March 26th, 2009
I’m not a prophet nor the son of a prophet but with everyone into bracketology during the March Madness of NCAA basketball tournament play, I thought that I would join the fun. I know, I know – we’re already down to the sweet sixteen from a field of sixty-five, with competition resuming today. But people will attest that 13 of my original picks survived to the top 16. It’s posted on my office door for the world to see.
West Virginia had made it at least as far as the sweet sixteen the last three years, but with 3 freshmen starters and lackluster play, they fell to Dayton in the opening round. I had them beating Kansas, then losing to Michigan State in the elite eight round. So I’m hoping the Spartans get past the Jayhawks to keep my picks alive. Actually the Mid-west Regional results messed up a lot of brackets. Purdue surprised me by squeaking past Washington in the West Regional, but all my picks in the East and South Regionals are still in place.
I see Gonzaga upsetting North Carolina (I hope my son-in-law doesn’t see this – it might jeapordize my Father’s Day gift) and Louisville, Memphis, Pitt and Syracuse in the final four. Yeah – I know it almost looks like a replay of the Big East Tournament, but the Orangemen of Syracuse are playing great b-ball these days. And while anyone can win it all at this stage of the game, my crystal ball says the Louisville Cardinals will capture the big prize. (Come on – have a heart. With a lousy football team the university needs some consolation.) I may be wrong about Memphis winning the West Regional because Connecticut is on fire, but we’ll see.
It’s all in fun – no money riding on these picks. No way, because where I do have money riding (Wall Street) I’m losing big.
The Bible insists that a real prophet be accurate every time out, and I’ve already failed that standard, but right now my winning percentage ranks me right up there with some Las Vegas oddsmakers - and way ahead of Nostradamus, Jean Dixon, and former coaches Dick Vitale and Digger Phelps.
In the final analysis I’ll trust the Biblical Prophets over College Basketball pundits and Wall Street prognosticators any day of the week. I suggest you do the same! Check them out – you might learn something. Now let’s play ball!
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March 16th, 2009
Debra 
and I usually record The Amazing Race on our DVR to watch at least twenty minutes after it starts so we can view it without commercial interruption. Last night I decided to check out a new series called “Kings” on NBC at 8 PM. I hadn’t read any reviews by the critics. The network’s advertisement did little to capture my attention. But with twenty minutes to kill, I decided to give the new series a shot. Within five minutes I recognized it as a contemporary retelling of an old story straight from the pages of Scripture.
The clue for me was when Reverend “Samuels” rubbed off the oil smudge on the forehead of “David Shepherd.” That was the anointing! From then on I could predict the storyline and the names of the chief characters.
The “Goliath” David faced provides the title of the series opening episode.
It is all cleverly done – though I’m sure NBC will throw in some vulgar language and gratuitous sex. (Yeah – I know – there was vulgarity and gratuitous sex in the original story as well.) Predictably they pegged the King’s son Jack Benjamin (Jonathan) as gay. Unpredictably, they portray ole Jack in a bad light. I’m sure there will be some twists and turns that deviate from the original story, but now I’m fascinated as to how it will all work out, so I may be hooked.
David Shepherd plays a mean piano. Fittingly, his theme is Franz Liszt’s “Un Sispiro” (the Spirit). I thought the ending of the two-hour episode was beautifully conceived and crafted. We can actually “see” the Spirit descending upon David as we hear strains from Un Sispiro in the background.
If you don’t know the original, you’ll find it in the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel. Years ago I enjoyed Malachi Martin’s historical novel about David entitled King of Kings. And on my “to-do” list is to digest Chuck Swindoll’s David, A Man of Passion and Destiny. You may want to read along as you follow the series.
You can see the entire season premiere episode at www.hulu.com or at www.NBC.com.
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March 10th, 2009
Would someone in the mainstream media please stand up and tell the truth about stem cell research! The television and newspaper articles I’ve seen must have been intended for dullards and morons because they lack substance, depth, and nuance.
