I'd Like to Buy a Vowel

Found this on Tim Ferriss' blog

Living on the Edge

Beth and I were living on the edge this past weekend - the edge of the earth, that is. She had Friday off so we spent a long weekend at Hilton Head. We had 2.5 perfect days. Sunny, clear, and in the low 80's. I even got a little sunburned. As a couple, it doesn't take much to make us happy. We will stay on the beach all day long if you let us. And we did. Friday, Saturday, and half of the day on Sunday. We read, listened to music, and ate some good food too. It was a glorious weekend. I recommend it.

I'm taking some vacation time off this week. I hope to do more reading, writing, and riding.

Employees Must Wash Hands

You’ve seen the signs in the restrooms. “Employees Must Wash Hands.” Thank you, Mr. Restaurant Owner. Being somewhat of a clean freak, I really appreciate your effort at trying to keep your business on the up and up. Heaven knows that it’s a hard business. All you need is one food poisoning outbreak and your reputation and restaurant is history.

If you’re lucky, you’ve been in a restaurant restroom and witnessed a worker come in, do his/her thing, and leave without obeying the sign. And, if you’re smart, you left the restroom and the restaurant – immediately. If you care, you called the manager of the offending place and told them about your experience.

For those of you out there in the food service industry, may I make a suggestion? Can you add two words to that sign? (And make it bigger too, by the way). Please add “and Customers.” That’s right. I think it should read, “Employees and Customers Must Wash Their Hands.”

Didn’t people learn this habit before kindergarten? Where were these offender’s moms? It’s really not a hard concept. Take care of business. Zip. Flush. Wash your hands.

Guys are the worst offenders. They like to act like they’ve mastered the art of number one and then use it to brag on their college. “At (pick your favorite college), they taught us not to pee on ourselves.”

Well, in Mrs. Edmund’s kindergarten class in Belvedere, SC, they taught us to wash our hands – every time you use the bathroom! They didn’t teach us that where I went to college. It was a prerequisite. They figured we already knew that basic principle.

One of my favorite TV shows is Mythbusters. On one episode, they investigated how far urine and fecal matter travels in the bathroom and beyond. If you’re disgusted by that thought, you don’t want to know what they determined. Let’s just say you should put your toothbrush in a plastic zipper bag and stuff it under your mattress. Maybe, just maybe, it won’t get contaminated.

We live in a dirty, disgusting world. When I read through the gospels, I get the impression that Jesus never seemed to be offended by the world’s filth. This is interesting when you consider that he had lived since eternity in heaven, the purest place among all creation. If anything, we should be used to it and he should have been offended. Jesus touched dirty people - lepers, hookers, and adulterers. He wasn’t afraid to be with the dirty fingernails crowd, or those with viruses, fungi, hemorrhaging issues and what not. He came for dirty people. That is his mission.

In 2004, I led a church mission team to Costa Rica for a week. We ran a Bible school in a precario near the capital city of San Jose. A precario is a shanty town filled with families illegally squatting on government land. This particular one had 1800 people on three acres of land. Six, maybe seven, water spigots served the entire community. No sewer system. The streets of the community were always wet since most of the homes ran their sewage out into the street. You didn’t want to wear your nice shoes there.

I, along with the missionaries we served, warned the team repeatedly for months prior to the trip. The precario is dirty. The children are dirty. Don’t wear good shoes or nice clothes. In fact, go buy some old clothes at Goodwill and leave your nice pants at home. Bring hand sanitizer and plenty of sanitary wipes. Don’t pet the dogs. Don’t drink the water. Try to avoid stepping in the water running through the paths and streets of the precario. It’s raw sewage. Go to the health department and get your shots.

They were fairly warned.

As we were wrapping up our first day in the precario, I walked toward the van where we gathered our things to leave for the day. I had been in another area and not aware of what some of the others were doing. I heard laughter and shrieks, adults and children, having a blast hitting a ball. They were playing an impromptu game of volleyball (minus the net) out in the street. The wet street. The street with raw sewage. Unfortunately, the ball hit the ground every once in a while. Okay, it hit the ground often – and it rolled - in the waste water. With no regard to health issues because they were either used to it or ignorant, the children would pick the ball up and punch it back into play and the ladies on our mission team would hit the wet balls with joy.

