The perfect bumper sticker for a day on which I preached on love and yet felt irritable:
Don’t Upset Me! I’m Running out of Places to Hide the Bodies.
Archive for February, 2004
Good for Chicago Cubs fans. They’ve blown up the cursed baseball–the one a fan interfered with, thereby costing the Cubs a trip to the Series.
Now, can we blow up:
Bill Buckner’s glove (come on Red Sox fans–get in the game!)
The old pitching mound at the Ballpark in Arlington
The football Jackie Smith dropped in Super Bowl XIII (thrown by Staubach)
The basketball I shot into an opponent’s goal in a junior high game (Neosho vs. Goodman)
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could also do this with some of the bad decisions we’ve made in life? This would be the ultimate “do over.”
Wouldn’t it be nice if our sins could be removed from us “as far as the east is from the west”? Hey . . . . (See Psalm 103.)
I got stuck again watching Fox News. They were interviewing “Mancow”–their conservative version of Howard Stern. “Mancow” is a shock jock who is offensive, lewd, and tasteless. He was defending Howard Stern (following Stern’s removal from several radio markets) even though he insisted he absolutely hates Stern. He kept emphasizing all the people he hates. But then he also claimed that he’s a conservative Christian.
Ouch.
He hates liberals. Really, really hates them. And he says he is a conservative Christian.
Perfect for Fox News, where they just report and let you decide. (Laugh track here.) At least “Mancow” pointed out how ironic it would be for Fox, who has provided the most offensive stuff on television, to be opposed to Stern’s antics.
By the way, Howard Stern is complaining about freedom of speech. But . . . isn’t this freedom of speech at its best? Listeners in certain markets have voiced their opinion. They’re offended by the way he treats women like toys that exist for the gratification of men. Businesses have voiced their opinion that they’re not interested in supporting a show like that. And a media company has voiced their opinion that they need to listen to the audience and the people footing the bills.
I leaned to Eddie Sharp and said, “Right now I feel 20 years old.”
It was Tuesday afternoon at ACU lectureship, and Jim Woodroof and Terry Smith were speaking. It transported me back 25 years. Jim was the preacher at the College Church in Searcy (where I later preached for seven years) when Diane and I were students at Harding. Terry was the campus minister — the one who did our premarital counseling.
Isn’t it amazing — the power of familiar voices to sweep you away into a different era? They both sounded the same! Jim still sounded sincere, open and kind; Terry still sounded intense and God-hungry.
Some Jim Woodroof memories:
I still remember his smile and a slight nod of his head as he led us–again and again–through the life of Jesus. He said a couple times, “I so want to be with Jesus that I believe I’d go into the depths of hell if it meant being with him.”
When he preached, you had the feeling you were on a journey with him. Often he would stop right in the middle of preaching a text, wrinkle his brow, and admit (yes, ADMIT!) that he’d just thought of something that hadn’t hit him before.
I remember a debate at Harding lectureship about what songs our churches ought to be using. Someone who wasn’t from campus was making his case for a certain kind of song, and then he was unkindly bludgeoned by an “expert” from campus who claimed the other man’s preferences weren’t worship but entertainment. It was a public whipping, administered with an angry face. Afterward, I watched Jim walk out with tears streaming down his face. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to.
I remember leading a prayer at the College Church as a junior. Afterward Jim got up to preach and said a kind word about the prayer “the young man led.” Isn’t that crazy? He probably said just a sentence or two, but 27 years later I remember his affirmation. (He never knew my name, but I understood then and I understand even more now! Caring deeply about people doesn’t always mean you can recall their names.)
I can still remember Jim preaching through John and 2 Corinthians. I remember a message called “Now, Therefore” in which he urged us to respond to all the blessings we had received. Just hearing his voice Tuesday afternoon made me want to be a more eager, humble reader of scripture.
As a preacher, I have followed two of my heroes: Jim Woodroof (with someone briefly in between us) and Lynn Anderson. In both cases, the closer I got to their tracks, the more authentic their ministries were.
Here’s an important note from the end of Roger Ebert’s review of “The Passion of the Christ” (which he gives four stars to):
Note: I said the film is the most violent I have ever seen. It will probably be the most violent you have ever seen. This is not a criticism but an observation; the film is unsuitable for younger viewers, but works powerfully for those who can endure it. The MPAA’s R rating is definitive proof that the organization either will never give the NC-17 rating for violence alone, or was intimidated by the subject matter. If it had been anyone other than Jesus up on that cross, I have a feeling that NC-17 would have been automatic.
Thanks to Highland folks for turning out en masse for the live recording with Zoe yesterday in the Paramount. What an incredible hour! If all we did was gather to listen to Sheryl sing “My Redeemer” one more time, it would have been worth it! I love worshiping God under Brandon’s leadership.
Some favorite lines from a few older songs:
Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows surging round:
On Jesus’ bosom naught but calm is found.
Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big will mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I can not close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.
Just finished watching Sing Song, and I’m having one of those “my life is flying before my eyes” moments. Wasn’t it just yesterday that Matt and Cole were 16, meeting for the first time at one of the many places where their dads ministered together (as speaker and worship leader)? Wasn’t it just a few years ago that Ryan and Jackie Beth were in 4th grade?
“I’m embarrassed that you’re not embarrassed.” Those were my Beloved’s last words to me before we kissed and went our separate ways this morning.
God love her — she’s outnumbered. Since Megan’s death, it’s been one female and three males in our house (at least when Matt’s home from college).
This morning the issue was Chris’s insistence on wearing his worn-out tennis shoes rather than his new ones to elementary school. The old ones would be rejected by any charitable organization. If we mailed them to sub-Sahara Africa, they’d mail them back. There is not a stitch left on the toes, so they’re basically flip-flops with a lid.
But Chris’s argument is that it’s more important to save the tread on his new tennis shoes for Saturday basketball games. Better to look homeless at school than to take a chance on slipping in an AYBA game.
And it’s an argument I buy. Makes perfect sense to me. Diane looks at me, shaking her head. On one hand she’s upset with me for agreeing with him; on the other hand, she merely pities me for being so shallow.
She just doesn’t understand our priorities.
It’s the same problem we face with trying to explain to her why we keep a basketball goal in the living room to play HORSE. (”Over the family photos . . . off the wall . . . against the TV . . . nothing but net.”) Or why we play soccer indoors when it’s cold outside. Or why we always know where our baseball gloves are but can never locate this morning’s paper.
Some day, our 5th grader will be in college. Who will I be able to kick a soccer ball in the living room with then?
Mis nietos!!
Following an allegation by a former player that she was raped while she was on the team, Gary Barnett, the head football coach at Colorado, had this to say: ”It was obvious Katie was not very good. She was awful. Katie was not only a girl, she was terrible. OK? There’s no other way to say it.”
He is being “punished” by being placed on paid administrative leave.
Now I’m not going to claim that CU ought to be run like ACU (i.e., as a Christian university), but shouldn’t a coach who responds to a player’s allegation of rape by talking about her inadequate athletic performance be FIRED?