WWW.Friday.COM

I'm not the highest of tech-techies, but I know there are some people who read my blog that could use a little help now and then when it comes to the world-wide web. So I thought I'd do a world-wide post to end the week and drop some knowledge. 1) Firefox Trust me, there is no better internet browser than Mozilla's Firefox. When I was on staff at the megachurch, the IT guy didn't like it and forbade us from having it on our computers. I would go to great lengths to hide it from him because it was that good. Why did I like it so much? The ability to open articles in tabs at the top of your browser. So when you're going through your favorite news site, instead of clicking all around, just open up any articles you want in tabs by right-clicking. I have a bookmark tab I've labeled "morning." First thing I do on my computer each day is click the bookmark, open all the links in tabs, and do my morning reading. Do yourself a favor and download it now. You'll see. It's what they call, "awesome."

2) Myspace OK, it still sucks but it's a necessary evil because I've been able to use it as a vehicle to reconnect with quite a few people I've lost track of. So now that my wife's signed up, as well as Echo Church, here are some tips to help out with it.

Now that you've got Firefox download an app called Greasemonkey so you can get rid off all the crappy media that slows down your Myspace viewing. It's fully explained here.

The biggest problem I have with Myspace is the near-porn ads they put all over the site. It scares me that all these guys are exposed to half-naked women whenever they surf. And I'm sure it annoys many a woman as well. Go download the Firefox extension Adblock, again follow the directions here and VOILA! No more hoochie-mamas! It makes Myspace much more tolerable.

3. RSS feeds. You've heard it from me before. If not, reread here. Scroll to the bottom for the pertinent info.

4. Interesting Websites: Wikimapia: combine Wikipedia with Google Maps, and this is what you get. Digital Whiteboard: Another way to waste time. Free High-Res Photos: Many of these are awesome. I downloaded quite a few.

Do share and let me know anything interesting you've found.

Presence

Funny how little things catch your eye. Reading an article in the Enquirer about big money being behind all the ballot referendums in Ohio, I came across the following quote: "Jaime Love, 29, of Amelia, for instance, said she and other members of Corinthian Baptist Church in Avondale were approached 'under false pretense' after Sunday services last month to sign a petition for Smoke Less Ohio."

This little sentence, in my opinion, demonstrates why the Cincinnati is struggling and why we felt compelled to start an urban church; and it has nothing to do with petition signing. The Corinthian Baptist Church is about a mile-and-a-half from our home. Amelia is about twenty miles away. Jaime Love drives a half an hour on a Sunday into town to attend church. Here's a map to demonstrate how far she'd have to drive to church:

Now I don't know Jaime Love; I'm sure she's a great person. Most likely she and her family grew up in the Avondale area and she eventually moved outside the 275 belt loop. Corinthian is an established African American church which people rarely leave regardless of where they move. The attendance of these urban churches have maintained somewhat steady over the years while the communities in which they're located have deteriorated. But while Jaime probably thinks she's helping the city, she's most likely harming it.

My analysis: these communities are struggling because God-fearing people have fled to suburbia, leaving a moral and spiritual vacuum behind. To some extent they still "believe" in the neighborhoods, so they go to church there supposing that, if the church remains, there's still a good presence there. Thus, they feel good about their attendance at an urban church thinking that they're keeping things going. But what they don't realize is that THEY ARE THE CHURCH and their presence [habitation] in the city is necessary for a positive effect. And because people falsely believe that church attendence equals health, we're not accurately measuring the situation.

It's not enough to have churches, and/or large churches, in our cities. We need Christian people to inhabit these communities if we ever hope to see the kind of city change we're praying for.

You know, I've never done this, but I really think some of you reading this need to move to the city. You might laugh at that suggestion, thinking we were suicidal for moving here, but maybe it's something you should pray about. If you've ever wanted to be a missionary but thought there was no way you could move out of the country, America's cities are a great place to start. It's not third world, but it's been forgotten.

You have no idea what kind of difference your presence could make.

Ready for SOME football

It's that time of year again when I have to cover up my problem. Rather than hide it, I figured I'd just come out and admit it: I don't like fantasy football.

I've already received four invitations to participate in leagues and turned all of them down. I have absolutely no desire to participate. And it's not as if I'm against all fantasy sports because I absolutely love fantasy baseball. I briefly touched on the subject here last year, but let me lay it all out so I can show my way of thinking.

