With a title like that... how can you top it?
Dirty Old Egg Sucking Dog
Recorded by: Johnny Cash
Written by: Jack Clement
Recorded: January 11,1966 Nashville, Tenessee
Source: The Essential Johnny Cash Vol. 2
Well he's not very handsome to look at
Oh he's shaggy and he eats like a hog
And he's always killin' my chickens
That dirty old egg-suckin' dog
Egg-suckin' dog
I'm gonna stomp your head in the ground
If you don't stay out of my hen house
You dirty old egg-suckin' hound
Now if he don't stop eatin' my eggs up
Though I'm not a real bad guy
I'm gonna get my riffle and send him
To that great chicken house in the sky
Egg-suckin' dog
Your always hangin' around
But you'd better stay out of my hen house
You dirty old egg-suckin' hound
Friday, September 30, 2005
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
"Oh my God... I will never get this time back will I?"
So my wife and I invited a friend over to watch a movie the other night. We actually had heard this movie was good... we heard wrong. "Shark boy and Lava Girl." It was only .99 and the funny thing is it was a huge loss. And then I forgot to return it today so I'm paying a late fee on a movie that... well... sucked.
So we invited mdog, my neighbor over. I called her and said, "Hey, I got a 3 D movie and you've got nothing better to do with your life than to come over to our house, eat pizza and watch it with us!"
Turns out she DID had something better to do with her life...
Let's see, what would have been a more pleasant use of time?
From the home office in Glouster, Ohio... it's the Top Ten better things to do than watch "Shark Boy"
#10. Watch re-runs of the fishing channel.
#9. Watch the stuff that hit the cutting room floor of the fishing channel. (All that editing for just 1/2 hour of fishing)
#8. Watch Keanu Reeves play Hamlet using his "Bill and Ted's" voice.
#7. Sit crammed into my elementary school desk while 10 Jr High students rake their fingers across a blackboard.
#6. Listen to a tele-marketer drone on about their latest product.
#5. Two words: root canal.
#4. Hang from my toenails while someone shoves bamboo shoots under my fingernails.
#3. Listen to a Back-street boys album... well...
#2. Spend an afternoon in a room full if life insurance salesmen...
And the number #1 thing to do instead of watching "Shark Boy and Lava Girl is...."
Fill in the blank___________________
So we invited mdog, my neighbor over. I called her and said, "Hey, I got a 3 D movie and you've got nothing better to do with your life than to come over to our house, eat pizza and watch it with us!"
Turns out she DID had something better to do with her life...
Let's see, what would have been a more pleasant use of time?
From the home office in Glouster, Ohio... it's the Top Ten better things to do than watch "Shark Boy"
#10. Watch re-runs of the fishing channel.
#9. Watch the stuff that hit the cutting room floor of the fishing channel. (All that editing for just 1/2 hour of fishing)
#8. Watch Keanu Reeves play Hamlet using his "Bill and Ted's" voice.
#7. Sit crammed into my elementary school desk while 10 Jr High students rake their fingers across a blackboard.
#6. Listen to a tele-marketer drone on about their latest product.
#5. Two words: root canal.
#4. Hang from my toenails while someone shoves bamboo shoots under my fingernails.
#3. Listen to a Back-street boys album... well...
#2. Spend an afternoon in a room full if life insurance salesmen...
And the number #1 thing to do instead of watching "Shark Boy and Lava Girl is...."
Fill in the blank___________________
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Questions 2
"The worst periods of doubt for me have been when others have drilled me with questions that I can't answer."
Thanks kt. That is kind of what I was I was thinking about when I wrote this.
So lately I have found it strange that this is true for a lot of people... and it times... maybe me (although not as much in the last couple of years).
Why do we feel we have to have answers to questions? Why can't there be LOTS of questions without answers? I remember when I was in college, most of the campus ministry organizations were big on apologetics (rational arguments proving God, Jesus, the resurrection, etc). Now, there is nothing wrong with apologetics... but is there something wrong with questions?
Do we have to answer everyone's questions? Even ours? What would make us think that God will make sense?
