It's kinda like spring

Now that the writer's strike is over, we're finally seeing some shows return (or their returns announced) on television. I guess we'll have to wait and see if any of the newer shows will return.
But we're finally seeing actual dates for things like the wrap up of the new version of "Battlestar Gallactica," which Amanda and I have been waiting on for months.
The painful attempts of people like Conan O'Brien to stretch their shows can now come to a close and while I've mentioned here that some reality television is helpful and beneficial, a whole lot more of it is junk. I'm glad to know we'll start seeming new, creative material coming our way.
Now, as for whether the ideas are original or not, that's another story. But I recently heard somewhere that it's not that the writers haven't run out of original ideas, it's that those in control want to make sure they make a profit and renewing an old idea is usually a safe way of doing that. That may be true but the regurgitation of age-old ideas just makes me tired. It'd be nice if there were an avenue for independent television like there is for music and movies. In some ways it's starting on the Internet with some of these serials that people have started.
I like being entertained and I like thinking that the people who bring me the entertainment have put some thought and effort into it.
And broadcast television isn't completely devoid of this.
An example is "Lost." These people have worked long and hard on how to mess with their viewers heads, and there's something satisfying blended in amid the frustration of it.
So, here's to new stuff on television and here's to people who have creative, inventive ideas getting their stuff seen and heard.

Best movie I've seen in a while

Thanks to a good friend who offered to watch Jadyn while Amanda and I went out last night.
We saw "Vantage Point." If you liked the general premise of the NBC series, "Boomtown," with a little suspense and plenty of action (mind-blowing car chases included) blended in for good measure, then you may like this.
I use the term "fun stuff" loosely given the subject of terrorism, but it was fascinating.
Here's the trailer, which is about 2 minutes, 34 seconds long.

Keeping it real, Part III

Blogger’s note: This is the third and possibly final installment on the subject of being real. It is in response to posts by my friend Kim. Her blog is: Innocent Lamb.

'Connection - In an isolating age'

As I began to think about how to craft this post, I found myself embarking on a journey through what felt like a maze of narrow rows of thorns. No matter which way I turned or shifted, I risked getting cut – offending or, even worse, alienating one group or another. I also tried to weigh how much I needed to explain about my positions on the things which made this navigation tricky. Of course, that too could make the trip more difficult.
Ultimately, I am trying to look at how we turn our efforts to connect and be real with those outside the church, especially those seen as outcasts.
So I’ve come up with what I see is the best way to address these issues, both with the following disclaimer and a moderate amount of explanation along the way.
This post is neither an endorsement of the behaviors described or depicted below, nor is it intended as a condemnation of those who would engage in these behaviors. It is certainly not intended to violate the copyrights of the late Jonathan Larson or others who now hold these rights.

With that out of the way, let me introduce to you the following people:

Mark is a struggling filmmaker who has awkward interactions with his ex-girlfriend - a performance artist named Maureen - and her new significant other, Joanne.
Roger is a frustrated songwriter who is afraid to get involved with a stripper and IV drug user named Mimi.
(Tom) Collins is a technical genius who develops a relationship with Angel, a transvestite street performer who helped Collins in his time of need.
Collins, Angel, Mimi and Roger are all HIV positive.
These are the majority of the central characters in “Rent,” a dynamic, challenging, fantastic rock opera – now both in stage and screen versions - written by Larson.
Here are some of the questions they ask or realizations they reach:

From “Rent:”
How can you connect in an age
Where strangers, landlords, lovers
Your own blood cells betray
What binds the fabric together
When the raging, shifting winds of change
Keep ripping away

From “What You Own:”

Connection - In an isolating age;
For once the shadows gave way to light …
For once I didn't disengage

From “Finale B:”

Will I Lose My Dignity
Will Someone Care
Will I Wake Tomorrow
From This Nightmare
There's Only Now
There's Only Here
Give In To Love
Or Live In Fear
No Other Path
No Other Way
No Day But Today

Here's a key example of what I'm talking about from "Rent."

"Rent" is an amazing work I simply don't think we should dismiss because of its content.