Opponents of fetal stem cell research are portrayed as enemies of science and merciless moralists because they regard the human embryo as sacred. On the other hand, those who favor fetal stem cell research argue that the blastcyst has no human features, so their conscience is clear. More often than not, advocates of fetal stem cell research are viewed as compassionate truth-seekers willing to explore any realm of science for the advancement of humankind.
But why doesn’t the media tell the truth about those who care deeply about the sick, about those who favor both adult and umbilical cord stem cell research whole-heartedly, but deplore the destruction of a human embryo in order to harvest its cells? Why don’t they inform us that umbilical cords are a rich source of stem cells and present no moral dilemma because life is not harmed or destroyed in the harvesting process? That rather simple but nuanced explanation is non-existent in most presentations.
Mainstream media reports don’t mention that adult stem cells are superior to both umbilical cord and embryonic stem cells. They don’t tell you and me that adult stem cells harvested from a patient are abundant; that the body’s immune system never rejects them because they’re a perfect DNA match. You rarely hear the exciting news that laboratory research of adult stem cells is extremely promising.
Science cannot prove that fetal stem cells hold greater promise than adult or cord stem cells, yet that is the precise impression the average reader gains from reading a typical newstory on the subject. They don’t reveal the ugly fact that mice treated with embryonic stem cells for Parkinson’s Disease have died from brain tumors in as much as twenty percent of cases. They don’t mention the disturbing truth that embryonic stem cells stored over time have been shown to create the type of chromosomal anomalies that produce cancer cells.
The case against fetal stem cell research can be argued convincingly from both a pragmatic and moral perspective. So why is there a controversy? Follow the money!
Advocates of fetal stem cell research argue: “Give us the research dollars and let us study it more.” Government grants are what’s at stake. When money drives an issue, you can be sure that truth will inevitably take an awful beating. It is just a shame that those who report the news appear to be in league with liars. Or are today’s journalists just that stupid?
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March 4th, 2009
Three sunny days have melted much of the shangri-la snow that showered us Sunday eve. But the clear, cold nights created a problem that forced local schools to open late for the past two mornings.
The problem is black ice. Actually it’s not really black, but transparent. (The asphalt gives it that appearance.) It’s much more hazardous than the white snow that crunches under your tires. Black ice is often imperceptible to careless drivers, yet it can cause serious accidents. When the snow melts, harmless rivlets of water run across the streets and highways, seeking the lowest level. But the plunging night-time temperatures transform the streams into pernicious patches of ice and unsuspecting drivers realize too late the danger it presents. It’s the downside of a memorable, mesmerizing March snow storm, but you take the bad with the good.
Life’s that way isn’t it? Beachfront property seems like the perfect “safe” investment until a savage, summertime hurricane whips through, leaving heaps of destruction and devalued properties in its wake. Fields of grain and fruited plains seem safe and idylic havens until ravaging tornados rip through the flat lands. And despite the purple mountain’s majesty, flash floods, mud slides, forest fires and avalanches sometimes spoil the serene beauty of the rugged Rockies.
Some call it the “ying and the yang” of life but I simply say we learn to take the good with the bad, praying all the while that we’ll endure the ”bad” when it comes. The important thing is that we carry on, relishing the good and the beautiful and riding out the hazards. Like Billy Joel sings…
“I took the good times – I’ll take the bad times, I love you just the way you are!”
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March 2nd, 2009
- White Out
“He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’
and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ ” (Job 37:6)
The Creator left His calling card last night in the upstate of South Carolina as He transformed the uneven landscape into an unearthly topiary of magnificent whiteness. After three days of steady, much needed rain, the temperatures dropped and a beautiful, heavy, wet snow began to blanket the countryside - perfect for fashioning snowmen or forming snowballs. Tree limbs bowed low under the weight of the captivating chrystals. Bright lights from electrical transformers arced eerily, portending possible power outages. The Greenville area received up to 6″ of the stuff that charmed us so as children. All over the eastern seaboard snow had fallen, snow on snow…
“In the bleak mid-winter frosty wind made moan, earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone. Snow had fallen snow on snow, snow on snow. In the bleak mid-winter, long ago.” (Christina Rossetti)
My front-wheel-drive Toyota Camry behaved beautifully, though it took 35 minutes to cover the seven miles from my Father-in-law’s in Maulden back to our house. I could have made it a lot sooner if a gaggle of knuckleheaded drivers fearful of the snow had just gotten out of my way. You know how that goes! Debra and I were grateful to pull into a warm, dry garage after seeing several cars stuck in the snow along the roads. We whispered a prayer of thanksgiving.