You know what happens when you hit a wet ball, don’t you? The water sprays back at you when you hit it. My team’s ladies were hitting the ball and being very generously sprinkled with dirty water with each strike. And they did it with a smile. Literally, the water went in their mouths at times. When it did, they covertly spit the contaminants out of their mouths.

You need to understand that these ladies normally live a clean life. Many of them had manicured nails - the French kind with the little white stripe at the end. These ladies were Southern belles from a fairly affluent church in Georgia. Professional women like teachers, nurses, and insurance agents. These were ladies who might leave a restaurant if they saw an employee leave the restroom without washing their hands.

But they didn’t care. The joy that they were bringing to the children and themselves outweighed the chances of getting diarrhea or staying up all night puking. When we finally (after much coercing) convinced them to stop their game so that we could pile into the van to depart, the laughs and filth were everywhere. They each had small black and brown polka dots scattered all over their faces, arms, hands, and shirts.

And they were incredibly happy. They made a memory.

I can’t tell you how the impromptu volleyball game changed those kids’ lives. I don’t know. But I can tell you the names of some women who were changed that day. They reminded us that we have to get out of our comfort zones and get dirty sometimes. Like Jesus did.

Who's Really Ripping Us Off?

I had my annual portfolio review today with my financial advisor. When I first started an IRA account in my late twenties my plan was to be in a position to retire by the age of 50. When I reached my late thirties, I thought maybe I could retire by the time I reached 55. Now I am in my late forties and I think I might be able to retire by the time I am 95.

So we were talking about the economy, elections, the price of gas, etc. today when my friend/advisor said that his complaint wasn't about the price of gas but the price of milk. I agree. Even though I had to wait in line this morning to fill up the SUV, I paid $3.66 per gallon. The other day at Publix my wife paid $3.55 for a gallon of the Publix brand milk.

Now let's think about this for a moment...somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, or the deserts of the Middle East a very complicated piece of machinery is drilling hundreds of feet into the ground to harvest oil. When the oil is brought to the surface it is placed in some kind of container and transported to an oil refinery. A multi-million dollar oil refinery prepares the oil to be used in my SUV. From the refinery, the gasoline is transported thousands of miles via ship and/or truck to a regional distribution center. From the regional center, trucks are filled up with gasoline and delivered to our local gas stations where we buy it to transport ourselves around town and beyond for $3.66 per gallon.

Somewhere earlier this week in Saluda County, SC, a dairy farmer woke up before the crack of dawn and walked from his house to his barn in the backyard, sat on a stool, and squeezed cow teets for a few hours. Later the milk was sent to a processing plant to pastuerize and package the milk before it was delivered to a local store.

Seems to me we ought to be screaming about the greedy dairy farmers instead of greedy oil companies.

And You Thought the DMV was Bad...

Some philosophers ask, “Why isn’t there equal suffering in the world? Why do some people suffer more than others?”

The government, in its infinite wisdom, decided to do something about the unfair and unbalanced distribution of misery in the world so they created the Department of Motor Vehicles. It’s a place where almost everyone would have to go and suffer equally.

I think the only people who are excited about a trip to the DMV are pimply-faced, braces-laden teens in search of a driver’s permit. They walk in with their strung out moms who are questioning their mental stability since they are one test away from allowing a kid who can’t put dirty underwear in a laundry basket to operate a two-ton piece of machinery at 70 miles per hour. But even those giddy teenagers are reluctant to make subsequent trips to the DMV because their return visit is to either take the test again due to first-time failure or to face the dreaded driver’s road test with Sergeant Stuffedshirt of the State Highway Patrol seated next to them.

There is a reason why people don’t smile in their driver’s license photo. It’s the same reason why convicts don’t smile in mug shots. When you are mentally, physically, and emotionally drained and defeated, smiles are lost deep in the wound. I’ve watched people walk in the entrance door of the DMV laughing, smiling, and enjoying their day. By the time they go out the exit door, their shoulders are slumped. They are frowning. They are robotic and lifeless. Their countenance has taken a 180 degree turn. Like a whipped puppy with his tail between his legs, so Joe Public departs from the sacred halls of mutual misery. It is an incredible transformation.