On the subject of connectivity, to quote a work referenced in one of Kim’s posts, “Sacred Companions: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship & Direction” by David G. Benner:

“The hunger for connection is one of the most fundamental desires of the human heart. We are like immigrants in a new land, with no family or friends and no sense of place. We seem to have lost our mooring. Or perhaps we have lost some part of ourselves. Like pieces of a puzzle seeking their adjoining pieces, we long for connections that will assure us that we belong.”
Without giving away critical plot details in case you have never seen “Rent” and want to, these six outcasts from both the church and the culture at large form an inseparable bond that at one point is referenced as a “family.”
In talking over this post with Amanda, she made a very valid point: Sometimes those outside the church are better at creating community than those inside it.
Why is that when we are supposed to be work and exist as a body and inherent in that is connection? I don’t have an immediate, safe answer. I do know that I don’t think much of what we do in American Christianity is what we’re meant to do. Again, I’m not sure I have a formula or strategy as to how to get us to a modern form of the authentic church, but I do think it’s something to which we should strive.
How do we make Christ and his church attractive to people like the central characters in “Rent” without compromising the values we find in scripture? Does it really matter if we compromise dogma for the sake of “leaving behind the 99 to save the one?”
How can we make the church relevant to people who wind up finding family and connection in their own ways, seemingly making the church irrelevant?
How do we meet what I see is the standard, which is preaching Christ and him crucified and meeting the standard of Matthew 25:34-40 - helping those seen as the least.
How do we interact with those outside the church, who, by virtue of Christ’s commission, we are directed to reach, especially in today’s culture of fragmentation and often isolation?
I think we have to use Christ as the standard.
In scripture, we are directed to be in the world, but not of it. Somehow there is a balance to being relevant to and interactive with the world we find ourselves in and yet distanced from attitudes and behaviors contrary to Christ’s example.
If you’ll recall, Christ is seen by some as associating with the wrong crowds, something of which most of us in the modern church could never stand accused.

So how do we do this – interact with those would be seen as outcasts by the church and yet not follow their habits and patterns? It’s a perplexing question I think will take a lifetime to answer.

We have to get our own houses in order and make sure we are walking with Christ and are living out the things we say we believe among those closest to us first if at all possible. It’s a tall but necessary order. I used to think it was a “once and done” thing, but it’s really a daily process. However, we shouldn’t let fear of something being discovered being out of order in our own homes as an excuse not to follow Christ and his leadership in our daily lives as we engage the world outside.
As we proceed to look and act externally, we can start by looking at how Christ dealt with people seen as “sinners” and compare them with how he handled the religious elite of the day.
An example of the former can be found in John 4:7-26 – the story of the woman at the well.
It’s safe to say that while he was direct and truthful with “sinners,” he was not overly harsh or abrasive toward them.
He was a whole other person with those who thought of themselves as holy and righteous, but yet permitted unholy activity in sacred places, as seen in Matthew 21:12-16.
In response to these two passages, I think we should continue to study the character and nature of Christ and follow his example, treating people by the Golden Rule (treat others as you would want to be treated) and tackling the things with which Christ would take issue.
So then, at minimum, people seen as outcasts from society and the church would least have a chance to interact with the church, and possibly, learn to love Christ and his teachings. I pray the Lord will lead all of us who read this post to come to this conclusion and that people like those who live like the folks in “Rent” will somehow learn to have hope for more than just today, though today is all we have for the moment.
To borrow words from “Rent:” for once, maybe none of us will disengage.

Prattville

The Montgomery Advertiser Web site is reporting what looks like widespread destruction on the east side of Prattville, Ala. from an apparent tornado this afternoon.
The same system passed through here overnight with little to no known impact. In fact, ironically, it was sunny and warm here around the time Prattville - south and east of where we live in Mississippi - got slammed.
No deaths reported yet and that's what counts.
As most of you know, I grew up in and around Montgomery, Ala. Prattville is a northern suburb to Montgomery.
Lord, send your comfort and grace to those whose lives have been turned upside down today and help then follow your hand in their recovery. In Christ's Name, Amen.

Keeping it real, Part II

Blogger’s note: This is the second installment of what will likely be three posts on the subject of being real. It is in response to posts by my friend Kim. Her blog is: Innocent Lamb. Also, there is one reference below which is of a graphic nature. As you read you'll hopefully understand why I included it. Just a heads-up.

Being real - obstacles, challenges and boundaries

To examine some of the reasons why being real is so difficult, I want to pick through the cultural challenges, starting with the broader scope.

