I like this quote....

I was looking at other churches websites this morning (read into that what you will) and found a quote I really liked:

The success of a chuch is not measured in seating capacity, but rather in its sending capacity.

Thoughts?

Guess Who...

Guess who made these comments:

****************: I believe in the father, son, and Holy Spirit, and I have felt the presence of the Holy Spirit on many occasions in my years on this earth.

Reporter: Can I ask you theologically, do you believe that the resurrection of Jesus actually happened, that it actually historically did happen?

****************: Yes, I do.

Reporter: And, do you believe on the salvation issue -- and this is controversial too -- that belief in Christ is needed for going to heaven?

*****************: That one I'm a little more open to. I think that it is, as we understand our relationship to God as Christians, it is how we see our way forward, and it is the way. But, ever since I was a little *****, I've asked every Sunday school teacher I've ever had, I asked every theologian I've ever talked with, whether that meant that there was no salvation, there was no heaven for people who did not accept Christ. And, you're well aware that there are a lot of answers to that. There are people who are totally rooted in the fact that, no, that's why there are missionaries, that's why you have to try to convert. And, then there are a lot of other people who are deeply faithful and deeply Christ-centered who say, that's how we understand it and who are we to read God's mind about such a weighty decision as that.

Reporter: And your attitude toward the Bible about how literally people should take it.

*****************: I think the whole Bible is real. The whole Bible gives you a glimpse of God and God's desire for a personal relationship, but we can't possibly understand every way God is communicating with us. I've always felt that people who try to shoehorn in their cultural and social understandings of the time into the Bible might be actually missing the larger point that we're supposed to take from the Bible.

Silver Taps

There are a lot of opinions about Aggies, especially in East Texas. You either hate us or love us. It didn't used to be that way here until UT Tyler became a 4 year school and those poor misguided students started believing they were Longhorns instead of Partriots. But I digress.

I am proud to be an Aggie this week. As you may know, a great Aggie student from Tyler was killed Monday morning on her way from Tyler to College Station. She was supposed to get her Aggie Ring -- the ultimate symbol and tradition of being an Aggie -- on Tuesday. Instead, she was part of another tradition -- Silver Taps. Taps is a tradtition that sets us apart from other schools and is, apart from Aggie Muster, the most moving non-religious experience I have ever experienced. As we Aggies say, "From the inside looking out, you can't explain it; from the outside looking in, you can't understand it."



From the Aggie Traditions website:

By far, one of Texas A&M's most honored traditions is Silver Taps. Silver Taps is held for a graduate or undergraduate student who passes away while enrolled at A&M. This final tribute is held the first Tuesday of the month when a student has passed away the previous month.

The first Silver Taps was held in 1898 and honored Lawrence Sullivan Ross, the former governor of Texas and president of A&M College. Silver Taps is currently held in the Academic Plaza. On the day of Silver Taps, a small card with the deceased students name, class, major, and date of birth is placed as a notice at the base of the academic flagpole, in addition to the memorial located behind the flagpole. Around 10:15 that night, the lights are extinguished and hymns chime from Albritton Tower. Students silently gather at the statue of Lawrence Sullivan Ross. At 10:30pm, the Ross Volunteer Firing Squad marches into the plaza and fire a twenty-one gun salute. Buglers then play a special rendition of Silver Taps by Colonel Richard Dunn. Taps is played three times from the dome of the Academic Building: once to the north, south, and west. It is not played to the east because the sun will never rise on that Aggie again. After the buglers play, the students silently return to their homes. Silver Taps is a sacred tradition that Aggies hold dear.

Now What?

Well, yesterday was a busy day as I was election judge in Arp. There were some pretty strong opinions and everyone wanted to make sure I heard their opinion (as if I had some power to change anything). Most old people are always complaining about the new-fangled electronic voting machines. Young people are always nice and seem excited to vote. The middle-aged white men, though, are the absolute worst. They listen to Limbaugh and Hannity and believe everything they hear. By the end of the day, I was ready to zone out and crash.