I spoke with someone not too long ago who was afraid to share their faith (actually disciple someone) because they were afraid that the person would ask a question they couldn't answer... and they wanted to have answers to every question. WE HAVE A NAME FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS AN ANSWER TO EVERY QUESTION... and it's not complementary!
The Rabbis in Jesus' day (and before and after)... when they came upon a passage of scripture they could not understand... would celebrate! They would say, "Blessed am I... for I know that one day God... you WILL give me insight. God you are even BIGGER than I imagined!"
When I come upon a question I doubt. Arggggg!
Do you think people who are not Christ followers are expecting all the right answers? Any stories you want to share?
Thanks kt. That is kind of what I was I was thinking about when I wrote this.
So lately I have found it strange that this is true for a lot of people... and it times... maybe me (although not as much in the last couple of years).
Why do we feel we have to have answers to questions? Why can't there be LOTS of questions without answers? I remember when I was in college, most of the campus ministry organizations were big on apologetics (rational arguments proving God, Jesus, the resurrection, etc). Now, there is nothing wrong with apologetics... but is there something wrong with questions?
Do we have to answer everyone's questions? Even ours? What would make us think that God will make sense?
I spoke with someone not too long ago who was afraid to share their faith (actually disciple someone) because they were afraid that the person would ask a question they couldn't answer... and they wanted to have answers to every question. WE HAVE A NAME FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS AN ANSWER TO EVERY QUESTION... and it's not complementary!
The Rabbis in Jesus' day (and before and after)... when they came upon a passage of scripture they could not understand... would celebrate! They would say, "Blessed am I... for I know that one day God... you WILL give me insight. God you are even BIGGER than I imagined!"
When I come upon a question I doubt. Arggggg!
Do you think people who are not Christ followers are expecting all the right answers? Any stories you want to share?
Friday, August 26, 2005
Questions
So if you are a Christ follower, how sure are you of your faith? Do you ever wake up at 4 a.m. and say, "Do I really believe this stuff? I don't see any god?" And what keeps you from chucking it all and just living how you want?
Friday, August 19, 2005
Blog Spam?
So what is with the previous post by anonymous 1, 2, 3. It's blog spam! I get enough of this crap in my inbox without having it on my blog! I will NOT visit your site and PLEASE no one visit it from this blog.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Mystery Solved!
Wow...mystery solved. I know that people have wrestled with this issue for centuries, but now Harvard is throwing money and brains at it! I have no doubt we will have an answer soon. Thank you Mr Liu!
[puffs out chest and peers over the top of his glasses in condescending manner]
"My expectation is that we will be able to reduce this to a very simple series of logical events that could have taken place with no divine intervention," said David R. Liu, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard.
"In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God."
Psalm 10:4
[puffs out chest and peers over the top of his glasses in condescending manner]
"My expectation is that we will be able to reduce this to a very simple series of logical events that could have taken place with no divine intervention," said David R. Liu, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard.
"In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God."
Psalm 10:4
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Post and Read
The last couple of posts, I'm not sure I have that many readers... hence the lack of posting. I've actually been doing MORE journaling on paper lately... not that I'm all that profound on screen... but maybe I will start writing again.
Thought from last night: babies should be made with an "off" switch.
Seriously, think about this. You feed them, play with them... even put up with some fussing (after all, there are days when I'm fussing) and then, 8 p.m. comes... you pick them up, kiss them goodnight, read a story or two... evening ritual... then...
[CLICK]
No getting up and screaming for absolutely no apparent reason at 1 am... no early-morning wake up calls... if you want to sleep in that morning, no problem...
Morning comes, you get out of bed, have a shower and a bowl of cereal... you are ready to face the day... and [CLICK]
You could build them like Windows based machines (rather than Macs) so that they take some time to boot up... but of course they would get sick more often... so better use a Mac operating system.
I think this idea is a keeper.
Thought from last night: babies should be made with an "off" switch.