The culture as a whole - A strange gumbo of superficiality and reality

In today’s American culture, we see a strange gumbo of superficiality and reality. We get limited glimpses of those we hold up as celebrities, and for some reason, the ones who appear more vain and vapid tend to rise to the top. Yet, there are television shows such as “How to Look Good Naked” and “Celebrity Rehab.”
The first show helps real women feel good about themselves by helping them see the good in what they see in the mirror. This public service can help other women erase years of self-doubt and even pain about what they perceived as a weakness.
The second gives us a glimpse into the world of drug rehabilitation and everything that goes with trying to kick the habit. It lays out all the dysfunction and destructive patterns which lead people down the path of addictive behavior, all the traps which create obstacles for those trying to get clean and gives a clear picture of just how tough but necessary it is.
So in what we see and read in our culture, this strange mixture of sobering reality and gagging superficiality can leave us wondering just where the markers are.
How much truth can and should we stomach – about ourselves, about others – and yet how to do we live so we are genuine human beings who are real and yet are following Christ and attempting to help others do the same?

The culture in the church – “I don’t believe I’d have told that!”

The late, great Southern humorist Lewis Grizzard once told a story about a church leader – possibly conducting a revival – encouraging those in the congregation to “tell it all, brother, tell it all.”
I don’t recall what the first few instances were, but I do remember the third one – Someone confessed to an act of bestiality.
The leader responded, “I don’t believe I’d have told that!”
Of course, I believe that confessing our shortcomings and sin can lead to healing and reconciliation with God and other human beings, but should something as (rightfully) taboo and illegal as bestiality be shared in public? My tendency is to say no, but I do not think that we should hold the attitude of “tell it all,” then be shocked when someone takes us up on it.
We’ve been taught, either directly or indirectly, that putting on a mask and being someone we may not be naturally is the right thing to do – in general public and in the church setting.
Revealing things about ourselves can be troubling, misleading or even off-putting, or it can draw unnecessary attention to ourselves when we should be trying to bring attention to Christ. Yet, there are times when we share something openly, someone else can relate and realize they are not alone. Often, that is where our enemy tries to ensnare us – he makes us think we’re the only ones with a particular problem, so we are beyond help and repair, even beyond the grasp of God. Sharing something openly can also bring healing to ourselves and others.
Generally speaking, I believe that as we grow in fellowship with other believers, we should have safe places and safe people in our lives where no matter what the issue may be, we can safely share a hurt or pain and extend a hand to a friend who’s hurting.
Instances of open, public sharing should be with the leading of the Holy Spirit and, when possible, the support of those close to us.
Is there a hard and fast rule about what to share and when? No, I don’t think so.
But it is my firm belief that the church should be last place where we find judgmental stares, snickers underneath the breath, backbiting and complaining. I speak as one who has participated in my share, and asks the Lord for his forgiveness, but one who believes that if the church is to fulfill its role, it needs learn how to love people where they are, because that’s exactly what Christ did when we first came to know him. How can we treat others any differently?
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35.
And we can’t just love those who love us. That’s easy and our natural inclination. We need to learn to move beyond this by his grace.
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. … But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” Luke 6:32, 35 (NIV).
I think in scripture there’s no mandate that we make every contact intimate, yet we still need to allow the Holy Spirit to do what he needs to do to touch a life, even one we would not ordinarily want to touch.

Where do we go from here?

As with so many things in life and as a Christian, there is a balance. We must not say or do things which will inflict long-term harm to a person or a relationship. Yet, we must be wise and sensitive to share things to another person and about ourselves to be of benefit to the other person, even if what is said or done isn’t pretty or fun. And we should be willing to be open and truthful with people about ourselves in a way that is pleasing to the Lord and of value to others.

Please stay tuned

For those of you looking for another post on "Keeping It Real," I appreciate your patience. Completing the next installment was on my list of things to accomplish this past weekend but as the nebulous "They" say, "Life happens while you're busy making plans." I did make some headway on my thought process - that is until a head cold made itself a home in my head. In the midst of everything, I've possibly gained some new insight. Maybe it's worth the wait, but I won't make false promises. Please be patient and I'll get something going as soon as I can.
Yes, I did have enough energy to watch the "Big Game" Sunday and it was that indeed a mighty clash worthy of the best game summary NFL Films can muster. Yes, I was pulling for the "underdog" Giants because they plowed a tough road to the Super Bowl.
And somebody forgot them to stop plowing! What an amazing win!
As you await the next installment in "Keeping it Real," please remember the following: I learned recently that a friend of mine from high school is in harm's way in Iraq. Please pray for him, the soldiers with him and all of their families. Thanks!

Keeping it real, Part I

Blogger’s note: My friend Kim recently started a series of posts about being real. I was so struck by her initial post that I thought I would develop my own responses in the blog world. This is the first of at least three intended posts on the subject.
Kim’s blog is: Innocent Lamb.

