

Source: Microsoft ClipArt

My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

John 15:8 NASB

Oh, that we would be fruitful!

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season [...]

Psalm 1:1-3 NASB

Why VfB Stuttgart Should Buy Klaas Jan Huntelaar

Change

When the winds of change are blowing, some people are building shelters, and others are building windmills.

Chinese Proverb

Leadership and Community

We have to strike the right balance between being in touch, and being in control. The irony is, the more in control we are, the more out of touch we become.

A. G. Lafley, CEO of Procter & Gamble

Efficiency and Importance

There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.

Peter F. Drucker

Thank You

Thank you, Lord, for the rain on Saturday. It was just what we needed.

(Having a garden to care for gives you a different perspective on some things.)

Bliss

Bliss is...

...when you stare at your 5-page paper at 2:30 a.m. in the morning, and it's still barely 4 pages ...

...and then you realize you're still in 11 point font size.

Hallelujah, I'm going to bed!

Daydreaming

Horst Heldt is putting on a big press conference today. Demba Ba is not going to be the replacement for Mario Gomez. However, since he can't possibly stay at Hoffenheim after what's he pulled off, we did snap him up for the $3 million he's worth, and he won't get a cent more than in Hoffenheim, so he learns his lesson.

The real replacement for Mario Gomez is Klaas Jan Huntelaar. After Real Madrid bought Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, there's no room for him there to play Champions League, so Stuttgart was just the right fit. Together with Cacau or Ba, he'll make a great offense.

Just as the presentation is about to wind down, Heldt announces he's got another player hired, and they might just as well show him now. He scoots an extra chair in, somewhere in the middle, and ought walks Rafael van der Vaart. With Kaka in Madrid now, he wasn't going to play any more than last year, and he wants to go to the world cup, too.

Coach Babbel turns to Horst Heldt, saying "How are we going to pay for all of this?" The manager replies, "I suppose you can say a team is expected to do well when a potential sponsor will buy out an existing one." He proceeds to reveal, "there's a guy from the Mannheim area that has been able to start a pretty successful company..."

Ba: "You have got to be kidding me!"
Heldt: "...together with someone from Bad Cannstatt, and so I'm proud to reveal our new lead sponsor: Mercedes-Benz."

Huntelaar and van der Vaart take off their blazers revealing the new jersey. No, there's no more ugly brown version of it available.

The presentation ends with "Ein Stern, der ueber Stuttgart steht..."

Cashier Faints at Sight of Visa Signature Card

My friendly neighborhood global bank sent me another credit card upgrade the other day. Sometime in January, if I recall, to be precise (I'm sure I just forgot to activate it all along). But wait, it's not just any new credit card. It's a Visa Signature card. It even has a shiny new number, breaking all of the web sites where I had entered my old credit card number (such as certain monthly payments...). Yet, who would be displeased when the new card offers so many tremendous benefits? It is "perfect for value-conscious, financially responsible Customers like yourself" (I'd buy that one from just about anyone but the company who sends me my credit card statement each month).

Surely enough, I immediately started to "experience an unparalleled level of service," as promised. For instance, when I walked into Wal-mart, even before I had bought a thing, there was a friendly old man at the entrance who greeted me very kindly. He even gave my children yellow stickers - two apiece. Do you get that with the credit card you carry?

Also, this is not one of those credit cards you would only use when you don't have any cash with you. BofA declared that they "fully expect [me] to make [my] new card [my] card of choice for everything - from everyday purchases to travel around the globe." I no longer have to put any green down at McDonald's. Now I can charge everything! I want to see those paupers with their dinky wannabe credit cards do that! And I get to travel around the globe, too. Do I get to take the wife and the kids?

But wait, there's more. This card will cause people to treat you with the "respect offered by a superior credit card product." You can see me walk taller already. The other day, I was buying this really expensive jewelry for my wife, and the cashier looked at me with that look of, "can you really afford that?" Then, I pulled out the new Signature Visa, kind of like Jerry Seinfeld in those commericals with the gas pump, when he fills it up to exactly $10.00, and then adds just a little bit extra because he doesn't need an exact amount with his fancy plastic. Anyhow, I slowly eased it out of my wallet (I ought to get a better, newer wallet for it). The poor cashier took one look at it before she sank to the floor. Just amazing.

Oh, the joy of respect wherever you go. No, you can't have one. It's very special, not for just anyone. We are an elite circle. Now please excuse me, I need to update my Amazon payment methods.

_________
BTW, Ly, I'm sorry - the part about the jewelry was a factual inaccuracy.

Greetings from Galveston

We spent a few wonderful days at the Escapes! to the Gulf at Galveston. The place was superb, and we had an awesome time.