In its attempt at balanced despair for all, my local DMV has recently made one change to make the gloom a little more palatable. You have to take a number. It used to be that you had to stand in line, a.k.a., a queue. At least with a number in hand, you can sit in the waiting room instead of competing for the Guinness Book world record for standing in one place. (The current world record was set by a 67-year-old lady named Patience Dishwater who lived up to her name at a Cleveland DMV in 1989 when a flu epidemic swept through the entire payroll minus one rookie tag tosser in training. Patience stood in line from Monday morning until closing on Friday afternoon. “I’m retired and don’t have anything else to do,” Patience told a local TV news crew who reported the story. “I just kept letting people go in front of me ‘cuz I figured they were in more of a hurry than me. Before I knew it, it was Friday afternoon.”)

In Jesus’ day, there was a pool that could have used the number system. The pool of Bethesda wasn’t like your local country club or community pool. This pool wasn’t designed for soccer moms and the kids to waste away a sunny, summer afternoon while dad was out beating the pavement selling color copiers. This pool had healing powers. Whether it was true, or just believed to be true, the locals in Jerusalem believed that on occasion an angel would cause the waters to be stirred in such a way that the first one in the moving waters would be healed of their infirmity. (I assume that this is when the phrase, “First one in the pool!” was invented.) Obviously, the pool was surrounded by scores of people with physical challenges in need of a miracle.

It seems like a cruel prank. Would God create a pool that would serve as a magnet for the infirmed in hopes of walking again? Would he really design this mystery water that forced the physically challenged to race with each other for first dibs on well-being? Was this the first ever Special Olympics? Why was his healing power only good for one person at a time? Why didn’t he just sweep his hand over the entire poolside and heal them all? They obviously came in faith believing that the healing powers of the pool might deliver them.

So why didn’t someone, a lifeguard or the pool manager, create a number system for these people? Why didn’t they structure an organized, first-come-first-served arrangement? Why didn’t they form a healing line? Why did they allow this brutal game with really bad odds to continue? Can you imagine doing this at the DMV? What if you had to stand around in no particular order at the DMV and wait for a clerk to be stirred to action? What if you had to race the competition to the next available tag tosser to get a license plate? The lobby of the DMV would look like the Jerry Springer show.

There is one thing the pool did accomplish. It gave the afflicted hope. Maybe they needed hope more than they needed healing. At least in their misery and pain, they had hope that they could be healed at any instant. It was just a matter of getting to the pool before the others. If I could just make it to the pool faster next time, they thought. If I could just get someone to help me next time. If I could stay on the alert and watch the waters more closely, they thought. If, if, if. A small word that sometimes issues volumes of hope.

One day Jesus was walking by the pool of Bethesda when he saw a man lying there. The lame man had been in his condition for 38 years and had been lying next to the pool for a long time. (How long he was there is not clearly indicated.) Jesus asked the man, “Do you wish to get well?” A question with an obvious answer. I’m not quite sure why Jesus asked him this. It seems like a dumb question but then, I ain’t Jesus. (And you should be thrilled at that news.) Maybe Jesus just needed to hear the man say it. Sometimes people become content with their burdens. To be healed after 38 years would be a major shift in the way this man lived. He would no longer have to depend on others to care for him. He would have a new burden of making a living and accepting responsibilities. Jesus wanted this man to think seriously about his desires in life.

The handicapped man explained to Jesus that when the waters of the pool are stirred up there is no one around to help him get into the water. He can never be the first one in the pool. He didn’t lack the desire to be healed but the means. Jesus didn’t waste any time. He said to the sick man, “Arise, take up your pallet, and walk.” Immediately the man was healed. His bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons grew instantly strong. He grabbed the mat that he had been laying on for who knows how long and he began to walk.

I have a lot of questions about this story. Did God really operate the pool of Bethesda as the locals believed? If so, why? (1) Did Jesus go around the poolside after healing the man and heal the others there too? I’d like to think that he did but there is no indication in the Scriptures. Could Jesus really stand by the pool and see all of the others who needed healing without helping them too? Could he just heal one man, smile at the rest of the infirmed, tell them to have a nice day, and walk away? And, seriously, why didn’t they organize this whole thing? If the DMV could think of a number system or even a queue, why couldn’t they?

Once again, I don’t have all of the answers. But I do know this: There are a lot of people who feel trapped by their infirmities whether they are physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. A ton of people have lost hope in this world. They believe there is no hope or help available to them. Do you know anyone who has an infirmity or weakness that has given up the idea of conquering their problem? Instead, they have decided to just deal with it as it is? There are those who never get over a loss. Those who can’t advance because of a lack of education. Those who let a handicap drain their zest for life. Jesus has the authority and the ability to set you free from your disability.