A ‘Band of Brothers’

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother." – William Shakespeare from “Henry V”

One of my favorite projects developed for mass consumption is the HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers.” It’s an insightful, detailed and graphic look at the men of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, who fought in some of the critical battles of the European Theater in World War II. I personally think every one should see it. One of the beauties of living in a relatively free society is that we aren’t required to do everything, but I think seeing what these men did will help us appreciate the freedom we do enjoy.
The miniseries is based on the book by the same name by the late historian Stephen Ambrose. Its title, from what I can tell, has its origins in the Shakespeare quote above.
While a majority of the miniseries consists of a dramatic retelling of the stories of Easy Company, several of these real men who experienced both the horror and kinship of warfare share their experiences and feelings openly for our benefit.

Here are some excerpts from what some of the men said above:
Dick Winters – “It’s a very unusual bonding.”
Carwood Lipton – “We knew we could depend on each other, and so we were a close-knit group.”
Donald Malarkey – “Just brave, so brave it was unbelievable.”
Bill Guarnere – “I’m just one part of the big war, that’s all - one little part. And I’m proud to be a part of it. Sometimes it makes me cry.”
Babe Heffron – “The real men, the real heroes are the fellows that are still buried over there and those that come home to be buried.”
Shifty Powers – “Seems like you figured that you thought you could do just about anything. And after the war was over, and you came back out, why, you lost a lot of that, or at least I did. I lost all that confidence.”
John Martin – “Well, you was hoping to stay alive, that’s all.”
Dick Winters (in quoting a letter from a fellow soldier) – “Grandpa? Were you a hero in the war? Grandpa said ‘No, but I served with a company of heroes.’”
Confidence. Bravery. Staying alive. Selflessness. Humility. Unbreakable bonding.
I believe these things have their application for us as believers in the context of a group of believers whose lives are forged together by following Christ’s lead and interacting with each other.
This following video goes to the core of what Kim refers to in her first post about a “band of brothers” as referenced by John Eldredge.

I agree with and embrace the concepts I hear Eldredge relay in this video and in other materials I’ve seen or read of his.
I dare say that this “band of brothers” referred to in the Eldredge video can and should include the fairer sex in the appropriate context.
During a period of time when Amanda and I attended a home church environment, I learned a great deal from a particular female friend of ours who shared her feelings openly with the larger group. Fortunately, this friend continues to teach and challenge me in a positive way when I get to spend time with her.
Knowing that I would have missed out on learning from her that first few times in a larger environment, I long to create and protect the development of such collective sharing.
I certainly understand that there are times when men and women should gather together within gender boundaries to learn from the Lord in a safe environment where hurts, pains and other issues can be addressed on a deep level without any influence from the opposite sex.
But I also know that the Lord can use all of us in a collective environment where we all gather together and help each other walk through life, where men learn from women and women learn from men. I’m not talking about starting a cult or anything crazy like that – just a legitimate, organic collective of people – who honestly may not be friends at first but would eventually be impossible to separate with a crowbar over time – who love the Lord and commit to love each other in spite of each other’s many flaws.
I’ve been privileged to have been in several environments where this kind of sharing between the genders happens and is of no threat to anyone’s marriage, but we are not currently part of anything like this.
I long to return to an environment like this and go even deeper, where two or three couples interact and share with each other on a deep level.
Intimate friendship in the Christian context has its roots in the relationship between Jesus and John, who is referred to as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” on more than one occasion in scripture.
I think this sort of interaction – both at the intimate, four- to six-person level and the creation of a larger group environment - where we can all share and work together openly - will go a long way toward living up to Christ’s words from John 13:34-35:
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Of course, this idea is not to exclude those who are not married, but as with the interaction between married couples, the interaction among singles on the deep level must also be such as not to create inappropriate relationships across the genders.
OK, so where does the reality come into all this?
To go deep, we must be real. To be real, we must feel safe to do so. Confidentiality is a necessary and non-negotiable aspect to this. So is checking a judgmental attitude at the door and letting a person share what is on his or her heart without fear of backlash or ridicule.
Amanda and I recently met a couple who’d walked a very hard road to have a child. We had just talked to them for the first time beyond the introductory level, yet they were so refreshingly open and honest about their circumstances. It was so incredible to meet people who were so real without even being prompted. We both felt magnetically drawn to them.
We know that not everybody operates like this but it just reminded me that I long to be in fellowship with people who don’t give it a second thought to share openly and freely with each other without fear of alienating those with whom we are in contact.
In many cases, this takes time and patience and that’s OK.
I pray the Lord draws together those of us who want to see this kind of “band of brothers” develop and be a permanent structure within our lives.
I envision Christians living in a community – not a physical compound – but a collective gathering of people whose love for each other mirrors that of the natural family but goes beyond that in supporting each other in growing in our faith and living our lives more closely to what Christ envisioned.
To relate these concepts back to the overarching theme of the miniseries and the origin of the term “band of brothers,” it is because of Christ’s shed blood that we even have the foundation for such a collective of believers. And, this fellowship can and should produce the result Christ speaks of in John 15:13-14:
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.”

