Manny to LA-LA Land

Frank McCourt continues his attempt to build Boston West.  He often gets Sox players past their prime.  He also had a former manager until he realized too late that Grady Little may be a great guy but not the best manager.

Today, they traded for Manny Ramirez who has worn out his welcome in Beantown.

The Red Sox paid quite the price to be done with Manny.  They pick up the rest of his salary for the year.  Reports have them also sending out Brandon Moss and Craig Hansen to the Pirates in the 3-team trade.  I liked Moss, but he didn’t seem to have a place on the Red Sox.  He’ll get the shot he deserves with the Pirates.  Hansen needed a change of location (Orel Hershiser’s analysis of his mechanical issues the other night was great by the way).  The Pirates made out like bandits because they also picked up Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris from the Dodgers.  They got ripped off by the Yankees, so they made the Sox and Dodgers pay.

So far all the Sox receive is Jason Bay.  That can’t be all.  Really… Theo, you had to do better than that, right?  Otherwise the Dodgers and Pirates really took advantage of their need to dump Manny and his bad attitude. 

This is addition through subtraction in my view.  Bay should benefit from being surrounded by better hitters, and may slide nicely into the 5 spot.  Putting him right behind Ortiz may put too much pressure on the new guy.

Update: After Manny hit into a double play to end the Dodgers’ attempt to win, and Bay scored both Sox runs in a win we have this interesting tidbit from Gordon Edes:

Of all the Manny moments in Boston, the last ranks as one of the most confounding. Within an hour after Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein informed Manny Ramírez he had been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers Thursday, Ramírez’s agent, Scott Boras, called the Sox back, according to a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations. If the Sox dropped the option years on his contract – which they had agreed to do if they traded him – Boras said Ramírez would not be a problem the rest of the season.

For the Sox, the source said, Ramírez’s pledge of good behavior only served as a tacit admission that his disruptive conduct of the last couple of weeks had been calculated, and they had had good cause to suspect more was in the offing if they did not trade him. The Sox told him thanks but no thanks, what was done was done, and pack plenty of sunscreen.

And I missed this little part of Manny Being Nefarious.

“We were in a bit of a difficult circumstance and we made something good of it,” said Epstein, who was in Anaheim two weeks ago when Ramírez balked at boarding the bus taking the team to the airport and a flight to Seattle.

“I heard about that,” Varitek said. “I didn’t see it.”

The acts, and words, of defiance seemed to multiply quickly thereafter.

I’m guessing that makes the Dodgers’ fans really excited.  Manny really didn’t want to go there- all a show, just like the last few weeks.  Manny reveals himself to be a petulent, greedy man.  He’s also a man who thinks of no one but himself- consistently avoiding opportunities to reach out to fans, especially the Jimmy Fund kids.  This taints the fond memories I have of him as a ball player.  Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived -IMO- was notoriously self-centered, but was a big supporter of the Jimmy Fund and baseball camps/clinics for kids.  Manny … not even close.

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Considering Allender on Prophet, Priest and King

The last chapter of Dan Allender’s Leading with a Limp addresses the offices of prophet, priest and king.  In the Old Testament, God led his people through men occupying those 3 offices.  They were typically anointed to their office, and functioned as types of Christ.

In his earthly and heavenly ministry, Jesus perfectly fulfilled those 3 offices for the benefit of his people and his own glory.  But that is not the end of the story.

“Interestingly, each of us has skills and gifts that place us primarily in one category- prophet, priest, or king.  Sadly, the crisis, complexity, betrayal, loneliness, and weariness of leadership transform most prophets into trouble-makers, most priests into dogmatists, and most kings into dictators.  Mystery and chaos send leaders spiraling into efforts to manipulate and manage the world without drawing on faith, hope and love.  Consequently, our striving for order and meaning must be interrupted by a prophetic voice that will sing cacophony to undermine our idolatry.  Prophets challenge kinds to fight injustice rather than devour the poor, and they call priests to speak of hope for reconciliation instead of promising peace without the necessary honesty regarding sin.”

Allender quotes Francis Turretin in noting that the offices match our threefold misery produced by sin- ignorance, guilt and bondage/oppression of sin).  Jesus frees his people from all three.  As a Christian leader, I need other leaders to help me apply all of them to the Body as Jesus intends.

“God, however, loves to use our strengths to get us into situations where our weaknesses are exposed and used for his glory. … In exposing and using our weaknesses like this, God reminds us again and again of our dependency on him and directs our praise to the only One who is worthy of it.”