I don’t know if he healed the others around the pool that day and I don’t know why God allows some to suffer more than others, but this I do know, he can heal you. He wants to heal you and make you spiritually whole. He may or may not remove your physical burden. That’s up to him and his sovereign plan for your life. But I know he wants you to be spiritually healed. He died that you might be made whole.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)


(1) The pool of Bethesda was likely a type of underground spring that bubbled up and gave people therapeutic and psychological healing much like places such as Hot Springs, Arkansas or Warm Springs, Georgia. Legend and superstition added the belief that an angel of the Lord stirred the waters. It was more likely a natural occurrence.

The Renewal of the Mind has Disappeared

The video below was taken off of youtube.com. Man, I hate it cause it was a classic.

The Renewed Mind Is The Key...To Bad Dancing

I will shoot myself if something like this ever takes place at my church.

The Shack review

I read The Shack by William Paul Young over the weekend. It is a #1 New York Times bestseller and has become pretty controversial over the past several months. My wife bought it for me a few weeks ago at Borders. I put off reading it until last Friday. Some folks have called and emailed the church office asking if we have read it. I figured if people are reading it and talking about it that I should see what all the commotion is about.

First of all, The Shack is a work of FICTION. Here's the dictionary definition of fiction: 1. the class of literature comprising works of imaginative narration, esp. in prose form, 2. something feigned, invented, or imagined; a made-up story.

Some Christian dignitaries have sounded off on The Shack saying that it is a work of heresy. Why? Because God the Father is represented as a big, black woman. The Holy Spirit is represented by a small Asian woman and Jesus is a large nosed Middle Eastern man. The Trinity is illustrated as 3 different persons who share a perfect relationship with each other with no hierarchy or chain of command. (Another reason some people don't like the book. They say that there is a hierarchy in the Trinity).

I guess these critics also didn't like C.S. Lewis portraying Christ as Aslan the Lion in The Chronicles of Narnia or Bunyan's Goodwill, the gate keeper and Christ-figure, in The Pilgrim's Progess. The critics seem to have a hard time understanding how spiritual truths can be communicated in a fictional story. Is everything in The Shack absolutely based on Scriptural fact? No. It wasn't written to be. It is one man's attempt at communicating the incredible love of God. Anyone's attempt to do so would be inept.

Other Christian leaders commend the book as an incredible and important piece of Christian literature. Eugene Petersen (of The Message) compares it to Pilgrim's Progress.

What's the book about? Here's a brief summary:

In the novel's opening pages, the main character Mack Phillips tells his little daughter, Missy, the legend of an Indian princess who hurls herself over waterfalls to save her people from death. "Will I have to die to save others?" she asks him. "No," he tells her, "Jesus has done this for you." She sleeps soundly and secure in Christ.

The foreshadowing is hardly subtle: the sacrifice of an innocent life for the sake of salvation. Missy is kidnapped by a serial killer and is murdered in a filthy, deserted shack in the wilderness. Years later, Mack, still devastated, receives a note inviting him back to the shack. It's signed "Papa," the name his more resilient and spiritual wife, Nan, uses for God.

Mack's weekend at the shack is a compressed journey toward belief, forgiveness and acceptance.

But what a trip. Instead of a dump, this shack is a mansion in an Eden-like garden where God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit embrace him. For two days, they talk, eat, walk, garden and share visions of heaven, where little Missy romps happily. They tell Mack they live in a loving relationship without hierarchy, guilt or shame, all fully human, all divine. They say that through Jesus' death, God is "fully reconciled" to the whole world, so that all might discover God's love.

The Shack is an interesting story and a creative way to show God's love, grace, and patience with us. It's illustration of how the divine Trinity relates with each person is quite interesting.

Honestly, I was not that impressed with the writing. I read it quickly only because of the big-to-do about it. I can't say that it was a "page-turner" and I'm not ready to tell everyone you just have to read this book. It did remind me of one of my all-time personal favorite novels, Joshua. That is a book that I highly recommend. It can change the way you view Jesus and give you a great sense of peace and liberty. (See link to Joshua on my book list on the right.)

Two more...

Julie commented that you can sing Amazing Grace to the tune of the theme song of Dallas. Beth and I went to NC yesterday to see our baby girl at college. We discovered that you can also sing it to She's a Bad Mamma Jamma while listening to my ipod in the car.

