New Year’s Resolutions for 2009

Here are my New Year’s resolutions for 2009. They are broken down by category and I have kept my professional goals to myself. Here they are:

• Educational: Finish my doctor of ministry degree
o February 13: Turn in Chapters 1-3
o March 25-May 27: Facilitate Ministry Project
o August 10: Turn in Final Copy

• Family: Be home at a scheduled time
o Monday @ 4:00 (Outreach from 6:00-9:00)
o Tuesday @ 5:00
o Wednesday
o Thursday @ 5:00

• Marital: Monthly Date Night and a Getaway

• Physical: Run 3 miles a week
o The real goal is to work out 3 times a week
o I want to run in the Dallas Turkey Trot this year too

• Spiritual: Be consistently studying the Bible
o ESV Journaling Bible
o I have someone walking through this with me
o This is meant to be in addition to preparing to teach or preach

Family College Pick’em Results

Chloe absolutely dominated the family picks, and she also dominated the general population. She picked her stats based on the mascots, all by herself. Here is how she did:

1. Chloe: 24-10
2. Unlce: 22-12
3. Cole: 20-14
4. Grandad: 19-15
5. Brother: 17-17
5. Christy: 17-17
5. Aunt: 17-17
8. Dad: 13-21

Chloe did awesome! She ranked 362 in the country, or in the top 99.8%. Perhaps I should have her pick for me from now on...

Cole's Final College Football Poll

Here is my final poll for this year’s college football season:

1. Florida
2. USC
3. Utah
4. Texas
5. Oklahoma
6. TCU
7. Penn State
8. Alabama
9. Texas Tech
10. Oregon
11. Georgia
12. Virginia Tech
13. Cincinnati
14. Ole Miss
15. Oklahoma State

• Oklahoma had 5 bad plays that cost them the national championship. They lost in the worst kind of way, which is why the loss is going to linger with Sooner nation for a long time.
• Texas is not who people thought they were. Struggling to beat Ohio State in a final drive removed them from the conversations about deserving the title… but at least they won.
• Utah proved that it is impossible to become a national champion if you are outside of the BCS schools. They beat the Big 10, Pac 10, SEC, TCU, & BYU and did not get to sniff the national championship game.

Why Churches Don’t Grow

Today I read an article by Todd Rhoades on why churches don’t grow. His top 5 list is:

5. Ineffective Attendance Tracking
4. Lack of Guest Follow-up
3. Lack of Hospitality
2. Ineffective Assimilation/Discipleship
1. Worship Services that aren’t Worth Shouting About

Number 5 seems like an odd reason, but if you are not tracking your numbers, it is impossible to tell when you are in decline. In thinking through the rest of the list, my opinion is that if a church is not warm and friendly, showing guests (and member alike) that they are appreciated, then why would anyone come back or stick around. In my church, we strive for genuine warmth and appreciation for all who come in our church. Our goal is to have each person greeted at least 5 times (at the entrance, in the welcome center, in the sanctuary, during the worship service, and upon arrival in their Bible Fellowship class. This does not guarantee warmth, but it sure does help.

Taking Rhoades list, I would simply change the list around:

5. Ineffective Attendance Tracking
4. Ineffective Assimilation/Discipleship
3. Lack of Guest Follow-up
2. Poor Worship Services and Preaching
1. Lack of Hospitality

I think you can be wonderful, but if you don’t attempt to show people you care they will not be back. If your worship services stink and people are not nourished, why come back? If people come, but no one cares enough to contact them, why come back? If you care enough to love on them and contact them, but fail to do anything with them (you have got to love people into the church before you can lose them), why stick around? If you are oblivious to who is where, how do you know what is going on.

This is an interesting thing to think about… Something churches need to track and think about. Let us be great at what we do for God!

Doctor of Ministry Work

Over that past 2 ½ years I have been working on my doctor of ministry degree from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. There are two main parts of the degree plan, classes and the dissertation. It has been difficult to organize my time in such a way that I can effectively complete this project, so my hope is that in sharing my plan of action to complete the project accountability will be put into place for this to take place. Here is schedule for this work:

• February 13: Turn in Chapters 1-3
• March 25-May 27: Facilitate Ministry Project
• August 10: Turn in Final Copy

For my accountability’s understanding: Before the actual ministry project can take place, the first 3 chapters must be submitted and approved. The three chapters describe a ministry area of concern (1), biblical rationale for why it is a concern (2), and how the student will address fixing the issue (3). Once the project is administered, then the student writes a detailed report of the project (4), finalized with the success of failure of the project (5).