I'm a competitive person. I love to try to out-think and out-perform opponents in order to win. I started playing fantasy baseball years ago and thought football would be just as fun. I was very wrong. While all fantasy sports involve some aspects of chance, fantasy football is a total crap shoot. There's very little skill involved and a great reliance on luck.

Look at the process" you start with your draft [many drafts are taking place right now, before the preseason starts], scout the best players and get your team. Because football's such a high contact sport, injuries are more likely and you're one move away from your season being ruined. God forbid that Peyton Manning break his leg in week one. Mass suicides will take place all over the country. Lose a key quarterback or running back early in the season and you can start planning out your next year's draft.

In fantasy football you're at the whim of head coaches with a different game plan every week. Sometime the NFL team your quarterback or wide receiver is on needs to concentrate on the run for a game. Sucks to be you. In baseball, there's consistency. Sure, every once in awhile your player will lay down a bunt instead of swinging for the fences. But when they get 25 to 30 at-bats per week, it evens itself out.

Case in point: four years ago I got into a competitive league up in Mason. It was an established, competitive league and I was treated to an expansion franchise. Little did I know they loved to screw over the new guys. The draft was top to bottom [not snaking like most fantasy leagues, meaning it was just like any professional draft] so I got the last pick every round. It was also a keeper league and, since it was my first year, I had none. So the cards were double-stacked against me to suck.

But that year, with no keepers and sucky picks, I made it into the play-offs and finished third out of sixteen teams. I did nothing but let it ride and make these guys with the top picks look like idiots. I was resolved to come back the second year and rock the league again. I had some good keepers and scouted hard and finished dead last. Fantasy baseball allows you more games, the possibilities for more moves, and the opportunity to out-perform your opponent; it's a much better judge of skill than football.

I've really analyzed this subject a lot and have plenty more comparisons, but this is enough to make my point. Don't get me wrong here: I absolutely love football. We're coming up to some of the best months in a sports fan's year. I definitely plan on watching, even if all the Bengals are in jail. But when it comes to free time, I can do without fantasy football.

Tagged: Books

I really think this is the blogging version of the chain letter. Thanks, Mike. If it wasn't about books, there's no way that I'd be playing along. And since answering "The Bible" on any of these questions is a cop out, here's what I came up with: 1. One book that changed your life: Resident Aliens by Stanley Hauerwas Tough one to answer out of the gate. Sure there are other books that were more insightful, but I came across this at a critical time in my life. I should really reread it to see how it makes me feel now.

2. One book that you've read more than once: The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis Oddly enough, my favorite of his writings. It always forces me to reevaluate my life perspective. Lost my copy, so if you have an extra, that would rock.

3. One book you'd want on a desert island: How to Build Wooden Boats: With 16 Small Boat Designs by Edwin Monk. Need I explain why?

4. One book that made you laugh: Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon McKenzie This guy goes into corporate America and tells them what kind of job they're going to give him. And they comply.

5. One book that made you cry: As A Driven Leaf by Milton Steinberg It really didn't make me cry tears, but reading the tale of an apostate Jew in the first century made me thankful I didn't live during that time.

6. One book you wish had been written: Pete Rose: How He Made It Into The Hall of Fame by Mike Schmidt. And when it happens, I'm going to Cooperstown.

7. One book you wish had never been written: Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen. Notice no hyperlink. I read only the first page and was able to come to this conclusion.

8. One book you're currently reading: Walking Steps Of Cincinnati by Mary Anna Dusablon I actually just reread it because it contains some fascinating info/history of the city. I haven't been reading as much lately beyond the Bible and commentaries right now as I focus on our Matthew series for the fall.

9. One book you've been meaning to read: Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus by Thomas Cahill. I've read Cahill before and I'm a big history geek, so this makes sense.

10. Tag five others: I don't like perpetuating these things so, even though I might risk death here, I'll refrain from tagging any others. You're welcome.

Stand Pat

Don't worry, Al Gore, help is on the way. But you might not be interested in it. Pat Robertson now believes in global warming and wants government authorities to address fossil fuel issues.

No word whether or not Pat blames the phenomenon on rap music.