What it's all about (at least in music)

My favorite rock band, Rush, has been been shut out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, though they are more than qualified.
But that's OK, because they recently got one of the highest honors they could muster. The kids at the Paul Green School of Rock in Washington D.C. (as I understand the inspiration for the movie "School of Rock") recently put on a show of Rush music. They do an outstanding job with some difficult stuff.
I am one of those people who like rock and think it has a place and if we are to continue to hear excellent music, the next generation of musicians should be exposed to the best so they can be inspired to create their own good, solid stuff. That's what I mean when I say this is what it's all about.
I stumbled across this story on Rushisaband.com.
Here's a video from YouTube of the kids' performance of "Subdivisions."

Changes

Sometimes, change happens in incremental, barely noticeable steps as we watch, like a bathtub being gradually filled with water.
Sometimes, it happens all at once - like a tornado.
About a week or so ago, I started listening again to the song "Changes" by Yes from their fantastic album "90125." While it's mostly a song about a relationship which appears to be at an end, it has some lines relevant to change in general. They've become more real to me as we are undergoing some changes in terms of Amanda's employment.
Some of the lines from "Changes" I find particularly meaningful right now include: "I'm moving through some changes; I'll never be the same; ... Capitalize on this good fortune; ... Only through love changes come."
The video to a live version of "Changes" is below.

The change began to unfold for Amanda Thursday around the same time a storm system bearing a tornado - which ultimately created tremendous damage, but fortunately only limited injury, to a community about an hour northeast of where we live - began its path through the area. The irony is simply too apparent to me to pass over.
A very well done video about the tornado's aftermath can be found below.

Speaking for myself, I'm sensing a peace about the road ahead. Though it is fraught with uncertainty, I'm trusting what happens in the future will be the best for us, even though the first few hours after the news hit looked and felt awful.
The losses experienced by the people of Caledonia, Miss. are in no way compared to the change we are going through (our house is intact, our cars are drivable), but the timing of both events taking place almost simultaneously seemed incredibly poignant.
Our hearts go out to the people of Caledonia. We pray they will get their lives back together and the Lord will provide for them the peace I'm sensing, that he will do a whole lot more with our lives than we can ask or imagine, even though it may be hard to see it in the first window of time after a life-altering event takes place.

'I've never been nothing but a winner'

"When people ask me what I want to be remembered for, I have one answer: I want the people to remember me as a winner, 'cause I've never been nothing but a winner." - Quote attributed to Paul "Bear" Bryant on an Alabama fan's Web site.
For weeks, I've been struggling with my thoughts and feelings about the recent gridiron success of the Mississippi State University Bulldogs. The tussle's origins are two-fold: A haunting fear of alienating myself from my alma mater - the University of Alabama - warring with a core sense of what I believe is true regarding an opportunity the Alabama faithful let slip past about four years ago.
MSU's coach, Sylvester Croom, is a man with a proven record as a player and an assistant under Bryant. According to his profile on Wikipedia, Croom coached the likes of National Football League greats Derrick Thomas and Cornelius Bennett. He's a native of Tuscaloosa. He was on Bryant's staff when they won back to back national championships.
You can't get much more Crimson than that.
Yet when Alabama went looking for the person to take the helm after a downward spiral loaded with feelings of disappointment, betrayal and downright embarrassment, the higher-ups chose the safe alternative in Mike Shula.
Granted, I like Mike and I think the powers that be did wrong by him in the way they treated him. They forgot how much he had to overcome just to get the Tide back on solid footing.
So when they tossed Mike to the curb, they looked to someone they thought could get instant results. Instead, Alabama limped to a 6-6 regular season finish in 2007.
One of these losses came at the hands of the very man Alabama turned its back on four years ago. In fact, he's beaten them twice in a row.
After he wasn't selected at the Capstone, Croom went about 80 miles to the west, where people were glad to welcome him.
For their generosity, the folks at MSU earned the distinction of having hired the first black head football coach in the Southeastern Conference and even in the words of Croom (according to his Wikipedia profile, quoting a Washington Post article), referring to Mississippi: " The place has changed a great deal. I don't know how many people outside here understand that. But they're about to find out."
For what MSU's decision to hire Croom says about Mississippi and its attitude about race, I think it speaks even louder about what it says about the state of Alabama and where it needs to go in terms of racial harmony.
I still feel the way I did the day MSU beat Alabama this season: Alabama earned it when they chose not to give Croom the job for which he was immensely qualified.
Late add: The irony that a Bryant understudy - who wasn't selected to lead the Tide - won the Liberty Bowl 25 years after Bryant's final victory isn't lost on me and shouldn't be lost on any of us.
I hope Croom continues to remind Alabama's leadership of their poor choice, because, as Croom has proven with the 2007 season, he's like the man he played for and worked with.
He's nothing but a winner.