Again it is my hope that in following this schedule, I will be able to complete my doctoral work and graduate in December, 2009. Please pray for this work and feel free to ask me how it is going. Thank you for your support!

Kid Shoots Babysitter

This morning I read a crazy story from Foxnews.com. Apparently a 4 year old got made at his babysitter and shot him. Here is the story:

JACKSON, Ohio — Police say an angry 4-year-old Ohio boy grabbed a gun from a closet and shot his baby sitter.

Eighteen-year-old Nathan Beavers was hospitalized Sunday with minor wounds to his arm and side after the shotgun attack. Police say another teen was also injured.

Witnesses told police the child was angry because Beavers accidentally stepped on his foot. Beavers was watching the child at a mobile home in Jackson with several other teenagers and several other children.

Jackson County Sheriff John Shashteen says authorities are investigating. The child has not been charged.

Good grief, this really makes you think about our society. Why would the child think to do this? Where did he learn this? He is only 4 for cry out loud!

New Office Policy

Dress Code:
1) You are advised to come to work dressed according to your salary.
2) If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci, we will
assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise.
3) If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better,
so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a
raise.
4) If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and
therefore you do not need a raise.

Sick Days:
We will no longer accept a doctor’s statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

Personal Days:
Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturdays & Sundays.

Bereavement Leave:
This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers. Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend the funeral arrangements in your place. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early.

Bathroom Breaks:
Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offense, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the ‘Chronic Offenders’ category. Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sectioned under the company’s mental health policy.

Lunch Break:
* Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so
that they can look healthy.
* Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to
maintain their average figure.
* Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that’s all the time
needed to drink a Slim-Fast.

The Management

(This post was taken from an email forward)

Russian scholar predicts fall of United States in 2010

Yesterday when I was playing golf with my brother (we played at Tour 18 - I had a birdie and 4 pars, nothing else golf related is important) he told me of this guy who predicted the fall of the United States. He stated that it would be no big deal, but the same man also predicted the fall of the U.S.S.R back in 1976, 15 years before the fall of Russia. Apparently, he was laughed out of academia, until it happened and now he is an expert (funny how that works). Anyway, I was curious sound I found an article about it. Here it is:

Russian scholar predicts fall of United States in 2010

Russian professor states that a future civil war will lead to separation of the U.S.

Igor Panarin, a political science expert from Russia, has predicted the disintegration of the United States into six pieces that will then join sides with other world powers.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Professor Panarin has had his theory for a decade, but has not gotten much academic recognition until now. It’s not because he does not like America, Panarin insists; rather, he bases his prediction on the recent political and economic state in which the U.S. currently finds itself.

“There’s a 55-45% chance right now that disintegration will occur,” he says. He believes that mass immigration, moral decline, tremendous economic downfall would lead to a civil war next fall and collapse of the dollar. The United States will then fall into six groups around June or July 2010:

“The Californian Republic” would be a part of China or Chinese influence; the Northern states would form what he calls “The Central North American Republic” and would fall under Canada; “The Texas Republic” would fall under Mexico or Mexican influence; “Atlantic America,” including Washington, D.C., may align with the European Union; Hawaii would go towards either Japan or China; and Alaska would fall naturally with Russia.

“It would be reasonable for Russia to lay claim to Alaska; it was part of the Russian Empire for a long time,” says Panarin.

Even with the hope of President-elect Barack Obama fixing the economy, Panarin sticks by his theory, saying that “when spring comes, it will be clear that there are no miracles.”

Russia too would be affected negatively if the disintegration of the United States were to happen. It would gain more global power, Panarin beliefs, but its economy would suffer since the country is largely dependent on the dollar and trade with the U.S..

A U.S.-Russia relations expert, Panarin is a former KGB analyst who is now a dean of the academy for future diplomats at the Russian Foreign Ministry. He is also a university professor and a published author.

Since first presentation of the theory, the amount of attention and recognition has changed tremendously, WSJ wrote. In addition to scholarly discussions by local experts, Panarin has also gotten more state coverage, leading him to believe that people are taking his theory more seriously.

However, some experts in Russia believe otherwise. Sergei Rogov, director of the Institute of US and Canadian Studies thinks that Panarin’s theories don’t hold water, saying, “Crazy ideas are not usually discussed by serious people.”