The Hunt For Reds October

Before I get into this, I know the title of this post has been consistently used since 1990 whenever the Cincinnati Reds are in the playoff hunt. So I'm not claiming to be original here and apologize for my lack of post title creativity. With St Louis coming to town for a four-game series the Reds, who are still leading the NL Wild Card race, could conceivably take over sole possession of first place in the NL Central this week. New Reds owner Bob Castellini, who was formerly part of a Cardinal ownership group, is offering the majority of tickets at half price for three of the series' four games. This move has drawn the ire of some local baseball fans that claim Cincinnati is no longer a true baseball town because, if it were, the series against the Cards would be sold out without the ticket discount.

A little over a week ago, the Enquirer had a front page story that wondered why attendance at the games were so bad. Of course, I was not asked so I think I will offer three reasons why few are going to the games.

1) Turn on the TV. By the end of this season, Fox Sports Ohio will have shown 112 games. The two parties signed a new eleven year agreement last week that ensures they will air 140+ games next year. If I want to see the Reds, I can watch them at home. I'm already paying for cable and don't have to shell out for parking or over-priced concessions. Now if that's how I feel about it, and I live close enough to the ballpark to be back home in five minutes, how would people living up in Mason feel about it? So instead of attending a game every one or two weeks, I catch a game a month.

Plus, perhaps people should look at the current economic state of our country: people are more selective with their entertainment dollars. Instead of nights out at movies, people prefer staying in, investing in their home entertainment system, and saving a few bucks. If gas wasn't three bucks a gallon perhaps people would be willing to spend their entertainment dollars at the ballpark.

2) Time heals wounds. It's been eleven years since the Reds made the play-offs. Since that time, they've had some pretty bad teams. We thought Carl Lindner would come in and seriously invest in franchise. Who could've predicted that he'd spend less than Marge Schott [relatively speaking]? This town loves a winning team and will invest in them. Look at the Bengals who have already sold out their entire season? I guarantee that if the Reds have an active off-season making improvements to the roster, it'll be more difficult to get tickets next year.

3) This team ain't that good. I thoroughly appreciate the efforts of Castellini and General Manager Wayne Krivsky to put together a contender. But this is the most frustrating Reds team I can ever remember watching. The 1999 club that lost in a one game play-off to the Mets was an easier team to root for; they were over-achievers. These guys seem to lose numerous games on baserunning and defensive gaffes. And they're much better on the road than at home. It's ugly baseball. Even if they do make the play-offs, they'd struggle to win a series. I still love 'em but it's painful to watch.

I absolutely love the Reds, but it's absurd to think that I don't care about them because I don't go to more games. It'll be interesting to see if this series will sell-out this week. It might cause the Reds ticket office to reapproach their marketing of the team.

Prediction: Reds win three of four to get to .5 games out of first. And they'll make the play-offs.

--------

Update:Reaffirming point number three, It's the fourth inning in game one and the Reds are now down 9 to 1. EZ Ramirez's throwing grapefruits and Brandon Phillips is hot dogging at second. Like I wrote, I love these guys, but they're giving me an ulcer.

You CAN Hear It!

Finally, after much fanfare, we have our Echo podcast up. It can be found here at iTunes or the XML feed is here. A few things to be noted.

1) These files are currently in Mac form as opposed to mp3s. Sorry to you PC users, you are not forgotten. We'll be changing that soon.

2) Just wanted to get something up for now, so these are a few messages from our Genesis study from last fall. We'll try to get some new ones up soon.

3) Once we relaunch, we'll do our best to have the new messages up within a couple days.

4) Props to The Dale for consistently setting up his laptop to do the recording. This guy has been huge for us. Thanks, Dale!

5) And huge props to Brian Coates. We've sent about fifty emails back and forth this week. Brian's doing our hosting and has gone the extra mile to get us set up.

Things are starting to come together . . .

For To Smile About

A couple things that made me laugh today: 1) Kelly wrote yesterday about the Colbert Report's shutting down the elephant page of Wikipedia. While I admit to referencing the site, I find it hilarious because of the time that some people commit to updating it. For instance, as Colbert himself noted, the entry about him is longer than the one about Lutherans. Anyway here's a page that proves these people that update Wikipedia have a little too much time on their hands: a comprehensive list of songs featuring the cowbell.