The hotel was right next to the beach. Contrary to most hotels, the Escapes! is a mile or two outside town, and instead of Seawall Boulevard (4 lanes) separating you from the beach, there's nothing between you and the shore.

Just a nice wooden walkway from the hotel right to the sand. The shore is very flat, so that you can go out into the water for quite a while, even with small children. The kids were a little skeptical, but we did get them jumping in the waves eventually. They busily collected shells, too.



With boatloads of sand, we were able to build several large sand castles, and enjoyed ourselves to our heart's content. Ch declared that she wanted to stay in the sand, and not go home.

The kids (just the kids? Nah!) loved the pool. It was beautifully clean and had a corner that was shallow enough for the toddlers, as well as a ledge where they could walk around the edge of the pool by themselves. There was also a whirlpool jaccuzi for Papi.

The apartment was really nice as well. Here's the bedroom Ly and I slept in.

People had asked us, "is your hotel still being repaired from Hurricane Ike?" Not the Escapes! There were a few places that could still use some repair, though. Note the pier in the distance below the tall building. Most of it is missing.

Here's a fully furnished apartment right by the beach. Maybe next time.

Wichita Mountains Unedited

PhotoShop will only be in the mail tomorrow, so I have to post this one unedited. I like it too well to wait any longer, though.

On Our Knees

There was a significant line in a dramatic presentation we had at church last Sunday. I remember it like this:

American Christians would rather live standing that die kneeling.

That would be our problem.

I'm assuming that the idea behind the quote is supposed to be that we don't just give ourselves up and submit to another power (in this case, the entire Bristish fleet). Before I get back to those two alternatives, let's consider the words die and kneel.

Die

• I have been crucified with Christ. Gal. 2:20
• If anyone would come after me, let him [...] take up his cross. Matt. 16:24
• "We will abandon it all for the Sake of the Call." (SCC)
  

Kneel

• So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him... Matt. 18:26
• The twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne... Rev. 4:10
• I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it... Mark 11:20
• You do not have, because you do not ask. James 4:2
  

I believe that the statement above is a statement of pride and self-reliance. I do not believe that the alternative is one of subjugation (and what I'm about to say is more general in nature, and not intended to be an answer to defending a country). Our problem as Christians is that we are too often characterized by our desire for comfort, entertainment, and riches, gained by our selfish efforts, and not primarily by being people on our knees, unable to help ourselves, but imploring our Father who alone is able, too rarely a people ready to die, giving up our priorities for his purposes.

Addendum: For those of my readers who will feel that this is an attack on their patriotism, the sacrifice at Fort McHenry, or the "Star Spangled Banner" itself: what if the answer of the lawyer had been, "we believe that what you're about to do is a great injustice, and we pray that God will help us to not be overcome, despite the size of your navy?" Same patriotism, different attitude?

Fasst

I'm done. I'm done. I am brilliant. I was fasst.

La, after finishing first eating her breakfast cereal.

Time

Someone asked me about something at church last night, "...when you have some time." (I don't recall who or what.)

Well, it's not looking too good for this life... . Maybe next life?

Change

People are not afraid of change. They fear the unknown.

Dick Brown, chairman and CEO of EDS

Oklahoma Weather

Don't put those warm coats away just yet. According to a co-worker I talked to a moment ago, Oklahoma had snow on June 3rd, 1969. I hear it didn't stick, though.

Listening

"The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said."

Peter F. Drucker

Speaking the Truth Doesn't Matter

The goal of the gospel is not just the proclamation of truth. The goal of the gospel is life transformation through a relationship with God, a life that no longer is about you, but is lived for God's purposes.

Consequently, what matters is not to speak the truth only. For lives to be transformed, what matters is what other people hear (and what happens in response). We learned all the way back in speech communication that what a sender says is not automatically the same as what a recipient hears. The sender speaks from a set of experiences, uses a specific vocabulary, and speaks from a particular world view (I'm probably still missing some ingredients). The recipient will quite likely have a different vocabulary, very likely a different world view, and certainly a different set of experiences. That means that what I say is not automatically what you understand.

In addition to these differences, "noise" makes communication more difficult. Noise can be physical noise, such as other people talking, that causes me to misunderstand. Noise can be specific words that get me going, while you may mean a totally different thing.

If my wife comes into the kitchen on Saturday morning wearing a particular outfit, I may say, "Why did you wear that?" What I mean is, "I thought you were thinking about wearing that next Monday?" However, turns out that our son had a bad night, which I completely missed because I was quite tired and never woke up. She only slept about three hours and is completely exhausted, and a little flustered that I slept through it all. Not surprisingly, she has a headache, too. Does she hear "did you change your plans?" Possible, but not certain. She may just hear, "why do you have to wear that ugly thing?" Yes, this a fictive example.

I'll assume that we're agreed now that what one person says is not automatically understood in the same manner by another person. Let's assume I'm talking with another person about Jesus. He may actually be open to the gospel, though he also has some friends that are Buddhist, and whom he respects a lot. I start the conversation by pointing out the difference between a believer and an unbeliever. That's biblical language, isn't it? Turns out that today's society considers people of varying faiths all believers. My friend will quite possibly feel all his assumptions about narrow-minded, judgmental, we-have-the-truth Christians reinforced when I just put him, his Buddhist friend, and everyone else who doesn't think like me into the box, "unbelievers." It no longer matters what I say afterwards. The noise introduced through that unnecessary term just torpedoed whatever truth I may have to share.

That's why I examine what I say, what other people believe, and why I choose terms that express what I want to say without offending - inasmuch as I can. I am working on using the term non-Christian in the future. It expresses what I want to say just fine and avoids the unnecessary offense of "unbeliever."


So, yes, speaking the truth does matter ... if it is the first step. If it is the only step, it doesn't matter. Only if I speak the truth in such a manner that others hear the truth communicated in love, then speaking the truth matters. Speaking the truth so as to be understood must take the other into account, and must be done in sensitivity to the other.

Easter in a Nutshell

Dear Jesus,
Thank You!

Marquee of New Hope Church, Oklahoma City

Building to Last

No institution can possibly survive if it needs geniuses or supermen to manage it. It must be organized in such a way as to be able to get along under a leadership composed of average human beings.

Peter F. Drucker

Action

If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 NLT

Before I Answer that Question...

Source: What the Duck

Leadership: Growth

Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.

Jack Welch

Perspective on National Debt

Our debt is currently about 11 trillion dollars ($11,000,000,000,000). To put that into perspective, if you had started a business at Christ's birth - in the year 0 - and lost a million dollars a day, you could keep that up for another 700 years to equal 1 trillion in debt. Remember, we're 11 trillion dollars in debt.

Source: Rick Warren mentioned this in a web video at Purpose Driven Connection.

Sag' es mit der Rose

Sag' es mit der Rose means, "say it with the Rose" and illustrates the concept of saying things kindly by not being too direct and getting the point across subtly. My daughter has made progess on this matter, I'm sure, but there is still room for growth...

I was at church after the service, having picked the girls up from children's church, and Ly still had some work to take care of. So I stayed in the gym with the girls, and since the basketballs were out, I took a few shots. I did miss a couple, which prompted La to say,

"Why don't we go home, because - it's not working."

The gift of encouragement, no doubt.

Aha!

[You need to read the preceding post first for this to make sense.]

She noticed that she had forgotten the original message. Behold, it was all in response to my e-mail this morning, which ended in,

I noticed that this change must have already occurred, so no further action is needed.

Work Conversation

I know you would all love to know what I do at work. Here's to satisfy your curiosity: I read e-mails. Revealing messages like this one:

Fwd: Re: Wrong wording

The change has been made.

Thanks,

[Person's Name]


>>> Can you fix this?
>>> [Original Requestor's Name]

I'm glad they copied me in, so I'm in the know.

Christlikeness

Lord, help me to understand, rather than to be understood.
To love, rather than to be loved.

Mother Theresa

Ouch.

Perspective on Failure

Vincent Van Gogh failed as an art dealer, flunked his entrance exam to theology school, and was fired by the church after an ill-fated attempt at missionary work. In fact, during his life, he seldom experienced anything other than failure as an artist. Although a single painting by Van Gogh would fetch in excess of $100 million today, in his lifetime Van Gogh sold only one painting, four months prior to his death.

Before developing his theory of relativity, Albert Einstein encountered academic failure. One headmaster expelled Einstein from school and another teacher predicted that he would never amount to anything. Einstein even failed his entrance exam into college.

Prior to dazzling the world with his athletic skill, Michael Jordan was cut from his sophomore basketball team. Even though he captured six championships, during his professional career, Jordan missed over 12,000 shots, lost nearly 400 games, and failed to make more than 25 would-be game-winning baskets.

Source: Failing Forward

So, if you feel like you've failed at something, remember: it's not how often you fall, but whether you get back up (that's a quote from someone, too, I don't remember who).

Dreams

God inspired dreams are not placed in your heart as a taunt. If your dream is truly God-given, you can reach it.

Steve Moore, The Dream Cycle

Bible Study Magazine Review

Bible Study Magazine (BSM) is a bimonthly magazine published by Logos, the producer of the predominant bible software in the U.S. The issue I am reviewing is the inaugural issue (Nov. / Dec. 2008).

As a minister, I care deeply about bible study. As a dedicated Logos user, I love the idea of a magazine that approaches Bible study with the tools in mind that I use. At about 40 pages of content, the magazine deals with subjects that I would break into three categories:

1. Inspirational & General Audience topics, such as “Facing Today with the Book of Hebrews,” and “Choosing a Bible Translation.”
2. “Text” topics, such as, the significance of the Qumran scrolls, or comparisons of archeological finds to the Bible text, or “Who Took Verse 4 Out of My Bible?”
3. “Getting the Most out of Logos” topics, such as “Using Bible Dictionaries,” and “Discovering the Power of Luke’s Gospel.”

For my purposes, I am particularly interested in the latter two, since I have ready access to plenty of the first category. Unfortunately for me, there was a fairly substantial portion of this type included.

I enjoyed the Text topics. The discovery in Isaiah 53:11 eloquently demonstrated the value of archeological finds, and the two accounts of Sennacherib’s attack on Jerusalem provided valuable perspective. This is the type of material that I could always read more of, though I’d want to be sure that BSM is more than just a facsimile of Biblical Archeology Review. “Who Took Verse 4 Out of My Bible?” may be the type of article that skillfully avoids that danger.

I would have liked an expansion of the “Logos” category, though too much of it may put the magazine name into question. Specifically, I’d like the steps of an article like “Using Bible Dictionaries” enriched with more depth, and a greater focus on resources that are part of common libraries. In my estimation, a magazine from Logos is going to be read primarily by Logos users. I’d enjoy a clear sense of which resources would be the best addition to my current library – not just Marketing talk (not that there was in this issue), but a demonstration that shows the power of a resource. In addition, there is value locked in the resources I already own, and I’d like to leverage that. I certainly hope that BSM never becomes a magazine that merely tries to upsell people.

In that sense, “Discovering the Power of Luke’s Gospel” is probably my favorite article in this issue (even though it made me put the BDAG on my shopping list).

To round up the review a little, let me add that the production quality and design of BSM is very nice. I’ve felt yucky paper before, and BSM is definitely an enjoyable experience.

So, am I sold? On the one hand, there’s much to like. On the other hand, I feel there’s a degree of lack of focus (remember, though, that I have only seen one issue!). I’m not the kind of guy who needs more interesting reading. To make my list, it’s got to be something I really, really want to read. At the current stage, there may not be enough of that type in BSM, though I’ll admit I’m still on the fence.

Note: Logos currently is running a promotion - you could win a free subscription!

Magic Hour Indeed

Source: What the Duck

He Wins

Jo took advantage of an insignificant, short distraction during supper to relocate his green beans from his tray to below the table. This act of defiance prompted his father to stick his face within about a foot of Jo's face and give him a stern look. As Jo noticed him, his face broke into a big smile, he laughed out loud, and leaned forward, immitating his father. Realizing that his son had won that round, the father retreated to a normal sitting position to consider his options,which prompted his daughter to comment,

La: "Look! Jo scared Papi away!"

A Tale of Two Cities: Georgetown, KY and Toluca, Mexico

What, exactly, is an American car? A car branded by a company with headquarters in the U.S.? A car manufactured by people in the U.S? A car manufactured by people in Canada or the U.S.?

(Georgetown, KY is where Toyota manufactures the Camry. Toluca, Mexico is where Chrysler manufactures PT Cruisers, among others.)

BTW, as for my thoughts on Fiat taking a 35% stake in Chrysler: that's like Dollar General taking a stake in The GAP. Not what you want if you like The GAP.

Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin

One of the most challenging things as a Christian is how to express love, which we are clearly called to do, without endorsing what the Bible is clear is against the will of God. Far too often, we err on the side of condemning the sin, making others feel like we are rejecting them, rather than expressing love. Philip Yancey has some tremendous thoughts in "What's so Amazing About Grace?" (though some of what he says will be hard to digest for some).

Pastor Rick Warren took a stand against homosexual marriage recently. As a result, there was a demonstration headed for his church. Saddleback answered this way: serve the demonstrators water and donuts.

Supposedly, another person will be as impressed by one bad impression as by twelve good ones. If that is true, then if we want to get Jesus' message across acurately, we have a lot of water and donuts to serve. Or would we rather get a different message across?

Prayer on Being Made Redundant

The Church of England has published a well-put prayer for those who have been laid off. Hope none of you has occasion to pray it - maybe the only time I'll ever say, "I hope you don't pray (this prayer)."

Food Likes and Dislikes

My wife made a very nice dessert today, with the ingredients including among them

• Raspberries
• Chocolate
• Whipped Cream
• Cookies

You'd think our kids would be ecstatic. Turns out, my son decided he was too tired to bother. My daughters refused the treat, preferring instead ... sour grapes. Hmmm.