Because the temperatures continued to drop throughout the night, there’s a lot of ice on the streets. I nearly slipped in my driveway skating out for the paper (which as it turned out, wasn’t there.) Schools are closed, businesses are down and people are staying in today. That’s the way we do in the south - just hunker down and try to enjoy the unscheduled holiday. There’s simply not enough snow removal equipment to make the roads safe for normal travel.
So I’m working from home this morning, enjoying the white wintry view from my breakfast table, sipping my Swiss Miss. (I decided to forego my normal rounds of coffee in honor of this snowy surprise, trying to remember what it was like when I was eight.)
“Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning!”
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February 26th, 2009
Receiving the sign
I find the Ash Wednesday worship service to be a deeply moving experience. The congregation of Horizon Church gathered last night to contemplate the purpose of the Lenten season and to consider the significance of ashes throughout the Scriptures. Over the course of thousands of years ashes have represented an admission of our own mortality: “…for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). We reflected on Bible passages that demonstrate how ashes signify a profound sense of mourning over sin, a deep desire to repent, and a genuine humility that accompanies prayer and fasting.
Ashes imposed on the forehead can show a true humility before God. But the realization of our own finitude is tempered with unspeakable joy when we remember God’s great grace to us in Christ Jesus. And that’s where the sign of the cross comes in. The oil that is mixed with the ash serves as a binder so that the ash will adhere to the skin. The oil then is a subtle picture of the Holy Spirit. The imposition of that oily, ashy cross reminds us of the sealing by the Spirit of God and our mystic union with Christ that He affects. The mark of the cross on our foreheads says we belong to Jesus, that we have been bought with a price – His precious blood, “as of a lamb without spot or blemish.”
The striking yet simple scene of sincere Christians humbling themselves before God stands in stark contrast to the blatant narcissism and heady hubris on display at Sunday night’s Academy Awards celebration and Tuesday evening’s Joint Meeting of Congress. Jesus’ haunting words “My Kingdom is not of this world” come into sharper focus when we note the obvious contrast between the City of God and the City of Man, even as it plays out right in front of our eyes.
So we enter the Lenten season with a renewed sense of humility, of our real need to pray, asking Jesus to fill our lives with his own life, and looking heavenward for our joy and satisfaction. And now we begin the 40 days journey to the cross!!
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February 26th, 2009
Maundy Thursday, April 9, 2009
The Lenten season culminates with what the Christian church refers to as “Holy Week.” It begins with Palm Sunday and climaxes with the celebration of Jesus’ triumph over death on Easter Sunday. But before we leap out into the glorious sunshine of Easter, we do well to step back into the shadows of the upper room and reflect on the sacrificial, atoning death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples on Thursday evening, infusing new meaning into that ancient rite and establishing the new covenant meal we call “The Lord’s Supper.” That same night he issued a new mandate to his followers to love one another. We get the term maundy from the Latin “mandatum” since Jesus issued a “novum mandatum” or a “new command.”
Because we reflect on his death in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, it is an evening characterized by candlelight and shadows. That’s why we call it a Tenebrae service (from the Latin for “shadows.”)
At our joyous Christmas Eve Candlelight service we celebrate the coming of the Light into the world, and appropriately conclude with the lighting of the “Christ” candle. The tenebrae service is counterpoint to Christmas Eve, with lights going out as Jesus dies. With each of Christ’s seven last sayings on the cross, a candle is extinguished, and we remember that He died…in order that we might live! We respond to that old hymn which says “Come mourn with me awhile.”
It is a somber evening bathed in shadows serving as quiet preparation for the dazzling display of Christ’s triumph over death and the matchless joy we experience on Resurrection Sunday. Mark your calendar for April 9.
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