Wealth Redistribution

Here are a couple takes on the wealth redistribution tax plan I found amusing:


Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read "Vote Obama, I need the money." I laughed. Once in the restaurant my server had on a "Obama 08" tie, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference -- just imagine the coincidence. When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight. I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful. At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment, I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money that he had earned even though the actual recipient deserved money more. I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application. – A friend of mine forwarded this to me.

I am not one of the people who would be adversely affected by it, as I cannot ever see myself making over $250,000 annually as a minister. With that in mind, I still do not think it is fair at all to tax the wealthy more because they happen to have more monetary success. Not only is it not fair, the concept makes no sense in government or any other walk of life. The though of penalizing those who work hard at their skill trade and are most successful is ridiculous!

Top 10 Bizarre Bible Stories

The Bible is full of many fascinating stories, and some that are just bizarre - here are my Top 10 Bizarre Bible Stories:

10. Jacob and the case of the magical genetics (Genesis 30:37-39)
And the most bizarre tale in the Bible goes too…this head-scratcher from Genesis, with its utterly bemusing explanation of the genetic code. Basically, Laban is taking all of Jacob’s beloved striped and spotted cattle. Jacob is left with boring old, plain-colored cattle, which he doesn’t seem to like at all. So Jacob concocts a cunning plan: he gets some sticks and begins painting stripes on them. He then plants them next to his cattle. What Jacob thinks is that if he gets his cattle to look at the striped sticks while copulating, then they will give birth to striped young. Now, we’d all expect this idiotic plan to fail and Jacob to learn a lesson about something or other, but no it actually works. The cattle give birth to striped young, and Jacob is happy. What on earth is going on here? Anyone with the most basic understanding of genetics knows that this is bunk. The odd thing is that this story seems to have no purpose and moral – it’s just there. And I can’t help wondering how many scientists with painted sticks had attempted to repeat this process before Mendel came along and said, “I’m pretty sure that’s not how it’s supposed to happen fellas, why don’t we try this instead?”
The moral of this story? Your guess is as good as mine.

9. Jesus and the fig tree (Matthew 21:19; Mark 11:13-14)
So, Jesus is walking from Bethany and he encounters a fig tree, but unfortunately it is barren as it’s the off season for figs. Jesus curses the fig tree to death. This story is bizarre for many reasons, but mainly for how little it means to the Jesus story. Okay, so he’s hungry, and the fig tree pays the price for not bearing fruit.
The moral of this story? Bear fruit in and out of season…?

8. A very disturbing tale (Judges 19:22-30)
This story is utterly bizarre, as well as disgusting. A man and his concubine are wandering the streets when they decide to seek shelter for the night, and find a man kind enough to let them stay. That night however, a group of men turn up at the door and demand to see the guest so that they may have sex with him. The owner is unwilling to let his male lodger be raped and so offers up his virgin daughter instead. However, this is still not good enough for the men, so the owner offers them his guest’s concubine and the men accept. The men brutally rape the woman and leave her on the doorstep where she bleeds to death. If that is not enough, when she is found by her husband, he chops her up into twelve pieces which he sends to each of the twelve tribes of Israel.
The moral of this story? I am not sure.

7. Eglon’s ignoble death (Judges 3:21-25)
Ehud is the Bible’s sneakiest assassin (and also the only left-handed person mentioned in the Holy Book). He is on a mission to deliver a “message from God” to smarmy King Eglon. Ehud waltzes in to meet the gluttonous king, pulls out a sword and stabs Eglon in the stomach. At first he can’t get it in, but he pushes harder and eventually reaches his intestine. Eglon is so overweight that his fat actually covers the hilt of the sword, pushing it further into his stomach until it’s not even visible. It’s at this point that Eglon loses control of his bowels and begins to defecate mercilessly all over his chamber. The King’s attendants eventually come back, but do not enter Eglon’s bed chamber, assuming he is relieving himself. After waiting “to the point of embarrassment”, his attendants burst in to find their king dead on the floor, covered in his own fecal matter. Meanwhile, Ehud had escaped to the town of Seriah.
The moral of this story? Who knows!