"Guess what? I got a fever. And the only prescription...is more cowbell!"

2) With the Reds rain delay [will they ever win again?] we were looking for something else on TV and came across a show called Who Wants To Be A Superhero on the SciFi channel. This reality show features people dressed up in homemade costumes as superhero characters in order to impress Stan Lee [Spiderman creator]. The goal is the hope that he might make a comic starring one of these characters. With people named Cell Phone Girl, Fat Momma, and Monkey Girl, this show is definitely worth watching. My personal pick:

Major Victory. I'm telling you, this guy's awesome.

I love to laugh.

Rounding Third . . .

Hate to use a baseball analogy on a night when the Reds sucked [but the home plate ump wasn't much better] but we're ready to head for home when it comes to the Echo relaunch. Tonight we had a gathering here at the condo with the core group. These are some great people who have joined our vision of an urban church in our area and they've embraced the call. It's not easy starting a church; you need people who can see something that isn't there but believe it will be. That's the type of people God has brought in on this. I'm so excited for them. I pray their faith can be rewarded and see Echo do well.

I can't lie to you: I'm a little nervous. Things are always easier in theory. As these months of plans converge on one date, we have to trust that God will bring it all together. This has been the biggest thing we've ever attempted. I feel as if my whole life has been leading to this one point. Um . . . no pressure.

But that's when I step back, take a deep breath, and realize that God is truly in control. The one thing we've done a lot this year is pray. I don't think I've ever prayed so much about one thing. And we've had many people lifting up our ministry before God. Too many things have happened this past year that have displayed God's involvement. He's taken care of us so far, so why should we doubt now?

This Sunday night is the culmination of our month of prayer. We're using our weekly gathering as a time of corporate prayer to lift up our community, our church, and our mission. It'll take place in the sanctuary at the Walnut Hills Christian Church at 6:30pm. If you're in town, feel free to join us.

Everyday Love

Yes, Kelly and I were married eight years ago today. And how do we celebrate such a date? Sitting in front of the television watching Rockstar: Supernova, plugging away on our laptops, all while flinging Kaelyn around to make her laugh.

Can you say romantic?

Now in my/our defense, we had the chance to go out on Saturday night as Kelly's parents watched Kaelyn. It was rather enjoyable. But no cards today. We both forgot until mid-morning that this was actually the date. A lot of people are critical of me when, on major "relationship" holidays, I don't make a big deal out of it. It's almost as if people take delight when saying, "Ooooh, you're gonna get it!"

But I don't care. They're wrong.

One of the reasons the past eight years has gone so well for us is because Kelly and I are a lot alike. We enjoy the daily moments we're able to spend together, the intelligent conversation, the loving attitude not reserved for romantic holidays. So when it comes to days like this, we can go on like it's any other day because we've banked up enough love to last. I'll admit it's not like every holiday's a free pass. I made a big deal out of Kel's first Mother's Day to make is special. And every once in awhile we get each other cards. And once a President, I buy her flowers.

And she still loves me. Cause we're cool like that. I call it our everyday love.

Thanks for making the last eight years wonderful, Kel. Let's go for eighty.

Mel, Say It Ain't So

A DUI is one thing, but this is even crazier. For the director/producer of the Passion of the Christ, a movie accused of being anti-Semitic, to fire off these blasts, I'd say Mel is in trouble in Hollywood. And I don't think inebriation will be a viable excuse.

In case you missed it, after going 80 in a 45, and blowing a point one two, Mel was arrested. Upon being detained, Gibson was quoted as saying, "****ing Jews! The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." He then asked one of the officers, "Are you a Jew?" Plus he dropped some sexual remarks towards a female officer.

Stick a fork in him. He's done.

All I can say is, "Yikes."

Welcome To The Terrordome

Alright! The new Echo website is up and operational. Matt and the guys at Factor 1 rocked it. A few things to point out:

1) It is flash-based, so you might need to get a download to view it properly. A bonus for us is that the content management on it is also flash-based, which means no messing with html to change the pages.

2) Normally we'll stream music on the site. I just have to get some uploaded.

3) There are still a couple of tweaks to be done, so you can check it out later on and see subtle alterations.

4) Our hosting is done through good friend [and newlywed] BCoates at hostacular. I can get you info if you'd like.

5) Everything but the home page is my photography. Just bragging.

You can give feedback but I love it and we're sticking with it regardless.

Filler

Memo to Scott Duebber: sometimes I don't post 59 times a morning. With a two day absence, I'm a little disappointed you didn't call the authorities. Thanks for caring. Here's an update: It's been a weird week for me. Kelly had to be out Monday and Tuesday, so it was Kaelyn and me two days in a row. During that time I was fighting a lingering cold which kept me down all day Wednesday. Kaelyn's had the same thing so we've both been coughing and wheezing, trying to see who can get this most sympathy from Kelly. Today we both turned the corner and are feeling better. Or at least I think she is. She won't tell me.

I've been stressed out this week about the mass mailing we're going to do for Echo's relaunch. My representative at Outreach has been out of the office the past couple of weeks and it's been impossible to get any of their people to call me back. Plus, I found out that we had trouble with the bulk mail permit, so I've been on my cell three days straight trying to find a solution. I think I finally solved it this afternoon. Can't say for sure because NO ONE FROM OUTREACH WILL TAKE MY CALLS [no, not bitter]. But I think we're good to go.

Shout out to Markus, another Presbyterian I know. Had some good conversation about ministry this afternoon at Starbucks.

Teaser: hopefully, by the weekend, Echo's new website will be up. We had a company from Phoenix do a custom job for us and I think it looks awesome. Keep checking it out here.

Finally, one of the greatest moments in my life thus far has been Kaelyn recognizing who I am. Just recently, I've noticed that she looks at me, even if I'm not looking at her. Then when I look in her eyes, she starts to smile broadly, as if to say, "I know who you are, Daddy." Awesome. No matter how sick I feel, or how bad things about my week have been, I've got this little girl who's figuring out how much I love her.

Beit Carr Disclaimer

As people continue to come across my blog, I thought it was time for me to articulate some disclaimers about Beit Carr. But first, a little explanation. I find blogging to be a useful tool. It allows me the opportunity to present my thoughts in a public forum. Sometimes there's a cultural issue that I want to comment on. Maybe there's a news story that I feel deserves more attention. Or perhaps I just want to brag about my family or friends. I post it on the blog, and it's out there.

In addition to personal benefits, I think this blog can be useful to the reader as well. Every few weeks, I get comments from people who have read my blog and say something to the effect of: "I can't believe you're a minister. You sound like a normal person." Not quite sure if "normal" is the best term by which to describe me, but I'm glad people see that pastors can be human.

But blogging can be a risky undertaking for clergy because it exposes them to direct criticism. If they present an idea isn't Christian enough or admit a personal flaw, some individuals may use that information as ammunition in order to attack the pastor. This is why few pastors are willing to blog and those that do are fearful of being anything but generic with their thoughts.

But I'm going to keep on being me and using Beit Carr to throw my ideas out there. That being said, here's my list of disclaimers.

1. The thoughts posted here at Beit Carr are ideas I am comfortable with as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. My daily aim is to live my life under the authority of God as specifically explained in the Holy Christian Scriptures. I will sometimes post incomplete thoughts that I'm wrestling or use humor that people might not get. Hey, that's me and how I live life. But I take seriously my calling and don't abandon it when I get behind a keyboard.

2. The thoughts posted here at Beit Carr are not representative of Echo Church. That might seem like a laughable statement since I teach/preach using personal thoughts every week. But Echo is much, much bigger than me. This is my personal voice, not the church's. Additionally, if anything I ever write/say is objectional, I'm in submission to the leadership of the church to correct me. So if I ever cross the line, I'm accountable.

3. I take no responsibility for outside comments posted at Beit Carr. Blog comments are an opportunity for people to interact with things I've written and, even when I disagree, I appreciate them. However, there will always be comments posted that some people will find more objectional than others. Unless I find it blantantly offensive I'll allow for free speech and let it stand, but that doesn't mean I agree with it.

4. I take no responsibility for the content found on any of the links at Beit Carr. The links here at Beit Carr are a collection of sites that I find useful and blogs by people I've met throughout the years. Sometimes content on a referred site will be objectional or a person will say a ridiculous statement. I can't monitor everything on all these links, so instead of choosing to have no links at all, I'll refer them but send you out at your own risk.

Friends, the internet's a crazy place. True, it's home of some of the ugliest, repulsive content that humans could ever imagine. But the medium itself is not evil. There's a lot of good that can come out of it as well. That's why I like my little corner here on the world wide web. Just trying to do some good and make some people smile. Hope you enjoy it.

Blessings, steve

The Middle East Conflict

I've withheld comments concerning the current war between Israel and Lebanon, but since the IDF just bombed some of my financial interests [they inadvertently hit a Proctor & Gamble warehouse and I'm a stockholder] I guess it's time to break my silence. I should preface my comments by admitting that spending a couple weeks in Israel last year changed my perspective. Having the opportunity to witness firsthand the tension between Israelis and Arabs caused me to reconsider my views. I used to have unabashed sympathy for Israel. But seeing the plight of innocent Palestinians [don't laugh, they do exist] led me to a more objective view of the situation.

Israel was once the oppressed minority in the region. Although they're numerically a minority in the region the reality is that, militaristicly, they're now in control. The only weapon Hamas or Hezbollah could possibly wield against them is terrorism. The problem is, and this dilemma the US is currently facing, how do you effectively fight terrorism?

Sure, you can bomb countries back into the Stone Age, as Israel intends to do to Lebanon, but this produces two negative results: 1) it victimizes innocent civilians caught in the crossfire and 2) it allows another generation to foster even more hatred which encourages more terrorism. Yes, Israel is justified in its present course of action, but is it wise to keep hammering Lebanon with such force? I don't think so.

I would suggest a more surgical approach to the problem. The IDF could do a lot more damage through assassination and covert opps than through mass bombings, but I'm guessing it doesn't send a strong enough message. And, of course, no country is going to come out and condemn the actions as excessive because they don't want to come down soft on terrorism. But at what point is the continued bombings enough for Israel to feel justified?

Listen, friends, I'm not defending the actions of Hezbollah and Hamas, but it's not just innocent Israelis that are losing their lives here. It's easy to excuse these deaths as casualties of war but seeing the faces of people caught in the crossfire altered my perspective. It's all just really sad.

This crisis is symptomatic, not only of the past 58 years of the nation of Israel's existence, but of thousands of years of conflict in the region. If only Abraham and Sarah had known the longlasting result of fathering a child with Hagar. One little sin committed thousands of years ago affects the lives of so many people today.

No Joke

It's a slow TV night, as most Friday's are, so I was using the channel guide on our digital cable box to see what other shows would be on later. I flipped over to A&E, hoping to see if Dog The Bounty Hunter would be on later, and laughed when I saw the following show would be showing in a couple hours. Cleavage: Mankind's fascination with breasts.

Keep in mind that this is A&E and it's supposed to be a documentary.

There are probably some compelling facts that needed to be shared about this subject, in addition to some historical background, so much so that it necessitated a two-hour installment.

After laughing uncontrollably, I asked Kelly to imagine the board meeting that had to happen at A&E's headquarters last year so this show could air. I'm sure it went something like this:

A&E President: "OK, now let's work on the summer line-up. Friday nights are slow, so we need to be really creative with our ideas. Executive #1: "How about another reality show?" A&E President: "That's all we got on the network now! Dig deeper." Executive #2: "How about another wedding show?" A&E President: "Are you kidding me? We're already airing fifteen of them." [Meanwhile, the janitor enters boardroom to empty out trash.]. Executive #3: "How about a redecoration show?" Executive #4: "Something with Hasselhoff?" A&E President: "You guys are killing me. It's all crap! We need shows that people want to watch. You there," [motions to the janitor] "what kind of thing do you think people want to see on TV?" Janitor: "Breasts?" A&E President: [Pauses] "Great idea. Let's get a documentary crew together and get someone on it." [To the executives] "Why can't you guys think more outside the box?"

My Expanse and Stupidity

I'm still checking out my My Space account. I still don't like it, but I have to admit that it has helped me connect with people I haven't heard from in years. Plus, I have many, many friends. Like I need a stupid website to stroke my self-esteem [of course, I guess this blog can also do the same, but that's neither here nor there]. Any-who, some Kentucky basketball fans came across the My Space account of a high school recruit from West Virginia who's considering the Wildcats. The kid still hasn't decided where he wants to go to school so some UK fans have been leaving him messages encouraging him to come to Lexington. All well and good, except that this could be an NCAA recruiting violation. UK officials have already reported it as a possible rules infraction.