Seriously, think about this. You feed them, play with them... even put up with some fussing (after all, there are days when I'm fussing) and then, 8 p.m. comes... you pick them up, kiss them goodnight, read a story or two... evening ritual... then...
[CLICK]
No getting up and screaming for absolutely no apparent reason at 1 am... no early-morning wake up calls... if you want to sleep in that morning, no problem...
Morning comes, you get out of bed, have a shower and a bowl of cereal... you are ready to face the day... and [CLICK]
You could build them like Windows based machines (rather than Macs) so that they take some time to boot up... but of course they would get sick more often... so better use a Mac operating system.
I think this idea is a keeper.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Uncovering Jesus
READ Acts 17:16-35...
So ahead... I'll wait.
Paul in Athens. It is so moving to me when Paul says, "Now, what you worship as something unknown, I'm going to proclaim to you." I believe the paragraphs that follow those words are some of the most beautiful in the bible as Paul explains that God wants to be found.
Found.
Which means God is there... they just can't see him or don't recongnize him.
Now, read this...
Missions..."is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there. It is almost as if being a good missionary means having really good eyesight. Or maybe it means teaching people to use their eyes to see things that have always been there; they just didn't realize it. You see God where others don't. And then you point him out.
Perhaps we ought to replace the word missionary with tour guide, because we cannot show people something we haven't seen.
Have you ever heard missionaries say they were going to "take Jesus" to a certain place? What they meant, I assume, was that they had Jesus and they were going to take him a place like China or India or Chicago where people apparently didn't have him.
I would ask them if people in China and India and Chicago are eating and laughing and enjoying things and generally being held together? Because if they are, then Jesus, in a way that is difficult to fully articulate, is already present there.
So the issue isn't so much taking Jesus to people who don't have him, but going to a place and pointing out to the people there the creative, life-giving God who is already present in their midst. It is searching for the things they have already affirmed as real and beautiful and true and telling them who you believe is the source of all that. "I'm here to tell you where It think that comes from."
And if you see yourself carrying God to places, it can be exhausting. God is really heavy.
Some people actually believe that God is a absent from a place until they get there. The problem with this idea is that if God is not there before you get there, there is no 'there' in the first place."
Rob Bell
Velvet Elvis
So ahead... I'll wait.
Paul in Athens. It is so moving to me when Paul says, "Now, what you worship as something unknown, I'm going to proclaim to you." I believe the paragraphs that follow those words are some of the most beautiful in the bible as Paul explains that God wants to be found.
Found.
Which means God is there... they just can't see him or don't recongnize him.
Now, read this...
Missions..."is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there. It is almost as if being a good missionary means having really good eyesight. Or maybe it means teaching people to use their eyes to see things that have always been there; they just didn't realize it. You see God where others don't. And then you point him out.
Perhaps we ought to replace the word missionary with tour guide, because we cannot show people something we haven't seen.
Have you ever heard missionaries say they were going to "take Jesus" to a certain place? What they meant, I assume, was that they had Jesus and they were going to take him a place like China or India or Chicago where people apparently didn't have him.
I would ask them if people in China and India and Chicago are eating and laughing and enjoying things and generally being held together? Because if they are, then Jesus, in a way that is difficult to fully articulate, is already present there.
So the issue isn't so much taking Jesus to people who don't have him, but going to a place and pointing out to the people there the creative, life-giving God who is already present in their midst. It is searching for the things they have already affirmed as real and beautiful and true and telling them who you believe is the source of all that. "I'm here to tell you where It think that comes from."
And if you see yourself carrying God to places, it can be exhausting. God is really heavy.
Some people actually believe that God is a absent from a place until they get there. The problem with this idea is that if God is not there before you get there, there is no 'there' in the first place."
Rob Bell
Velvet Elvis
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Batman Begins
I think Batman Begins in my favorite superhero movie. I thought it was amazing. It was the best Batman movie made (although 1 was good), and I thought it was better than Spiderman and much better than the Fantastic 4, Hulk, etc.
Curious about your thoughts.
