August 14, 2006
Golf is a great but frustrating game. I love to play and be outdoors but am inconsistent and, therefore, can rarely match the visualizations in my head.
One of the things that really bugs me is that on the driving range, I do pretty well. But then, on the links, I am all over the map, loosing balls, poor technique, poor club choice. Oh, it is just a tragedy.
Today I am playing in a scramble. Those are fun. I hope I can contribute.
August 9, 2006
I don’t know if you have heard of this modern, bluegrass, folk, acoustic group Nickle Creek. They are totally awesome. Check them out and you won’t be disappointed. Great harmony, guitar, violin and mandolin arrangments and passion in their music.
August 9, 2006
Mark Foreman is the Senior Pastor of North Coast Calvary Chapel and a great guy. During his sermon this week he was using all kinds of facial gestures and body movements to convey how much the Holy Spirit desires us to get intimate with God. He was right on.
I love it that Mark is so passionate about communicating the importance of our relationship with God. And he does it in a way that totally communicates with me. I think it has something to do with being similar, the culture and communication style of Southern Cal, etc.
Mark is clear that our worship and teaching should be honest and authentic, it should reach us in our deepest areas not as a guilt trip or a list of performance points, but as truth to our being. That is another reason why I love my church.
July 28, 2006
Here in Southern California, the energy demands have caused rolling blackouts. The other day, my office went dark for a couple of hours, so my office-mates and I went out to lunch.
The power company pleads with corporations and individuals to reduce their power demands during these times so that the conservation of energy can be achieved. The theory is that if everyone uses less energy, the rolling blackouts can be avoided. HOGWASH!!
The power demands in California are increasing, not decreasing. No amount of conservation will alter that trend.
All that is accomplished by conserving energy is to mask the true energy demand that exists in California. Instead of conserving energy, Californians should use the amount of energy typical of their daily activities. That will demonstrate the true burden and necessity of creating new power generation facilities.
The reason California has failed to build new power generating faciliteis is because of the strong political influence of crazy environmentalists. Enviros use every tactic at their disposal to stop the creation or maximization of power generation and transmission in California. In fact, at a local plant that is more than fifty years old, new technology can be installed that would be half as expensive to run and generate twice as much power – within the exact same facility footprint. The enviros are opposed to this efficiency upgrade because they would really love to see the power plant go in its entirety.
I told the power company representatives my thoughts and they suggested they would send calls my way when more blackout occur. I said to them “Fine. It’s better to deal with an alcoholic that realizes they have a problem than one that is in denial.”
July 25, 2006
My new blog friend, Laura, asked me HOW to become more effective w/ our Christian witness and WHAT should be our AIM. These are great questions because they focus specifically on the two biggest beefs I have with the current Christian witness in public policy and politics. That is, our methods and our objectives.
It seems clear that the objectives of the last thirty years have been to force elected officials to vote a certain way. The methods have been to demonstrate that their are many passionate consituents and voters who want them to vote a certain way or adopt a certain policy or face the wrath of an angry electorate. There have been some victories and losses.
On the big issues, abortion and homosexuality, we have lost big time. Just look at whether the culture of life or the culture of death has expanded. Has homosexuality and its agenda increased in power and cultural influence or diminished?
Marshalling resources, fighting the good fight, invoking the name of God….and losing, isn’t a problem for me. As Mother Theresa would say “We are not called to win, but to be faithful.” My problem is with the methods we employ and the witness of Christ it demonstrates to the world.
A witness isn’t hard to determine. Just listen. What do people say about Christians and our efforts in the public arena? Is it persuasive, winsome, redemptive, effective or gracious? Or is it harsh, strident, divisive, and failing? If the latter, do Christians not understand that this is not about us, but about our Lord? How, then, can we disregard the negative witness that is created by ineffective methods? We are compelled to address it.
I believe that much of the problem with the lack of effectiveness of Christian’s involvement in the public square comes from poor aim. We are shooting for something that doesn’t exist – the return to a period of traditional values, of a national consensus that fears God and honors righteousness, and of a societal culture that is explicitly Christian. How can we attain something that simply doesn’t exist or is unrealistic?
As another friend of mine named Laura said to me “I don’t know what to do so all I can do is pray.” That is the right place to start.
July 19, 2006
The Senate voted 63-37 in favor of overturning the President’s current policy of prohibiting federal funds from supporting embryonic stem cell research. This vote margin is four votes short of the two-thirds majority required to over-ride a presidential veto, which will probably occur.
The same strategy employed in the House last summer was undoubtedly used in the Senate to ensure that just enough Senators voted ‘No’ and deny the prospect of over-riding the President’s veto. This is a good thing. It affirms, however, the fact that a pro-life majority does not exist in either Congressional body.