6. Onan – cautious, yet foolish (Genesis 38:8-10)
God kills Er, we don’t really find out why. However, in a stroke of good luck, Er’s father Judah, gives Onan the duty to have sex with his dead brother’s wife. Onan is a bit apprehensive at first, but agrees to go through with this bizarre scheme to create a ‘true heir’ to Er. He begins to have sex with the girl, but “waste his seed upon the ground.” God is so irked he decides to kill Onan too, and thus nobody gets an heir.
The moral of this story? “Be fruitful and multiply”

5. Slicing Psycho (Exodus 4:24-26)
Continuing the Bible’s fascination with all things foreskin, we get the bizarre story of God trying to kill Moses because his son isn’t circumcised. God is about to obliterate Moses when his wife Zipporah takes out a flint and quickly cuts the foreskin of his son (ouch), throwing the bloody skin fragment at Moses’ feet. “You are a bloody husband to me!” squeals Zipporah, flint in one hand, child in other. God, clearly freaked out by this woman, backs off and Moses is saved.
The moral of this story? Never turn down a woman for being a psycho. Someday she may save your life.

4. Don’t mock male pattern baldness (4 Kings 2:23-24)
One of the more inspirational passages in the Bible tells the story of Elijah, a wise man, yet one cursed with male pattern baldness. One day he was minding his own business, making the long walk to Bethel, when he is attacked by a roving band of children who tease him with names like “bald head.” But Elijah was having none of this, he turns round and curses them in the name of the Lord, and instantly two female bears emerge from a nearby wood and maul all 42 children to death.
The moral of this story? Don’t make fun of bald people. I think it would serve as an excellent lesson for children who think baldness is something to be made fun of.

3. A novel way to show your love (1 Kings 18:25-27)
Before Byron, before Casanova, there was David. Young and in love, David desperately wants to marry Saul’s daughter Michal and offers Saul anything he wants to let him marry her. What could Saul possibly want? Money? A vow of love? No. Saul wants foreskins. 100 to be exact. Why? Who cares. If you want my daughter, you’re going to have to find 100 foreskins by tomorrow. David finds this odd, but then again this girl is hot, so he goes out and kills 200 men, and collects their foreskins. It’s only then he remembers that he only needs 100 foreskins. Oops. Oh well, maybe if he hands over twice as many foreskins, Saul will be doubly as impressed. Indeed he is and duly hands over his daughter to David.
The moral of this story? Never be ashamed to do crazy things for love.

2. Balaam and his talking donkey (Numbers 22:28-30)
Balaam is just minding his own business, spanking his donkey when suddenly he hears a voice. It’s his donkey who is asking him why he is spanking him. Balaam doesn’t seem the least bit miffed that his donkey has starting talking in the same language as him and says, “Because thou hast mocked me.” The donkey then gets philosophical and explains the nature of their relationship and how his feelings have been hurt. Eventually they make peace. Oh yeah did I mention it was TALKING DONKEY?
The moral of this story? Don’t beat animals. If they could talk then they would probably tell you how upset they were.

1. Paul’s preaching kills… literally (Acts 20:7-12)
Paul is preaching and in the midst of his sermon Eutychus was sitting on a window ledge, falls asleep, out the widow and dies. Paul stops his sermon, revives the boy and then continues on with his message. For those of us who think Paul must have been a dynamic speaker, apparently even he had days where he was off!
The moral of this story? Sermon time is not nap time!

Honorable Mention: Ezekiel 23 is just odd.

This is the last of my Top 10 Bible stories. (Some content was taken from www.listverse.com)

Trunk Monkeys

These are a little dumb, but they make me laugh. Without further ado, here are the Trunk Monkeys:

Toy: Made In China

As a father I often worry about my kids. I want to make sure that they are well taken care of and they are not exposed to anything dangerous that would definitely harm them. Sometimes it is easy, for instance this slide is an easy no-no!

However there are times where it is not as easy to determine what is safe and what is dangerous. Coleman has this toy he likes to chew on, it is colorful, looks funny, makes noise, but I am not sure if it is toxic or nontoxic. It was made in China, and if you follow the news, you know that they used a bunch of lead based paint on children’s toys… here is a picture:

What I would like is your opinion. Do you think this is a safe or should I not chance it? Thank you for your input.