Vladimir Pozner, a prominent Russian TV journalist agrees: the theory “reflects a very pronounced degree of anti-Americanism in Russia today. It’s much stronger than it was in the Soviet Union.”

Asked about the matter in a news conference, White House spokesperson Dana Perino said, “I’ll have to decline to comment.”

Still, Panarin sticks by his beliefs, despite some of the skepticism out there. He cites Emmanuel Todd, a political scientist from France who predicted the fall of the Soviet Union 15 years beforehand. Panarin said, “When he forecast the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1976, people laughed at him.”

My Take: I think the fall of the USA is ludicrous. Although we have more than our fair share of issues to deal with, I cannot envision this happening. If worse came to worse, we should simply use our military/technological dominance to acquire whatever we need to acquire, even though the world would not approve. With that being said, if Texas succeeds from the Union without claiming Oklahoma, I am moving back to Texas!

Family College Bowl Pick’em Development

In my family college bowl pick’em challenge, we have an unbelievable development taking place... Chloe is winning through the half-way mark. When I finished making my picks, Chloe ran by and I told her (not yet 3) that I had some questions for her. I would ask something like, "Chloe who do you like, the Broncos of the Frogs," and she would give me her answer. Though unlikely for this string of random picks to continue, a little girl is dominating through 14 of 30 games!

(If you are curious about the other rankings, I am 1 pick behind and Christy is 2 picks behind, and my Dad is in last place 6 picks behind.)

Global Warming and Chicken Little

I have my doubts about global warming. The lack of real scientific data and the sensation of computer depictions for the future seem out of touch too. If anything, there earth seems to go in cycles where there are times where the earth is warmer or cooler (google the global cooling fad of the 70’s pushed by the same type of people pushing global warming).

Anyway, NASA recently came out with a report stating that the earth is cooling again. 2008 will go down as the coolest year since 2000. The article goes on to state this is the eighth warmest year on record, implying that this cooling is not good news on any front… but what do you expect these people pushing their agenda to say?

Oh by the way have you heard, Chicken Little just ran by and they sky is falling too!

Santa Is Coming!

Christmas Fun Facts

• A full 77 percent of Americans say they say "Merry Christmas," according to a FOX News poll released last Tuesday, December 16. For some people it's a dilemma: 21 percent say they feel obligated to say "Happy Holidays" -- incorporating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and, perhaps, the Winter Solstice or the Seinfeldian Festivus into their seasonal hello, but they are still a considerable minority.

• The word Christmas is Old English, a contraction of Christ's Mass.

• The first president to decorate the white house Christmas tree in the United States was Franklin Pierce.

• Electric lights for trees were first used in 1895.

• The first Christmas cards were vintage and invented in 1843, the Victorian Era.

• "It's a Wonderful Life" appears on TV more often than any other holiday movie.

• "Rudolph" was actually created by Montgomery Ward in the late 1930's for a holiday promotion. The rest is history.

• "Jingle Bells" was first written for Thanksgiving and then became one of the most popular Christmas songs.

• If you received all of the gifts in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas", you would receive 364 presents.

• The poinsettia plant was brought into the United States from Mexico by Joel Poinsett in the early 1800's.

• The first state to recognize the Christmas holiday officially was Alabama

• Christmas became a national holiday in America on June, 26, 1870.

• Coca Cola was the first beverage company to use Santa for a winter promotion.

• An angel told Mary she was going to have a baby.

• Clearing up a common misconception, in Greek, X means Christ. That is where the word "X-Mas" comes from. Not because someone took the "Christ" out of Christmas.

• The origin of Santa Claus begins in the 4th century with Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, an area in present day Turkey. By all accounts St. Nicholas was a generous man, particularly devoted to children. After his death around 340 A.D. he was buried in Myra, but in 1087 Italian sailors purportedly stole his remains and removed them to Bari, Italy, greatly increasing St. Nicholas' popularity throughout Europe. His kindness and reputation for generosity gave rise to claims he that he could perform miracles and devotion to him increased. St. Nicholas became the patron saint of Russia, where he was known by his red cape, flowing white beard, and bishop's mitre. Dutch colonists brought brought this tradition with them to America in the 17th century and here the Anglican name of Santa Claus emerged.

President Bush = Cat-like Reflexes!

Yesterday some Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at President Bush. He is being hailed as a terrorist by some, hero by others. To me this idiot needs to simply look back at his past and remember what life was like under his former president, Saddam Hussein. If that lunatic was still in office, this journalist would probably have been publicly executed in the most gruesome of fashions. It is one thing to be displeased with where you currently are, but don’t forget who gave you the freedom you now enjoy.