Here is the bottom line: The church has done a miserable job in effectively promoting the sanctity of human life as its number one public policy priority. That is why pro-life legislators in Congress must resort to rear-guard efforts.
People of faith must move past simply having a voice in the public square and begin considering the effectiveness of that voice. We have control over whether or not society considered Christ-followers as narrow-minded, dualist thinking, extremists. It is incumbent upon us as Christians to improve the testimony and witness of the Body of Christ on issues that speak to the heart of creation and a redemptive life. Failure to do so means accepting mediocrity in representing our Lord.
July 18, 2006
Last summer, an important yet relatively unnoticed piece of law-making occurred in the U.S. House of Representatives. It centered on issues of life and morality, and demonstrated a chilling political reality regarding the involvement of Christians in politics.
This issue was the tax-payer funding of the destruction of embryonic life; embryonic stem-cell research. Current law prohibits tax-payer funding for the creation of embryos in order to destroy them in hopes of advancing scientific and medical research.
The measure was H.R. 810, sponsored by Representatives Mike Castle (R-DE) and Dianne Degette (D-CO). It directly challenged the Executive Order of President Bush that put a halt to the advancement of embryonic stem cell research with tax-payer money. Under the bill’s provisions, federal monies would be used to directly support the destruction of human life at the embryonic stage. H.R. 810 came to the floor of the House or Representatives in May of 2005 and was passed by a vote of 238 to 194.
The sting of this defeat to the Culture of Life was only mitigated by the fact that, unbeknownst to all but a few, a small group of committed Pro-Life legislators worked hard to be ensure that just enough “Nays” were cast to support the President should he veto the bill and prevent the possibility of over-riding any veto.
While all of this may seem like inside baseball to the average citizen, it demonstrates a significant fact that should set off alarm bells for every church-goer that has ever felt the slight satisfaction that comes with finding a voter guide tucked under the windshield of their car after a Sunday service in late October. That fact is: After more than thirty years of pro-life and family values activism, the majority in Congress does not reflect Judeo-Christian priorities.
July 12, 2006
It is not unduly harsh to expect more from church-goers that the general public. After all, the church contributes much in social services, charitable giving, and volunteerism. It is these exact points that, in my view, place greater responsibility on the shoulders of Believers to lead their communities, political parties, and governments and to do so effectively.
Our Christian heritage demonstrates nothing less. It was Evangelicals that led the causes of emancipation, suffrage, child labor reform, prohibition, and civil rights. Social justice has always been part and parcel of an integrated faith and the effectiveness of Christians to shape politics and policy was unparalleled for centuries.
All that changed after the defeat in the Scopes Trial of 1925 put Evangelicals on the defensive and left social reforms to moral relativists and utopians. The interplay between agnostic Clarence Darrow and layman William Jennings Bryant has proven to be a prescient script between Christians and the broader culture for the last century.
Of note is Bryant’s hubris and incorrect assumption that tradition and prevailing sentiment would carry the day. Today, many Christians believe similarly regarding abortion, homosexuality, religious liberty and other matters and, just as similarly, are routinely defeated in the public square.
July 8, 2006
I recommend that you put in a Pat Matheney CD while you view these photos Cate and I took as we drove across country.
Yea, we missed New Mexico.
June 29, 2006
This morning I didn’t want to wake up. I willed myself out of bed knowing that the next time I could surf would be in a week. That is too long.
It was easy getting things together. Clothes for work, toiletries, some food. I have put together a pretty good system.
I got to the beach at 7:15 AM. The surf looked small and the tide far out. Only three surfers on the inside goofing around. Maybe there was no surf today. But I was there and needed to get wet.
One old guy on a long board was preparing to paddle out. I decided to go without a surf leash so took it off and hid it behind a big rock on the beach.
The waves were small but clean and the water was still on the chilly side. But the more I paddled out, the warmer the water grew. I few sets rolled in indicating surfable waves.
One thing I always prided myself on when a young guy was being able to paddle out without getting my hair wet. I almost accomplished this little feat today.
Just a few surfers, clean waves, and a glorious sunny morning. One of God’s gifts. A dolphin poked his head out of the water.
I caught a few waves and as it got closer to my “last wave” time a nice set came through. A couple of strokes and up on the wave. It rolled and I went with it cutting back then straightening out making sure to keep ahead of the energy of the wave. The wave reformed and I put a little weight on the nose and continued. Finally the wave turned to whitewater and I rode it till it could push me no more. I reached down and lay back on the board and let the white water take me in on my belly. I didn’t stop till my fins hit the sandy bottom.
A simple wave, a bright clear morning.