One thing I take from that is that only Jesus is essential for the existance of the church.  But he uses people like me for the well-being of the church.  In part, he does this by revealing that they cannot depend on me.  I’m finite, and sinful.  They need me only as much as I point to him.

He reminds us of the balance between the gifts in the congregation.

“God also intends for those three roles to be represented in an organization by different people, and I am called to create space in our organization for all three roles.”

This threatens our pride and self-sufficiency.  It means we will be challenged with other valid viewpoints.  It means things will get messy at times as leadership works through issues to pursue the purity, peace and prosperity of the church.  He handles their roles in reverse order:

• King: Creating Life-giving Structure
• Priest: Creating Meaningful Connections
• Prophet: Creating Compelling Vision

Prophets are necessary to challenge the status quo (which often ticks people off).  This provides the proper goals for the structures and the relational connections.  He keeps the king honest lest he use power for his own means.  He keeps the priest honest lest he avoid needed conflict by accomodating everyone.  The priest reminds the king and priest that without love, it is all worthless.  The king reminds the priest and prophet that love and truth require action rather than just warm fuzzies.  Together they create a holy community on mission, and that is the goal.

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Considering Hebrews 12

I spent the last 2 Sundays preaching on Hebrews 12, well, the first 11 verses of it anyway, at a local PCA church.  There sermons were The Race of Faith and Instruction Thru Hardship if you are interested.

It was a more traditional environment, and the congregation was generally older.  So, to be all things to all men (1 Corinthians 9), I didn’t have any illustrations from movies or other aspects of pop culture.  You have to speak it so they’ll get it.  I hope I did that.  I changed the tenor of things, but the message is still the same.

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Considering the Manny-Go Line

Like the infamous French defense entrenchment that did nothing to hold back Nazi Germany, or Khadaffi’s “line in the sand”, Manny has passed the line which means he must go.

Until this past week I was loathe to trade Manny, and hoped they would pick up his option.  But Manny Being Manny has reached a nefarious stage where it is no longer funny- at all.  And I think it no coincidence that while it occurs the Red Sox get swept by the Angels.  Manny has gone on the offensive, and is downright offensive, crossing that line.

“The Red Sox don’t deserve a player like me,” Ramírez was quoted as saying. “During my years here I’ve seen how they have mistreated other great players when they didn’t want them, to try to turn the fans against them.

“The Red Sox did the same with guys like Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martínez, and now they do the same with me. Their goal is to paint me as the bad guy. I love Boston fans, but the Red Sox don’t deserve me. I’m not talking about money.

“Mental peace has no price and I don’t have peace here.”

Ramírez also held up a sign in the dugout before the game, shown by NESN cameras, that read: “I’m going to Green Bay for Brett Favre straight up.”

I’m not sure what the Red Sox have said to make Manny look bad.  Did they push the traveling secretary?  No, that was Manny.  Did they let everyone know what the penalty was?  No, they handled it internally.  Did they talk about not negotiating in good faith?  No, that was Manny.  Are the Sox complaining about the option?  No, that is Manny worried about his next paycheck (like $180 million the last 8 years just isn’t enough).  Manny has put himself in the position where the fans have turned on him.  No one else is to blame, not even CHB.

So, Manny Being Manny has become poisonous.  It has shifted into a whole new orbit, and Manny has become like Nomar in his final season with the Sox.  He has become worse than a distraction, but a cancer.

The rumored trade looks good to me right now, particularly since it ships Manny away.  It looks fiscally sound, and addresses their needs at this time.

If they can’t trade Manny, I’d suggest putting him on the DL with that knee issue just to get him away from the team for a week or two to let this thing simmer down.  But Manny has just worked against his goal to get a big, fat contract for the next 4 years.  Does anyone want to pay that much to watch the Manny Being Manny show that long, when he is no longer one of the best hitters in baseball?  Sorry, Manny … that time has come and gone.

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Considering the Trade Deadline

This year the baseball trade deadline has prompted to some very exciting deals- if you cheer for the Yankees and the Angels.

The Yankees are repeating the pattern of the past, though with a bit less luster.  They are taking on additional payroll (with that ever end???) and sending back prospects or low money guys in return.  First they bring over Xavier Nady and his .320+ average to fill their hole in left field, as well as giving them a right handed bat that has been missing to restore balance to their line-up.  That deal also brought them a solid left-handed reliever.  The analysts basically agree this deal was a steal for the Yankees.  They have Nady signed for next year at an affordable salary, and an option for Marte.  So, this is not a rent-a-player situation.