Only the coaching staff can make contact with potential recruits. This keeps boosters from getting to a kid in high school and promising mad cash if they come to his/her school. That's why no one even remotely affiliated with a college [including fans] are supposed to make contact with unsigned high school kids. This little My Space fiasco might [probably won't] bring about NCAA sanctions.

But, once again, here's a case where the NCAA needs to get over themselves. My Space has about 100 million users, many of them between the ages of 16-22. I'm pretty sure there aren't any kids in America that don't have a My Space account. And there's always going to be obsessed college fans seeking out recruits and sucking up to them. So the only response to be totally safe is to bar the potential recruit from having a My Space account.

And you wonder why these college/professional athletes do such crazy things. They're told very early in life that they're not like everyone else. That they need to play by different rules. Pretty soon, after years of being kept in a box but told they're the best thing since sliced bread [see: Maurice Clarett] they're in full fledged rebellion. You know, I used to think that having multiple ESPN's were a good thing. I couldn't wait for The Ocho. Now I'm not too sure.

Sidenote: The NCAA is the legalized Mafia. They use kids to make billions but don't give a rip about them. However much I love college sports, the NCAA will never make my friends list.

History Goes Back More Than 25 Years

Here's something I just read that I can't seem to get out of my head. This minister was writing about a luncheon he attended: "The guest speaker? The most famous author in Christian history and Senior Pastor of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, Max Lucado."

I'm still laughing to myself.

Now I'm sure the guy was trying to be complementary, but that could be one of the most ridiculous sentences I've read in a long time coming from a well-educated person. It's so sad I refuse to hyperlink to the article so as not to embarrass him further. Actually, I still haven't read the entire article because I couldn't get past that statement.

Just because Max sells plenty of books in the Christian marketing machine doesn't mean he's the most famous author in Christian history.

There was once this guy named CS Lewis who wrote a few books you might know. Our his good friend JRR Tolkien wrote some Christian -based fiction that sold well.

You might not have heard of GK Chesterton who lived late 1800's to early 1900's, but he, despite his poor dietary habits, was a stud in his day.. His book Orthodoxy is a masterpiece of Christian literature that is still influential 100 years later.

And that's just the past 150 years. What about John Calvin or Martin Luther? What about Augustine of Hippo who's City of God and Confessions are still read 1600 years later? And, sorry to point this out, but the apostle Paul was an author. Wrote some interesting stuff that Max felt compelled to write a book about; a book that was able to combine "the gentle wisdom of Max Lucado with the timeless Word of God." Yeah, baby.

Look, I'm not trying to be mean here and I really have nothing against dear Maxwell [I even have financially contributed to his empire]. But his books are illustration laden and will not be referred to a hundred years from now. But Paul and Augustine's works, however, will indeed stand the test of time. The most famous author in Christian history? I think not.

It just goes to show you that people struggle to see the context of world history beyond their own generation.

Here . . . Ace!

Never had a hole-in-one. I holed out a 150 yard shot for a birdie before [bad tee shot], but that's about it. USA Today had an article about holes-in-one today, and how rare it is to get one. Amateurs have a 1-in-12,500. It talks about celebrities and presidents who have holed out with on swing and it offers up this gem:

"The North Korean Ministry of Information claims that dictator Kim Jong Il had 11 holes in one — in his first round."

Interesting, huh? Maybe this explains it: "Other North Koreans could soon get the same thrill. The par-3 14th at Diamond Country Club in the Geumgang Mountains will have a concave-shaped green that guarantees an ace for any tee shot that lands on the green. 'The green won't be used every day,' course designer Chang Gi-dae told South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper. 'We plan to use it on special days or for special people.'"

Classic.

Ten Years Seems Shorter Than It Used To Be

The Daily Show is ten years old. We watch rather frequently but of all the shows they've ever aired, a certain piece by correspondant Steve Carell still ranks as my favorite all time. I had on tape at one time and still laugh just thinking about it. It's up on You Tube so I'll post the link. The subject is a cussing parrot so, even though extra naughty words are bleeped out, some might not want to view it. But for those who can tolerate it, here it is.