RIP Kevin DuBrow

Let's travel back in time to 1983 to a day when four guys based in L.A. who went by the name Quiet Riot took the nation - and at least parts of the world - by storm with a little record called "Metal Health."
I was one of the teens who loved these guys and spent money (probably mostly Mom and Dad's) to see them with a friend in Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Ala. The above video - featuring their massive cover of Slade's "Cum on Feel the Noize" - gives a taste of what they were like back in the day.
OK, back to 2007.
While the band's lyrical content of debauchery of various sorts no longer appeals to me, the sound - vocals ranging from banshee screams to melodic signing, wailing guitars, pounding bass and thunderous drums - still does!
So, it is with a sincere prayer that I hope the late Kevin DuBrow, the band's frontman and lead vocalist, met Jesus somewhere along his 52 years here on Earth.
He was found dead in his residence in the Las Vegas area over the weekend.
Thanks for the enjoyment and memories, man.

In the blink of an eye

We took this picture of our daughter Jadyn in the upstairs play area of Arbor Place Mall in Douglasville, Ga. in March. We were in the community visiting some friends.
On Monday, a Brinks security guard and an alleged attempted robber were shot inside the mall.
One of the bullets fired in the incident apparently exited a window after flying above the food court and the children's play area, the Associated Press reported. The play area is just off the food court, where, according to the AP, people were diving for cover.
We've eaten in that food court.
Events we see or read in the news are often so much more real when we can say, "I've been there."
But it simultaneously induces concern and gratefulness to think that no one other than those directly involved were hurt, though we pray for healing for both of those who were shot.
If circumstances changed ever so slightly, a bystander - such as a child playing in the play area - could have been wounded.
It's difficult to bear the idea of my child getting hurt by some random event, but I can see the innocence of a child's playtime being vaporized by such a traumatic incident.
It certainly brings home the old saying: "There but for the grace of God go I."

Reclaiming a moment

In the summer of 1977, I went to see a movie with at least one of my parents, probably my Dad, called "A Bridge Too Far."
It's a star-studded epic - measuring about three hours in length - which tells the story of the ill-fated Operation Market Garden during World War II. What I've read of this material from Wikipedia on Market Garden looks pretty accurate.

(Please see the above clip of the movie trailer.)
I recall very vividly not being able to remain in the theater due to stomach problems. It turns out I had appendicitis and went into the hospital for several days after an appendectomy.
I watched it again this weekend thanks to a rented DVD. I think I'd seen bits and pieces of it in the years following but as an adult with a greater understanding of the events of WWII and their impact, I could appreciate it more.
And I felt as though I could reclaim a moment of enjoyment interrupted three decades earlier by illness. I'm thankful this sort of reclamation is possible.
Also, there are lessons worth learning from Market Garden, based on my understanding of the events. (This is with no disrespect intended toward those who fought and died in the operation.)
These are:
- Develop contingency plans. Sure, sometimes putting all your eggs in one basket is a risk worth taking. But more times than not, it's best to build in at least a framework for a Plan B.
- Accurately assess the challenges ahead. Too much focus on what's to come can prevent us from taking any risk at all, but obtaining and fairly analyzing information about what we may face is worth our time to investigate.
- The ability to communicate is essential. Make sure the means of communication you plan to use functions properly in a harsh environment and send alternative means of communication just in case the first option fails.