Cole's Poll, October 18

Happy Sweetest Day to those of you who follow Hallmark's made-up holidays. One of the sweetest things I enjoy is college football, and today was a much better day for me than last Saturday (Boomer Sooner). There were few surprises or close games for that matter this week, but college football is still great! Here is my weekly installment of my top 15:

My Top 15:
1. Texas
2. Penn State
3. Alabama
4. Oklahoma
5. Florida
6. Texas Tech
7. USC
8. Oklahoma State
9. Georgia
10. LSU
11. Ohio State
12. Utah
12. South Florida
13. Kansas
14. Mizzou
15. Boise State

• Mizzou proved they just don’t belong, thus the reason Oklahoma State dropped in my rankings.
• BYU proved to be a bunch of losers and Boise State is now going to be way overrated.
• I do not feel good about my 13, 14, & 15, but cannot justify putting Tulsa, TCU, Ball State or Pittsburgh in my top 15 so it Kansas, Mizzou, & Boise State.

Thoughts and Questions to Keep Your Passion Thriving

I hate to be a hack and steal other people’s thoughts or claim them as my own, so please note that this is a post by Todd Rhoads and I am only posting it because I do not want to forget these questions. They are great for keeping your passion! Here is what he wrote, and here is a link to his post:

Last week at Catalyst, Perry Noble shared the four questions that he constantly asks himself to make sure he's keeping his passion. Perry is the pastor at NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC. These are great questions all of us need to ask ourselves regularly to make sure that we doesn’t lose out passion for Jesus, the church, and ministry. Here they are:

1. How much time do I spend listening to God? Perry said that leadership is as simple as listening to God. But in order to listen to God, it takes time… consistent, uninterrupted time.

2. Am I more concerned with being discovered or being developed? This is a constant temptation for Perry and most other great leaders that I know. You must stop thinking constantly about what other people think of you or your ministry (and stop trying to impress them!) and instead, allow God to develop your relationships with others and Him. Also allow God to develop your character and your ministry skills.

3. Am I believing any lies? Perry mentioned that every leader believes certain lies throughout their ministries that hold them back, and in fact, admitted to running from some really stupid things in his ministry. Don’t allow your critics to doubt what God is calling you to do. And when you get depressed or discouraged, simply go back to where God found you. There you will find the strength and answers and fortitude to move forward and not give up.

4. Am I risking or am I playing it safe. According to Perry, great leaders must constantly risk. Many pastors, in fact, are one risk away from a breakthrough. Perry is not afraid to fail. Here’s how he looks at leadership: “Take a risk… fail… take another risk.” If God tells you to do something, do it… even if others think you’re crazy.

My Thoughts: Number 4 is my favorite question. It is so easy in ministry to play it safe and go along with status quo, but what good is that. The famous words, “but we have always done it that way” are only a mere statement of history not and indicator of the future. At First Jenks, we have constantly made risks for the purpose of fulfilling the calling God has placed on our church, “to know Christ and make Him known” or more specifically, “to transform Jenks and the surrounding community for His glory.”

It would have been easier to stay in one worship service. It would have been safe to keep Bible Fellowship based on age instead of adding life-stages. It would have been safe to save our money instead of purchase 27 acres. It would have been safe to stay in our current location instead of selling our property to the school and planning a relocation… but God is good, not safe.

It is my hope that anyone who reads this will be challenged as I have been by Todd’s post about Perry Noble’s 4 questions to keep your passion thriving.

College Football Top 15, October 11

On Saturday, October 11, 2008, 3 of the top 5 rated teams in the country lost. To be more clear, OU lost by 10 in a rivalry neutral site game, LSU got murdered in the Swamp, and Mizzou got beat at home by Ok State. Tomorrow, the AP and Coaches will put out their top 25 polls, but I decided to put mine out tonight.

My Top 15:
1. Texas
2. Alabama
3. Penn State
4. Texas Tech
5. Oklahoma State
6. USC
7. Oklahoma
8. Florida
9. Georgia
10. Missouri
11. Ohio State
12. Kansas
13. LSU
14. BYU
15. Utah

• I do not believe that Oklahoma State is better than USC, OU, or Florida, but they are undefeated and beat Mizzou in Columbia, so until they get beat they deserve the ranking.
• How anyone would put BYU in the top 10 is beyond me too!
• Although I am disappointed in the OU loss, I must say I still love me some college football!

Google Reader

A couple friends told me about Google Reader about a year ago and I want to share it with the three people who read my blog. Google reader is a phenomenal tool that chops surfing town down exponentially. For instance, if you spend an hour or two just surfing websites, you can cut that time down to 10-15 minutes, while avoiding ads and pop-ups common with many websites. Google Reader works like an email account; you login to it and it sends you updates from all of the websites you subscribe to. Anytime there is an update, it is automatically sent to your account. So, if you already have gmail, all you have to do is go to the My Account, click on Reader, and start subscribing to whichever websites or blogs you enjoy (if you don’t have a gmail account, it is free and definitely worth your time). For me it is great, because I can get all the updates I want on the things that interest me.

Here is Google Reader in Plain English:

OBU Breaking News

Friday, October 10, the OBU trustees will vote to finalize the decision of the presidential search team's selection of Dr. David Whitlock to become OBU's next president. He has no direct ties to OBU, but is noted for being an educator, pastor of small churches, and leader (he authored books on the subject). Below is some information on the man they have selected...

David W. Whitlock, BS, MBA, PhD
Professor
Assistant to the President for Strategic Planning
Dean of the College of Business and Computer Science
Disciplines: Management and Marketing
Courses Taught: Undergraduate: Introduction to Business; Graduate—Organizational Behavior, Critical Thinking and Decision Making, and Strategic Thinking and Planning.
Why do you enjoy teaching at SBU? “I enjoy teaching at SBU because of the team effort within the College of Business and Computer Science to provide students with excellent academics and a faith-based approach to our disciplines.”
Educational Background: Dr. Whitlock has a Bachelor of Science from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, a Master of Business Administration from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma.
Faith Dedications: Dr. Whitlock is a bivocational minister and preaches every other week at Wellspring Baptist Fellowship in Bolivar.
Interests and Hobbies: Reading, traveling, pottery, writing, and spending time with his wife and four sons.

The Perfect Sunday

Yesterday was one of the best days I have had in a longtime, only bested by the day I was able to play golf and then take my family to the OU vs. Cincinnati game! As a short recap of yesterday, we had an incredible church service where God moved and the Spirit presence created a warm excitement in the body for our vision, I then flew with my buddy to watch the Dallas Cowboys beat down Cincy. It was a great day and it goes without saying that I am truly blessed with my family (being cool with me going to the game and my in-laws hooking us up with the tickets), my church (Lighting a Legacy has been tremendous and the family is responding so favorably), and my friends! On the other end of the spectrum were the Houston Texans and their fans. Look at what happened to them, this is unbelievable:

Top 10 Bible Stories for Children

Since I did my list for adults, I figured why not do a list for children too. Here it is:

1. Creation
2. Adam & Eve
3. Noah and the Ark
4. David and Goliath
5. Moses and the Red Sea
6. Daniel in the Lion’s Den
7. Joshua and the Walls of Jericho
8. Jonah and the Whale
9. The Birth of Jesus
10. The Passion of Christ (Most important story of all)

Honorable Mention: Father Abraham; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; Zaccheus and the Tree; Feeding of the 5,000

Again, please share your thoughts on this list.

Top 10 Bible Stories for Adults

Recently, I met with a guy from church who wanted to learn more about the Bible and grow in His walk with God. Having not grown up in church, he does not know many of the stories in the Bible that most of us who grew up in the church have tucked away in the back of our mind. He asked me to point him towards some stories in the Bible and it made me wonder which stories would make up the top 10.

What I would like is to share my top 10 and ask you for your comments on which ones I left out and/or honorable mentions. Please respond as this list will be a great reference for new Christ-followers in the future. Here is my list:

1. The birth of Jesus
2. Jesus’ betrayal, death, burial, & resurrection
3. Creation
4. Adam & Eve
5. Exodus (10 Commandments included)
6. Noah’s Ark and the Flood
7. David & Goliath
8. Feeding of the 5,000
9. Joseph’s Story
10. Daniel and the Lion’s Den

Honorable Mentions: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; Saul’s Conversion; Zaccheus and the Tree; Abraham & Isaac; Jonah & the Whale; Lazarus Raised from the Dead

Please let me know your top 10 too!

Bailout Bailed On

“Everything rises and falls on leadership” is a quote anyone who has studies leadership has heard. Today, the House bailed on the bailout plan to save Wall Street. It is not something that surprises me, and to be honest I do not fully understand it and the full ramifications of the failure. However, what I do know is that failure to act on this plan is allegedly (according to President Bush and other top political leaders) going to send us into recession. What bothers me the most is the issue of leadership in our country: today and in the near future. Our current President could not get the deal done. Top democratic house and senate leaders could not get the deal done. McCain and Obama could not get the deal done either even though they both supported it.

Yesterday, both party leaders were claiming victory on this great bailout plan that would save us from recession. Obama claimed he had worked it out with Treasury Secretary Paulson and his party’s congressional leaders, while McCain’s mantra was, “let’s get the deal done.” Today it failed, and so did they. It is discouraging that this is the leadership our country has to offer. It is discouraging that neither McCain nor Obama could get this worked out together or separately. It is also discouraging that neither of them stepped up and rejected the plan either. No candidate or party won, Wall Street got bailed on, and it seems like our future economic stability is lost too.

And incase you have not heard: Breaking News >> Dow Suffers Worst Point Loss in History After House Rejects Bailout Plan

Coleman's First Word!

If you don't know about my boy Coleman, but he looks like, acts like, and clings to his Mommy. So this is somewhat funny to me, check out his first word:

My Contentment Mêlée

It is around midnight on Saturday night and I am struggling with a lesson I’ve written/edited/read/re-read dozens of times on being content. When I go through it the first few thoughts that enter my mind concerns what I want. A new car – sure, how about a new Accord or Camry or 300Z! A new house – sure, how about a five-bedroom home closer to work and friends. A new TV – sure, how about a 60” plasma for the living room and a 32” LCD for the bedroom. Cable TV & home internet – why not, everyone else we know seems to have it and it sure would be nice to watch all the college football games & Monday Night Football too… and therein lies my problem, stuff sure does sound good.

There are many good things out there to be had. I have just listed a few, but there are so much more. Did I mention I also want a gym membership so I can get my hind parts back in shape?

But this land of desires is not what Christ has called me too! He has not called me to want more and more, and constantly focus on what I do not have in lieu of what I do have. The truth is I am blessed.

God has given me a wife who is kinder, sweeter, Godly, and more forgiving than you could possibly imagine. God has given me the cutest girl in the whole wide world, and a total stud athlete of a son (he is 5 ½ months old). God has given us a wonderful house, which meets our needs and then some… in fact, it is a nicer house than I ever thought I would have when I surrendered to the ministry. God has given my family two cars, and not just cars but Hondas, which are dependable and high quality vehicles. God has given me (literally on this one) a great TV that did not cost me a penny, it is not HD, but He provided a converter box for me for less than $10 out of pocket thanks to the government issued $40 coupon. These are just a few of my many blessings!

With all these blessing, why would I not be content? Why would I think about wanting more? And am I really content at all? By content, I mean truly content!

What God is teaching me is that it is impossible (at least for me) to be content without being fully content. If I am not content with what possessions I have, what is next? Will I not be content with my possessions, my wife, or my career? Will I spend my life looking over my shoulder at what could have been if I would have done something different, made different choices, or wasting it imagining scenarios that are at best disillusioned fantasy? What I know is that I do not to live a life of discontent. I do not want to play the “what-if” game, and I do not want to look towards something I don’t have when I can enjoy what I do have.

My hope is to be more like Paul when he wrote, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:11-13). That is true contentment, and that is what I want to truly feel.

If you read this, please feel free to question your own contentment, but please pray for me as well. Pray that this would not be hollow statements or desires. Pray that I would be happy where I am and with what I have. Pray that God would guard my heart and keep me from wandering down a path that need not be visited. Pray that my friends and accountability partners would point me in the right direction and steer me from a wayward mind. In all that I have been through, I simply do not want to find myself in a point of discontent, because I am far better off than I deserve to be!

Dear Lord God,

You are so good to me! Thank you so much for the blessings you have given to me. Thank you for my wife, beautiful children, wonderful church-family, possessions you have entrusted to me, friends and family. I want to live a life that shows gratitude for your blessings on my life. May you give me the wisdom and strength to make contentment my state of being regardless my circumstance. Help me to live a life that reflects the glory of Christ in my heart and in my life. Overflow from me into those I come in contact with I humbly pray in Jesus name.

I'm Twittering...

I am twittering now (pchedgecock)… feel free to follow me and let me know if you twitter too. Thanks to Bevan for finally pushing me into this. My excuses for not to do this have been lack of desire and Facebook, which still seems like the same thing to me. Anyway, I am at least going to try this for a while and see if it’s can hold my interest.

For those of you who do not know, Twitter is basically a networking site that informs people as to what others are doing in-between blog post and conversations. It lets others know what is going on in your life… which is why I am skeptical about it, but I do like this status updates on Facebook. Here are two helpful twitter insights that pushed me into it:


Article all about Twitter.
Have a good day.

Simply Put: It's Time to Ask Why

Today I had the privilege of attending a Simple Church Conference with Eric Geiger. He is a gifted man of God that is real enough to be honest, smart enough to ask questions, bold enough to make tough changes, and intelligent enough to disciple through a clear process. To see notes from the conference, click here.

Process was the key word for the day. What is the process your church has for making disciples? What do you want them to look like? What kind of disciples do you want to produce? Great questions that all lead to a church being intentional in the disciple-making process, as opposed to accidental or nothing at all.

Within the framework of these questions there are many additional thoughts. If our desire as ministers is to build Christ-followers who live obediently, we must also ask the question, “how do our activities to programs move people in that direction?” Eric suggested that our mission statement needs to resemble or actually be our disciple-making process, which creates a simplistic formula for success.

While these questions and ideas are simple, they are not easy to make. For instance, the problem with programs is that some of them exist simply as an end unto themselves and not as means to a greater end. Some of the programs and functions within a church are good. But as Jim Collins states, “Good is the enemy of best.” Another thing to consider is that each program comes with the vested interest of those who participate or facilitate or run those programs. Most everyone will be in favor of simplifying a church schedule or program for intentional and focused disciple-making, that is until the simplification process means removing their program from the church!

But what is the best thing to do? Is it best to appease people and keep with the way we have always done it? Of course not! Is it best to keep with tradition? No chance! Is it best to not challenge people? Uh-uh, it is best to challenge the comfortable!

All of this is leading me to ask why. Why do we have the current programs we do at our church? Why does our schedule look the way it looks? Why! It is my hope that we can be great at knowing Christ and making Him known. It is my hope that we can help our church family know Christ and make Him known. It is my desire to do everything possible to make this as simple for each member of our church as possible. Please pray for me and our staff as we ask why!

Go Cubs Go!

Baseball has never been my favorite sport, but I am loving it more and more these days. I grew up going to the Texas Ranger games, and was even fan of the game once (the put me on the big screen, gave me a bunch of merchandise, and now I have a cool story to tell about pushing other kids out of the way to claim the life-long fame)! The problem with the Rangers is that they still do not know the key to winning is pitching. They trade quality pitchers for great hitters and lose, lose, and lose some more. Now before I go into my next pitch, understand that I am and will always be a Ranger fan, but...

Last year I had the great privilege of going to Wrigley Field and watching the Chicago Cubs (including my favorite player Alfonso Soriano). It was awesome to experience and neighborhood stadium and all the energy that goes on in that setting. People we selling all kinds of Cubs gear, street performers were playing makeshift drums, it was a great scene.


Ever since that game, I went from being a normal Cub’s fan to a passionate Cub’s fan. I hate the Cardinals, dislike the Brewers, and regularly check the standings (Cubs are up 7.5 games and leading today’s game as I write). To further drive home the new fondness one must simply note that my beloved Dallas Cowboys play tonight and the Cubs squeaked into my mind… Go Cubs… Go Cowboys… sports are so great!


For the record, I am done thinking about the Cubs and have moved on to the greatness that is the Dallas Cowboys. The beating they will give philly tonight is going to be outrageously enjoyable. My team, God's team, is the greatest of them all, Go Boys Go!

Christ + Tangible = Effective

If we are going to be effective as Christians we are going to have to get outside of our walls and into the community (missional). People outside of Christianity need to see that we really do care about what them, what they do, and that we care about the community in which we live… tangible acts of charity, compassion, and kindness.

The problem is that some of these things are so obvious I never think about them. What comes to my mind is our local food bank and habitat for humanity, but there are so many more opportunities to reach into our community and shine bright for Jesus. Here is a video that displays a creative thought process meeting a real need, this is the type of ministry I hope to be a part.


Benched from Brandon McCormick on Vimeo.

If you are unfamiliar with the term missional, it basically means going: going outside of the walls of our church facility into our community. It is a mentality that gets outside of the building and builds relationships with those who are not Christ-followers, and will never come into the church. It is the mentality we must have to be relevant to a generation that no longer cares about words, but instead want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Jesus Christ is that something bigger and through Him we must let His light shine through us. May we be bright!

Decision 08: A Soldier's View on Iraq

Here is a soldier's view on Iraq:

Decision 08: All Bark No Bite

On Friday I had to drive to OKC and back, then proceeded to get out of my car to immediately mow my yard… which means I had a ton of time to think. Right before my time to think, John McCain announced his decision to have Sarah Palin join his ticket for President of the United States. Unbeknownst to me, this would trigger about 5 solid hours of thinking about “Decision 08.”

Barak Obama has been talking about change. Change for this, change that, change, change, change, and why wouldn’t he? Of all of his change speeches, the one that sticks out the most to me was “Unite for Change,” his ploy to get Hillary Clinton’s supporters to unite with him in his bid for President… then he picked Senator Joe Biden, a rich white guy who has spent 35 years inside Washington, a man who represent the very thing Obama keeps saying he wants to change. What was he thinking with Biden? I know he is a safe pick, but if he wanted to really bring unity to his party, why not pick Hillary? Was it too obvious of a choice? Was it too much change all at once for him? I honestly do not understand his decision.

John McCain has been talking about change too, but instead of one speech after another on change, he has been throwing out his ideas on how to bring about change. While he has been identified as a “twin” of George W. Bush, he is actual disliked among the core of the Republican base because of his disagreements with The President. To add to his reputation, rumors had been flying that he was going to pick Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman as his Vice President, a thought that made his party’s base nauseous with discontent… then he picked Sarah Palin and shocked the world. Palin has the reputation of being a reformer/regulator. She is truly an outsider to Washington that will bring a fresh perspective and way of doing things to the Hill. She was not obvious, she is in fact the first woman ever to be nominated to a presidential ticket in the Republican Party, and she is clear challenge to the status quo.

For a man who talks about nothing but change, Obama’s most important decision thus far in his campaign looks like doing things the way things have always been done. McCain does not have the eloquence or rhetoric of his opponent, but he apparently does have the audacity to go against the way things have always been done. Where Obama was met with the opportunity to truly unite his party, he chose not to reach out to his former rival and spurned Hillary for the rich white guy. In contrast to Obama’s decision, McCain to reached out to women across America selecting a woman and to his own party by selecting a person who would truly unite his base.

I guess my point is that Obama seems to be all bark and no bite. My generation might have clung to his charisma and charm in the primaries, but we will not continue to follow along blindly as he continues to contradict his words by his actions. Honestly, McCain initially did nothing for me except make me wonder if the Republicans were this poor off with candidates, then on Friday he changed my mind. He made me believe that a 72 year old rich white guy could see more clearly than a young charismatic politician from Chicago. He made me view his experience as an opportunity to gain wisdom and see what the best decision for his country would be. In short, McCain won my respect and brought to light the difference between talk and action.