Curious about your thoughts.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Vulnerablity - living with unveiled faces
How do you all do with vulnerability? My job sometimes "requires" me to be vulnerable in front of a group of people and it is always a bit humbling. There is this tempatation to want to seem all together in every way. And yet... that just doesn't seem real to me. It's tough to show that you are human, that you have emotions... that life is not alway perfect... and yet isn't that the truth for all of us?
And yet, how often we hide our pain from each other.
If you read Exodus 34:29-35 it is the story of moses coming off the mountain and covering his face with the veil. Okay, go and read it, I will wait..."
You done?
Okay good.
Now, why did Moses cover his face? For the longest time I thought it was because Moses was such a holy guy and was glowing so much, that people couldn’t stand to see God’s glory. Like the brightness was too much for them and Moses was protecting them.
And that’s exactly what Moses wanted them to think.
But, Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:13, tells us what was actually going on. Moses meets God on Mount Sinai, gets the Ten Commandments-- comes back down, and his face glowed. His face was radiant. He’d been with God. And apparently, people were impressed by this. And word spread amongst the Israelites…Moses has a shining face. When people looked at him, they would say, “Wow! He is special. He’s radiant. He was close to God.”
And then one morning Moses woke up, and looked in the mirror while he was shaving or something. And he noticed that his face was not glowing quite so much as it had the day before. The glow was starting to fade. And he knew when people saw this; they would be a little less impressed with him. He wouldn’t be quite so special anymore.
So in 2 Corinthians 3:13, we are told that Moses put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at him while the radiance was fading away.
Isn’t that interesting? Paul tells us that he put a veil over his face because he didn’t want them to see that he wasn’t as radiant as he used to be. He wanted them to think that he was more spiritually radiant than he really was...
Paul goes on to say a wonderful thing. He goes on to say that, because we have the promise of God’s love and acceptance through what Jesus Christ has done for us, he says, “Therefore, we are very bold. We can live with unveiled faces”—no concealing, no masks, no hiding, no makeup. Before people -- and before God.
Do you live like that?
Where do you most struggle living with an unveiled face?
And yet, how often we hide our pain from each other.
If you read Exodus 34:29-35 it is the story of moses coming off the mountain and covering his face with the veil. Okay, go and read it, I will wait..."
You done?
Okay good.
Now, why did Moses cover his face? For the longest time I thought it was because Moses was such a holy guy and was glowing so much, that people couldn’t stand to see God’s glory. Like the brightness was too much for them and Moses was protecting them.
And that’s exactly what Moses wanted them to think.
But, Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:13, tells us what was actually going on. Moses meets God on Mount Sinai, gets the Ten Commandments-- comes back down, and his face glowed. His face was radiant. He’d been with God. And apparently, people were impressed by this. And word spread amongst the Israelites…Moses has a shining face. When people looked at him, they would say, “Wow! He is special. He’s radiant. He was close to God.”
And then one morning Moses woke up, and looked in the mirror while he was shaving or something. And he noticed that his face was not glowing quite so much as it had the day before. The glow was starting to fade. And he knew when people saw this; they would be a little less impressed with him. He wouldn’t be quite so special anymore.
So in 2 Corinthians 3:13, we are told that Moses put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at him while the radiance was fading away.
Isn’t that interesting? Paul tells us that he put a veil over his face because he didn’t want them to see that he wasn’t as radiant as he used to be. He wanted them to think that he was more spiritually radiant than he really was...
Paul goes on to say a wonderful thing. He goes on to say that, because we have the promise of God’s love and acceptance through what Jesus Christ has done for us, he says, “Therefore, we are very bold. We can live with unveiled faces”—no concealing, no masks, no hiding, no makeup. Before people -- and before God.
Do you live like that?
Where do you most struggle living with an unveiled face?
Where is everyone?
So I'm going around to my normal blog sites and no one is writing! What is up with this? (The exception is my hero mdog who always saying something insightful, strange or funny. Check her out.)
But I have not been the best at posting either... I REPENT! :OP
But I have not been the best at posting either... I REPENT! :OP
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Holy, Holy, Holy...
Today was the "perfect parenting day." It was one of those days when my infant daughter was nothing but wonderful. She had been sick for the last 2 weeks, crying and screaming. The last 2 days she has really perked up. Today is was adorable. She was smiling and laughing and generally overall well..."cuteness defined"....
My wife went through some pretty severe depression during the final trimester of her pregnancy. At one point, when things looked pretty bleak, she had nothing less than a vision. (My wife is not a "vision of the day" type person, so this was pretty strange.) She was leading worship at a church and was doing the call to worship. Our daughter was 4 or so... and my wife asked her, "So what did all the animals around the throne say when they worshipped God?" And our daughter said, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is and is to come." That moment began to move my wife out of depression... it was a powerful image for us...
"...and a little child shall lead them."
From the first time I held her, I have been repeating that verse to her. That verse is life to me. And her reaction is always interesting... it brings her such peace. She often looks at me and smiles when I say it. Sometimes, the she looks so deeply into my eyes that it's almost like our souls intertwine...like there is a mystery we both share. It is one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had...
God is bigger than me. I don't understand Him. There is a mystery...
My wife went through some pretty severe depression during the final trimester of her pregnancy. At one point, when things looked pretty bleak, she had nothing less than a vision. (My wife is not a "vision of the day" type person, so this was pretty strange.) She was leading worship at a church and was doing the call to worship. Our daughter was 4 or so... and my wife asked her, "So what did all the animals around the throne say when they worshipped God?" And our daughter said, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is and is to come." That moment began to move my wife out of depression... it was a powerful image for us...
"...and a little child shall lead them."
From the first time I held her, I have been repeating that verse to her. That verse is life to me. And her reaction is always interesting... it brings her such peace. She often looks at me and smiles when I say it. Sometimes, the she looks so deeply into my eyes that it's almost like our souls intertwine...like there is a mystery we both share. It is one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had...
God is bigger than me. I don't understand Him. There is a mystery...
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Single Moms
So I have new heros... single moms.
When my daughter was born, the first 2 months were so hard. Funny, my wife and I both have good, somewhat secure jobs. We live in a nice house. We are financially stable. We have a great system of support including parents who live less than 45 minutes away. We have a very stable marriage and have been married longer than most who have kids. Yet it was still really hard to make the adjustment.
This weekend my daughter was sick. She was really, really, really fussy and screaming and crying. It was pretty constant. Between the two of us we were getting pretty burnt out. Today my wife is sick and I'm run down... but we have a wonderful woman who comes over and watches Lydia for us while my wife works at home. So relief is here! Even as I type this, she is comforting my screaming daughter.
How lucky can we be? What if the total responsibility for my daughter fell just on my wife... or me....
Wow.
It takes a village. I hated that line when it first came out. I wanted to scream, "NO! It takes a family!" But it takes a village. It really does.
So single moms... what would that be like? Some are working for next to nothing trying to make ends meet. Some with more than one child. No support. Sometimes no family. That would really suck.
They are heros.
When my daughter was born, the first 2 months were so hard. Funny, my wife and I both have good, somewhat secure jobs. We live in a nice house. We are financially stable. We have a great system of support including parents who live less than 45 minutes away. We have a very stable marriage and have been married longer than most who have kids. Yet it was still really hard to make the adjustment.
This weekend my daughter was sick. She was really, really, really fussy and screaming and crying. It was pretty constant. Between the two of us we were getting pretty burnt out. Today my wife is sick and I'm run down... but we have a wonderful woman who comes over and watches Lydia for us while my wife works at home. So relief is here! Even as I type this, she is comforting my screaming daughter.
How lucky can we be? What if the total responsibility for my daughter fell just on my wife... or me....
Wow.
It takes a village. I hated that line when it first came out. I wanted to scream, "NO! It takes a family!" But it takes a village. It really does.
So single moms... what would that be like? Some are working for next to nothing trying to make ends meet. Some with more than one child. No support. Sometimes no family. That would really suck.
They are heros.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Not as old as I look...
So this age thing... especially in our culture (and especially for women) is difficult. We are in a culture that honors youth. Youth is what is important. Even in my job, the people I "work with" are young... and that is seen by my superiors as a good thing. "It's great that you are reaching those youth!"
And it is...
But there is wisdom that comes with age. And honor is owed to those who grow older. Our culture is not very good at honor.
I just walked upstairs and looked at my daughter sleeping. I'm not old enough to be a dad... and yet I'm actually pretty old to be a dad of an infant daughter. But you know...I don't feel all that different than I used to. The "me" inside of "me" feels the same.
Aging is not what I thought it would be.
It's strange...I know I have matured. I do see the world differently. I know if I was in my teens or 20s I would do things differently than I did them the first time because I'm "wiser" now. So I'm rambling...
If you could live your life over again, what would you change?
I would not be as down on my looks. Looks really didn't matter all that much...in fact I dated a lot. But I was very self-conscious for some reason.
And I would sit with the outcasts more. Identify with the underdog more. Take more relational risks.
So why don't I do that now...
And it is...
But there is wisdom that comes with age. And honor is owed to those who grow older. Our culture is not very good at honor.
I just walked upstairs and looked at my daughter sleeping. I'm not old enough to be a dad... and yet I'm actually pretty old to be a dad of an infant daughter. But you know...I don't feel all that different than I used to. The "me" inside of "me" feels the same.
Aging is not what I thought it would be.
It's strange...I know I have matured. I do see the world differently. I know if I was in my teens or 20s I would do things differently than I did them the first time because I'm "wiser" now. So I'm rambling...
If you could live your life over again, what would you change?
I would not be as down on my looks. Looks really didn't matter all that much...in fact I dated a lot. But I was very self-conscious for some reason.
And I would sit with the outcasts more. Identify with the underdog more. Take more relational risks.
So why don't I do that now...
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Happy Birthday mdog!
Happy Birthday to you...
Happy Birthday to you...
Happy Birthday dear mdog...
Happy Birthday to you!
(And many more!)
Happy Birthday to you...
Happy Birthday dear mdog...
Happy Birthday to you!
(And many more!)
Friday, May 20, 2005
Sex on my mind...
So how is that for a post title!
My reasoning is a little less sexy than most. I have a pastor friend who is teaching on it and that is all he talks about or thinks about right now!
Some of you will remember a program that some churches began back in the early 90’s called “True Love Waits.” Anyone heard of that? Any of you "make the pledge?" The idea was that teenagers would sign a pledge to wait until marriage to engage in sexual intercourse. Since 1993 nearly 2.5 million teenagers made that commitment.
I just read that last year, a study was conducted that found that only 12% kept their promise.
88% of the pledgers reported having sexual intercourse before marriage.
That disturbs me. It disturbs me because I'm not sure that the church is all that different from the world. And yes, I know that we are "forgiven" but doesn't the gospel say something about how we live other than, "Oops, I screwed up. Forgive me."
Now, I don't believe that sexual sin is unforgivable. In fact, it may be that we place that sin so "low" that we blow it out of proportion, but as a new father of a baby daughter, what hope do I have of her honoring God with her body before marriage?
My reasoning is a little less sexy than most. I have a pastor friend who is teaching on it and that is all he talks about or thinks about right now!
Some of you will remember a program that some churches began back in the early 90’s called “True Love Waits.” Anyone heard of that? Any of you "make the pledge?" The idea was that teenagers would sign a pledge to wait until marriage to engage in sexual intercourse. Since 1993 nearly 2.5 million teenagers made that commitment.
I just read that last year, a study was conducted that found that only 12% kept their promise.
88% of the pledgers reported having sexual intercourse before marriage.
That disturbs me. It disturbs me because I'm not sure that the church is all that different from the world. And yes, I know that we are "forgiven" but doesn't the gospel say something about how we live other than, "Oops, I screwed up. Forgive me."
Now, I don't believe that sexual sin is unforgivable. In fact, it may be that we place that sin so "low" that we blow it out of proportion, but as a new father of a baby daughter, what hope do I have of her honoring God with her body before marriage?
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