Hey Kev! I feel a new TrueNorth CD coming...? Amazing Tunes to Amazing Grace
(We'll need to get the Solid Gold dancers for the She's a Bad Mamma Jamma live version.)

Amazing Grace update

Caron told me yesterday that you can also sing Amazing Grace to the tune of O Little Town of Bethlehem. Keep your ideas coming. Maybe Kevin will let me sing again one day.

Thursday AM Thoughts

I'm taking today off to work on some writing projects and just get away from the office for awhile. (Don't get me wrong. I love TNC and the staff but sometimes we all have to get away from there.) It's my turn today.

Last Sunday, I sang a solo in church. Well, kinda. I showed everyone in 2nd service how to sing Amazing Grace to the tune of the theme song from Gilligan's Island. You can also sing Amazing Grace to the tune of The House of the Rising Sun, The Brady Bunch, and the theme to M*A*S*H. Try it next time you're in the shower. If you know of some other songs to sing Amazing Grace to, I'd love to know.

Want to help create a new TV reality show? (Like we really need another one.) Go to www.talpacreative.com. It's the site for the creator of Fear Factor, Big Brother, and Deal or No Deal. If you make a fortune with your great ideas, don't forget to give God at least 10% of your millions.

I don't want to get too political on this blog but it's curious to me how Obama is going to bring youth and change to Washington by choosing a 30 year veteran of the Senate on as his running mate. I'll be voting for McCain. That shouldn't surprise you.

The Gamecocks start their season tonight on ESPN! The NA Yellow Jackets tomorrow! Woohoo! Football season is here!

Destroying Happiness

Another thought on happiness from Seth Godin:

A journalist asked me, Most people have a better standard of living today than Louis XIV did in his day. So why are so many people unhappy?

What you have doesn't make you unhappy. What you want does.

And want is created by us, the marketers.

Marketers trying to grow market share will always work to make their non-customers unhappy.

It's interesting to note that marketers trying to maintain market share have a lot of work to do in reminding us that we're happy.

The Country Parson's Blog

My friend, Andy, the Country Parson, posted some good youtube videos on his blog. Check them out.

Next Splurge: Fuzzy Dice

I read this in Dan Patrick's column in Sports Illustrated. I love it! I hope this guy maintains his attitude about money...

Next Splurge: Fuzzy Dice

SO MANY athletes go bankrupt simply because they spend money as fast as it comes in. Here's a guy who I don't think will join their ranks. Chris Long, the number 2 pick in the NFL draft, signed a contract with the Rams last week that reportedly guaranteed him $29 million, including an immediate $2 million bonus. Afterward I asked him if he had treated himself to anything; he said he had bought a 1983 Mercury Grand Marquis. For $4,000. Sweet. And he's still got $28,996,000 to play with.

How NOT To Use Powerpoint By Comedian Don McMillan

Get Service

This is a little cheesy but I like the message it delivers.

Maybe Later Campaign

I was going to put this up a few days ago but I kept putting if off...

I Bit the Bullet

Well, I finally bowed to the pressure and joined Facebook last Friday night. The truth is I really haven't been that interested but when I wanted to watch a video that a friend (McNair) put on his FB page I had to join. I'd been thinking about it anyway so it wasn't too hard to be pushed over the edge and take the leap. I was immediately deluged with friends after signing up. I guess it should be a good feeling to know you have that many friends, huh?

I can see how it can be addicting. I'm not sure how good I'll keep up with it. I have a hard enough time keeping posts fresh on this blog. (PS - I've tried to post several youtube videos lately and they are not showing up here. Does anyone know what the deal is with that?)

When it comes to trends, I've heard it said not to be the first one in or the last one out. So I guess I've officially become a part of one of the latest internet crazes. I will say (pat self on back now) that I started blogging before blogging was cool. Not many people were into it in 2004. I did it mainly to promote my book.

So, here's to peer-pressure and all things digital, Facebook here I come!

Book Review: The Geography of Bliss

Last night I finished a fascinating book called The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner. Each year Dutch professor Ruut Veenhoven, aka, the godfather of happiness research, releases data showing the happiest countries on the planet according to the World Database of Happiness in The Netherlands. You may have seen a news report a couple of months ago that revealed that Denmark is the happiest country. Most of the Scandinavian countries rank high on the list.