The Man in Black

Early in the morning of May 11, 1965, officers in Starkville, Miss. arrested Johnny Cash for public drunkenness. As he told it in the song "Starkville City Jail," he was just "pickin' flowers."
Organizers are planning for this weekend in and around Starkville the first-ever Johnny Cash Flower Pickin' Festival in honor of the late country music legend.
Cash was tough enough to empathize with the hard-boiled characters in his songs and play for those in prison, human enough to struggle with addiction and connected to his faith and His Lord and Savior enough to live well his own story of redemption. He remains one of my favorite musicians.
Starkville is a little over halfway between Interstate 55 and the Alabama line along U.S. Highway 82 within a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Memphis, Tenn., Birmingham, Ala. and Jackson, Miss. It is also accessible by air at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport just east of Starkville.
Entry to the festival is free, though organizers suggest a $10 donation to support the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum and the Starkville/Oktibbeha Boys and Girls Club.
Information can be found at www.myspace.com/pardonjohnnycash
or www.pardonjohnnycash.com .

Over too soon

My wife, who does a much better and more efficient job at this whole blogging thing, summed up what happened two days ago. I will say that this pregnancy reinvigorated us with the idea of being parents again, and while I don't understand why things ended this way, I'm learning to trust that there are many valid reasons why things don't happen the way we think or plan, and by the grace of God, we'll try again.
Many wonderful, kind and generous people have expressed their love and support - including calls, floral arrangements and tears of sympathy and watching Jadyn for hours - for us in the last 48 hours.
We feel tremendously blessed to have the friends we do.
From here, I'll let our letter to the baby speak for itself. She already posted this on her blog.

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Dear Baby,

We found out today that you are no longer with us. We can't tell you how sad we are that we aren't going to get to experience you growing and coming into the world and becoming part of our family. We know that Jesus has other plans in mind for you, and that your brief time among us will somehow bring glory to God if we let it. We all love you so much and we look forward to one day seeing you when we all get to Heaven. Until that time, we know God will take good care of you.

Love,
Mommy, Daddy and Jadyn

Facing the giants

A lot of things have transpired in recent weeks to make me take a closer look at what I do in terms of interacting with others and how they perceive me and making changes to that end.
I've made some progress in taking a different approach to things with these issues, but in some other areas I'm still doing what I've been doing and it's created some problems for me.
I finally have had to face some truth about myself that I've been avoiding for close to 20 years relative to my upbringing. Suffice it to say that things which transpired in our home and in my interactions with my parents still influence my behavior today, even though they've been dead nine and 24 years respectively.
I've got some hills to climb to overcome some of these root causes. Finally facing the truth is a good first step.
I've had this image of God that at some point, I'll have had my last chance to get things right and because I blew all my previous opportunities, he'll say, "Nope, that's it!" as if He is some mean and vindictive game player.
Scripture says otherwise about His character, but I do believe that He sends messages to us through our circumstances. This time, I'm hoping and trusting that I'll pay better attention and start facing the giants.

Sometimes it happens all at once

I believe we get senses sometimes – and I trust they come from the Lord – that life is about to change.
I got one of these Wednesday, Sept. 19, right before my wife checked to see if her own senses were right.
And they were.

(Photo of a subsequent test – not the first.)

We all gathered immediately to pray for the new child, with our minds racing about what this would mean in terms of changes.
One major change came a lot sooner than we planned.
For a few seconds, let’s back up to late spring 2004. At this time, Amanda and I were getting ready to retract our physical ties to Montgomery, Ala., my hometown.
We knew we needed to get a vehicle which would help us in a potential move and we made a trusting decision that we would need a vehicle which could carry a child.
We bought a 2000 Toyota Sienna that became our family vehicle, especially when Jadyn came along less than 18 months later.
At 5:37 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, I got a call from Amanda.
She was panicked and Jadyn was crying.
They’d been in an accident.
I gathered my stuff at work and moved rapidly toward the time clock and out the door. A police cruiser crossed in front of me as the officer headed for the scene.
I continued on my chosen path away from the main traffic arteries, got there soon enough and ran to the van. Yes, I said ran. Yes, at my size.
Yes, I was sore for a couple of days.
Of course, that doesn’t matter.
What did matter is that Jadyn and Amanda were OK overall.
Amanda got a bruised right shoulder and Jadyn received a minor scratch from where her car seat belt caught her.
We took friends’ advice and started shopping immediately for another car seat. We’ve been told you’re not supposed to reuse them after accidents. So, I marked up the old one with a red permanent marker saying that it had been in an accident and not to reuse. A city garbage crewman tossed it on the back of a garbage truck the next day, but as someone told me at the scene, the car seat had done its job.
Indeed it had.
Later the night of the accident, I could be seen yanking, tugging and generally giving a car seat a work-over in Wal-Mart. The lady working the baby section asked if I needed help.
I explained that a car seat spared my child serious injury in a wreck earlier that day and I wanted to make sure the next one we bought would do the same.
She left me to my yanking and tugging.
Later in the week, when we went to get a few things out of the van, Jadyn saw this:

And cried.
I got a sick feeling in my stomach – it was my first time to get a close look at the front too. I also realized this could have been much worse. And given the news that we've got another child on the way, I'm grateful the airbag didn't deploy.
This vehicle served us well, was our first real vehicle together as a family and we’re sorry to see it go.
We’re about to start looking for its replacement and we’re hoping to do it quickly.
Of course, we’re elated at the prospect of another child – praying regularly that he or she remains healthy as she grows – and mentally mapping out the things we’ll need to do to get ready for him or her.
If the last week is any indication, we’re in for quite a ride over the coming months as we head toward the projected due date of around Memorial Day.
We’ll do our best to take every turn in stride – no matter what lies ahead.

9-11 plus six

Today, I looked again at some video and thought about this day six years ago.
The memories and emotions came roaring back.
Some of the things I've come across either by viewing them in some form or thinking about them in my mind are:
The images of family and friends standing quietly behind Gov. George Pataki with fliers bearing their pictures and contact information.
The men and women who decided that jumping was better than burning alive.
The heroes and heroines who fought back on Flight 93 and somehow prevented what was sure to be more death and destruction.
The photo of a taxicab with a hole in its windshield from a light pole the aircraft flying in to the Pentagon knocked down.
I'm still left with the impression that acts like those we experienced on Sept. 11, 2001 can only be met with the sword.
I wish the Iraqi situation was a lot more clear and that an "exit strategy" was easy to achieve. I think we should redefine our goals in Iraq and begin a reasonable draw-down of forces, but in such a way as to not leave the impression that we consider the situation "lost."
Retreat from this fight should never be a motivation for reduction of forces - only that we've achieved a reasonable sense that we've done all we can to leave Iraq better off than we found it and our enemies in disarray and defeat.
We cannot back down from this fight. They've proven what they'll do when they see a moment of weakness.
We must remember this day for the rest of our lives and let it guide our nation's future actions as it relates to protecting its principles and most importantly, its people.

756 + *

The news that Barry Bonds surpassed Hank Aaron's 33-year-old major league home run record barely registered on my proverbial radar screen. Why?
I'm trying to word this so as to not sound like I'm accusing the man unjustly - I have no proof either way, but I think there are too many unanswered questions about whether Bonds has used performance-enhancing drugs. The evidence on the subject is largely speculative and circumstantial. Until those questions are answered through some legitimate venue, be it a court or an independent review on behalf of Major League Baseball, I think the record should be viewed differently than those of Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth, the record's previous holders.

An exercise in breaking blogger's block

OK, I have this strange thing about posting things here that I want to keep separate from MySpace and vice versa and I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe I've over-compartmentalized myself and my ideas to the point where I don't know what goes where!
So, you haven't seen me much here, mainly because I didn't think I had much to store in this electronic thought bin. I feel this sense of restriction on placing many of my ideas out there for the world to view. Fear is obviously at the root but sometimes I wonder if I'm afraid to conquer fear. You know - I don't know what I'd do with myself if I did?
I just did an Amazon search on "overcoming fear" wondering if anyone had tackled the subject, and sure enough, they have - in spades. There's even one about getting over the fear of success. Is that the root of it, that if I do something that people love that they'll want more of it and I won't be able to produce? Sure, that's an element, but that's not the root.
Another fear is getting "dooced," of course our online acquaintance (only by virtue of reading her blog) Heather Armstrong, through her site www.dooce.com, has turned getting dumped by an employer into a full-time gig. Big yay for her! She's one of my heroines.
I think I've got something to say, to offer to the world, but I haven't quite put my finger on it. Would they listen? Would I be dismissed, ignored or even worse, left to feel like I shouldn't have wasted my breath? What do I have to offer? (I don't have an answer to that yet but this sure does help).
OK, better get ready to get the little one up for the day.
I feel better, do you?