Marte’s presence allowed them to  ship out Farnsworth, which saddens me.  The hard throwing relief pitcher was hittable often enough.  In return they pick up an aging Ivan Rodriguez.  He started the year slowly at the plate, but has brought his average up to about .290.  So, they add a strong bat behind the plate, replacing Posada who is done for the year.  From the Tigers’ perspective, this move surprises me since they seemed to have climbed back into the AL Central.  This is basically a salary dump.

They have positioned themselves nicely for the stretch run in an organization where failure is not an option.  The weak and vulnerable Yankees of April-June are once again gone as Brian Cashman made some wise moves internally (some forced by injuries to guys who weren’t performing as expected), and brought in some guys to address the remaining weaknesses.  All we can hope for is that they lack chemistry.  Only they could do this because they added millions in payroll.

The Angels also made a really good move in picking up Teixeira for Kotchman.  That is a big improvement in my book.  Though he might be a rent-a-player.  But the Angels see this as the year they could go all the way.  They have the pitching, and needed 1 or 2 more good bats.  Teixeira is the piece they needed to avoid a repeat of last year’s playoff sweep at the hands of the Red Sox.

If you haven’t noticed, the Red Sox payroll has been decreasing over the years.  They are showing greater financial restraint, but this may come back to bite them like it did in 2005.  They are trying to dump Manny and his primadona act.  His recent actions seem to be mostly about his desire to make more money.  It is hard to avoid thinking that he no longer wants the Sox to pick up that option because he wants another $100 million contract- which seems unlikely with his diminishing skills.  But Scott Boras only makes money on Manny if he does get a new contract instead of the option.  So ….. this round of Manny Being Moronic seems to be driven by money since he sure is hitting well for a guy with a bum knee.  But he seems to play better when there is drama going on, so who really knows.

The only remaining possibility out there, after the Phillies, Mets and Dodgers have all denied any interest, seems the Marlins of all teams.  It is reported the Red Sox could get either Josh Willingham or Jeremy Hermida and a prospect in return.  I doubt anything will happen though.  Maybe the Marlins think Manny will actually put some fannies in the seats there.

The Rays have been mentioned in rumors, but I couldn’t see them picking up any of these guys, contrary to what I hear on the local sports radio.  The owners don’t want to spend that much extra money, and they don’t want to give away their prospects.  You aren’t getting any of the players traded for Johnny Gomes, folks.  They have survived a stretch where they have not produced many runs, which is a positive.  The local jock talkers think they have the guns to score lots more runs.  I suspect this latest stretch was a “regression to mean” after some superlative play.  The real Rays are somewhere between those 2 offensive extremes.  Longoria has been killing my fantasy team the last few weeks (as have a few other guys- I even dumped Ellsbury which may come back to haunt me).  But the re-constituted Yankees will surpass the Rays until A-Fraud does his typical October disappearing act.

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Still Considering Prophet, Priest and King

I recently had a dialogue with another pastor about the office of prophet, priest and king in church leadership.  He had been re-reading Dan Allender’s Leading with a Limp, chapter 14: Three Leaders You Can’t Do Without (wow, how did I not blog on that chapter?!).  He wondered what my primary & secondary gifting were (prophet-priest if you’re interested).  One of these days I may try to put my more theologically oriented material into a leadership oriented book working through these issues.

In the meantime, I visited Drew Goodmanson’s blog and he had links to the Acts 29 regional conference in Raleigh.  He and David Fairchild had some seminars working through this triperspectival view of leadership.  I highly recommend them after listening to them today.  The first was on the foundations of triperspectival leadership, and the second was on the applications of triperspectival leadership.  David provided some background into their church plant, the struggles they had and how they have benefited from applying John Frame’s triperspectivalism to church leadership.

Here are some thoughts I jotted down in my notebook to keep track of them:

“When you plant (a church) you’re reacting to something you think you’ve seen wrong in the church, so you’re in this heavy, heavy deconstruction mode.”  David relating advice given by Mark Driscoll

There are differences between how Jesus exercised His office during the Incarnation and how He exercises it now in His exaltation (yes, still incarnated).  For instance, while on earth He preached directly to the people.  In his heavenly prophetic ministry, He worked through the Spirit to complete the giving of Scripture and works through the Spirit in the preaching of the same Scripture.  In His earthly priestly ministry He offered up His body as the perfect sacrifice for sin.  In His heavenly priestly ministry He lives forever to intercede for us (Heb. 7:25).

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Considering De-Cluttering

While de-cluttering the home this past week, I bid a fond farewell to these old bottles.

Each of these bears fond memories.  Each was given to me by a friend, and is one tasty treat.