Weiner (pronounced Whiner) elected to travel the world to visit some of the happy countries as well as some of the most unhappy countries to try to determine what makes people happy. It is a fun read and very interesting. It's part travelogue, part inspirational, and part self-help (but in a weird way). If you love to travel, love to hear about other cultures, and love to know what makes people tick, you'll love this book. It kind of reminded me of Anthony Bourdain's show No Reservations on the Travel Channel.

The following is a series of quotes and thoughts from The Geography of Bliss:

All cultures value happiness, but not to the same degree. In Japan, for example, harmony and fulfilling societal obligations is valued more than personal happiness. Japanese women tend to cover their mouths when they laugh as if to be ashamed of their glee.

The happiest places in our world don't necessarily fit our preconceived notions. Some of the happiest countries in the world are actually the coldest, e.g. Denmark (#1), Switzerland (#2 or #3 - depending on which survey you read), and Iceland (#5). The USA is ranked 17th.

A great enemy to happiness is envy.

One of the most important factors that breeds happiness is trust. Trust is a prerequisite for happiness.

The small nation of Bhutan measures it's Gross National Happiness and the king claims that it is more important than it's Gross National Product.

"The richer the society, the more difficult it becomes to do worthwhile things without immediate payoff. That is a radical and profound statement. In a wealthy, industrialized society, one where we are supposedly enjoying a bountiful harvest of leisure time, we are discouraged from doing anything that isn't productive - either monetarily or in terms of immediate pleasure. The Bhutanese, on the other hand, will gladly spend a day playing darts or just doing nothing."

70% of our happiness stems from our relationships. During life's difficult patches, camaraderie blunts our misery. During the good times, it boosts our happiness.

People who say, "God is important in my life" are significantly happier than people who disagree with that statement. People who regularly attend religious services are happier than those who do not.

No fear of failure breeds happiness - and creativity - which breeds even more happiness.

Neuroscientists believe that they have located the part of the brain linked with altruism. (Altruism = unselfish concern for the welfare of others). It is the same part associated with our cravings for food and sex which suggests that we are hardwired for altruism. Therefore, being useful and helpful to people contributes to our happiness.

Thinking about happiness makes us less happy. When someone tells you to try to be happy, they make it worse.

We are happiest in youth and old age.

Money matters, but less than we think and not in the way that we think.

Free PDA!

Sometimes the high-tech of the internet can offer some pretty cool low-tech tools. Check out pocketmod.com for a low-tech, economical, and recyclable way to have your own PDA. No batteries or chargers necessary.

Why College is so Expensive

Two weeks from tomorrow, my baby girl will move into her dorm room for her freshman year at Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina. Now both of my offspring will be in college. I'll gladly accept your prayers anytime.

So earlier this week, Bailey gets a letter from GWU telling her about a new feature on campus this year. It's called Laundryview. Laundry is free for students on campus. That's a nice touch. But here's the big bonus: You can go to laundryview.com to check the status of each washer and dryer's availability as well as how many minutes remain until your load is complete. She showed this to us and I thought, "You've got to be kidding me! Every washer and dryer on the campus is wired to the internet? How much did that cost and guess who's footing the bill for it? We wouldn't want our precious children to walk downstairs to the basement of the dorm to actually see if there is a machine available or to see how much time is left on it, would we?"

Turns out laundryview.com is not a new thing. They have it on college campuses all over the country and, I suspect, in apartment complexes, too. I know we live in the 21st century but I just couldn't believe it when I saw it. God bless the person who created laundryview.com. I wonder how many people thought they were crazy when they came up with the idea? I guess they're sleeping in late this morning or headed toward the beach. And I guess they have their own washer and dryer at home now.

The Hazards of Tunnel Vision

I've mentioned National Geographic Adventure magazine on a couple of previous posts (April and May). Not only does it have amazing photos, it almost always has a few notes of interest to me. In the latest edition there is an article called "Terrorists at the Tea Party" by Amanda Ripley. It's about the science of fear and how humans react in desperate situations.

Ripley writes about the hazards of tunnel vision in an account of an Eastern Airlines jet traveling from New York City to Miami on December 29, 1972. The plane was making its final approach into Miami on a clear night with unrestricted visibility. When the pilots tried to lower the landing gear, they didn't get a green light indicating that the gear loaded properly. The captain with more than 30 years experience called into the control tower and said that they would circle the airport while they worked on getting a green light.

For eight minutes the entire crew focused completely on the landing gear and the failure of the green light. They were so focused on that problem that they didn't notice the alarm going off indicating that the plane was losing altitude. By the time they realized what was happening to the plane it was too late. The plane crashed in the Everglades 19 miles from the airport.

Investigators discovered later that the plane was in perfect working order - except the bulb was burned out in the landing gear indicator light.

Sometimes we get so busy focusing on one thing, (e.g., work, finances, personal and professional pursuits) that we forget to look at the big picture. It's easy to get bummed out about temporary things. It's easy to allow the urgent things that scream for our attention each day to get in the way of the important things. Don't become so focused on immediate problems and pursuits that you forsake the other things that are happening around you. Celebrate what God is doing in your life. Rejoice in the blessings you have instead of regretting the things you don't have. Thank God for what he has done and what he is doing. Lift your head up and see what he's up to. Pay attention to his handiwork and praise him for his amazing grace.

PS - Notes regarding my previous post: Cliff won't be America's next heartthrob. He said it was a great experience but the "auditions" were somewhat of a joke. American Idol is definitely made for TV. Got an email from my agent today. A publisher is very interested in my book. She will take it to the editorial board soon. Pray!!

Mid-Summer Brain Dump

This summer has been really busy so far. Haven't been able to blog as much as I would like so I thought I'd do a brain dump today.

• Last week Beth and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. It wasn't real romantic but we had fun. We just went to Atlanta for a night and spent half of the day at IKEA (pretty amazing) and the other half at the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola. Maybe on a future anniversary we'll take a cruise or something but it wasn't possible to celebrate big this year with all of the other things going on this summer.
• My son, Cliff, just left about 5 minutes ago to go audition for American Idol in Louisville, KY. Could he be the next American heartthrob? We'll see.
• Books I read on vacation at Hilton Head: Playing for Pizza by John Grisham, Lost in Rooville by Ray Blackston, and Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician by Daniel Wallace.
• Number of times Beth has teared up thinking about Bailey going off to college in August: too many to count.
• Number of times I've teared up thinking about how much college will cost: too many to count.
• Number of times we've had our boat in the lake: 1. (Isn't that pitiful?)
• Last night we had a family send off for Cliff at Carabba's. We saw a couple at the restaurant that we knew from our previous church. I caught up with them for a few minutes then sat at our table. They spoke briefly when they left as we were still in the middle of our meal. A few minutes later, the waiter asked us if we would like dessert. Then he said, "Before you answer, you might want to know that the gentleman that was sitting over there has paid for your dinner." We were shocked. What a blessing! Thank God for wonderful, giving, Christian people. Isn't being a part of God's family neat?
• Number of pages written in my latest novel: 135
• Number of publishers who have rejected current novel that my agent is trying to sell: 2
• Number of publishers yet to respond: a bunch
• Number of publishers it takes to sell a novel: 1
• Number of "no's" you get from publishers before you sell a book: a bunch
• Amount of patience I have in this process: a lot but it's slowly decreasing
• Number of resumes I've looked at in an attempt to replace Walt Tanner: scores. (Thanks Walt!)
• Number of resumes I've looked at in an attempt to replace Hope Hall: in the 40's.
• Number of resumes I've prepared for myself: don't know but I haven't written a resume since 1991. I've tried to let God lead me. So far so good. I love TNC and I don't plan on writing another resume for the rest of my life!!
• Number of people bored with this brain dump: all 3 of this blog's readers.
  

I'm out.

Wow is God!

Our staff devotion time took us through the Old Testament book of Micah yesterday morning. We noted how God's prophets often looked back and remembered the great things God did for them. Looking back often gives hope for today and tomorrow. The prophets also reveal and remind us of God's greatness and power. When difficult days come, instead of walking around with our heads down sulking and saying, "Woe is me!" maybe we should we lift our heads up and remember how great God is and say, "Wow is God!"

Would you read these books for $420?

Years ago, when my children were in middle and high school, I heard an old audio cassette by a motivational speaker who came up with a list of books that he felt like his son should read as he became an adult. He offered his son $10 for every book read. He said it was a good investment and very worthwhile. I thought it was a neat idea so I did it with my kids. (But I offered $20 per book. I figured with inflation costs it was only fair to double what the motivational speaker did with his kid in the '70's.)

Unfortunately, they didn't have too much interest. They had enough homework assignments from their teachers and they weren't interested in doing homework for dad -even for money. I've only paid out $20 so far.

I thought the list was long forgotten until last night Bailey came to me with the list and asked, "Dad, is this deal still good?" Of course, I said, "Yes." She went to the bookshelf to seek out some of the books. So, it looks like I may make this investment yet. So what books are they? These are some books that I think everyone should read. I won't pay you $20 per book but I would suggest you read them and possibly make a similar arrangement with your kids. Hey, it's a lot cheaper than college - and probably more valuable.

Honest to God (Bill Hybels)

Financial Peace (Dave Ramsey)

The Purpose Driven Life (Rick Warren)

The Search for Significance (Robert McGee)

Found: God’s Will (John MacArthur)

Ordering Your Private World (Gordon McDonald)

How to Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie)

30 Days to Understanding How to Live as a Christian (Max Anders)

Mere Christianity (CS Lewis)

More Than a Carpenter (Josh McDowell)

The Kneeling Christian (author unknown)

The Hour That Changes the World (Dick Eastman)

Autobiography of George Muller

Joshua (Joseph Girzone)
The Big Bucks

Books of the Bible:

Genesis

Exodus

Ecclesiastes

Acts

Romans

Revelation

Building or Being a Remarkable Church?

While the girls were shopping on Fifth Ave. during our recent trip to NYC, I was standing outside watching the traffic on the street and the sidewalk. H&M was one of the clothing stores on Bailey’s radar that she just had to visit. There were several H&M stores in the area. We chose the one across the street from St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

St. Patrick’s is an incredible building. There’s no doubt why it is a must see for tourists. It is an architectural and historical monument and the largest Gothic Catholic Cathedral in the US. (See photo taken w/ my trusty cellphone. Apologies to Mike Adams.)

An Asian man stopped in front of me to take some photos of the church. I wondered what he was thinking. Of course, he was in awe of the beauty of the structure itself. While watching him snap pictures, it dawned on me that if I were a tourist in Asia witnessing grand Buddhist or Hindu temples, I would be awe-struck with the mastery of the building but deep down I would think, “What a waste for such an empty religion.”

Then it dawned on me. The Asian tourist may be thinking the same thing.

Do we show the power of the Church through more than just architecture? Does the world witness the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Do they know more about Christ because of the magnificence of our faith or the magnificence of our buildings?

Building remarkable church buildings is one thing. Being a remarkable church is another.

A New Entry into the Top 10 List

Beth and I watched The Bucket List last night starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. It's one of those movies that we immediately said that we wanted to see when it first came out but busy lives prevented us from seeing it in the theaters. I looked forward to it because I knew it would be funny but I didn't expect the significant meaning and emotion that I got from it. Bottom line: At the end of the movie, our den was full of tears and snot. A great message in this movie. I highly recommend it. I think it would be in my top 10 movies of all time (even though I've never really made that list.)

Have you? What are your top 10 movies of all time?

What Would Happen If...?

New York City is a truly incredible place. The diversity is unreal. NYC is a melting pot of every nation on the planet. We heard so many different languages and saw so many different people. I knew that about NYC before we went there but it was even more than I expected. It made me think missionally, “What if we (the Church) put more effort in reaching the 8 million people in NYC? How far would the gospel spread from there? How many different nations would be impacted by something that started in NYC?” It’s happened before. Let me explain:

We walked to the intersection of Fulton and Williams Streets while we were there. I wanted to stand at the intersection where a great spiritual awakening began and have my picture taken. (I would post it, but it’s still in Bailey’s camera.) In September 1857, Jeremiah Lanphier started a series of prayer meetings at a Dutch Reformed Church that once stood at this intersection. He passed out handbills and flyers advertising the first meeting at noon on September 23. His intention was to meet the spiritual needs of businessmen in the financial district of New York City during the lunch hour. After waiting alone for a half-hour, six men finally came and joined Lanphier. The next week that number doubled. Week after week the numbers grew. When the stock market crashed later in the year, panic set in. People began to pray.

Within six months, 10,000 people gathered to pray at noon in New York City. This was the beginning of one of the most significant revivals in history. The movement swept up and down the eastern seaboard to cities like Philadelphia, Washington, and Baltimore. It went south as far as New Orleans and Mobile. It spread west to cities like Cleveland, