Central Standard

A Daisy A Day

2012-02-14T00:13:00.001-06:00

In the only movie my lovely bride cares about seeing more than one time, "You've Got Mail", there is a conversation going on via e-mail between Kathleen Kelly, who owns a quaint Manhattan bookshop that caters to children, and the heir to the behemoth that is Fox Books, Joe Fox. At one point in one of their exchanges, she remarks that, "Daisies are the friendliest flower."

Well, my wife certainly agrees with that and I think I do, too. I mean, who wouldn't? Is there a more friendly flower than the Daisy? I don't think so. Roses, for example, aren't friendly. They have a reputation for being all about "love", but to me they look a bit more like, "We look good! Don't we? Don't we look good? Yeah, we look good." Roses are stuck on themselves.

Carnations? Carnations are the Prom flower and they are phonies. They look nice and come in all sorts of funky colors so they can match whatever the get up is that the girl finally settles on. But that matchy-matchy silliness is just there to distract you from thinking about the TWO-FOOT LONG HARPOON THAT IS HIDING JUST BEHIND THE FLOWER! This is just one more source of anxiety for the guy who is already chock-full of doubt. He'll be okay about the carnation though, because mom can pin the flower on his date, but he's really starting to second-guess the decision to grab burgers from the bowling alley for dinner.

Orchids, you say? Orchids are Royalty. They are all, "You may kiss the ring," and "We are not amused," and stuff like that. Orchids will not be seen in public with other flowers. Heck, they probably will not be seen in public with me. In fact you can't buy Orchids at any stores. You have to petition for an audience with an Orchid. You may catch a glimpse of one as a motorcade goes by, or hear rumors of an Orchid staying at a villa in the Caribbean, but don't ask about the Rose they were seen frolicking with on the beach.

The point of this silly exercise is to reinforce the idea that Daisies really are the friendliest flower and are near and dear to Kathy's heart. And I have a soft spot for things that she considers near and dear. So on Valentine's Day, I would give you bunches of Daisies, but I don't have any. (At least, not yet.) So, I will give you this, which I never fail to think about when you speak of your love of Daisies.

I Think I Look Good - If I Don't Look To Christ

2012-02-08T22:32:00.000-06:00

From the Institutes of the Christian Religion, by John Calvin:

If, at mid-day, we either look down to the ground, or on the surrounding objects which lie open to our view, we think ourselves endued with a very strong and piercing eyesight; but when we look up to the sun, and gaze at it unveiled, the sight which did excellently well for the the earth is instantly so dazzled and confounded by the refulgence, as to oblige us to confess that our acuteness in discerning terrestrial objects is mere dimness when applied to the sun. Thus, too, it happens in estimating our spiritual qualities. So long as we do not look beyond the earth, we are quite pleased with our own righteousness, wisdom, and virtue; we address ourselves in the most flattering terms, and seem only less than demigods. But should we once begin to raise our thoughts to God, and reflect what kind of being he is, and how absolute the perfection of that righteousness, and wisdom, and virtue, to which, as a standard, we are bound to be conformed, what formerly delighted us by its false show of righteousness will become polluted with the greatest iniquity; what strangely imposed upon us under the name of wisdom will disgust by its extreme folly; and what presented the appearance of virtuous energy will be condemned as the most miserable impotence. So far are those qualities in us, which seem most perfect, from corresponding to the divine purity. (1.1.2)

Beware The Patriots

2012-01-28T19:16:00.000-06:00

Giants or Patriots?
Patriots or Giants?

I would have thought, immediately after the Conference title games of last Sunday, that the Patriots would have been favored going into the Super Bowl. And from what I have been able to gather, that's the way the early line went, New England favored by 3 1/2 and there has been some movement, but not much, and it is now 3.

But listen to sports talk radio and the conversation is all about the Giants. About a day after the games last week, all the talk seemed to be how the Giants really have the edge in the upcoming NFL championship. Former Giants players are interviewed, current Giants players are interviewed, the 2008 Super Bowl, in which the Giants beat the 18-0 Patriots, is re-hashed, the Patriots shaky defense is broken down and left broken. It sounds like there is a rush to announce to the world, "Not so fast, my friends! The Giants can win the Super Bowl!"

What if he plays better in the Super Bowl than
he did in the AFC title game?

And the response to that is, "Well, yeah, they can win the game, nobody said they couldn't." But while the whole world is looking over at the Giants have you noticed nobody is talking about the Patriots? Have you noticed the Patriots are not talking. Well, except where quarterback Tom Brady said he would play better. And I guess that was supposed to be a private conversation.

I think it's possible that the Patriots go into "nobody believes in us" mode. Now, that's a little hard to do when you are still a 3-point favorite, but Coach Belichik has the knack for building unity in a professional team like few other coaches. He can talk them into thinking nobody believes in them and preparing like it. It is possible this game may not be as close as we are presently expecting. Remember what happened after Spygate a few years ago? After being punished by the NFL, the Patriots played like they were possessed for the next few weeks, and were obliterating people.

I'm anticipating something similar this coming week. I think the Patriots won't be just playing to win. I think they will be playing to make a statement.

AFC Title Game Notebook

2012-01-23T22:28:00.000-06:00

I had time on Sunday to jot some notes as I watched the AFC title game contested between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots. Now I'm going to write all that stuff again right here. It must have been really good stuff.

First Quarter
3:51 - The Patriots are going to win. (I didn't think of keeping notes of the game until this point. Don't worry, you didn't miss anything.)
3:41 - Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is intercepted. I went looking for art to illustrate this column and was surprised to find I don't have any Tom Brady cards. So I pulled an image from a book I have.
3:25 - Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco finds a guy wide open for 42 yards. I still say the Patriots will win. By the way, when you type 'Flacco', it feels like a misspelled word.
1:57 - I love that architectural feature of Gillette Stadium, the iron arch that spans an opening on one end of the field. So cool. It's shown in the lower center-right of this link.
1:51 - "Blindside" guy, Michael Oher, just rolled his ankle. Bet he didn't see that one coming.
PATRIOTS 3, RAVENS 0

Second Quarter
14:27 - Baltimore was lucky to be in that spot, 4th and 1 on the New England 3, and they didn't go for the first down/touchdown. They may not get back there again - you never know. The Patriots appear to be the better team, so Baltimore should have gone for it. Again, the Pats will win.
RAVENS 3, PATRIOTS 3

12:53 - Looks like Brady is just a touch off, just missing his guys.
12:01 - Brady finally hits a tight end right, Rob Gronkowski, on the button.
10:57 - It's always a relief to not see a head inside those helmets that go rolling around on the field.
10:35 - BenJarvus Green-Ellis, whose head was not inside the helmet that was just on the ground, executes a nifty run for a touchdown. Got the handoff, hesitated, found his blocks, and then ran, nearly untouched, for a 7-yard score.
PATRIOTS 10, RAVENS 3

6:42 - Looking at Flacco, I'm wondering who were the best players to wear the number 5 in the NFL? It's not that common for playmakers. Paul Hornung comes to mind.
RAVENS 10, PATRIOTS 10

I like the Verizon commercial that features R2-D2 - pretty clever. "It's like a million dollars in gas."

3:00 - PATRIOTS 13, RAVENS 10
3:00 - The fact is, New England's defense has not been outstanding this year. Baltimore may be good enough to make this a game.

Third Quarter
9:06 - PATRIOTS 16, RAVENS 10. (I was thinking, but didn't note, that this would be when New England begins to pull away for an easy win. Hmmm.)
3:38 - I think the Ravens' receiver, Torrey Smith, was out of bounds and they are reviewing the play right now. It's 16-16 pending the review.
RAVENS 17, PATRIOTS 16

A Masters commercial in January? In other words, CBS doesn't have the Super Bowl this year. They last had it in 2010 (Saints 31, Colts 17) and will have it next year (Seahawks 81, Broncos 6).
3:36 - The ensuing kickoff return is fumbled by Danny Woodhead and recovered by Baltimore. Kathy says, "Uh-oh. Your team is going to pot."
1:41 - CBS keeps showing Woodhead on the bench between each Ravens play.
0:50 - Baltimore field goal is good.
RAVENS 20, PATRIOTS 16

Fourth quarter
12:19 - Quarterback sneak and Brady is into the end zone for a go-ahead TD - unless it is overturned. And it is.
11:29 - Brady up and over for a touchdown. Patriots get to keep that one.
PATRIOTS 23, RAVENS 20

It's turnover time.
7:22 - And there it is. Flacco gets picked by Brandon Spikes.
7:07 - And the Patriots give it right back. Brady gets picked by Jimmy Smith.
4:55 - The Ravens are in field goal range.
2:55 - It's 4th and 6 on Patriots 33 and the Ravens are going for it. Or not. Time out is called. They do go for it but Flacco's pass is incomplete. The Patriots wind up taking over on downs.

I just CAN NOT take the new Hawaii Five-O seriously. Neither does Steve McGarrett. The real one.
2:18 - Did the Ravens get anything out of Anquan Boldin today? Answer: Yes. Six catches for 101 yards.
1:44 - Here is the game. New England just executed a nifty three-and-out, so the Ravens have one more shot at it.
1:20 - On a 3rd and 5, a pass completed to, who else, Anquan Boldin. Thirteen yards to the Ravens 39 and a first down.
1:05 - Mayo on Rice, a recipe for an incomplete pass.
0:50 - On a 3rd and 1 from the 48, Flacco completes a pass to Boldin who tears down the sideline to the 23 yard line. Boldin got 60 yards here in this last series, so that's why it seemed he hadn't done much when I asked the question earlier.
0:23 - Pass incomplete to Lee Evans in the end zone. Looked like a TD to me.
0:15 - Field goal attempt to tie the game is - - - NO GOOD. Are you kidding me? Welcome to Scott Norwood's world, Billy Cundiff. Unreal.
Final: PATRIOTS 23, RAVENS 20

Later, the Giants beat the 49ers in overtime to win the NFC title. So to sum up the Super Bowl semi-finals: one missed field goal, one made field goal, and two Harbaughs out.

Eghosi

2012-01-19T20:24:00.000-06:00

I was touched the other day by a customer's name.

I can't remember his first name, it might have been Kenneth. But his other two names were Eghosi Eke. I was looking at his ID and asked him how he pronounced his middle name. He told me and, it's pronounced pretty much as it appears, "egg-hosey", but it's a hard 's', not a 'z' sound. Then I asked if his name meant something and I asked that question because he was a native of Africa and I was nearly 100 percent certain that it did have a meaning. I was right and what a meaning.

It means "God's way is the best way". If you know us, you know the last year has been challenging and, headed into 2012, we are uncertain about a number of things. We have been talking about plans and how best to attack the new year. We have been praying and seeking God.

Then, standing before me was prophecy personified. The man's name - "God's way is the best way". It was an affirmation that our God has not forgotten us, He knows all about our trial, and, indeed, has sent us into it. It is His way. And it is best.

Life From a Dry Tree

2012-01-04T10:00:00.000-06:00

The Lord was pleased to touch my heart this past Sunday during our pastor's sermon. His text was Isaiah 56:1-57:21. What meant the most to me was the gospel-drenched first eight verses of chapter 56:

1 Thus says the Lord:

“Keep justice, and do righteousness,

for soon my salvation will come,

and my righteousness be revealed.

2 Blessed is the man who does this,

and the son of man who holds it fast,

who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,

and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

3 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,

“The Lord will surely separate me from his people”;

and let not the eunuch say,

“Behold, I am a dry tree.”

4 For thus says the Lord:

“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,

who choose the things that please me

and hold fast my covenant,

5 I will give in my house and within my walls

a monument and a name

better than sons and daughters;

I will give them an everlasting name

that shall not be cut off.

6 “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,

to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,

and to be his servants,

everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,

and holds fast my covenant—

7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,

and make them joyful in my house of prayer;

their burnt offerings and their sacrifices

will be accepted on my altar;

for my house shall be called a house of prayer

for all peoples.”

8 The Lord God,

who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,

“I will gather yet others to him

besides those already gathered.”

What touched me was the part about God's kindness toward the eunuch. The eunuch has no hope of having any family heritage. He is, in a sense, a counterpart to Sarah, the wife of Abraham. However, as in Sarah's case, God promises the eunuch a heritage. Granted, Sarah's was physical, in the form of Isaac, but God promises to give the eunuch a monument and a name better than sons and daughters (verse 5). God, as He often does, is telling us to see things differently, to value things differently. The everlasting name that God gives is better than sons and daughters as the world evaluates them.

God, as He has done so many times before, brings life out of lifelessness. Like when He saved me.

A Hole You Could Drive A Terra Nova Through

2011-12-30T10:00:00.000-06:00

Upfront disclaimer: I have never once watched an episode of the program "Terra Nova". I have no idea if it is worth my time or not. Until now, I have chosen not to seek it out. I did find Gregg Easterbrook's observations about the holes in the program's plot to be amusing. Here's one -

"For that matter when the mercenaries of a Generic All-Powerful Evil Corporation come back to the past to seize booty, they had no reason to materialize outside the Terra Nova colony and go to war with its noble soldiers. The mercenaries could have used the time machine to materialize before Terra Nova was built, then grabbed whatever they wanted at their leisure. Instead they traveled backward in time to the only point in millions of years when they would be opposed by force."

Time machine owners! If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

It's How You Play

2011-12-29T10:00:00.000-06:00

From Gregg Easterbrook of ESPN.com -

"Everybody wants turnovers -- but luck with them can make you seem better than you are, while lack of luck with turnovers can show who you are. Good teams win regardless of turnovers, while pretenders rely on turnover luck. On the season the Pittsburgh Steelers are minus-12 for turnovers, while the Seahawks are plus-seven and the Bills plus-four. Which of these three teams would you least like to play?"

We here at Central Standard are Seahawks backers, but even we have to admit the answer to Easterbrook's question is the Steelers. After years of listening to network announcers on NFL broadcasts, one would assume you have to win the turnover battle to be a good team. Easterbrook's counter-intuitive observation challenges that. This is one reason his articles are so enjoyable.

Ex-Thieves, Ex-Murderers, Ex-Atheists Like Us

2011-12-20T20:35:00.000-06:00

Russell Moore commenting on the death of Christopher Hitchens:

"I don’t know about Christopher Hitchens, about what happened in those last moments, but I do know that, if he had embraced it, the gospel would be enough for him. I know that because it’s enough for me, and I’m as deserving of hell as he is.

Hell is real and judgment is certain. The gospel comes with a warning that it will one day be too late. But, as long as there is breath, it is not yet too late. Perhaps Christopher Hitchens, like so many before him, persisted in his rebellion to the horror of the very end. But maybe not. Maybe he stopped his polemics and cried out, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

I don’t know. But I do know that the gospel offers forgiveness and mercy right to the edge of death’s door. And I know that the kingdom of God is made up of ex-thieves, and ex-murderers, and ex-atheists like us."

The whole article.

Wait For The Lord

2011-12-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

"Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever." Psalm 125:1

"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him." Isaiah 30:18

Hurry, November 2012

2011-12-05T10:00:00.000-06:00

"We are afflicted with an administration that either doesn't understand the first thing about economic growth, or believes that it serves some higher purpose to suppress it. November 2012 can't come soon enough." - John Hinderaker, Powerline blog

Me And Bobby V

2011-12-03T14:00:00.000-06:00

Had I been writing the lede for an article on the Boston Red Sox' hiring of Bobby Valentine as manager, I would have been tempted to say something like, "Orel Hershiser's analysis on ESPN's baseball broadcasts will no longer be obscured."

I noticed in October how much I enjoyed Hershiser's comments and wished I could hear him more and how much I wanted to hear Valentine's comments less. Well, now my wish has been granted and they will no longer be paired in the broadcast booth because Valentine has the manager gig in Boston and will be, presumably, otherwise occupied.

In fairness to Valentine he is brilliant. All the articles I read about his hire have relayed how he always had insights to the game that the writer was impressed with. So, this isn't to slam Valentine as much as it is to say I'm glad to hear Hershiser more.

Having said all that, I do appreciate Valentine's honest and thoughtful approach, and his fairness. I got to see this aspect of his character personally a few years ago.

When we lived in Ft. Worth, the first job I got was as an assistant to the Sports Director of a Christian radio station, KCBI. My job was to go out and about and get comments for air on drive time sports reports. It was summer and so I generally went to Arlington Stadium (the old one) to interview Rangers players. I know baseball best and so it seemed natural.

One morning I heard Valentine on Norm Hitzges' show and they were talking about an article that appeared in USA Today about Christian baseball players. The article had to do with the question of whether or not Christianity sapped some of the competitive fire from an athlete. (Obviously the writer had never seen church league softball.) Valentine addressed this question saying something to the effect that he had not seen where Christians were less competitive than others, and that big contracts were just as likely to make a guy complacent as anything.

Later that day I was at the ballpark and had a chance to speak to Valentine, who was managing the Rangers. We talked about the upcoming homestand and this and that. And then I commented that I was from a Christian station and I appreciated his views I had heard earlier in the day. I don't recall his exact words (it's been 20 years!), but he said something simple like, "that's how I see it," and left me with the impression that he just honestly reported what he saw, and wasn't necessarily interested in advocating for one side or the other.

This kind of unvarnished honesty may just be what the Red Sox need, though it won't win him popularity contests with some of his players. It is clear that things began to slide in Boston and Bobby's job will be to right the ship. And it's the sort of job that shortens a tenure. It will be interesting to see how soon the nerves get frayed. I wish him well, but it won't be easy.

In Your Distress

2011-12-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

"In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me." Psalm 120:1

When in distress, call to the Lord. Distresses come in all shapes and sizes. Some may be manageable; some may be unmanageable. There is an Almighty God Who stands outside of and beyond Creation and He Who spoke it all into existence can smooth out any distress by a word. (by saying God is outside and beyond, I don't mean to suggest He is removed or detached, but simply that He is greater) Honor Him by calling on Him in times of trouble for He is able enough, good enough, supreme enough to fix it. No one else is.

Where you and I turn in times of trouble reveals who, or what, we consider to be our god.

Afflicted, That I Might Learn

2011-11-28T21:57:00.001-06:00

"Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, . . . " Psalm 119:1-2

Father, my seeking has been sporadic and even absent at times. I am weary of living like an unbeliever. I want to live like a Christian man. Give me whole-hearted seeking. (Psa. 119:10)

"It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.
The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces." (Psa. 119:71-72)

The Law of the Lord Is Perfect

2011-11-10T23:14:00.001-06:00

I don't know how many times I will have to be reminded of this. You would think that a guy who has walked with the Lord for a while, as I have, and has been reminded repeatedly about the weakness of his own flesh, as I have, would not have any trouble remembering this thing that I repeatedly wander away from. Here it is as stated by George Mueller:

"I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man may be nourished . . . . I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditation on it."

Instead, I go other places the first thing in the morning, filling my mind with trouble and trivia, when my soul is longing to feast on real and satisfying food. Oh, wretched man that I am! The psalmist describes the preciousness of God's Word like this:

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
(Psalm 19 ESV)

Pop Culture

2011-11-07T23:23:00.000-06:00

I recently saw a Dr. Pepper commercial that featured some singer doing his glamorous thing. It was clear that the assumption was the target audience would know who this star is and, knowing it, would be compelled to consume Dr. Pepper by the tanker truck load. Clearly, I am not in this demographic. Oh, I like Dr. Pepper just fine. But I don't have Clue One who the singer is.

And this made me think of my dad.

When I was but a child, Coca-Cola produced a commercial that really resonated with the young folks. So much so that many of you, based on this very general description, know precisely what commercial I'm talking about. In the ad, hundreds of young people of many nationalities and ethnic groups were standing in a field and singing about buying everyone in the whole world a Coke. I know I was eager to have a Coke bought for me. One time this ad was running when my dad was in the room and he made some remark about the song they were singing. I don't remember exactly what he said, but it was evident that he didn't know that it was a real song that had been adapted for Coke. My older sister and I were mortified that DAD DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS A REAL SONG! What was he doing with his time for heaven's sake? You know, besides working 40-60 hours a week, working on our car, working on the house, attending meetings at the office, and meetings at the church, mowing the grass, raking the leaves, shoveling the snow, and visiting his parents and his in-laws weekly and some other stuff.

Like my dad, I have come to learn that there is just no time for everything and one of the things I have largely let go of is awareness of current popular culture, i.e., the People magazine beat. I watch precisely one TV program, I listen to old music and most of the books I read are not current. I like stuff that stands the test of time.

Stuff like buying the world a Coke.

Alou And Forsch

2011-11-05T00:15:00.000-05:00

When I heard about Matty Alou, I was sad.

From FoxNews.com: Matty Alou, once part of an all-Alou outfield for the San Francisco Giants with brothers Felipe and Jesus, died Thursday in his native Dominican Republic. He was 72.

A two-time All-Star, Alou became the 1966 National League batting champion with the Pirates when he hit .342. He spent his first six years with San Francisco from 1960-65 and also played for St. Louis, Oakland, the New York Yankees and San Diego.

"Although he played for six different teams, Matty remained a part of the Giants family as a longtime employee and will be forever linked with his brothers, Felipe and Jesus, - as the first all-brother major league outfield," the Giants said.

Being somewhat of a baseball buff, I knew about the three Alou boys starting in the same outfield in a major league game, but this next tidbit was news to me.

From CSNBayArea.com: Felipe, Matty, and Jesus Alou were each the first batter to ever come to the plate in a brand new stadium. Two of these events happened just one month apart!

On April 12, 1966, the Atlanta Braves opened Fulton County Stadium with a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The leadoff hitter for the Pirates that day was Matty Alou.

One month later, the St. Louis Cardinals unveiled Busch Stadium, and the visitors were the Braves. Batting first, Felipe Alou.

In 1969, the expansion San Diego Padres had their first game in San Diego Stadium. The Houston Astros were their first opponent, and Jesus Alou led off the game.

Amazing.

When I heard about Bob Forsch, I was shocked.

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Bob Forsch, the only Cardinal to pitch two no-hitters and the third-winningest pitcher in franchise history, died Thursday at his home near Tampa, Fla., less than a week after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Game 7 of the World Series in St. Louis.

He was one of 30 players to have pitched two no-hit games in the major leagues and, with his brother, Ken, a part of the only brother combination to toss no-hitters.

I don't have anything to add - I didn't know these men, but still it seems too soon and too sudden, especially in the case of Forsch. It kinda feels like I knew them. Probably because I've got these -

Alou's cards are 1965, '68, and '72; Forsch's are '75, '78, and '80

LaRussa Retires

2011-10-31T17:20:00.000-05:00

The top story today, in the opinion of the Central Standard, is the retirement of Tony LaRussa. My isssues with LaRussa's style of play have been well-documented. I have always preferred the pressing, running, bunting style of Whiteyball that the Cards played in the 80's to Tony's American League approach with big hitters playing station-to-station, waiting for somebody to deliver the big hit.

But regardless of style, there's no questioning LaRussa's success. He's third in all-time victories as a manger, he has six pennants and 3 World Series championships. He revolutionized the way bullpens are used in baseball today. He is probably the greatest manager of his era. And in 5 years or so he will be inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

And this year, as it appeared he had mellowed a bit, as I became more comfortable with his approach and its obvious success, he probably turned in his best performance. The Cardinals' journey to and through the postseason has been well-documented, and it mustn't be forgotten, for it is the context, the subtext, the atmosphere in which LaRussa did his finest work.

And we learned today that Tony had made the decision to retire about the same time as his ball club began to get busy. It was coincidental, he said, but still one can't help but try to connect the dots.

Tony's decision surprised me initially, but regarding all the circumstances (the World Series title, his age, his health, Dave Duncan's future, Albert Pujols' future, to name a few) it really makes a lot of sense.

For all the aggravation I felt about him over the years I always anticipated this day would bring me some relief. But it doesn't. Darn it, Tony, you made a believer out of me and now you up and leave.

One final aggravation.

"Game 6" Or, "Only Mostly Dead"

2011-10-30T14:35:00.000-05:00

I'll have more to say later about the Cardinals' 11th World Series championship, but I want to get this link up before it goes away forever. Game 6 of the Series was one of the greatest ballgames ever played. Too many self-satisfied commentors have questioned how good it could have been because there were 5 errors. If not for the errors, the game would not have fallen out the way it did. It simply would have been a typical game that ended 7-4, or something. The drama of the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th innings probably wouldn't have happened.

However, part of what made the game so special was the context of the Cardinals' well-documented journey through the post-season. This team was pronounced dead numerous times during the year. But they were only mostly dead. They weren't all dead, as the Braves, Phillies, Brewers, and Rangers can swear to.

Here, from the Cardinals' web site and for your pleasure, is the recap of Game 6, the likes of which we may never see again.

Won't You Please?

2011-10-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

Both our kids watched children's television growing up, as most kids did. Mr. Rogers was standard fare at our house. I think our daughter probably preferred him more than our son. So it was with her in mind that I posted this and I hope it makes her smile.

I did.

The World Is His iPod

2011-10-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

From one of my favorite bloggers, James Lileks:

Wife took (the dog) for a walk later. He was slow. Very slow. "He's not going to be with us much longer," she said. Resigned. Then hopeful: "But I've been saying that for three years."

"Where did he take you tonight?"

"Well, I let him go where he wanted, and we went up the hill to the water tower, and then back down, and when we got home he didn't want to go up the steps so he went down the street, and I thought he would go up the back steps, but he looked at me, like 'I'm not done,' and we walked east and around the neighborhood again. But it was dark and he can't see anything."

"But he can smell."

Nearly deaf and nearly blind, and the world is still a story, every scent a character, every strong odor a twist in the plot. The dog walks outside and the world is his iPod, and it's always set on shuffle. So it is for us all, really. If you have a dog you know how they come to the door and stand there waiting for you to let them out. Standing at the glass door. The wall that keeps the odors out. They can see, but they can't smell. Daily life for us is just like that. If you're lucky someone opens the door and all the glories rush over you.

Whatever My Lot

2011-10-07T14:00:00.000-05:00

"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul."

From the hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul"

Resigning Or Embracing?

2011-10-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

There is resigning oneself and then, there is embracing. For a while now, I have been resigned to my lot. I think it comes from a pure desire to acknowledge, to praise the Sovereignty of God but, while His sovereignty is indeed praiseworthy I, by my attitude of resignation, have esteemed it as a lesser thing, a thing that is merely endured.

From the Valley of Vision:

Jehovah God,
Thou Creator, Upholder, Proprietor of all things,
I cannot escape from thy presence or control, nor do I desire to do so.
My privilege is to be under the agency of omnipotence, righteousness, wisdom, patience, mercy, grace.

The Puritan praying above sees it as a privilege to be under God's control and wisdom. He has not 'resigned' himself to it. To see it as privilege is to 'embrace' it.

"There has been a wonderful alteration in my mind, in respect to the doctrine of God's sovereignty . . . The doctrine has very often appeared exceeding pleasant, bright, and sweet. Absolute sovereignty is what I love to ascribe to God." (Jonathan Edwards)

May it be so.

He Built A Lisa

2011-10-06T14:00:00.000-05:00

Apple's CEO Steve Jobs passed away yesterday and everywhere you look folks are thanking him for changing the world. And generally, we know he did. But what, specifically, has his name on it?

Here's a list from Fox News:

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/10/05/10-products-that-defined-steve-jobs-career/

Mercies In Disguise

2011-10-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Charles Spurgeon pointed out the psalmist who wrote Psalm 130 may never had found the pearl of redemption had he not been cast into the depths. This kind of language causes one to think about "being cast", that is, that the psalmist was not the actor, but the one acted upon. He was not in the depths because he wanted to be, but because the Lord put him there.

There is a popular Christian song out these days that echoes this theme. It's called 'Blessings' and it is sung by Laura Story.

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
And what if the trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise.

The lyrics that I downloaded didn't have a question mark at the end, but it's a profound question. What if God loves His children too much to grant them ease, but rather sends the rain, the storm, the hard nights (and days!) in order to leave a bad taste in our mouths about the world? What if the Christian is often led purposefully into trial and difficulty by the Heavenly Father? What if He intends to send you through a hard providence? Is it enough that He means this for His glory and for our good?

Pearls Lie Deep

2011-10-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!

2 O Lord, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive

to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness,

that you may be feared.

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope;

6 my soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen for the morning,

more than watchmen for the morning.

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!

For with the Lord there is steadfast love,

and with him is plentiful redemption.

8 And he will redeem Israel

from all his iniquities.

Hear Mr. Spurgeon concerning Psalm 130:
"Out of the depths" is the leading word of it: out of those depths we cry, wait, watch, and hope. In this Psalm we hear of the pearl of redemption, verses 7 and 8: perhaps the sweet singer would never have found that precious thing had he not been cast into the depths. Pearls lie deep."

Encouragement: The Day After

2011-10-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

And so, the day after being encouraged by Psalm 130.

I feel better and so the natural tendency is to let up. And it is also natural to want the feelings to come back, too. It has been my experience that, the feelings just cannot be replicated, at least, not in the same manner. God may reach down to touch me again, but not because my performance is right, or because I said the magic words, or because I am remorseful enough. No. I cannot act right and thereby cause the feelings to return. More plainly, you and I cannot make God do anything.

What I can do is earnestly seek Him again because "His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning." (Lamentations 3:22) I can seek Him again by faith, believing that "He is a rewarder of those who seek Him". (Hebrews 11:6) And if He touches me today, I will know He has come and has given Himself to me, and that will be the reward. God Himself is the reward. But it will not be true because I have some feeling. It would be true because He Himself is near and has let me know it. Then I feel something.

Psalm 130

2011-09-25T20:21:00.000-05:00

A Song of Ascents.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!

O Lord, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive

to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness,

that you may be feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope;

my soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen for the morning,

more than watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord!

For with the Lord there is steadfast love,

and with him is plentiful redemption.

And he will redeem Israel

from all his iniquities.

The phrase that stood out today is: "my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning." The picture I immediately latched onto was that of the watchman, on the city walls, dreading the dangers that the night could hold and his yearning, almost pleading, for morning to come and with it, light and some sense of security.

I don't know if you have felt that way very often, but I have. At times I have felt that my life's footing was not firm and that I was perilously close to danger, failure, shame, or despair. I have longed for morning to come in the form of some deliverance from my oppressive circumstances. I have yearned for a deliverance that I could not see anywhere on the horizon, nor could I conceive how it might be formed, yet I hoped for it desperately.

But there is something else to be discovered in the picture of the watchman and it is the certainty of the morning's arrival. The morning will come - has it ever failed to come? This watchman not only can hope, but he can be certain. The morning will come.

And so for us who are in Christ. I don't know how long the night will last in your life or mine. But morning has never failed to come and it will come again.

Where Were You In '32?

2011-09-19T22:11:00.000-05:00

Here's a look at the hometown, very little of which I recognize. By the time I was wandering around downtown, some 35-40 years later, much had already changed.

That is Main Street that runs up the hill from the foot of the bridge - a bridge that no longer exists, though I think I remember seeing the tops of the concrete pilings standing in the water. The tan building on the north side of Main with the row of windows is the White River Hotel, I believe. Or that's what it was when I knew it. Next up the hill is the railroad, the station right across the street from the hotel. Boy, does that make sense. The tracks run left to right in the photo. After that is the old Catholic Church on the left side of Main, the first building after the green space above the train station, I think. But that all I recognize from this photo. Maybe someone else can help out.

Here's the foot of Branson's Main Street these days -

The Big One Is Coming (Updated)

2011-09-17T18:35:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: After I posted this, Kathy and I went to Lowe's for wood and stuff, 'cause we're building shelves. When we got back I checked the world and found this article by Brett McMurphy of CBSSports.com. McMurphy sees some of the same things I do, but he's got more details. (I like it when I am agreed with.) And he also spells out a consequence that is perfectly certain, but I hadn't developed it.

First, I wrote: "We are headed to four giant conferences." Here's McMurphy:

With all of the speculation and connecting-the-dots scenarios surrounding conference realignment (Texas A&M to the SEC, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State possibly to the Pac-12), the obvious end game was this: the ACC and Big East would be the final two conferences with possibly only one surviving. Sort of like a Thunderdome showdown: two conferences enter, one conference leaves. And the ACC took the initiative in guaranteeing its survival.

Here is the clear inference - assuming there's only going to be 4 super conferences and that the Big Ten, the SEC and the Pac 12 are three of them; and that the Big 12 will not exist, then it's down to the ACC and the Big East for the final seat at the table. Today, the ACC looks like the winner.

That means the Big East is going away. McMurphy again, this time about a certain university named:

Notre Dame - This is where things get really interesting. The Irish always have wanted to remain an independent. And as long as the Big East is around for the Irish to have a landing spot for their Olympic sports, they will stay independent. However, if there no longer is a Big East, the Irish would be forced to join a conference to find a home for their Olympic sports. In other words: hello, Big Ten.

If you've read my posts on this topic, you know I've been saying all along this was about the Big Ten landing Notre Dame. Today, someone else says it, too.

ORIGINAL POST: The big one is on the way.

The big college athletic conference re-alignment, that is. The news Saturday is that Pitt and Syracuse have applied to join the ACC. Friday we heard that the regents at Texas will meet to discuss conference affiliation. Oh, it coming, all right. Kiss the Big 12 good-bye, if you can muster enough affection to smooch that shotgun-wedding style of a conference.

Here is where we stand:

Nebraska and Colorado, Big 12 members as recently as the spring, began play in new conferences this fall, the Big Ten and the Pac 12, respectively.

At the end of August Texas A&M said auf Wiedersehen to the Big 12 (not sure why they spoke German) and applied to join the SEC.

Within days of that announcement, Oklahoma said they wanted to explore their options, too.

Then Texas with their announcement.

Today, Pitt and Syracuse.

But the big finish is yet to come. Though it's on the way.

We can see where this is headed. Stronger conferences are expanding, picking up strong schools to deepen the quality of their membership. They are adding schools to increase the conference footprint and TV market. The number of schools that remain to be of benefit is shrinking with each announcement. The rapidity with which this is happening is accelerating, like a snowball rolling downhill.

If you are conference leader considering expansion, you probably are hearing alarms right now. The pool of prospective candidates just got smaller with Pitt and Syracuse's announcement. Especially for the Big Ten. Pitt and Syracuse might have been decent fits for that conference, but not now. Oklahoma probably goes west to the Pac 12, which has promised it will not stand pat if teams start to jump. Maybe Texas is looking at the Pac 12. You don't want to be a conference needing to expand and the only options that remain are a bunch of Iowa States. The SEC is going to look for a fourteenth member, but the speculation is that the super conferences will have 16 members. Who will they be? Act now, because once they're gone, they're gone.

I'll say again what I have believed about this from the beginning. The Big Ten started this and I think they will finish it. They've been quiet, but I don't think they've been sitting still. They'll go to 14 and maybe 16 and I think Missouri will be one of their choices, it makes too much sense.

The SEC is expanding, as is the ACC. The Pac 12 has promised to respond. Do you think the Big Ten will do nothing? Neither do I. We are headed to four giant conferences. And the Big Ten will not be left behind.

And neither will Notre Dame.

Yes, the big one is coming.

Big Ten Too Quiet

2011-09-15T23:15:00.000-05:00

Oklahoma regents will meet in a few days to talk about athletic conference re-alignment. It is almost certain that OU will eventually leave the Big 12 Conference, probably for the Pac12. Oklahoma State may tag along. With the expected departure of Texas A & M next year, the Big 12 would be pared to 7 teams. Not much of a league at seven.

I don't think the league will survive that turn of events.

And then a kind of free agency will commence, with league-less remnants of the Big 12 looking for new conferences to align with. And conferences with an eye on improving their cachet, influence, and standing in the eyes of TV networks will begin picking prospective members to bring home to meet mother.

The rumors have begun to fly, of course. OU and Oklahoma State supposedly heading to the Pac 12. Texas to the Pac 12, to the ACC, or to Independent status. Kansas to the Pac 12, or the Big East. And Mizzou has been rumored to go just about everywhere: the SEC, the Pac 12, the Big East.

Everywhere except the Big Ten.

Has anyone noticed how quiet things have been from Big Ten land? Not a peep. Nothing from Big Ten schools. Nothing from coaches or administrators. With all the potential movement seemingly near, no school is rumored to be going there. Is the Big Ten done with expansion? Have they no interest in adding any Big 12 schools?

In my view, it's too quiet.

I don't think the Big Ten will sit idly by while other conferences gobble up the cream of the Big 12. Again, I make the observation that Missouri is ideal for Big Ten membership. And is it coincidental that there has been a new-found discipline regarding leaks to the press on Missouri's part? I wonder. In other words, Mizzou's staff has been just as mum on the Tigers' options as the Big Ten has been on it's.

I think Mizzou is going to land in the Big Ten.

And I still think Notre Dame will, too.

Adios, Big 12

2011-08-16T22:08:00.000-05:00

The Big 12 Conference is not long for this world.

I don't see how any other conclusion can be reached. The Board of Regents at Texas A & M has given the school president authority to take any action he deems necessary in terms of conference realignment. There was a time last summer when it seemed A & M might be headed to the Southeastern Conference, but they remained in the Big 12, even as Nebraska and Colorado bolted for the Big 10 and the Pac 10 (now Pac 12) respectively. It was thought, after the shuffling of last summer that there would be some peace for a while. An uneasy peace to be sure. No one was really confident that the forced marriage of the old Big 8 and refugees from the defunct Southwest Conference could survive long term, especially after last summer's defections. I suspect most thought it would be several seasons before the dominoes started to fall again, however.

But that would be wrong.

Now, there is no timetable for anything to happen and no invitations have be formally extended to A & M, at least as I write this. But it seems clear that A & M wants to move and when the SEC decides to invite them, and they probably will, then the Aggies will go. And the SEC will have 13 teams and the Big 12 will have 9. The Big 12 can live with 9, but might not. The SEC cannot live with 13 and will not. And you know what that means boys and girls? Some other team is going to join the SEC.

Who will it be?

We don't know, but there are some suspects. They are, in no particular order: Florida State, Clemson, and our beloved Missouri Tigers. Yes, some are suggesting that Mizzou could go to the SEC. I don't know what to make of that. On the one hand, it would be flattering to belong to the country's best college football conference. You want to be the best, you have to beat the best and why not be in the best league? On the other hand, Mizzou is not really a cultural fit in the Southeastern Conference. If we were to switch, the Big 10 is a better fit.

Obviously, it's out of my hands but for what it's worth - say "Yes" if the SEC comes calling, but in the meantime, hope for the Big 10 to send an invite.

In any event, if A & M leaves (or 'when A & M leaves'), I don't think the Big 12 survives. They can, but the Big 10 and the Pac 12 will not stand pat if the conference jumping starts up again. Mizzou will start to look like a nice piece to add somewhere and maybe the Big 10 decides they want them before somebody else takes them. Kansas will look good to somebody and for heaven's sake, so will Oklahoma. And I've heard there's another school in Texas that's pretty competitive. Maybe they go somewhere.

How ever it shakes out, the Big 12 is on its last legs.

Dad, Louie, Ferlin, a Bucket, and Music

2011-08-15T15:32:00.000-05:00

I like my parents' music. I like it more every day.

I don't know exactly how to explain it, I am no musical scholar. I can only say that the rumbling bass and incessant riffs of my youth have receded into the background and the melodies, rhythms, and the voices (oh, the voices!) of the 1930's and 1940's are more front and center.

I got a Louis Prima CD for my birthday and am having a blast listening to this crazy guy. I was introduced to Prima by my dad. Not formally, of course, but because Dad had one of his albums. I don't remember ever hearing it, but I'm sure the folks listened at one time or another. Lately I've been hearing more of Prima as I listen to a station here that is devoted to this kind of music. Prima is compared to Louis Armstrong and for good reason, I suppose. Prima was a New Orleans guy and you can hear it in the music. Prima was Italian, which I did not know, and when I hear him, sometimes I hear Dean Martin coming out.

Prima's style could be described as frenetic, the album's liner notes say he and his band essentially invented the lounge act. Here, from the Tube of You, is Prima, Keely Smith (at one time married to him), and saxophonist Sam Butera, in all of their glory:

Keely Smith's job, besides her great voice, was to provide a stoic contrast to the antics of Prima and his orchestra - it was all part of the act.

Dad also liked country music and while I dip into that less liberally, there's a quite a bit of it that is growing on me, particularly the sounds of country swing and the rockabilly stuff. Dad went to school with country singer Ferlin Husky, who passed away just a few months ago. During the years when Ferlin was singing in Branson, Mom and Dad would try to go once or twice a year. Ferlin would be talking and ask if anybody there was from home and Dad would raise his hand and Ferlin would say, "Hello, Paul!" and then they'd have a conversation right in front of everybody. Here's Ferlin and Paul a few years earlier:

Ferlin is #20 and Dad is #22. This past July was the 12th anniversary of Dad's home-going and that caused me think about those two guys again.

One time during my childhood, I was in the back yard and for some reason I was talking to Dad about a bucket - either I was looking for one or lost one, or something. Dad grinned and said, "Does it have a hole in it?" I didn't get the reference and tried to explain what I needed and that I hadn't said anything about a hole. He just explained that there was a song about a bucket with a hole in it.

Well sure there was, a Hank Williams song to be exact. A lot of people (Robert Plant and Jimmy Page!) have covered it, but I'll give you Van Morrison, which might be my favorite version.

The Valley of Vision

2011-08-08T22:03:00.004-05:00

Here is a remarkable prayer from the book "The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions."

O Heavenly Father,

Teach me to see

that if Christ has pacified thee and

has satisfied divine justice

he can also deliver me from my sins;

that Christ does not desire me, now justified,

to live in self-confidence in my own strength,

but gives me the law of the Spirit of life

to enable me to obey thee;

that the Spirit and his power are mine

by resting on Christ's death;

that the Spirit of life within answers to

the law without;

that if I sin not I should thank thee for it;

that if I sin I should be humbled daily under it;

that I should mourn for sin more than other

men do,

for when I see I shall die because of sin,

that makes me mourn;

when I see how sin strikes at thee,

that makes me mourn;

when I see that sin caused Christ's death

that makes me mourn;

that sanctification is the evidence of reconciliation,

proving that faith has truly apprehended Christ;

Thou has taught me

that faith is nothing else than receiving thy

kindness;

that it is an adherence to Christ, a resting on him,

love clinging to him as a branch to the tree

to seek life and vigour from him.

I thank thee for showing me the vast difference

between knowing things by reason,

and knowing them by the spirit of faith.

By reason I see a thing is so;

by faith I know it as it is.

I have seen thee by reason and have not

been amazed,

I have seen thee as thou art in thy Son and have

been ravished to behold thee.

I bless thee that I am thine in my Saviour,

Jesus.

The Father Made the Son to be Sin

2011-07-21T22:37:00.010-05:00

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

"But, unlike Adam, when he is tempted he (Jesus) does not sin. He is the only human being who perfectly obeys God, his Father. He is, therefore, the one person to have lived who does not deserve to be banished from God's presence. But on the cross he willingly faces the punishment that we all deserve, as sinners who are bound up with the first Adam. As a result, if we trust in him, we enter into a new humanity, headed not by Adam, the sinner, but by Jesus, the righteous new Adam. Paul writes, '. . . just as through the disobedience of one man [Adam] the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man [Christ] the many will be made righteous' (Romans 5:19)."

I thought of the verse at the top of the post after I had read the previous paragraph in Vaughn Roberts' book 'God's Big Picture.' I was then inspired to check the ESV Study Bible for some commentary on the verse. The 'big idea' in the verse is captured better in the study Bible's notes than I could express, so I copied them below. It is long, but it's good.

2 Cor. 5:21 This verse is one of the most important in all of Scripture for understanding the meaning of the atonement and justification. Here we see that the one who knew no sin is Jesus Christ and that he (God) made him (Christ) to be sin (Gk. hamartia, "sin"). This means that God the Father made Christ to be regarded and treated as "sin" even though Christ himself never sinned (Heb. 4:15; cf. Gal 3:13). Further, we see that God did this for our sake that is, God regarded and treated "our" sin (the sin of all who would believe in Christ) as if our sin belonged not to us but to Christ himself. Thus Christ "died for all" (2 Cor. 5:14) and, as Peter wrote, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree" (1Pet. 2:24). In becoming sin "for our sake," Christ became our substitute - that is, Christ took our sin upon himself and, as our substitute, thereby bore the wrath of God (the punishment that we deserve) in our place ("for our sake"). Thus the technical term for this foundational doctrine of the Christian faith is the substitutionary atonement - that Christ has provided the atoning sacrifice as "our" substitute, for the sins of all who believe (cf. Rom 3:23-25). The background for this is Isaiah 53 from the Greek (Septuagint) translation of the Hebrew OT, which included the most lengthy and detailed OT prophecy of Christ's death and which contains numerous parallels to 2 Cor 5:21. Isaiah's prophecy specifically used the Greek word for "sin" (Gk. hamartia) five times (as indicated below in italics) with reference to the coming Savior (the Suffering Servant) in just a few verses - e.g., "surely he has borne our griefs" (Isa. 53:4); "He was crushed for our iniquities" (Isa. 53:5); "the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isa 53:6); "he shall bear the iniquities" (Isa. 53:11); "he bore the sin of many" (Isa. 53:12). In a precise fulfillment of the is prophecy, Christ became "sin" for these who believe in him, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. This means that just as God imputed our sin and guilt to Christ ("he made him to be sin") so God also imputes the righteousness of Christ - a righteousness that is not our own - to all who believe in Christ. Because Christ bore the sins of those who believe, God regards and treats believers as having the legal status of "righteousness" (Gk. dikaiosyne). This righteousness belongs to believers because they are "in him," that is, "in Christ" (e.g., Rom. 3:22; 5:18; 1Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:17, 19; Phil. 3:9). Therefore "the righteousness of God" (which is imputed to believers) is also the righteousness of Christ - that is, the righteousness and the legal status that belongs to Christ as a result of Christ having lived as one who "knew no sin." This then is the heart of the doctrine of justification; God regards (or counts) believers as forgiven and God declares and treats them as forgiven, because God the Father has imputed the believer's sin to Christ and because God the Father likewise imputes Christ's righteousness to the believer.

Unbelief: A Distrust in the Character of God

2011-07-20T18:53:00.002-05:00

The good news in Hebrews 11:6 is that with faith we can please God. But this verse gets us there through a double negative: "without faith it is impossible" to please Him.

Why does the author put it this way? He's driving home the point that the normal song of the human heart isn't the song of faith. Although it works out in different ways, Christians and non-Christians share a similar struggle. We both struggle with unbelief.

Unbelief is serious - the writer of Hebrews has already labeled it toxic when he warned us against "an evil heart of unbelief" (Heb. 3:12, KJV). So we shouldn't get to Hebrews 11 and find a lot of sympathy for unbelief.

The writer there tells us that without faith it's "impossible to please" God. Not tricky, not difficult. No, it's impossible!

I don't think we tend to feel as strongly about unbelief as God does.

Unbelief is a decided distrust in the promises and character of God. Spurgeon describes unbelief as a "mistrust of the promises and faithfulness of God."

- Dave Harvey, from his book, "Rescuing Ambition"

Christ is the Fulfillment of O.T. Promises

2011-07-19T15:46:00.002-05:00

The New Testament never leads us to expect that there will be any fulfillment of the Old Testament promises other than their fulfillment in Christ. We are not encouraged, for example, to look for their fulfillment in the state of Israel and to expect a new temple to be built there. That is to expect a renewal of the model that has now been dismantled. The permanent reality is found in Christ.

-Vaughn Roberts, from his book 'God's Big Picture', page 108

Exile Ending, Finally Fullfillment

2011-07-18T15:00:00.003-05:00

Mark identifies John the Baptist as that herald: 'And so John came, baptising in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins' (Mark 1:4). The message is clear; the waiting is over; the exile is about to end and the time of fulfillment is soon to come. And then Jesus appears, 'proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" ' (Mark 1:14-15)

-Vaughn Roberts, from his book 'God's Big Picture', page 108

Nathan and Oscar

2011-07-14T20:02:00.008-05:00

Tuesday, I had journeyed to Mart du Ste. Walton Grande to lay in supplies for watching the All-Star game that night. On the list were hot dogs, of course. I also got some chips and Dr. Pepper and popcorn. I was in the mood for cheese popcorn, emphasis on the cheese, and I was intrigued by something called "Buffalo Cheddar" popcorn. My mind translated Buffalo as meaning 'big' or 'extra' or 'bodacious,' or something. I saw what I wanted to see and thought I was getting popcorn so cheesy, the kernels might be individually wrapped.

Of course, when I got home and opened the bag (with scissors, no less-they used some sort of Vulcan mind meld to seal the bag and there was NO WAY to pull the bag apart at the seal), I learned that 'Buffalo' had a specific meaning, as in, flavored like spicy chicken wings dipped in ranch sauce. I was not amused. It's not bad. But it's not bodaciously cheesy, that's for sure.

Well, when I took my goods to the checkout to be scanned, the guy took the hot dogs, slid them over the magic glass, (BEEP), and put them in the bag. Then he looked at me and said, "Those are the best hot dogs ever!" I replied, "Well, they are the best you can buy in the store, that's for sure."

We referred to these, of course:

So tonight, I was headed home to fix myself two more Nathan's. Kathy wasn't going to be home for a while, so I was on my own for supper. It was with mouth-watering anticipation that I pulled into the left turn lane of the last big intersection on my way home. And across the intersection, headed the opposite direction from me was, of all things, this:

I don't think I'd want to drive a wienermobile for a living. On the other hand, it couldn't be as bad as a lot of jobs, come to think of it. But still, I couldn't help feeling sorry for the guy, being on the Oscar Meyer payroll, when I was headed home for Nathan's. I wish now I could have given him one.

He'd have to get a new job, but it'd be worth it.

Read Christian Biography

2011-07-14T07:33:00.001-05:00

"So among all the other things you do to grow in the knowledge and grace of Christ (2 Peter 3:18), follow Paul’s summons to “fix your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.”"

John Piper makes an argument for reading Christian biography here.

The All Star Game, 2011, Et Al.

2011-07-12T22:36:00.011-05:00

Right out of the box we ask, "What's up with Joe Buck's voice?" Undoubtedly, a summer cold or allergies, but my first thought was, "Man, it's going to be a long night for him." I would have hated to be in his spot.

But, "It's not jury duty," as Willie Mays said today about showing up to the All-Star Game. Except he didn't.

The game was being played in Arizona for the first time which led to the Trivia Question about which major league teams have yet to host an All Star Game. A question I answered correctly, by the way. I would guess that when the new stadium for the Marlins is complete, that Florida (soon to be Miami) will host a game rather soon. Which will leave Tampa as the only franchise to not host a game. And if they don't get their attendance issues solved there, they never will and the Rays will be in Vegas or Vancouver or Brooklyn or something.

With the Florida Marlins becoming the Miami Marlins soon, I propose we get the other state name teams to do the same. Let's hear those city names, please! I'm talking to you Phoenix, Denver, Minneapolis and Dallas! I could cut Minnesota a little slack since the team name Twins refers to the Twin Cities - Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minneapolis Twins wouldn't mean the same.

Speaking of Minnesota, is there a better uniform in the game than the Twins road uni? OK, there surely is, but goodness! It is excellent.

And it puts me in mind of Minnesota's NHL franchise which has a beautiful sweater. I don't know if any location has put out two nicer uniforms in such a short period of time.

Other uniform-related notes -

- Cleveland's road uniform is also excellent. It has an historic feel to it, similar to the Red Sox and the Yankees.

- How about the stars bracketing the MLB logo on the backs of both the cap and the jersey? I like it. I'm still not fond of the embroidery on the sides of the caps for All Star games and the World Series.

- And why is Rollie Fingers shown in his Milwaukee Brewers uniform in the Pepsi commercial? He became a star, a Hall-of-Famer, in Oakland. Let's see Rollie in the green and gold, please.

The Arizona franchise is named the Diamondbacks, a reference the the desert-dwelling rattlesnake that, I assume, gets preferred parking, which reminds me of this story. In any case, the D-Backs use a 'snakey' looking font for their uniforms and for the All Star Game, which you can see here. I immediately began to wonder what other animals might be suggested in font form. I came up with nothing.

I liked Sprint's 'Angry Birds' commercial. Whoever created those little guys did a great job, they are really fun to look at and lend themselves to being logos very easily. I am especially fond of the triangular yellow guy.

Anyway, one of these days there will be a sports story with 'Angry Birds' in the headline. Mark it down.

And, there was a game. The National League won 5-1 and there weren't a lot of highlights, though you have to give props to Heath Bell for his entrance into the game. I find, as I age, I am less passionate about some things that would have riled me up years ago. The All Star Game is one of those things. But, I still had a good time watching it.

Hey, it's not jury duty.

Holiness Is A Promise - Not A Threat

2011-07-10T21:36:00.000-05:00

Michael Horton:

"Holiness is not an option; it is a requirement. But this is not a threat. It's a promise. What God began he will finish (Phil. 1:6). In Christ we are already holy, righteous, sanctified, reconciled (1 Corinthians 1:30). Now we are called to live what we are, not to become what we are not yet."

Quoted from his book "Christ the Lord," and taken from the What's Best Next website.

What Liberals Do

2011-07-01T09:16:00.000-05:00

From the Powerline blog:

"As to white-collar crime, what about the one type of white-collar crime that goes entirely unpunished? For an accounting fraud of $567 million, Enron's executives went to jail, and its head guy died there. For an accounting fraud ten time that size, the two Democrat hacks who headed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Franklin Raines and Jamie Gorelick, walked away with a combined taxpayer-funded payout of $116 million."

Read the entire post.

Sparky Anderson

2011-06-30T06:09:00.000-05:00

Nice remembrance of Sparky Anderson, whose jersey was retired by the Detroit Tigers Sunday.

"We used to be in the car and we'd bet, as he was talking with other people," (his daughter Shirlee) Engelbrecht said. "We'd say, 'When he comes back, he's going to say, 'That's the nicest person I've ever met." And every time he'd come back -- whether it was old, young, male, female -- he'd get in the car, and he'd say, 'That's the nicest person I've ever met.' And then we'd just start laughing."

Anderson, a Hall of Fame manager, led the Tigers to the World Series title in 1984. He had won championships in 1975 and '76 with the Cincinnati Reds.

Jim Riggleman

2011-06-29T11:47:00.001-05:00

Probably the wackiest baseball story from the weekend is Jim Riggleman's resignation from the Nationals. The argument is did he stand on principle or did he quit?

Frankly, I'm torn. I want to like Riggleman and I want to think he acted on principle. But he just quit - over an extension. I like to think there's more to it, but I haven't heard it yet.

From Tim Kurkjian at ESPN:

"Riggleman left at the height of a franchise's success, the players were hustling and they were listening, but he quit because the Nationals management wasn't sure he was part of the future. However confusing and incomprehensible it may appear, it is that simple."

And:

"Either way, Riggleman quit, left the ballpark without a job, and likely will never manage again. Anyone who knows Jim Riggleman knows he's not a quitter; he is the opposite -- a guy who would do anything to win, a man's man in every way. But in his mind, a man can be disrespected for only so long before he has to do what he thinks is right. So he stood on principle, and the Nationals let him walk. And in the end, no one was right. And no one won. And everyone was mad."

Joe Posnanski for the prosecution:

"Here's the thing, and I mean this with deep respect: He is JIM RIGGLEMAN. It seems difficult for me to believe that he was unaware of this. His teams have never won a World Series. His teams have never won a pennant. His teams have only once made the playoffs, and that was a not especially great 89-win Cubs team that won a one-game playoff. Ten of his 12 teams had losing records in his span as skipper. He lost 100 with a Padres team that was in the playoffs two years after he got canned. He lost 95 with a Cubs team that made the playoffs the very next year. For managers with 1,400 or more games, no one from 1900 on has a lower winning percentage than Jim Riggleman, and that includes this lovely little winning stretch. The amazing thing to me, I am forced to admit, is not that Riggleman did not get a contract extension. It's that he had a contract in the first place."

There's more:

"Jim Riggleman quit on his team and his players over his contract. I want, so much, to sympathize with him, but it's hard to get much less admirable than that. The only thing missing from his career suicide was a note."

All in all, I think the weight of the evidence leans toward Riggleman appearing to be selfish. I, too, want to give him the benefit of the doubt. But right now it looks as if Riggleman took doubt out the door with him.

I Love It When Words Come To Me

2011-06-28T10:12:00.000-05:00

Joe Posnanski is one of the best sports writers in the business today. He was, at one time, at the Kansas City Star, but is now working for Sports Illustrated. His articles come up on my feed reader regularly and I always anticipate what he has to say.

One of the most recent posts by Posnanski is on the passing of Nick Charles, a sportscaster for CNN. I heard the news over the weekend, but I had no idea who he was since I usually don't have cable or satellite TV and, if I did, I probably wouldn't get my sports from CNN.

So I read Posnanski's article primarily because he is usually good, but secondly, I read it to be introduced to Nick Charles and why his life made the news. I am so glad I did, because I found the words for something that I have been having trouble explaining.

My recent layoff caused me to think about my life and work and why I do things and what things are worth doing. I have always known that I liked to write, but I would not have had an easy time explaining why. "Why do you want to write?" somebody might say. Or, "What would would you like to write about?" is another version. Nick Charles provided the answer during his interview with Joe Posnanski.

Posnanski went to see Charles because Charles was dying and both men knew it. As their time together was ending and Posnanski was headed for the car, they had this exchange:

Nick: "Do you know what you're going to write about me?"

Joe: "No, not yet."

Nick: "Will the words just come to you?"

Joe: "I don't know. I hope so."

Nick: "I'll bet they will. I love it when words come to me."

And there it was - "I love it when words come to me." That's why I write. I want to say something, to feel something. I want the reader to feel something, to imagine something, to connect with what I've written. Not for my sake; not because I wrote it, but because, in sharing the written word, maybe we'll experience an affirmation of a previously unspoken certainty.

Like I did when I read Charles' statement.

I recommend that you read Posnanski's article, even if sports isn't your thing. But be ready feel something - the words came.

The River Road? You Can't Miss It

2011-06-27T17:30:00.000-05:00

In case you didn't know, this is the River Road.

Photo from Fox News.

Two Films From Peter Falk

2011-06-26T11:04:00.001-05:00

Like a multitude of people, the TV show 'Columbo' introduced me to Peter Falk. I thoroughly enjoy that show and Falk's portrayal of the rumpled detective is iconic. Watching Falk makes me think about acting. I have never aspired to do so, but Falk's style, his presentation, his comfort in character, his apparent joy in his work makes the craft appealing.

Many remembrances have flowed in the wake of Falk's passing. Aside from his role in 'Columbo' there were many movies. 'Princess Bride' gets some mention as well as 'It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'. But let me tell you about two films that weren't mentioned that I found enjoyable.

The first is called 'Checking Out' and was released in 2005. IMDB says, "A famed stage actor reunites his family for a party, and plans to commit suicide afterwards, unless they are able to convince him not to." We've seen it twice and one of Falk's lines has become a quote around our house. Here's the trailer:

The other film, also released in 2005, is called 'The Thing About My Folks' and stars Paul Reiser along with Falk. From IMDB, "Ben's (Reiser) dad Sam (Falk) shows up one night with a note from Ben's mother (Sam's wife of 46 years), that she has left. While Ben's wife and his three sisters try to find her, Ben takes Sam on a day trip to see a farm house that's for sale. The day trip turns into a road trip while dad and son explore their past, their relationship, and why Sam's wife might have left him." This one has a road trip/coming of age feel to it, but it's not heavy. I particularly enjoy watching Reiser and Falk interact with each other.

The trailer is below.

I recommend them both.

Winnipeg Jets

2011-06-25T16:32:00.007-05:00

The NHL's Atlanta Thrashers were recently sold to a group who intend to move the hockey club to Winnipeg, Manitoba. This will mark the return of NHL hockey to Winnipeg, which had a team in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972-79, and that franchise, along with Edmonton, Quebec and New England (Hartford), joined the NHL when the WHA folded. The franchise moved to Phoenix in 1996 to become the Coyotes.

It has been announced that the new Winnipeg team will be called the Jets, as was the previous squad. No announcement has been made that I know of pertaining to the logo and colors, but this gives us a chance to look at the old ones. As always, I copied these logos from Chris Creamer's site.

1972-1974: Classic old school look. Hadn't succumbed to the 70's yet.

1979-1990: Definite 1970's update, but not a bad one. No harm, no foul. I do like the treatment on the word 'Jets'.

1990-1996: Another relatively harmless update. I do not care for the 'Jets' mark in this as much as above. I am not fond of the 'J' laying over the top of the 'N' above it. But what that does is separate out the 'WIN', which is a nice touch. I also like the drop shadows in red on the 'J' and the top of the 'S'. These nice touches are actually better than the effect of the logo in its entirety, I think.

Lincoln Brought Them All Home

2011-06-23T22:30:00.004-05:00

After Abraham Lincoln's death and funeral service in Washington D.C., his body was carried westward to Springfield, Illinois and its final rest. Along the way, the train stopped and the body was transported to government buildings in order that citizens could pay their respects. Stops were made in about 10 cities including Philadelphia, New York, Cleveland and Chicago. And over the hundreds of miles where the train never stopped, still the mourners came to the tracks to observe the passing.

From the book:

The twenty-day death pageant transfigured Abraham Lincoln from man to myth. On the day he was murdered, he was not universally loved - even in the North. His traveling corpse became a touchstone that offered catharsis for all the pain the American people had suffered and stored up over four bloody years of civil war. For whom did they mourn? For their slain president, of course. But the outpouring of national sorrow could not be for just one man. "Not for you, for one alone;/Blossoms and branches green to coffins all I bring," wrote Walt Whitman. And so they mourned, not for this one man alone but for all of the men; for every son, every brother, every lover, and every husband, and every father lost in that war. It was a though, on that train, in that coffin, they were all coming home. Lincoln's death pageant for Abraham Lincoln was a glorious farewell to him and to the three hundred and sixty thousand men of the Union who, like their Father Abraham, had perished for cause and country.

All Men Seek Happiness

2011-06-21T22:11:00.004-05:00

I have often commented that 'Desiring God' has been the most influential book, except the Bible, that I have ever read. Its author, John Piper, celebrates Blaise Pascal's life today on the Desiring God blog with a quote from Pascal that was key to Piper's understanding.

"All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves."

These words of Pascal's resonated with Piper and they resonate with me. Piper's reaction was also mine:

"I suspected this was true. But I always feared that it was sin. That wanting to be happy was a moral defect. That self-denial meant renouncing joy, . . . "

'Desiring God' goes on to explain that we should seek our happiness, provided we seek it in the only place (person!) in which lasting happiness can be found.

Joseph

2011-06-16T20:50:00.003-05:00

I have been reading the story of Joseph lately. Today I am struck by another aspect of the purposes, designs, and sovereignty of God.

Why was God pleased to use Joseph in the manner He did? And the question is not meant to focus on Joseph, but God. Joseph, about whom the Bible makes no critical observations, is put through the wringer. He had not wronged his brothers, yet they despise him. He had not wronged Potipher, indeed, he was faithful to Potipher under the most difficult circumstances, yet Joseph is thrown in prison. In prison, he rises to the top again, yet is forgotten by one who received help from Joseph.

Why?

Why does God put this man of apparently noble character through this ordeal? Keep in mind, God could do anything He pleases in any manner He pleases. In other words, it is not necessary for God to put Joseph through the ordeal for the outcomes we see to occur.

Jacob and his family could have been led to Egypt to escape the famine another way.

God did not have to send the famine.

Pharaoh's advisors could have been inspired to think of the plan.

Potipher's wife did not have to have a roving eye.

The possibilities are innumerable.

But God chose this particular way.

Why?

Why send a faithful man through the grinder?

70's Saturday Today

2011-06-11T19:03:00.002-05:00

On the way home from hunting and gathering, I had the radio tuned to a station that features music from the 70's on Saturday. Get this - they call it "70's Saturday." Pretty handy, I think.

At one point, the Boz Scaggs song 'Lido Shuffle' came on. I had not heard this song in a long, long time and it immediately took me back to a period in my life. On a similar note, I remember the MASH episode where Hawkeye suffers from an allergy and other symptoms and Sidney, the shrink, comes to help him. There's something in there about smells being a powerful memory trigger. Maybe. But songs can do it too.

So, 'Lido Shuffle' stirs up memories of listening to rock music way too loud at 'The Ranch, ' cruising around Missouri State, nee SMSU, showing the campus to a guy from out of town who, as a young father, was trying to persuade his toddling son not to admire Darth Vader so. I told him I liked Vader and he said, "Yeah, but you're not four."

So, what does 'Lido Shuffle' remind you of?

This is a live version and not the one of 30 years ago and Boz obviously can't hit the high notes anymore, but I find it compelling nonetheless.

Writers Write

2011-06-06T15:59:00.000-05:00

More from W.P. Kinsella's "Shoeless Joe,"

"Writing is different," Salinger insists. "Other people get into occupations by accident or design; but writers are born. We have to write. I have to write. I could work at selling motels, or slopping hogs, for fifty years, but if someone asked my occupation, I'd say writer, even if I'd never sold a word. Writers write. Other people talk."

Memorial Day Photos

2011-06-03T07:11:00.000-05:00

On Monday I got out and took some pictures of flags, and people, and people with flags. I came home and cropped and colored. I'll let you look at these.

A Thousand Words Paint A Picture

2011-06-02T12:07:00.000-05:00

Writing. This is how it's done:

I had to go to Iowa City again that night. As I tucked Karin into bed in her room with curtains covered in kittens and ballerinas, I said, "Is there anything I can bring you?" figuring on an ice-cream bar, a Dr. Pepper, or a slice of cheese pizza, which, incredibly, she likes to eat cold for breakfast.

"Bring me the flowers, Daddy," she said. "I want some to touch when I wake up in the morning."

That night, after my meeting, I drove back to the spot we had visited by day. It was like a cathedral, the filtered light of stars and streelights peeking through the thatch of blossoms and leaves.

From the jumble in the back seat, I took a large Styrofoam cup that had once held a cherry Coke, and, walking along the dark street rather sheepishly, scooped handfuls of petals from the the overflowing gutters, wondering how I would explain myself if someone chanced to ask.

I carried them home on the seat beside me like an urn of ashes, and placed them on the night table beside Karin's bed. I watched her sleeping; she slept on her back, her right-hand palm up beside her head. She looks like Annie run through a copying machine that reduces things in size. I bent and kissed her freckled nose. I will probably never love her more than I did at that moment.

- from "Shoeless Joe" by W.P. Kinsella

Why Not Believe Him?

2011-06-01T07:12:00.005-05:00

Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, is one of the men on the current political scene that I admire most. He is a straight-talker. He is not afraid to mix it up with anybody with whom he disagrees, not maliciously, but honest and tough. And generally he's on the right side of the issue. He's taken on New Jersey's budget deficit which has required him to face down unions over benefits and the City of New York over a tunnel project.

Naturally, there is talk of Christie being presidential timber and he very well could be. Every time, however, the subject is brought up to him, he says no. He says he was elected to do a job in New Jersey and that he intends to do it.

Still the talk persists. According to this story, a group from Iowa visited the governor and encouraged him to run. They were also told no.

What we love about Christie is his straight talk and he's had to deal with tougher customers than donors from Iowa. He said he's not running for president. We believe him on the other stuff, why not this?

Concerning Jim Tressel

2011-05-31T18:06:00.000-05:00

Pretend you are somebody else. But not for just a moment or for a prank. Pretend for years that you are somebody else. Can you do it? Former head football coach Jim Tressel did.

Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel resigned Monday after nearly 6 months of questions, suspensions, and suspicions. The final straw that finally got his employer, Ohio State, to pressure him enough to quit was the Sports Illustrated column that I just finished reading.

It is a damning document that paints Tressel as complicit in NCAA infractions, lying to keep the NCAA and Ohio State in the dark, and putting up a facade of ethical, even Christian behavior.

From the ESPN column by Pat Forde concerning Tressel:

"And now Tressel has been forced out of his dream job, one of the top five in America. If he's honest with himself, Tressel must wonder today how much easier life would have been if he'd just done the right thing when he got that first email warning him that his players were breaking the rules.

But this has been a lie-and-deny operation from the beginning, and now it ends with Jim Tressel's meticulously polished reputation in tatters."

Instead of heeding the Henry Kissenger maxim "whatever must be revealed eventually, should be revealed immediately," Tressel fell back on his fine, button-downed reputation and covered for his players.

More from Forde:
"When the revelations of sold memorabilia and comped tattoos from an alleged drug trafficker first came to light in December, this was all about the players who broke rules and scoffed at Ohio State traditions. Tressel, at that time, was the blindsided guardian of standards and scruples who was disappointed that his players would do such a thing.

What a charade that turned out to be. Tressel knew for months what his players had done, and hadn't told any of his supposed superiors at Ohio State. When emails made that clear in March -- when the coach was cornered -- the school lamely offered up a two-game suspension in 2011."

As bad as all this is, we've seen cheating coaches before, not to mention other boorish behavior from these guys who are supposed to be teaching young people. However, with the garden variety cheat, he doesn't usually make a show of being clean. He just tries to avoid getting caught. Tressel's not like that. He was selling honesty, Elmer Gantry-like, while he was watching the program rot. The troubling thing is his deliberate charade.

The sweater vest, the tie, the pressed shirt, the Bible reading and texting of Psalms. All of it designed to make outsiders think he was clean when he wasn't. It's the calculated deceit that really gets me, I guess. This dude is cold.

And, for me, it makes it hard to care about college sports very much. I thought I had an idea what they were about. Now, I'm doubting it.

Yes, It's Been Tried Before, But We're Expecting Different Results

2011-05-29T13:27:00.003-05:00

From the post 'Unexpectedly' on the 'Powerline' blog:

"Why is it that after two years, bad economic news is still 'unexpected?'"

The post has a suggested reason:

"It's obviously going to be hard to achieve the unacknowledged goal of many mainstream journalists - the president's re-election - if the economic slump continues. So they characterize economic setbacks as unexpected, with the implication that there's still every reason to believe that, in Herbert Hoover's phrase, prosperity is just around the corner."

I think this is pretty good analysis. After the policies this administration has pursued and enacted, it shouldn't surprise anyone that there is bad economic news.

Rotting Tree? Or Mighty Oak?

2011-05-27T20:35:00.000-05:00

Jim Downing, one of the patriarchs of the Navigator work, was asked, "Why is it that so few men finish well?" His response was profound. He said, "They learn the possibility of being fruitful without being pure . . . they begin to believe that purity doesn't matter. Eventually, they become like trees rotting inside that are eventually toppled by a storm." (Emphasis mine)

I remember a few years back, it seemed the notion of "finishing well" was highlighted quite a bit, maybe in connection all the Promise Keepers events going on. In almost all of life, it seems that finishing is much more difficult than starting.

Today, for example, I finished painting the living room and a hall. This project was begun by Number One Son back before winter. It was just paint - nothing to tear up, nothing to repair - just lube the wall with pigmented latex. Easy as pie. It was months between the initiation and the completion.

And it is true in my spiritual life, as well. I remember the excitement and zeal of the early days of my faith. I remember spending hours thumbing through the Bible on any given day. I couldn't get enough. I remember anticipating meetings and gatherings of other believers and not wanting to leave them when it was over. Now, while I still desire these things, the energy is not the same. I think I see slippage in attitudes, in prayers, in ministry. I don't have the attention span I once did.

Maybe it is age. Maybe.

Or maybe, like Downing said, have I learned to be 'fruitful without purity?' Or said another way, am I settling for appearances instead of performance? Style over substance?

I hope not and, as I said, I notice the weakness, and hope my efforts in combating it, by God's grace, are real and successful.

(Downing quote from Desiring God blog - linked here.)

Historic Doctrines Less Prevelant

2011-05-26T20:19:00.000-05:00

All that glitters is not gold goes the old saying. In a similar vein, Os Guinness and David Wells have alerted evangelicals about weakness they observe in the apparent success of today's evangelicalism.

"(T)he strong timber of the tree of evangelicalism has historically been the great doctrines of the Bible—God’s glorious perfections, man’s fallen nature, the wonders of redemptive history, the magniﬁcent work of redemption in Christ, the saving and sanctifying work of grace in the soul, the great mission of the church in conﬂict with the world and the ﬂesh and the devil, and the greatness of our hope of everlasting joy at God’s right hand. These things once deﬁned us and were the strong ﬁber and timber beneath the fragile leaves and fruit of our religious experiences. But this is the case less and less."

There's more at this link.

Health Care, The Chicago Way

2011-05-26T11:46:00.004-05:00

Yet another article detailing the lawlessness of the Obama Administration by Michael Barone and posted at Real Clear Politics. Here's some highlights:

"If Obamacare is so great, why do so many people want to get out from under it? More specifically, why are more than half of those 3,095,593 in plans run by labor unions, which were among Obamacare's biggest political supporters? Union member are only 12 percent of all employees but have gotten 50.3 percent of Obamacare waivers."

Of course there's more, including examples of the 'most transparent administration ever' being less than clear about who gets the waivers and how and why. Read it here.

Paul Splittorff

2011-05-26T10:04:00.000-05:00

I didn't appreciate this guy as much as he probably deserved. I don't even think I have a card of him. I wasn't much of a Royals fan, though I did follow that '78 team pretty well, probably a better team than either of their pennant winners. That season coincided with a dark period in the life of the Cardinals, so I would listen to Royals games on the radio and come out of my room to announce the results, usually a win, to my dad. He always seemed underwhelmed by this.

Anyway, here's good stuff on Paul Splittorff.

Another Thought On Wrong Predictions

2011-05-25T20:04:00.002-05:00

Here are good thoughts from a guy named Mike Wittmer concerning the Harold Camping mess of last weekend.

"Christians should feel a twinge of sadness every night when we turn in to bed, for we have lived another day without the return of our King. The Lord’s Prayer includes the line, 'May your Kingdom come soon' (Luke 11:2). As far-fetched as Camping’s prediction was, his spectacular miss should prompt us to reassess our deepest longings. Will we only scoff at his delusion, or will we also remember that we should want our Lord to return?

Perhaps we aren’t excited for Jesus’ return because we’re too easily pleased with the present. As one preacher said, 'It’s hard to pray, ‘Thy kingdom come,’ when your kingdom has had a good year.' Thank God for the good life you presently enjoy, but don’t allow his current blessings to distract you from the Christian’s prayer: 'Our Lord, come!' (1 Corinthians 16:22)."

Good stuff. Here's the whole thing.

The Truth Is, It Remains

2011-05-24T21:43:00.004-05:00

Gordon Lightfoot wrote, "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours." Tonight, about 10 minutes ago, the city of Joplin, Mo. was put under a tornado warning. An angry line of storms is advancing on southwest Missouri out of Oklahoma. Of course, the Joplin Tornado of 2011 was just 48 hours ago and now this storm-ravaged and shocked town will hunker down, hoping for the best and bracing for the worst, which they are all too well acquainted with.

When I heard the announcement of tonight's storm warning, Lightfoot's words came immediately to mind. For us in the Midwest, substitute the word 'winds' for 'waves' and line would be appropriate for Tornado Alley.

There's a sense of "Oh no, not again!" when you hear that Joplin is under the gun again. It seems unfair. And you may wonder if God knows what He's doing. It's an absurd thought, of course, but still the man-centered 'fair' trigger gets tripped.

The grass withers and the flowers fade. Storms that are coming imply that soon they will be going. Our lives are like the morning dew, all glisteny one minute and gone the next.

But God.

God is immutable, as the old theologians are wont to proclaim. That's changeless for you and me. What God has always been, He will always be. Lightfoot (and we!) are wrong to suggest that somehow the love of God has gone somewhere when the going gets rough. It cannot go anywhere, for God cannot cease to exist.

It Is Way Too Early, I Know

2011-05-23T14:19:00.003-05:00

It is way too early to talk, in realistic terms, about the election in November, 2012. It is roughly 17 months away, a veritable lifetime as news cycles go.

But I thought it worth noting that Tim Pawlenty joined the race for the White House today. Officially, that is, because it has been widely held for a long time (since the day after Obama beat McCain?) that the former governor of Minnesota would get in.

He joins some notables already in, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich to name two. There's some less notables who are in, as well. Obama and Bill Clinton were less notables as their respective campaigns began, for what that's worth. There are some notables who are out, too.

One reason to like Pawlenty and why I thought this worth your while, is his plain-spoken style. Oh, how I long for somebody to say what we can all see, to say what we all know and to say what he'd do about it. Style and nuance are part of our national problem.

I take it as a good sign that Pawlenty does not mince words in his opener. I know it's too early and the election is way off, but if it were today, here's where my vote would go.

Not In My Backyard

2011-05-18T21:07:00.002-05:00

Whoever wrote Subway's 5 dollar footlong song and the person responsible for Steak'N'Shake's talking hat should be locked in a room far away from those of us who still have our minds and be made to continually pitch their commercials to each other forever.

Killer Cancer

2011-05-18T15:55:00.002-05:00

Harmon Killebrew has died.

I don't want to make anything more of this than it was - I didn't know him personally, he wasn't my favorite player or on my favorite team.

But he occupied a place in my childhood, as the 1968 Topps baseball card of mine (right) testifies. I knew who he was, of course. He was a mighty, mighty home run hitter, Paul Bunyanesque even, which is appropriate for an athlete tearing up the field in Minnesota. A terrific hitter and, by all accounts, a terrific person, which is good.

And yet, there is something very sad about Killebrew's death to me, something I can't quite put my finger on, but I have a notion what it is. I suppose what's bugging me can be summed up by critics as the usual sentimental and superstitious tripe that effervesces from a Christian worldview.

I have no desire to be maudlin, to drum up emotions that aren't there or even necessary. Something is just bugging me, that's all. Killebrew's death is sad and I hope his family finds comfort in the days to come. It is sad because another man whose work I admired as a child became old enough to die and that means the clock is ticking. For everybody. Maybe I'm just sobered by the brevity of life and the certainty of its end.

And maybe I'm sobered by the idea that being a terrific person isn't enough when the end comes.

Honest Abe - Wired

2011-05-15T23:30:00.003-05:00

From "Bloody Crimes" by James Swanson we learn that President Abraham Lincoln was as hooked on technology as many of us are today:

"He haunted the army telegraph office for news of the battles raging in Virginia. He was addicted to this technology. It was an impatient habit he had formed in Washington. He did not like to wait for important news. To his delight, the War Department telegraph office was a short walk from the Executive Mansion. He became a habitue of the office, befriending the men employed here, to whom he often made surprise visits at any time of the day or night. Now he was standing over the telegraph operators at City Point, (Virginia, headquarters of the armies of the United States) and as soon as they transcribed the reports as they came off the wire, the president snatched the hurried scribblings from their hands."

Concept Is Lost

2011-05-08T22:27:00.003-05:00

When the company John Doe worked for had an employee-suggestion competition, John told his staff to submit entries that would save money for the firm.

The winner was a man in John's department who suggested they post corporate memos on bulletin boards instead of printing 200 individual copies for distribution. He got a helium balloon with the company logo and one share of stock.

A memo announcing the prize went out to 200 people.

Engine Trouble

2011-05-05T21:39:00.005-05:00

Since the lay off, I've been working on finding new work, of course. Updating resumes, scanning online sites, sending in apps with resumes attached, "etcetera, etcetera, etcetera." (You know, I remembered Yul Brenner saying this, but I associated it with "The Ten Commandments," not the movie it is actually from, which I have not seen since I was a wee lad and probably have never seen it in its entirety. Hello, Netflix!)

In the meantime, the little Escort wagon has been sitting in the driveway a lot, going nowhere. I do have a part time job in the evening, but usually I drive the newer Chevy we have because Kathy is not going to be using it and, as a bonus, the Chevy has a heater that works. The Escort's blower has blown itself out, so there is no heat to speak of. I bought an alleged heater a while back that plugs into the cigarette lighter and sits on top of the dash, ominously, like a swollen radar detector. It is very effective when clearing the foggy windshield, if by 'very effective' you mean it will clear a spot to peer through that is roughly the size of a softball and is about six inches below your line of sight.

Today it was time to put some coolant in the Escort's radiator as the little light, that may or may not indicate coolant is needed, has been on. I gathered all the relevant items for just such a task, took them to the car, and popped the hood.

Now when a person opens the hood of the car, he generally knows what to expect. Usually one expects to greeted by a lot of metal and rubber in proportions required to put braces on George Washington on Mt. Rushmore.

Well, I saw some of this, but what really caught my eye was the microwave oven-sized wad of leaves packed into the spaces in and around where the coolant overflow reservoir is. And I also saw a neat semi-circle torn out of the insulation attached to the underside of the hood.

Our front yard is a squirrel paradise, judging by the number of them I see most days. And I guess the engine compartment of the stationary automobile was just perfect for a new squirrel dwelling, and construction was underway. However I determined that this new construction was not up to code and, besides, had violated numerous zoning ordinances. It had to go.

However, no squirrels were available for the job, so I had to tear it out myself.

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

2011-05-05T13:05:00.000-05:00

I found this post last summer, but it seems as if it were waiting for me to come back to it now, what with all the little circumstances that attend my life now. I would encourage you to read the whole post that is linked here.

The lesson (I don't like that word in this case) that strikes me is that God fills in the missing parts. In the case of George Matheson, it was his sense of being abandoned by, first a fiance, and then by a sister. In that state of feeling alone, his heart can sing, "my God will not let me go!"

Right now, friends I know are burying loved ones. The brother of a friend lost his house in the tornadoes. Kathy and I both need to find work. A woman I know suffers a chronic illness that may take her life.

There is a Love, though, that will not let us go.

It is a strange "not letting go" however. This "not letting go" takes us through some very dark places. It takes us places where it seems that we have been let go. We suffer and we cry. We ask questions and don't hear answers. Matheson might have been the greatest leader of the church of Scotland of his day. Instead he lost his sight. Yet, he said he was not let go.

It seems, then, that in all our "not being let go" that we don't merely have Someone holding us as we walk through the valley. It may be that the One not letting us go is actually leading us into the valley.

How can it be otherwise, for He has never let us go?

The Internet and Our Brains

2011-05-04T09:27:00.000-05:00

I have been noticing for some time my diminishing ability to think, to concentrate, to focus on any one thing for very long at all. It disturbs me a great deal. I've gotten worried that this trend would advance in my life to where all I would want to do is watch TV or play games. Well maybe I'm doing it to myself. Maybe you are doing it to yourself, too.

The internet is making us shallow samplers.

According to the book The Shallows: What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains we are becoming "scanners and skimmers" but losing our "capacity for concentration, contemplation and reflection."

It may be that an Internet diet is required.

Finally

2011-04-27T20:12:00.002-05:00

Our long national nightmare is over. The ugliest uniform in the NFL is no more. The Buffalo Bills return to a more classic, ye classy, look for 2011.

Providing there is a season, of course.

Yes, A Period of Consequences

2011-04-25T21:55:00.000-05:00

I found this last summer but it is just as timely now as when I first saw it. The swell of evidence continues to pour in like water released from a dam after days of nonstop rain concerning the weakness of Obama. It is important to continue to resist his policies and to hang on until 2012 when we can elect an adult to the presidency, an adult who will be advised by adults.

I continue to hope there will not be irreparable harm done before then. An important, ye even chilling article.

Seeing Good Friday

2011-04-22T23:20:00.004-05:00

Tonight's service at church ministered to me in a new way. It was a Good Friday service, of course, and pastor sounded a note I have probably heard before, but this time it was fresh. I won't be able to quote him verbatim, but I'll try to get the essence.

As Christians living when we do, we necessarily view Good Friday through Easter. We know what Good Friday means. This is an advantage the disciples did not have on crucifixion day. For them, all was dark and torn and stormy and dead and final. We can, thankfully, view Good Friday in hope and with all its meaning because we know about Easter and resurrection and epistles that explain it. Some of these letters are even written by ones who were convinced all was lost when the Romans killed their rabbi.

Here's what I took away: Don't approach Good Friday filled will somber dread. Easter people don't need to beat their breast and mourn. Of course I should be sorry for my sin, understanding that sin offends God, that God could rightly cast me into hell for my rebel heart and my rebellious crimes against Him - but I can't stay in sorrow for long because it is not the end of the story and I know the end of the story. I know about Easter. I know the Gospel.

As brutal and savage and depraved and unjust as Jesus' death was, it is life for me. The Gospel says that the Father made Him who knew no sin, Jesus, to be sin on my behalf. It's inexplicable, I know, but it is true nonetheless. And then, this spotless Lamb who was slain for my sins, rose from the grave showing that, not only is sin powerless, but so is the grave. O, death! Where is thy sting?

No, we do not mourn as the unbelievers and I will not linger over the brutality. But I will glory in the Cross and in ALL that it means, not just the Friday part.

Don't Waste Your Layoff, Part 1

2011-04-18T01:49:00.000-05:00

Note: I freely and gladly acknowledge that the 'Don't Waste Your (fill-in-the-blank)' moniker is not original with me and joyfully credit John Piper and Desiring God Ministries as having created it. Piper's article 'Don't Waste Your Cancer' can be found here.

Thursday (March 31) my job ended. The company is going to get the work done with a server and a scanner. I am disappointed and I felt more emotion that I expected when I left the building for the last time, but I am trusting God Who knows and sees.

There are a lot of ways to begin I suppose, but the only way that makes any sense to me is to begin with God.

You will waste your layoff if you do not believe it is designed for you by God. God, Who is Sovereign has brought this into my life - He allowed it, therefore He planned it and so it has purpose. God does not act willy-nilly. He knew about it and could have prevented it, yet He did not. It is His Will for me. The choice before me is to either bless Him or curse Him.

After having experienced the sudden and complete loss of property and family, Mr. and Mrs. Job had this exchange: "Then (Job's) wife said to him, 'Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.' But he said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?' In all this Job did not sin with his lips." Job 2:9-10

Cursing God for calamity is sin. Attributing the calamity to something other than the hand of God is sin. God directs all human affairs and we honor Him by saying so.

From the Psalms today:

In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8)

I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. (Psalm 34:4-7)

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear Him have no lack!

The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:8-10)

I will not waste my layoff if I grow in the fear of God.

Facist and Communist Killers

2011-04-17T08:48:00.000-05:00

Hitler's name is very nearly a curse. A cold-blooded killer who obliterated 6 million or so souls, the Fascist Fuhrer is despised.

But Communist mass murderers are iconic heroes to many our fellows. What gives? This video explores this question.

In The Yard Today

2011-03-19T15:54:00.003-05:00

MSU Didn't Belong

2011-03-14T18:48:00.003-05:00

The Missouri State Bears did not get ripped off.

The truth is they aren't good enough to get into the tournament. That's not the same as saying they are not better than any team that did make it because I think they are better than a few of them.

But they didn't get in because they didn't beat any strong teams, didn't play any strong teams and lost to some teams that aren't very strong at all.

And when the Golden Ticket was on the line in the MVC tournament title game they lost. They failed to get past Indiana State, a team the Bears were three games better than over the course of the regular season. MSU didn't get it done. It's not the committee's fault. It's not the power conferences fault.

It's the Bears fault.

Birthday Bride

2011-03-10T08:50:00.004-06:00

Today is my wife's birthday and, unfortunately, she is down with some fever-inducing bug. That is an un-Happy condition on your Birthday.

I have sung Kathy's praises on many occasions and she deserves it. She is most caring, most sensitive and most interested in others' well-being. I have often described how I am a better person for having known her, indeed, for having been married to her. But how does it happen?

She cares. Intensely. She is of the "Why settle?" school of thought whereas I'm more tempted to merely get by. When I am struggling over whether or not to eat the second hamburger, or whether or not to stay up late, she says, "Why struggle? Just do what's right." It's beautifully simple. Why struggle?

For this influence and for a thousand other sweet gifts she has given, I am most fortunate. I am so thankful for a marriage that is growing sweeter, deeper and more alive as time goes on. How is this possible?

It's not because of extra hamburger boy, I'll tell you that.

Grace For Grace

2011-02-26T19:05:00.004-06:00

I spent the better part of an hour Saturday, scraping double-sided tape up off a concrete floor. It was tape that is designed to keep carpets in place and was therefore not intended to come right back up off the floor. The carpets it was holding down were in a booth at the exhibition center and the whole idea was to keep the carpets down and immovable so patrons would not trip or slip. The intentions were good, but the consequences of the decision remained a big secret until time to pack everything up at the end of the day, after a herd of humans had pressed the tape to the floor like a steamroller squishing asphalt.

My connection to the whole deal was that my wife's employer had the booth and I was there to pick Kathy up. I was waiting in the car, listening to oldies, when the distress signal came. I went in and was soon on the floor scraping tape.

It was a good day because I didn't resent it. And I'm thankful to God for that. On not good days, I would have resented the interruption to my "schedule," resented having to help somebody that should have known better and, after all, you made this mess, you clean it up.

But God is good, and has made His goodness known to me and gave me the grace to lay hold of the grace to be of service to somebody else.

And that is no small thing.

Happy Days. Not.

2011-02-24T20:51:00.003-06:00

I'll tell you what - it's a bad time to be a fan of the Cardinals, Seahawks and Celtics. I don't even want to look at the sports and see if there is any news about the Blues.

Today, the Cardinals found out for sure that ace pitcher Adam Wainwright is done throwing baseballs off a big league mound for at least 12 months and probably more. He has ligament damage in the elbow which requires surgery whereby the damaged ligament is removed from the elbow and tendon from the non-throwing arm is grafted in. It's called Tommy John surgery, named for the pitcher who first had it done. A story on the Cardinals website today said Wainwright needed Tommy John and I wisecracked that the Cardinals team needed Tommy John. As in the pitcher. Even though he's 67 years old. His elbow is probably still in good shape.

As for the Celtics, they traded away Kendrick Perkins, a center, today. I listened to the analysis on ESPN.com and none of the experts can figure out what the Celtics were thinking. Their one big advantage over teams like Miami was lots of bigs. Now they got rid of one. I'm no expert but when the real experts don't know what you are doing, it's not good.

As for the Seahawks, well, no news today, though there will probably be an NFL lockout. But they remain a team with an unproven coach and a roster in flux and no high draft picks and an aging quarterback.

This could be a long, dark time for the Cardinal-Seahawk-Celtic fan. And you know who you are.

- 30 -

2011-02-18T20:51:00.002-06:00

I have just a few minutes until my new favorite show, "Blue Bloods" comes on. I am not being sarcastic.

So I've got to write something worth reading in a short amount of time. It's like hitting a deadline or something. Like the newspaper men of old. "Stop the presses!" somebody would yell, the editor or the publisher, I presume. And then the heroic and idealistic young journalist, who nobody took seriously before, would get that scoop that would bust up the rackets or expose the corrupt official to the anxious public and he would win the affections of the Girl Friday who had previously been ambivalent about the young man's prospects.

The End.

What I Think I Think: Pujols Edition

2011-02-17T18:40:00.003-06:00

That twisting and grinding metal noise you've been hearing for the last day or two is the sound of the Gateway Arch wringing its hands. There is consternation and wailing and moaning abroad in the Mound City and indeed, throughout the Midwest. And why, you ask, all these St. Louis blues?

The Spring has come and Albert is unsigned.

Albert Pujols, the best baseball player on the planet and the first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals is about to embark on the final year of his contract with what appears to be every intention of exploring free agency in the fall. I have read much of what's been written and seen much of what's been shown on this and I've formed my own ideas about this whole affair and I've put them down below.

I think everybody should calm down. We've a whole season to go and the Cardinals will field a competitive team once again. Don't miss the ride just because you don't like the bump at the end. And . . .

I think we should remember that free agency is part of our world and stop being romantic. Many have bemoaned the "lack of loyalty" and "greed" that appears to be on display. We've had free agency since the mid-70's and this is the landscape and has been for two generations or so. "Happily Ever After" is great, but it's not real, it's in storybooks. I don't like it any more than the next guy, I despise Marvin Miller for his role in bringing it to pass and a pox on anyone who advocates his election to the Hall of Fame. Nevertheless, it's here and "happily ever after" is not. To that end . . .

I think we need to stop comparing Albert Pujols to Stan Musial. I understand all the reasons a person is tempted to do so. I would never say that Musial was anything but loyal, but he also didn't have Pujols' opportunities. (And don't mention the Mexican League thing - it's apples to oranges.) Players didn't have the option of playing out the contract and signing elsewhere in Stan's day. The Reserve Clause bound a player to a team. I get that Stan and Albert were/are the greatest of their day and that both played for the Cardinals and that both are honorable men. But comparing them is like comparing a Philco radio to an iphone. Different eras.

I think the Cardinals have been planning for this all along. Up until Pujols hits the market, St. Louis is bidding against themselves. To sign him, the Cardinals have to give him his price. Come the fall, the market will determine what a 32 year-old hitter who is nicked up every year is worth. Granted, he is an historically great 32 year-old hitter.

I think Albert's position is primarily about respect and not about dollars per se.This may be a little hard to grasp for some. Year-in and year-out Pujols is reminded that he is the best player in the game. He's won 3 National League MVP awards and was second in that voting 4 other times. In 10 years! He is the best and, accordingly, he wants the best contract. He's not thinking about dollars like you and I think about dollars. He's thinking about respect and place and honor. The dollars are just the scoreboard.

I think Albert will sign with the Cardinals when all is said and done. I might be wrong but as I said above, I think the Cardinals have been prepping for this. They want Albert and Albert wants to be in St. Louis, though not at any price. I think free agency will set the price and the Cardinals will pay it and Albert will sign. That said . . . .

I think a wicked part of me wonders what Albert would look like in a Red Sox uniform and taking dead aim at the Green Monster 81 games a year for the next decade. Wow.

Moses' Name

2011-02-01T13:37:00.002-06:00

Exodus 2:6-10 (ESV): When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews' children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

Hosea 11:1 (ESV): When Israel was a child, I loved him,

and out of Egypt I called my son.

From the notes in the ESV Study Bible regarding Exodus 2:10:

Moses. In Hebrew, the name sounds like the verb mashah, "to draw out". The name may also be related to the common Egyptian word for "son." Since Pharaoh's daughter clearly knows that Moses is a Hebrew child (Ex. 2:6-9), it is possible that she chose the name for both its Hebrew ("drawn out of water") and Egyptian ("son") senses. The irony of such a dual reference would be that her action not only prefigures but is also a part of the means that God uses to "draw" Israel as his "son" out of Egypt (Hos. 11:1).

Let's Put On A Show!

2011-01-29T12:50:00.003-06:00

Julie Andrews, as Mary Poppins, once famously said that a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down. More precisely, she sang it. Along those same lines, I put on some music today while I was transforming dirty dishes into apparently clean dishes.

My music of choice today was Steve Tyrell's "A New Standard". It is a fine collection of old standards, songs that have stood the test of time and, while one may not know every word of every song, almost everybody recognizes something about them.

One of the songs on the album is "I'm In The Mood For Love" and it makes me smile when I hear it because the reason I know the song is not because I heard Frank or Bing or Dean do it. No, it was another well-known crooner who taught me this tune. Maybe he taught it to you, too.

Also on the disk is "I'm Through With Love" which I learned from the same source. I apologize in advance for poor video quality, but the fond memories will probably serve to compensate for it.

Give It A Rest

2011-01-27T17:44:00.003-06:00

It is way too early to start talking about the Super Bowl. And it has been too early to start talking about it since it was determined last Sunday who would be playing the game a week from this Sunday. It takes two weeks to get there and for two weeks there are no games, but the talk is everywhere.

This bothers my internal clock. Since early September, the NFL has conditioned us for a steady stream of football delivered in regular, weekly doses. They come on Sunday. Oh, there's the odd Thursday game to accommodate a network and there's the Monday night game. But they only serve to prove the point. Those games feel different and odd and out of kilter because they are. They aren't on Sunday. Some playoff games are on Saturday, but that's OK because it's the playoffs and you expect the schedule to be different for the playoffs.

But now the flow is interrupted. There will be no NFL football on this coming Sunday prior to the Super Bowl. But you are thinking about the Pro Bowl Game and saying to yourself, "There is a game, the Pro Bowl." Yes, well, the Pro Bowl, the all-star game for football, is just not the same. I asked a friend today, who is perhaps the most enthusiastic football fan I know, if he watched the Pro Bowl. I assumed I would hear a resounding yes. Instead, he made a face. "Ray Lewis can't sack the quarterback!" he said as he shook his head. To keep players from getting hurt, they change the rules a bit and it turns the game into something other than a real contest of football. It's more an exhibition. He doesn't watch. So, like I said, there is no football this weekend.

Down Time

2011-01-26T20:13:00.003-06:00

Tonight I was reminded why I gave up on Sudoku games. I fired one up on the computer because I've been burning the candle at both ends of late and felt the need for just a bit of "down time".

Just writing that makes my mind start to churn with other possibilities for "down time". Could I have done something refreshing and relaxing and restorative that ALSO edified? In other words, something that wasn't a total time-waster? Undoubtedly. But I didn't think of that question then. I thought of it now. And so it goes.

Back to my point, such as it is - Sudoku. I had a book of these puzzles a few years ago and worked through it and discovered something. They are not hard. Nor are they especially mysterious. They are simply fill-in-the-blank tests with clues. The only thing we don't know is how long it will take to solve it.

And it will get solved. This is why they are less than puzzles; less than mysteries. We know the answers, it's just a matter of time. And I finally decided I don't want to spend a half an hour finding 9 sets of numbers that run 1 through 9.

So, how do you spend "down time"?

Staggeringly Dangerous Deficit

2011-01-25T19:43:00.001-06:00

From an IBD Editorial by Rep. Kevin Brady -

"Under President Obama, the U.S. has one of the worst budget deficits in the developed world. Our federal debt is exponentially increasing by $54,373 every second.

At this dangerous rate, our debt will be $18.6 trillion at the end of the president's term — an unimaginable explosion of 75% above and beyond the debt accumulated by all of his 43 predecessors combined."

It's A New Year. Let's Go To Wal-Mart

2010-12-31T16:29:00.003-06:00

At 3:55 this afternoon I was headed out of Wal-Mart and saw a mob of people going into the store, lined up like Vegas conventioneers at an open bar. What's the attraction? Maybe the Electronics area was going to drop a lighted ball later on. Actually, it's a pretty good bet that something lit would drop in Wal-Mart.

Anyway, I had just been there and let me tell you it is no picnic. Not only are there many shoppers per aisle in there, but there are also at least 2 employees per aisle trying to get the store recovered for what I can only assume would be year-end inventory.

Happy New Year! Now go straighten a jam-packed Wal-Mart as it's being shopped.

Oy.

All Favre, All The Time

2010-11-24T08:20:00.000-06:00

It is probably a myth that fierce Nordic explorers of yore would burn their ship once they were ashore in a new land in order to prevent retreat. Today's NFL namesakes, the Vikings, have commenced burning the team ship with a third of the season to play and everyone still on board. Talk about poor clock management!

Just a few plays away from last year's Super Bowl, Minnesota has fired the coach, Brad Childress, as of Monday. What has gone wrong? ESPN.com's Gregg Easterbrook has a thought:

"Surely, the Vikings' problem is that they have not bowed low enough before Brett Favre! Childress only drove to the airport to pick him up. Why didn't he offer to fold Favre's laundry too? If only the Minnesota Vikings would show Favre some respect!

Favre leads the league with 17 interceptions -- and maybe he wouldn't be throwing to the wrong place so often if he'd bothered to attend training camp for the past two seasons. Favre also has lost five fumbles; 22 turnovers in 10 games by the starting quarterback would doom any NFL team. The Vikings are last in the NFL in turnover differential -- and Adrian Peterson hasn't fumbled this season! Yet Childress is scapegoated while Favre floats above it all. The Metrodome crowd chanted, "FIRE CHILDRESS!" They should have chanted, "PROTECT THE FOOTBALL!"

In 2007, Green Bay wanted to be rid of Favre because the team was sick of his attitude, which boils down to: me, me, me and have I mentioned me? Sunday, Green Bay's judgment was vindicated in emphatic fashion.

In 2008, Favre single-handedly blew up the New York Jets, leading to a fired head coach and bitter recriminations all around. In 2010, Favre has blown up the Vikings, with a fired head coach and bitter recriminations all around. This must be some inexplicable coincidence -- it can't have anything to do with Brett Favre."

Raise Your Own Taxes

2010-11-23T19:55:00.004-06:00

From Gregg Easterbrook at ESPN.com:

"Last week a group of millionaires, including the musician Moby, urged Barack Obama to raise taxes on the rich. Taxes on the rich should indeed be raised, though that alone would be far from sufficient to fix the national debt -- a combination higher middle-class taxes, Social Security reductions, defense-spending cuts and increased economic growth is required to fix the damage done by a decade of reckless spending by Democrats and Republicans alike.

Last week's group, and rich people such as Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, who say they favor higher taxes on the wealthy, should bear in mind that they can tax themselves immediately. Right now the top rate for federal income taxes in 35 percent; Obama has proposed raising the number to 39.6 percent beginning in 2011. Nothing stops Gates, or Moby, or any other rich person from simply calculating an additional tax of 4.6 percent, and adding it to the check they send to the Treasury. If you're rich and say you believe the rich should be taxed more -- then tax yourself! Otherwise you're just patting yourself on the back for claiming to want to be taxed, but never actually parting with the money.

And if the president is sincere, why hasn't he already taxed himself to the same extent that he wants to tax others? Filing jointly in 2009, Barack and Michelle Obama had an adjusted gross income of $5,505,409, and paid $1,792,414 in federal taxes. Had the top-rate tax that Obama advocates been in effect they would have paid an additional $253,249. Why didn't the president set a leadership example and tax himself by sending an additional $253,249 to the Treasury?"

Well, why not indeed? I'm not persuaded that taxes need to go up on the rich. I am of the opinion that removing more capital from the private sector and dumping into a rathole the size of a galaxy, i.e., the Federal Treasury, is bad for the economy.

But it would be wonderful to see these "higher taxes" nabobs put their money where their mouth is. But I'm not going to hold my breath.

Soup For Me

2010-11-18T11:11:00.001-06:00

The best part of Progresso's chicken noodle soup is the noodles and the broth. The vegetables, carrots and some celery, have the flavor of the broth, basically, so getting that down is just a question of texture. You gaggers out there know of what I speak.

The chicken is OK but is often a little bit grainy, if that makes sense. But, if you eat the vegetables and the chicken first, you are left with the golden broth and tender noodles. And those goodies make the unappealing parts worthwhile. And if you've got some Keebler Town House crackers to throw in there, well, son! That's good eatin'!

I had the low sodium version today and noticed no real drop off in taste. Curious as I was to see what sort of sodium savings I was enjoying, I looked at the label. I guess 'low' has different meanings in soup-labeling land than it does in the English-speaking world. One serving of the soup had roughly 450 mg of sodium, if I remember correctly. There were two servings in the can. That means I ate 900 mg of sodium for lunch. Nine hundred mg of sodium does not translate as 'low' to me. I'm aiming for 1500 or so for the day.

I figure the way to combat all that sodium is a Snickers bar.

Crosswalk Pride

2010-11-17T20:49:00.000-06:00

I have found that pride is much more subtle, devious, insidious than I had previously thought.

I think we can all spot with ease the person who must always have the spotlight or who constantly talks of themselves in conversations. Not having these particular flaws (I don't think!) I could mistakenly conclude that pride is not a big problem for me.

Or perhaps we've learned to spot a sneakier form of pride. This is the pride that exhibits itself as humility, or maybe false humility. Saying, "Oh, I'm not good at this!" when you really are pretty good at it. Or telling us you don't deserve any credit for some act of service. Repeatedly. The object is to be noticed while saying one doesn't deserve or desire notice.

I have discovered in myself another form of pride. Let's call it Crosswalk Pride. I have discovered that I don't really like rules very much. I have cultivated the appearance of being compliant over the years, I think. I'm a good boy and I don't get into much trouble. But recently a string of events has revealed that my depraved heart rebels against the rules. I'm talking about perfectly good rules for safety or for accomplishing things personally.

The crosswalk is a good example. Frankly, I don't want to wait for the light to change to cross the street. And, as I think about it, it's not about impatience, though, that wouldn't really be a justification. What I like to do is go to the corner and then walk along the street until I spy an opening and then dash across. I'm in control that way. I don't have to stop. Again, I'm not in a hurry - I just don't want to be told I can't go now. You're not the boss of me!

What I'm learning is that waiting for, ye even submitting to, the light is good for my soul. I need rules, boundaries, fences for my protection. Protection from speeding cars and from my own depraved and proud heart. Left to myself, I wouldn't set the borders because, as the pretender to the throne of my world, I want to do as I please.

Waiting for the light at the crosswalk is one way I can practice submission and thereby chasten my rebel's heart.

Regeneration

2010-11-16T19:22:00.005-06:00

I have a little book called "The Valley of Vision". It's a collection of prayers written by Puritans and it is one of the most helpful tools for me in my ongoing effort to stoke the furnace of personal devotion.

I've copied here a prayer from it, called Regeneration, that I read yesterday and it fed me on many levels. It seems to me to be a prayer worth camping out on for a while. It strikes many chords that resonate with me in this particular time of my life.

O God of the highest heaven,

Occupy the throne of my heart, take full possession and reign supreme, lay low every rebel lust, let no vile passion resist thy holy war; manifest thy mighty power, and make me thine forever.

Thou art worthy to be praised with my every breath, loved with my every faculty of soul, served with my every act of life.

Thou hast loved me, espoused me, received me, purchased, washed, favoured, clothed, adorned me, when I was worthless, vile, soiled, polluted.

I was dead in iniquities, having no eyes to see thee, no ears to hear thee, no taste to relish thy joys, no intelligence to know thee;

But thy Spirit has quickened me, has brought me into a new world as a new creature, has given me spiritual perception, has opened to me thy Word as light, guide, solace, joy.

Thy presence is to me a treasure of unending peace;

No provocation can part me from thy sympathy, for thou hast drawn me with cords of love, and dost forgive me daily, hourly.

O help me then to walk worthy of thy love, of my hopes, and my vocation.

Keep me, for I cannot keep myself;

Protect me that no evil befall me;

Let me lay aside every sin admired of many;

Help me to walk by thy side, lean on thy arm, hold converse with thee,

That henceforth I may be salt of the earth and a blessing to all.

You could order one at Amazon if you want.

The 'S' Word

2010-10-27T22:23:00.004-05:00

As Forrest Gump's mama might say, "Socialism is as socialism does." And I would agree with her, if she ever said that.

For Americans in 2010, who is or is not a socialist is less important than the policies a person is advocating. Take our president (please). What he is is less important that what he is doing, or trying to do. So, I haven't been big on calling Obama a socialist, or using the word flippantly.

That being said, this interview is an eye-opener. Stanley Kurtz has written a new book called "Radical-In-Chief" about Barack Obama. Here is what he says about his journey in writing this new book:

"I traveled all around the country doing what scholars do when they want to write a biography of a president or any other important individual. They go into the archives of the organizations that these people worked with, are connected to, find out what the ideology, what the feel of things was among those intellectual environs. And that's what I've done with Barack Obama. And to my shock, as I began this process of searching through the archives, I was forced to a conclusion that even I had not been inclined to make, and that is Barack Obama really is a socialist."

And he tells you why he thinks so, based on what Obama has said and done, not on some bias or preconceptions. You may wish to read the whole interview.

Get All Excited

2010-10-26T21:03:00.003-05:00

I am so geeked up about the coming week that I just about can't see straight. I don't usually feel like this unless Christmas is the next day or I'm going on a trip. I always get pumped for a road trip and, by the way, I'm headed to Tulsa in a few weeks. But that's not why I'm excited. At least not today.

Two reasons to be excited if you are me. Missouri football and mid-term elections. By themselves maybe, not so much excitement, but in context - we are off the charts pumped.

You may have noticed the results of the Missouri game over the weekend. The game where Mizzou whalloped the Oklahoma Sooners (formerly No. 1) for the first time in many years and for only the 5th time in many, many more. As a result, Missouri has moved up to 6th in BCS poll and is only one of a few unbeaten teams at 7-0. The Tigers will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska Saturday for a game with the 'Huskers, or, Bugeaters, as they were formerly known. If Missouri can win there, a big if, they would have a leg up on winning the Big 12 North and a clear shot at going undefeated going into the Big 12 title game. And, the team's performance thus far shows them to be the prohibitive favorite in the conference. But only if they win Saturday. And it won't be easy.

And I'm excited about the vote on Tuesday. I believe it will be a wave election of historic proportions. The Republicans are poised to reclaim the majority in the House and have an outside shot at reclaiming the Senate. Most expert poll-watchers believe the GOP will not only win the 40 seats needed to gain the House, but will take more like 50 or 60. One or two that I have read say they've never seen an election with these kind of factors before and it may be impossible to put a lid on what to expect. In other words, the gain of seats could go even higher. Much higher.

I hope so, for the country's sake. We cannot abide the size and fiscal insanity of the current track we're on.

What About Tony?

2010-10-15T10:14:00.006-05:00

Update: I didn't even get this posted (I wrote it this morning, but had to wait til the afternoon to post) before things changed, which I feared would happen. It appears from ESPN that LaRussa and the Cardinals are working things out. If so, my hunch, below, was wrong.

Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa is in the midst of his, now regular, re-evaluation process concerning whether he wishes to return for another season in the St. Louis dugout. Most observers believe he will, but count me among the unsure.

A month ago, I was certain that Tony was done. I don't remember what he said or how he said it, but something about some comments he made caused me to think it was his last go around. Since then, I've heard all the commentators say they believe he'll return and I, more or less, acquiesced to the conventional wisdom.

But I'm back on the doubting side now. Here's this from a chat by Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch. A question asked was:

"Did you expect TLR to have made his decision by now?"

Strauss' reply:

"There are those within the organization increasingly concerned TLR is preparing to bolt. I'm not there yet."

And today, the Post-Dispatch's Bernie Miklasz made a list, all speculative, of reasons Tony may be hesitant to make a decision. Maybe he's tired, or maybe it's the organizational changes or maybe he's waiting to see if someone comes calling for his services. Whatever it is, Miklasz' overriding point is that it's taking an awfully long time to make a decision that he could have begun to process when it became apparent the Cards weren't going to the postseason, which was mid-August.

So, I've come back to where I was about 6 weeks ago.

I think Tony is done.

The Penurious Pirates

2010-10-10T14:18:00.002-05:00

See, all along, you thought the Pirates were in Pittsburgh. But no. The Pirates are from some place called penurious. You doubt me? I have proof. From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune in an article outlining the management changes of baseball clubs since the season ended:

"John Russell was booted by the penurious Pirates after 299 defeats in three seasons, which extended the woebegone franchise's consecutive losing years to a major league record 18."

The Penurious Pirates. As plain as day. Penurious must be in Minnesota and I say that for two reasons.

First, as odd as it is for a common sports article to whoop out the word 'penurious', the paper in Minneapolis' sister city, St. Paul, used the same word shortly thereafter. From the Pioneer-Press:

"For years these have been the lovable, do-no-wrong Twins who persevered despite a penurious owner, pathetic payroll and abominable stadium."

So the Pirates and the owner of the Minnesota Twins are from penurious.

Second, the Pirates were also called the 'woebegone franchise'. This must be the same part of the country that Minnesotan Garrison Keillor is always telling tales about.

So, the Pirates are from penurious, which is in Minnesota and this is why they play ball in the NL Central and not the East.

Class dismissed.