The first is Rogue’s award winning Shakespeare Stout.  It comes in the ample 22 ounce bottle.  It is a great stout- flavorful but not too heavy so my eyelids don’t become too heavy.  This was given to me by my friend Danny who has introduced me to West Coast handcrafted beers.

The middle bottle is a Fat Tire amber ale.  Tod & Virg brought some back from a trip to Colorado and let me enjoy one.  I rather like the amber ale contained within (I haven’t been wild about the Belgium whites I’ve tasted).  It is produced by New Belgium Brewing.  Recently, my friend Morgan returned from a house-hunting trip in TN with a 22 ounce bottle of Fat Tire for me.  Fat Tire has crossed the Mississippi and can be found in TN.  I am awaiting the proper moment to enjoy it.

The third bottle also comes from Danny.  He did his usual tour of the Lagunitas brewery and returned with Lumpy Gravy.  This is a special release to commenorate the anniversary of the release of that Frank Zappa album.  He thought it would not be shipped out of CA, but it has shown up at our local ABC Liquor store.  It is an unusual beer.  I thought it was like a cross between a stout and an ale.  It was quite enjoyable.

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Considering Our Strange Little Life

There has been plenty going on to occupy the CavFamily.  For one thing, we have put our home on the market.  We did this to preserve our equity since the prices are only going down, and we probably won’t get this much for at least a few years.  We hope to be moving elsewhere soon.  If I receive a new call, we’ll have a headstart on selling the house.

This means lots of work.  We have been “de-cluttering”, which mostly means packing up unnecessary items to create the perception of more space in the home.  The real estate agent is hopeful; our home is priced competetively and the market for smaller homes is better than for larger homes.  I got plenty of work done Friday and Saturday- to which CavGirl commented “You’re a workhorse, daddy.”  She picked this phrase up from Jon & Kate Plus 8.   The excess stuff is gone and the home is ready for the virtual tour photos.

With a vacation coming up, we also had to “de-dog” the home.  He is a shedding machine.  As a result, the prospect of asking our neighbors to not only let him out, but being able to vacuum the home on a moment’s notice if an agent wants to show it and how he might respond to strangers means he needs to go on vacation.  Just not with us.  Former neighbors agreed to watch him while we are away.  But, they now live a few hours away.  So, on a trip to visit family they stopped by last night to pick him up.  CavGirl was not quite down with that.  Tired and hungry, she had a mini-meltdown because the dog is gone, temporarily.

It was a good thing the dog is gone.  Shortly after putting the kids to bed, CavWife realized it was getting warm in the house.  The A/C was not working, period.  Not even the fan or heat.  I think the lightening storm must of wiped out the thermostat and a nearby fan used to create white noise for sleeping children.  It was a long, warm, sticky night in the house.  We had some doors and windows open.  No telling how the dog would react to the various noises and critters outside.  I didn’t get much sleep, crashing in the living room since it had better airflow.  Thankfully, the forecast says that it is only supposed to get to around 88 today.  Much better than 95+.  But I passed on the shower in the hopes that the A/C guy has it up and running around lunch time.  Then I take CavBoy to his re-evaluation for his hearing.  They wanted to see how the better tubes affected his hearing.

Saturday was a long, tiring day.  We had the joy of going to another wedding.  We sat with a friend and her 3 year-old.  CavGirl, CavBoy and their friend had too much fun.  We should have gotten a babysitter since I got so stressed out at the noise and endless questions.  I found them a huge distraction but the people around us didn’t seem too put off.  At the reception, I was able to spend time with a guy I rented a room from while getting my 2nd degree from RTS.  He also rented a room to the groom.  Like CavSon, he was born with a cleft-plate, so we spent time comparing notes as it were.

We left the reception around 2, after CavBoy’s diaper seems to have sprung a leak.  Too much to drink for that boy.  So we had to slip out the back quietly.  He crashed on the short ride home, but CavGirl was another story.  Her whining was a preview for the evening.  All my parenting tricks failed.  Nothing seemed to get through to her and grew increasingly exasperated.  It was a good prelude to my sermon on Sunday on how God loves us enough to discipline us.

This morning, our speech therapist called to say he wasn’t coming.  We requested a new speech therapist, but wanted the transition to take place when we went on vacation.  He decided “what’s the point”- ah, our son’s well-being…  We don’t want him to go 5 weeks without speech therapy.  This therapist seems to have little experience with cleft-palate kids (though he talked like an expert).  His recommendations were about 180 degrees different from everyone else’s.  He also refused to take his personal history as a recently adopted kid into account and determined his progress in 4 sessions was insignificant.  I’m not sure why he was informed of this change now, but I’m not liking how he bailed on CavSon today.  So now we are looking for a new therapist with experience working cleft-palate kids locally.  As if we didn’t have enough happening.

So, I have now escaped to my ‘office’ for cooler air and a quiet atmosphere.  Much needed for my sanity.  My stay here will be much too short.

Update: The A/C repair cost about $160.  It didn’t look good at first, but it turned out that the transformer and relay had been blown out by a power surge.  Had it taken a direct hit by lightening, the whole shebang would have to be repaired costing about $1,600.  So we are thankful!

CavSon’s hearing exam came back as borderline normal, which is great news.  He’s had a rough day since he didn’t sleep well.  He was crying most of the way home, even when I held his hand he was not comforted.  Not the best thing for my shoulder.

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Considering Manny Mania

The tide has certainly turned against Manny Ramirez in recent days.  During the 2007 playoffs Manny became more accessible to the press.  He seemed to be a new guy- more open.  This continued into Spring Training.  Manny was available.  He wanted to be in Boston.  He wanted them to pick up his option.  All was well in paradise.

Then … he started whining about the option.  He insinuated that the Sox had not been forthright with him.  John Henry wasn’t liking that one.  Perhaps Manny really missed Papi, and the silly things he thought we said to the wrong people.

Then he shoved a traveling secretary.  He was fined for his actions.  But soon there was the infamous at-bat against Mariano Rivera.  To be truthful, when he’s on he freezes batters.  So, I’m not buying into the “Manny wiffed on purpose Theory”.  Call me naive, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Then this week it has been the return of the phantom knee problems.  His MRI came back clean- no structural damage.  That doesn’t mean nothing is wrong.  Sometimes my knee bothers me for no aparent reason.  Today is one of those days.

In jumps the infamous Boston media led by Curt Schilling and Theo’s least favorite guy- Dan Shaughnessy.  No quotes, just lots of claims about how angry the Red Sox (owners, management, coaches and players) are and this is the final straw.  He makes much of the meeting between owners and management, and the ‘no comment’.  Or is he talking to Larry behind the scenes?

But CHB is not alone in this thinking.   The Herald’s Steve Buckley says it time for Manny to go.  Would his knee affect his hitting (Buckley claims he watched Manny raking the ball in the cage after begging out of the game)?  Perhaps.  But as Papi will let you know running is the big issue.  As in running the bases.  As in running down the ball.  As in Papi is here and Manny can’t DH tonight.  Yes, guys, remember that he had been DHing, in part because of the knee.

Yes, Manny’s numbers have been dropping.  I’m not sure I’d want to pay him $20 million next year.  But his real value at this point is protection for David Ortiz.  Take Manny out of the that line up and the resurging, and recently improved via trade, Yankees have a vastly superior line up.  I think Brandon Moss will make a great player, but I’m not sure I want him taking Manny’s place in LF.

Manny might be wearing out his welcome in Beantown.  But the members of the media there can often drive a guy batty.  It’s no surprise that Manny has suddenly shut up again.  There are two sides to this story.  The fans love it when Manny helps the Sox win.  Some of them enough to let these little episodes slide.  What really matters is how the organization wants to handle this latest episode of Manny being Manny.  Simply annoying or nefarious?  No idea.  But I’d rather watch the Sox build a big lead over the Rays and Yankees than settle for another round of “will Manny be traded” garbage.

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Considering the Political Season

I want to head into hibernation.  The on-slaught has only just begun.

I got a phone call from Obama’s campaign the other day.  I’m not sure why they called since the only registered voters in the home are registered Republicans.  I tried to politely tell them that I was not interested in either voting for Obama or financially supporting his campaign since I didn’t agree with his policies.  If he gets voted into office he’ll take my money anyway.

Then came the letter from the McCain campaign.  It included a free McCain bumpersticker.  No catchy motto … just like McCain- uninteresting.  It won’t find its way onto one of our vehicles, but ended up in the circular file.  They, of course, wanted money.  I was disappointed that they did not focus on his views and policies.  Rather the brunt of the letter was intended to stir up fear that Obama is raising so much money.  The usual fear-generating words intended to get you to cough up gas money.  He may get my vote by default, but not my cash.

I’m really glad my hopes are not set on who wins an election…………

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Considering the Summer Sale

WTS Books is having a summer sale until 7/30, so you had better hurry up!  They offer flat rate shipping and books are 50% off, so now is the time to buy!  I just wish I had a book allowance to enjoy this great opportunity 😦  However, if enough of you, my fair readers, visit via my blog I’ll get a good gift certificate!

Here are some Cavman recommendations-

• Justified in Christ: God’s Plan for us in Justification edited by Scott Oliphint.  I haven’t read it, but would love to.  The title would suggest that our union with Christ, as well as imputation, is in view.
• Christ and Culture Revisited by D.A. Carson.  Haven’t read it either, but it is on my wish list at WTS Books.  I wonder if he ends up where I did on this.
• The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative by Christopher Wright.  Haven’t read it, but looks like I should.  I’ll be adding it to my wish list.
• Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics: Foundations and Principles of Evangelical Biblical Interpretation by Graeme Goldsworthy.  I really enjoyed According to Plan, and want to read this.  Do you note a theme here?
• Genesis by Bruce Waltke.  Okay, I don’t have it.  He is an excellent scholar so if you are ever thinking of preaching or teaching on Genesis- buy this!
• Breaking the Idols of Your Heart: How to Navigate the Temptations of Life by Dan Allender and Tremper Longman.  I read this in its previous incarnation- Bold Purpose.  It is a great, challenging book.
• What Jesus Demands from the World by John Piper.  Not an easy read, nor a short one.  But a worthwhile one.
• Twelve Challenges Churches Face by Mark Dever.  Not too familiar with this one, but it looks like one worth reading.

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Considering Fathers

Braveheart is one of my favorite movies.  Mel Gibson was on a great run there for awhile.  It is a movie about the value and price for freedom, and it is a stirring film (historical inaccuracies aside).

But what is often missed is the important roles fathers (and father figures) play in the lives of the characters.  It may come across to some as simplistic but the men with the bravest hearts were raised by brave men.  The cowardly, self-serving men were raised by overbearing, abusive fathers.  Fathers play an important role in shaping the lives of sons into young men.  That role can’t be overstated.

So let’s take some peeks into this story and see the impact of fathers on sons.

Braveheart opens with a young William Wallace watching his father, Malcolm, preparing to go into battle.  His older brother is also joining his father.

•  
  • William: I’m going with you?
  • Malcolm: A good help ye be too.
  • William: I can fight.
  • Malcolm: I know you can fight.  (pause) But it’s our wits that make us men.

His father does not mock him, but affirms him.  But in the process teaches him that there is more to being a man than fighting.  And more to fighting than mere strength and skill.  William must still learn to use his wits to be a man.  It appears as though he has the right father to teach him, but tragedy strikes.  I wonder if it was this broken heart that made him so pliable.

Into this void steps his Uncle Argylle.  He isn’t quite sure about Argylle at first, but soon learns that he is in good hands.

“You don’t speak Latin?  Well, that’s something we’ll have to remedy, isn’t it?”

His uncle does not belittle him, but sees this as an indication that young William can and will learn.  Together they will address this lack of knowledge.  William is not alone, but his uncle will stand with him and teach him what he lacks.

“It was the same for me and your father when our daddy died.  First learn to use this (points to his head), then I’ll teach you how to use this.”

Uncle Argylle is one who has trod the path that lies before William.  He and his brother lost their father.  He puts the priority on using his head so that he will not only use his weapons skillfully but wisely.

But Malcom does not disappear from the film.  He shows up in a dream to offer direction  to his son.

“Your heart is free; have the courage to follow it.”

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Considering WMD

I must have been sleeping, because I missed this headline.

For some time now we’ve been hearing about how the CIA (and other intelligence gathering agencies among our allies) was wrong.  Sadaam did not have weapons of mass destruction.

Yet ….

They discovered over 500 tons of low-grade uranium (yellow cake)  that is used to manufacture nuclear weapons.  It has since been shipped to Canada where it will be used in nuclear reactors.  Hey, shouldn’t it have been sold to our nuclear power facilities????  Just a thought since we dumped so much money and blood into this thing.

Anyway … where are the “mea culpas” from those who continue to claim we entered under false pretenses.  I think the ability to accumulate 500 tons of the stuff for future use is shocking.  The Atomic Commission did nothing, which does not bode well for the developments in North Korea.

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Considering Evolution and Conversion

Though I grew up in a nominally Catholic family, and went to Mass most Saturdays, I grew up affirming evolution.  Like most boys, I like dinosaurs and cavemen.  We had the Time Life series of books on science, and I spent lots of time reading about the theory of evolution (sadly I’ve engaged in debates with people whether it was a theory, a hypothesis etc. but I don’t care what you call as long as you don’t call it a fact).  In school we watched those videos about the moths in England near the factories and other stories of evolution within a species.  I had no reason to doubt that this was an accurate interpretation of the data and explanation for our existence on this planet.  In fact, I did not doubt it was true.

Off to Boston University (no, not Boston College the more famous Catholic institution down the street that we usually beat in hockey).  I was required to take a lab science.  I hate lab sciences.  I inevitably mess up the experiments.  But just prior to my sophomore year, a class caught my eye.  It was …. Bioastronomy and the Search for Extraterrestial Life.  It was a lab science, but one without experiments!  I was all over that class!

The premise of the course was that the only way to determine if the possibility there was life on other planets was to study how life supposedly came to exist on this planet.  As a result we studied astronomy and evolution to arrive at an equation to determine that possibility.

A liberal blog that decided to make fun of my in this matter among others, figured that the professor didn’t do a very good job.  I think the professor did a fine job communicating the material to the converted.  But something happened to me.  I began to see all the factors that were vital to the existence of life.  At the end of the class there was a 1 in 10 to the 26th power chance of there being life (or something like that).  That is 1 followed by 26 zeroes.  That seemed quite unlikely to me.

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Considering the Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”  With nothing to lose but a morning in which I had no plans, I decided to give it the ol’ college try.  This time we went to the right theater and saw yesterday’s intended film- The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything.

Before I get to the movie, I have a few considerations.  This theater did not have stadium seating.  This made it a bit difficult for CavGirl to see over the seat in front of her.  I later noticed some people had booster seats.  I suppose that also would have helped the seat to stay down.  When you are only 30 lbs, and all of that is at the back of the seat … you will have issues.  This go around, there were far more younger children and babies.  This meant it was noisier, and there were more distractions as well since CavGirl loves to watch babies.  I had to answer the same 2 questions about pacifiers about a dozen times.

From CavGirl’s perspective, this movie was too scary.  She really didn’t like the villain, seen here.  That did prompt a few moments of “Dad-time” as she sat in my lap and hid her face in my chest, blanket covering her face.

It was not a fun as most Veggie Tale shows, and even Jonah.  She asked if we could leave about 3-4 times.  We didn’t.

The story was like the biblical story of Esther in that God was not explicitly mentioned, but worked behind the scenes to accomplish the deliverance of the prince and princess (unless the father, the good King with the evil usurper-wanna-be brother, is the metaphor for God).  I explained to her that life has moments when we are very afraid, but that is when we need to be brave until God saves us.  God will always save us, but sometimes life gets scary.  In the movie they also talked about tests, which reveal what is most important to us.

So, this wasn’t Big Idea’s best effort.  It was, as usual, mostly moralistic.  It was mildly enjoyable for me, and too scary for her.  At least there were no farting & pooping chipmunks, or barely clad dancers.  So, it had that going for it.  In terms of influences:

1. There was a tip o’ the hat to O, Brother, Where Art Thou? with the blind prophet speaking to 3 friends about to embark on a voyage in which one of them will regain his family’s respect.  This, of course, is one of my favorite movies.
2. The song and dance at the pirate tavern was quite reminiscent of the Camelot scene in Holy Grail.  Yes, another of my favorite movies, and an old standby for Veggie Tales.
3. The evil pirate was a pea who had a mechanical body, reminding me of Darth Vader.
4. The scene when the King gives them medals was a tip to Star Wars: A New Hope.  They just lacked a howling Wookie.  Yes, another one of my favorite movies.
5. The B-52s, whose cult-fav Rock Lobster was redone as Rock Monster.
6. Steve Taylor who appeared with the Newsboys for a song (I think that was the song).  I recognized his lyrical style and thought the voice sounded familiar.  He’s listed as a composer and performer on the soundtrack CD, but I’m not 100% certain of the song.

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Considering Ferguson on Ephesians

I came across this link from Kevin Cawley’s blog. It is a collection of mid-week sermons by Sinclair Ferguson on Ephesians at Park Cities Presbyterian Church in Texas.

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Considering the Hidden God

I’ve been reading A Heart for God by Sinclair Ferguson.  I’ve read bits and pieces in the past when working on sermons.  But I decided to read the whole thing as solid, devotional material.  It works through the various names and attributes of God that we might know God better.

Yesterday I read his chapter on The Covenant Lord.  It is there that he talks about the hidden God- who seems to play hide-and-seek with us.  In talking about the cutting of the covenant in Genesis 15 he introduces this concept.

“The darkness may also symbolize God’s hiddenness.  As we will see, the promise was not immediately fulfilled.  Abraham, and all of God’s people, needed to learn to trust God in the darkness.  As Isaiah was later to say, ‘Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God’ (Isaiah 50:10).”

This is probably one of the most difficult aspects of the Christian life- trusting God when he seems nowhere to be found and life is dark.  This is where I currently am.  I know his promise, and his character.  But I am in the inbetween times: between promise and fulfillment.  I am waiting for him to fulfill his calling in my life, and I am lost in darkness.  It is there that we must learn to walk by faith and not by sight, to rely on God while we wait in the dark.

“It is interesting that when Isaiah describes the return of the people from exile in Babylon in terms of the Exodus, he describes God as ‘a God who hides himself’ (Isaiah 45:15).  That is exactly what the Israelites must have felt: ‘God has hidden himself; He is not going to keep His promise.'”

Fear quickly sets in when things don’t go our way and we think God has failed us.  But he does not exist to fulfill our purposes but his.  We feel forsaken, but he is still working.  We are trapped in the short-run and our perspective needs to take in the long-run.  And, we need to know who has promised.

“This was the secret of Moses’ life: He held on to the promise of God, not because he immediately recognized how easily it would be fulfilled, but because it was God who had promised.”

Ferguson continues to trace the development of God’s covenant as it unfolds in the life of David.  He adds new promises to the covenant.  At times in David’s life it seemed as though all was lost.

“No human eye could detect whether God was keeping His word, or how He would fulfill it.  But faith does not depend on what can be seen!  … so David subordinated the current circumstances of his life to the plan he knew God would fulfill.  There is no other way to live in fellowship with the covenant Lord.”

  Ferguson ties the reality of 2 Corinthians 1:20, all God’s promises being ‘Amen’ or ‘Yes’ in Christ, in with the reading of the blessings and curses of the Law in Deuteronomy 27.  God’s people receive all the blessings by faith in Christ- they are ‘amen’.  Jesus bore all the curses- they too are ‘amen’.  God has kept his word, the word of his covenant.  Though he was often working out of our sight, though all often seemed lost, God is not just a covenant making God but a covenant keeping God.  And so we can rely on him in the midst of the darkness.

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Considering Her First Movie

CavGirl and I had a date this morning.  The local theaters run older kids movies a few mornings each week during the summer.  They are free since they expect you to spend money on concessions.  It works out well for everyone.  We were supposed to see this:

I double-checked the time and theater with my friend.  He was taking his daughter too.  Somehow wires got crossed because The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anythingwas not playing at that movie theater, and my friend was nowhere to be found.  It was at this moment that I was glad I didn’t tell CavGirl she’d see her friend this morning.  I was tempted to go home.

But my mind went back to the night before when I told her we were going on a date.  She was excited about the idea of going to the movie.  She wanted to bring Addison, her favorite doll.  She wanted to bring him in the stroller.  We compromised … ‘yes’ to Addison and ‘no’ to the stroller.  She was already disappointed, I didn’t want to completely disappoint her.

So … we saw this.  Yes, Alvin and the Chipmunks.  It was okay, aside from some words I was not excited about my daughter hearing.  Like “sucks” for instance- even though they used it to mean “awful”.  The scatological humor was something else I could do without.  The singers & dancers who joined them on stage were not exactly kid appropriate either.

But, she enjoyed her first taste of movie theater popcorn.  And she savored the Sprite that came with it in the kids combo.  She did really well for the first time in a movie theater.  She didn’t get restless until the last 10-15 minutes.

This may sound strange to some of you.  We know people who have been bringing their kids to the movies since they were a year old.  You might call us “old fashioned” since she’s 3 1/2 and has never gone to a movie.  Others might call us progressive because we took such a young child to the movies.

I thought she was old enough to enjoy it.  And I thought it was Veggie Tales.  Yes on the first, and no on the second.  But I had a good time watching a movie with my little girl- even if it was Alvin and the Chipmunks.

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House Staying Home

The Celtics did what I didn’t think they would do: re-sign both Eddie House and Tony Allen.  And they gave them 2-year deals.  They buy some security, but don’t create long-term salary cap issues.

I’m glad Eddie House is back.  He was a nice change of pace for Rajon Rondo, and was able to spread the floor with his 3 point shooting.  He was an important part of that playoff run.

The jury is still out on Tony Allen.  His injuries have inhibited his progress.  We really haven’t seen what he can and cannot do.  This next year his knee should be completely healed, and he should have learned its limitations.  He can be that dogged defender that James Posey was.  But can he keep his head in the game sufficiently to be that 6th man the Celtics need?  Only time will tell.

Either way, the team that will defend the NBA championship is beginning to take shape.  There are still rumors that Devon George may be of interest.  Good defense, and that’s about it.

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Considering Reading Level

Contrary to what some people here in Polk County think … I’m not a genius.  Obviously.  I guess my quest to be readable has succeeded!

Movie Reviews

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