Many people have differing opinions on Bush and the Iraq War. According to the media, few if any agree with it, but you have to look at the facts. After 9/11, America was scared, insecure, and filled with nothing but questions. Since that time there have been zero domestic attacks… zero! President Bush may not be popular, but on this issue only he will go down as one of the great presidents.

Just think of that fact. If you would have asked any American if we could go over 7 years without another terror attack, my guess is that few, if any would have guessed that to be possible. Going into Iraq was on the premised that there were weapons of mass destruction, which evidence has proven to be false. My thought: who cares? A horrid dictator who executed a mass genocide of his own people has been removed from office (a fact no one seems to care about). A people has been liberated from oppression. A dictatorship has been replaced by a democracy. And as far as our selfish American society is concerned, the fight has been taken half-way across the world instead of on our turf.

In an odd way, President Bush should see this as a complement to his work. Because of his bold convictions, Iraqis now enjoy many of the freedoms we take for granted here in the States. Sure there was great sacrifice too, sacrifices I cannot begin to grasp, as many of our best gave their lives for the cause of freedom and security, but as Woodrow Wilson said, “To work for the common good is the greatest creed.”

Barak Obama is about to be president. I expect him to pull the troops out of Iraq quickly, as was a huge platform for his candidacy. It will be interesting to see how terrorist feel about our absence in Iraq. Will they leave us alone because we leave? Will they no longer care about the infidels they seek to destroy? Will Obama’s presence in the Oval office deter them at all? If you think the situation is going to get better, I would like to remind you that before 9/11 terrorism was not real, it was just something that we saw on news on the other side of the planet.

God bless President Bush and his cat-like reflexes. Seriously, it should hack off Americans that some vigilantly would attack our President. Shame on every American who thinks this was justified and is not outraged by it. George W. is our president, our representative, the current face of freedom for the world. This is a terrible action. In the same vain, considering the circumstances, it is awesome to have a president that can avoid shoes being hurled at him. And if you did not notice the sorry secret servicemen, it is also impressive to see that he did not need those slow reacting men to coddle him after the incident. He took it in stride and made light of it. Due to all of these facts, I am prouder of President Bush that I have been in a while. Hail the chief!

Daydreaming About Cars

I have recently made a huge change in my daydreaming world. One of the things I tend to do now and again is daydream about the kind of car I want. For years and years my daydreaming would lead me to the Nissan 350Z, but a shift has been made. After driving a Sentra, Altima, and Maxima (all Nissans), I have decided I simply do not care for Nissans.


My daydreaming (which equals a car I will most likely never buy for myself) over cars now leads me down two roads. The two cars I find myself thinking about are the Lexus IS 350 or an Acura TL.


Here is the good new for Nissan, it does not matter that I no longer prefer the 350Z over all other cars, because I was never going to purchase one in the first place. The Acura has the highest possibility of getting purchased by me, but my practicality will most likely lead me to another Honda Accord the next time I purchase a car!

National Championship Dr. Pepper

Back in August I got this Dr. Pepper and decided to save it for one of two games, the OU National Championship game or the Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl… needless to say I am planning on enjoying this wonderful beverage on January 8, 2009, sometime around 8:00 PM. Boomer Sooner!

"Doing The Most Good" - Salvation Army

Yesterday I actually read this sign, probably because there was no annoying bell ringer outside of the store I was heading into. It caught my eye and caused me think that it was funny that the Salvation Army is, “Doing The Most Good.” What an odd advertising slogan.

Are they trying to be competitive? Do they really think they are better than other charities? Why put that on there? To me, they are as I previously stated, annoying because solicit giving to your group through being obnoxious and shaming people.

Don’t get me wrong, they have good intentions and (from what I know about them) are rooted in Christian principles, but the sign is odd and their practices for raising funds are a turnoff to me. They would be doing more good if they would put the bells and shame-seekers away and let people give as they feel led… and get a new slogan too!

Bogus Senate Selection Process

Obama is appalled by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Illinois is disgraced by their governor, and I am confused at the process. It seems absolutely ridiculous for a governor to appoint a senator in the first place. Each state votes on their representatives and if the elected official resigns, the people not politicians (corrupt or clean) should replace them.