Of course, we all saw the writing on the wall when it came to the Republican presidental race. So, as you have probably noticed, I have cleaned up the sidebar and replaced all my Huck signs with a sole McCain sign. Can't really get excited about him now, but maybe (hopefully) that will change. Huck still is blogging, so I left the blog link for now.

Great Video

Thoughts

Its been a while since I have posted anything new. Vacation, sickness, and a lot of work has kept me away. Our small group had a great discussion on Monday night. I won't go into detail, but the topic really bothered me but I did not really know why it bothered me so much. Then, last night, I was reading a magazine that touched on the topic and it had the following scripture from James 2 I thought I would share:

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear? Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law. James 2:1-9

This scripture gave me a new perspective on a few things and confirmed in my mind my position on the topic. Just something to think about.

Knight Rider Teaser

Should this be Controversial?

Merry Christmas from Mike Huckabee. This commercial began running this week and has caused a big stir over Christianity and its place in politics. For those that are offended easily, there is both a cross in this video as well as a subtle reference to the trinity (look at the lights).

Space is Limited in Heaven

Breaking news everyone -- apparently space in Heaven is running out. Make sure to reserve your spot here.

Obviously, this is a joke. But I thought it was funny. Be sure to check out the VIP pass which gets you into the Land of Milk and Honey where everyone "kicks it."

Remember 99

Tomorrow night would have been the night the traditional on-campus Fightin' Texas Aggie Bonfire would have been lit in preparation for the A&M/Texas game on Friday afternoon. Last night, the off-campus bonfire was lit (see picture below). While the experience will never be the same, I am glad the tradition lives on in some fashion.



The Bryan College Station Eagle reported that about 3,000 students and alumni attended the bonfire last night.

Bonfire has been moved off campus and out of the county since the 1999 bonfire collapse. To give you some idea what it took to build the ol'bonfire, I have attached a video of the 1994 bonfire, which collapsed (no injuries), and was rebuilt in time for the lighting. Because the 94 Bonfire collapsed so slowly, all the students were able to get off the stacks before anyone was hurt.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!  Thought I would share a sneak peak at our Christmas photos.  A good friend of ours took them and they turned out looking great.  35 more days!

In Remembrance

What does leadership look like?

Sorry Mike

There once was a basketball coach at A&M that demanded big money and then bolted for another college in another state after secretly negotiating with the out of state college. Here's how it has turned out for that coach --

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Billy Gillispie's second game as Kentucky's coach was one he'd rather forget -- and Gardner-Webb will remember for a long time.

Grayson Flittner scored 22 points to help Gardner-Webb beat the No. 20 Wildcats 84-68 Wednesday night in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic.

"You can't just show up on the court and think you're going to beat somebody because you wear a certain jersey," said Gillispie, who turned 48 Wednesday. "We didn't play like a hunter tonight."

Be a Moocher

I found a cool website the other day and I thought I would share it for those of you who like books. I am not advertising for them or anything, just thought it was a neat concept. On BookMooch, you tell the website what books you have that you are willing to part with. For each book you list, you get 1/10 of a point. When someone visiting the site wants one of your books, you get 1 point and you mail the book to the person. You can get any book on the site for 1 point and the owner will mail it to you. So, it is like a big book swap. So far, I have sent out 5 books and found 3 that I have been wanting for a while.

We are heading to Aggieland this weekend to watch A&M play Kansas. We lead the series 7-1, but Kansas is ranked #9 this year, so it should be an interesting game. For those of you in Boston, it is televised on ESPN2 at 7:00 p.m. your time.

Baby Got Book

GodTube.com was the fastest-growing Web property in the U.S. in the month of August, according to ComScore’s Media Metrix. Its 1.7 million unique visitors represented a 973% increase in traffic over the previous month.

And what kind of videos can you find on Godtube.com? I am glad you asked...



"oooo girl i wanna read witcha cuz yo bible got pictures"

Could Huckabee be Mr. Right?

The following article is dead on. Why aren't Christian leaders backing Huckabee? James Dobson finally came out and gave Huckabee somewhat of an endorsement, but I am still waiting to hear who Pat Robertson says God says we must vote for (kidding!).


By: Jonathan Martin
Oct 14, 2007 08:26 AM EST

Social conservatives can stop looking for their perfect presidential candidate. There is one Republican who, given his credentials, would appear the likeliest to rally evangelicals and others on the Christian right.

He is resolutely anti-abortion, supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and is a man of deep faith. He has been elected — and reelected — to statewide office in a Democratic-leaning state.

And he’s right under their noses: Mike Huckabee.

But evangelical leaders are not flocking to their brother in Christ, as Huckabee, despite his political and personal values, remains far behind other less “pure” Republican contenders in the presidential sweepstakes.

The former Arkansas governor and one-time head of his state’s Southern Baptist Convention has been dismissed by many leaders of that movement, not because of any perceived ideological or moral deficiencies but for the most pragmatic of reasons: He simply can’t win, they say.

But do prominent Christian conservative leaders ensure that outcome when, instead of supporting one of their own and shepherding others to support him, they hold out for a better option or settle for an imperfect — if ostensibly more electable — candidate?

“They all say Mike Huckabee is a great guy — and then they say he can’t win,” laments campaign manager John "Chip" Saltsman, explaining what inevitably happens when Huckabee meets with top leaders of the religious right.

“‘If you get traction, come back to us,’” Saltsman recounts them as saying, to which Huckabee, in his typically lighthearted manner, replies, “Guys, you are my traction.”

It’s the consummate political predicament for political dark horses — they can’t be viable if they don’t have a wellspring of support, but if they don’t have a wellspring of support, they can’t be viable.

“It almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy,” Saltsman admits.

Summing up the conventional wisdom among social conservative elites, Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, told Newsweek that many of his brethren like the very likable former preacher.

“But nobody thinks he can beat Hillary, and a fear of another Clinton White House outweighs almost everything,” Land explained, referring to Hillary Rodham Clinton, the New York senator and front-runner in the Democratic contest.

Another prominent Christian conservative leader, Mark DeMoss, put it another way when he wrote movement activists this week in support of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

“If I believed similar theology was paramount in a president, I would be writing this memo urging support of Mike Huckabee,” DeMoss wrote.

In an interview, DeMoss, a well-known Christian public relations specialist who once worked for the Rev. Jerry Falwell at Virginia’s Liberty University, said he sympathized with Huckabee’s plight but argued that it is not mere questions of viability that hamper the Arkansan.

“If a candidate’s values were the only criteria I used, then that complaint would be right on the money,” DeMoss said.

“But the reason I’m with Mitt Romney and not other guys whose values and theology square with mine is not because they’re not electable; it’s because I believe Romney’s life experience and expertise makes him more qualified to be president.”

Comparing political assessments to other such judgments in life, DeMoss continued, “When I interview somebody to work for me, I don’t just hire somebody because they go to my church and believe what I believe. So why would I do that when we’re talking about the president of the United States?”

Still, DeMoss concedes that he hears “about once a week” from fellow Christian conservatives a cold-eyed analysis similar to the one Land offered.

Saltsman said his candidate and his campaign have responded to the cold shoulder by working around national conservatives who don’t give Huckabee much of a chance.

“In Iowa and South Carolina, especially, we’re starting to get some of the grass-roots evangelicals,” Saltsman said.

“Some of these folks scratch their head, saying, ‘We’ve got a great candidate right here,’” Saltsman said of their state and local Christian backers, predicting hopefully that the state leaders “pull the national ones along whether they like it or not.”

Thanks to support from social conservatives — and especially the network of home-schooling families — there are signs, at least in Iowa, that Saltsman is right.

Huckabee came in a surprise second place in the Ames Straw Poll in August, and a recent Des Moines Register poll had him in third place, with 12 percent, behind both Romney and former Sen. Fred Thompson. Of the one-quarter of those sampled who said they had made up their minds about who they will support at the caucuses, Huckabee had the firmest backing.

“We’re doing it one small community at a time,” said Saltsman, who talked while packing up his things to move up to Iowa, where he’ll spend much of his time through January.

But even as they work the pulpits and pews of the Hawkeye State, Team Huckabee remains weighed down by questions of electability. He didn’t help himself by raising a paltry $1 million in the third quarter of the year.

Indeed, his fundraising performance raised serious questions over how Huckabee could be competitive in the face of a jam-packed primary calendar in January and February — regardless of how he does in Iowa. Those later contests occur in bigger states that are less conducive to his brand of retail campaigning.

In short, just as his campaign appears to show real signs of life in a key early state comes another pesky reminder of Huckabee’s practical challenges.

Such political realities are nothing new, said Craig Shirley, a conservative publicist and author who has studied Ronald Reagan’s career.

Even though The Gipper had a mixed record on some issues dear to social conservatives, including abortion, he eventually won their favor in 1980 for decidedly pragmatic reasons.

“It was about pragmatism in that they perceived Reagan could or would be the nominee and the others were not,” Shirley said. “That’s the paradox of politics for the guys at the bottom. People tell them they can’t support them because no one is supporting them. You might call it the ‘Christian Catch 22.’”

Updates

The past two weeks have been super busy, so I have not been able to post about some things going on. The first, and worst, is that one of my dogs, Tucker, died last Sunday after ingesting some poisonous material. By the time we found out what had happened, it was too late to save him and he died with us at home Sunday afternoon. Addyson thinks he is coming home in 30 days (don't know how she came up with that) after God heals him. It's tough to explain that type of stuff to a 4 year old. Daisy, our other dog, is having a hard time with it too.

Addyson turned 4 the next day (October 1), so we tried to forget about the sad events of the previous day for a while to have out with my parents and go to Addyson's favorite place to eat (Chinese). She had a good time and we got more cake and ice cream.



On Friday, I got a new Honda to replace my old one. Still a CR-V, but this time it is glacier blue. I really like the car and they have made a lot of improvements since I bought my old one.



Friday was also the Royal Ranger campout and that was exhausting. The kids seemed to enjoy themselves and there is just nothing like breakfast cooked outside in the morning. I have decided that my favorite smell is waking up to the smell of bacon cooked fireside.



Saturday saw the Aggies head up to 1st place in the Big 12 (for this week at least) and poor Texas heading down to the bottom of the Big 12. That was a great day.



And, finally, on Sunday my other team -- the Houston Texans -- pulled out a win over Miami.

Elmo Supports Huckabee

This is post 2 of 2 today. Be sure to read both -- 1 about Huckabee and the other is not. I am going to make a deal with you. I promise to post one non-presidential post for every presidential post.

Thought this was a funny video taken last year when Huckabee was Chairman of the National Governor's Association. Elmo throws his support to Huckabee. Elmo a republican? Who knew?

Christian Leadership

The following is a quote from a blog I was reading this morning by David Becker. I thought it was good enough to share:

"In our world of Christian congregation, we take consensus and vote, and give leadership to those who usually have enough time on their hand to volunteer. Often in churches, leadership is bestowed on the men who have the least trouble with their kids and finances. Even then, to hold these selected “leaders” accountable in every detail of their life for the last twenty years would leave us with very few leaders.

As we enter into these last days, it is essential that we focus on the leadership development of those people chosen by the LORD God to assume those positions. Leaders of God are not chosen by vote nor volunteer. Leaders of God are made by Him, and given the wisdom and skill necessary to complete the tasks at His Will. Unfortunately, most congregations today are focused on developing the fellowship and finances, and fail to recognize the critical need to uphold the leaders. If we fail to help develop their presence and practice of our leaders chosen by God, then we are going to be in trouble in the days to come, as world forces continue their move against the Christian Faithful. It is vital that we bring our Christian leaders to their full potential, able to use the wisdom that God grants them in the spiritual things, as well as the ability to protect their position among the natural things."