Posts from August 2007

Hmmm. This is going to be tough.

1. The higher gas prices that have resulted have encouraged people to drive less and consider alternative energy.

2. The war rhetoric of "support the troops" as the same administration de-funds VA hospitals has made acceptable to offer patriotic dissent.

3. People have been brought together to oppose this war. We are still a deeply divided nation in many ways, but there is a 7 in 10 chance any American is against the war. Who would have ever thought that Pat Buchanan and Ralph Nader could agree on so much!

4. The war has led people to see that the concept of "faith and values" extends WAY beyond abortion and gay marriage. Peace and Justice voters are voting their religious values, too.

5. Withdrawal is likely to begin in 2008.

6. This should get more people to vote and bring us closer to becoming a Democracy again.

7. It has become easier to win political arguments with my conservative parents.

8. I don't think we'll try "pre-emptive" war for a long time after this one.

9. No draft, yet.

10. All of my friends who served (some WAY beyond what they should have) have come home safely.


That was tough. Next: 10 things I like about the planet (should be easier)

1. The way she looks.

2. The things she cooks.

3. How smart she is.

4. How she likes video games and Simpsons.

5 . Her commitment to her faith, and how she lives it out.

6. She is courageous and assertive.

7. She hasn't stopped growing and learning.

8. She cares for me.

9. She can and does drive a truck with a manual transmission.

10. She makes really beautiful music.

I heard on NPR today that somebody burned the burning man. That's what he's there for, right? Yes, but here's the problem. A performance artist decided to set the man ablaze about four days early.

He has since been arrested, and the hippies out west have vowed to rebuild the man in time for the scheduled burn.

This cracks me up. I didn't think one could do ANYTHING to get arrested at the burning man. And it seems so goofy for this crowd to focus so heavily on a schedule, and doing things the right way, and re-building something to be burned because the original something to be burned, burned.

10 More things tonight.

1. An amazingly large cast of characters.

2. Characters of surprising depth, considering how many there are.

3. Nobody's perfect, but nobody is beyond redemption, either. (Lisa and Mr. Burns both come close, respectively, but not quite)

4. A perfect balance of reality/fantasy (i.e. basic rules of earth are followed, but it doesn't seem to matter how many side jobs Homer takes).

5. It bites the hand that feeds it occasionally (FOX).

6. They are one of the few tv families that regularly prays/attends church.

7. The jokes are packed densely, and often layered.

8. They consistently reference the classics, and are still funny even when 90% of the audience misses the reference.

9. The leap to film worked.

10. The humor stands the test of time.



Coming soon: 10 things I like about my wife, and then some more challenging posts (maybe 10 things I like about the Iraq War?). If you have any requests, let me know!

1. Eating. Buffalo knows how to eat. Wings, Pirogies, Fish fries, pizza--it's all good.

2. Cheap houses. We couldn't live in a house like ours in a neighborhood like the Elmwood Strip in Pittsburgh. And Pittsburgh is cheap. Buffalo is uber-cheap.

3. Summer fun. There was so much to do, and much of it is cheap/free.

4. Personality. I like rust-belt friendliness.

5. Entrepreneurship. People start their own businesses/movements/whatever here. They get stuff done.

6. Nearby stuff. Lakes, skiing, falls, hiking, etc. It's all good.

7. Online media. Holla back estrip!

8. Walka-bikability. You can get around here without a car.

9. Elmwood Ave. Another candidate for a 10 things within 10 things list. Much to like about this part of town.

10. It's trivia. We birthed a super-freak and killed a president. We invented a bar food and were the first wired for electricity. And what other city hates the St. Lawrence Seaway like we do?

A new series. I will list 10 things I like about different stuff. Today its the Steelers, then comes Buffalo. Then some more personal ones than who knows what. Here it goes (in no order, I'm just going to list until I get 10.)


1. No Cheerleaders. It's not that we don't like girls, its just that they get in the way of what we come to games for: football.

2. History. We can always compare our team with the teams of the 70's, that won 4 superbowls.

3. Toughness. Sure, most players are tough, but the past three coaches have also been guys that the devil himself wouldn't mess with.

4. Coaches. Speaking of Coaches--the Steelers stick with thiers. That's an unusual, and good thing.

5. The Rooney's. The owners of the team aren't perfect, but they love their city, and their neighborhood, and would never leave. They also believe in justice (see, "the Rooney Rule.")

6. The fans. Almost every man, woman, and child in Pittsburgh can tell you why the Steelers play the 3-4, and how that requires different types of linemen/linebackers.

7. The 3-4. Truly a supierior defence.

8. The players. Polamalu, Casey Hampton, Big Ben, Fast Willie, and Hines Ward. I could come up with 10 things I like about each of these guys. #1 on Polamalu's list? He drives a Kia.

9. The uniform. We only put the logo on one side. Why? Because when they tried them the first time, they didn't have enough.

10. The colors. Black and Gold just looks good.

Tomorrow I will get local again and share what I like abou this town!

I know many of you don't care about football. Go ahead and skip this post if you are one of those people.

I just heard Kieth Oberman say that most people that root for the Steelers or Eagles don't know that the two teams had once merged. This is one more example of media assuming that we have no memory. They say this EVERY YEAR. EVERY YEAR, every media outlet drags out this old story, even the Pittsburgh papers. I get it, drop it, shut up.

I was hopeful that I would like the countdown, Oberman's show which is making its first appearance on non-cable tv as I type. Sadly, it has been a letdown.

I would much rather see North Mississippi All-Stars at Thursday at the Square tonight. They are super cool, and so are the Wood Brothers.

I have committed to be at Erie County Executive Candidates forum tonight. I know that people in my church have to care about their community, and so I told them to go to this, because that is part of take care of their town.

So, in a sick way, the weather forecast makes me feel better. At least I won't be missing anything.

Anybody want to join me at a candidate's forum? It's at Blessed Sacrament Church on Delaware. 7pm tonight.

Concerts and beer aren't as much fun as candidates and issues anyway, right?

UPDATE: Not that you were going to go, but the forum has been postponed. Now we hope that the rain stays away so I can go and rock out.

Over at the onion there is a fantasy football game where you pick the biggest losers, instead of winners. I thought it might be a fun twist. The Leauge is called estrip, and the password is elmwoodave. Sign up and root for your players to fumble!

I'm going to try something new: This is the beginning of a sermon for NEXT Sunday. It's not done yet. I want to see what you all think of the text and my reflections on it, and encourage you all to add comments/feedback.

Here's the text: Luke 13:10-17

It seems as if this, coming after a series of teachings for the disciples, is Jesus showing how he lives out these teachings. I'm thinking this is going to be a Christian Ethics lesson.

The occasion is Jesus teaching in the Synagogue, but none of the teaching is recorded, instead, Jesus uses healing to teach. This brings us to value number #1:

We value actions over words.

We also see that this is a power struggle between the synagogue leader and Jesus. My guess is that the leader felt threatened--a healer like Jesus could steal his power, so he jumps on Jesus (and the healed woman!) in an attempt to maintain his own power.

This points out value #2:

We value service over power.

Jesus, in healing this woman, shows mercy and disregards the law.

1. 3: We value mercy over law.

Of course, this woman waited 18 years. She could have waited one more, right? But Jesus took action when he saw her, even though he was teaching at the moment.

Value #4: We value moving in the moment over waiting.

I'll find a nice way to wrap it up, and that's my sermon! But I want to hear how you all would preach this text, and see what you think of my way.