USATODAY.com posted an article on this subject matter that I hope comes to pass. Here is part of the article: There's an effort underway to take the appointment power away from Blagojevich by scheduling a special election in Illinois to fill the remaining two years of Obama's term.

Blagojevich is obviously a corrupt man, but the senator replacement process is bogus too. Regardless of the time left in office, each state should have the right to vote on who they want to represent them, as opposed to one person getting to make the decision. Here's to the Senate seat being chosen by the people.

Cole's Poll, December 7

There will be one more poll, but not until after the championship game. Florida is the early favorite (+3), and people are basically giving them the edge due to their defense. Another reason for the favoritism is due to “Big Game” Bob’s recent bowl struggles, which is somewhat fair. In thinking back to both games, it is hard to get motivated for Boise State or West Virginia. However, that is no excuse for losing to a loser school, or getting schooled by very motivated West Virginia Team. My prediction is that this year’s OU team will come out swinging and the game could very well come down to who has the ball last. I see OU beating Florida just like LSU did last year in what should surely be an instant classic that OU will be happy to watch again! Here is my final regular season poll:

1. OU
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. Texas Tech
5. USC
6. Penn State
7. Alabama
8. Utah
9. Cincinnati
10. Ohio State
11. TCU
12. Oklahoma State
13. Boise State
14. Georgia Tech
15. Oregon

• Oklahoma vs. Florida is going to be a great game. Hopefully, OU’s explosiveness will keep the Gators on their heels. It will be fun to root against Tebow too, who is one of the greatest people who has ever played football.
• Pittsburgh is all excited about getting to play in the Sun Bowl, the Sun Bowl. That is always a huge disappointment to everyone I know of, but in Pittsburgh they shouted with excitement about the game.
• Notre Dame kept Charlie Weis for another year and play Hawaii in the Hawaiian bowl, they might actually break their bowl losing streak.

Jenks vs. Union

Being from Texas I have a natural bias towards Texas high school football. It was always my opinion that nobody did football like Texas, with the Mojo from Odessa Permian to the national prominence of South Lake Carroll. However, living in South Tulsa, Jenks and Union has changed my thinking. Overall, Oklahoma football cannot hold a stick to Texas high school football, but Jenks and Union is a different story.

For the thirteenth straight season, either Union or Jenks will win the Class 6A title. And, for the sixth time in the past 11 years, those two teams will meet each other in the championship game, which will be played Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at T. Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater.

This high school football rivalry has been called the biggest high school football in the nation. It’s so big that ESPN and Sports Illustrated have both spotlighted the “Backyard Bowl.” There is also a documentary called the King of the Mountain which highlighted the competition. To view more about this go to http://www.kingofthemountainthemovie.com.

This Friday Ben R. from my church suits up for Jenks to participate in his first state championship game, starting as a sophomore. It is my hope he dominates the OL and takes home his first of three state championships! If everything holds to form, it should be another classic that goes down to the wire.

OU, Tech, & Texas

The recent Big XII controversy seems like smoke and mirrors to me. Why ESPN and Kirk Herbstreit especially would lobby so hard for Texas, makes no sense either. It is funny that those claiming that Texas was cheated by the system are failing to look at the whole story.

OU lost to Texas by 10. Texas lost to Tech by 6. Tech lost to OU by 44. Those are the 3 scores that are most important in this whole scenario. All 3 of them lost to each other. Just because Tech got blown out by OU does not eliminate them from consideration for the South title. Tech is the team that is getting hosed in the controversy. They beat Texas without controversy and should be considered for the BCS bowl based upon what Texas has been claiming is the most important factor in deciding such matters, head-to-head.

Neutral field has also been a hot topic, but why has no one mentioned that OU was dominating the game before their star defensive player left the game? If Ryan Reynolds would not have torn a knee ligament, the score would have been different. Texas’ loss to Tech can be blamed on a failure to execute by the true goat(s) of their season, Curtis Brown and/or Blake Gideon.

Concerning letting BCS rankings determine the division champion. It makes total sense and is the smartest way to handle a 3-way tie. Why? It puts the team with the best chance of winning a national championship in a position to win a national championship, which is the ultimate desire of every major conference. The only other fair way to determine a champion in a 3 team tie scenario is to look at the point differential between common opponents. In this scenario, OU would easily have won the South as well.

Now a special note to Texas fans and the rest of the whiners out there: Heed Mack Brown’s words (after they blew their season by choking at Tech,) “We need to be classy in defeat and give them credit for what they did.”

Kansas City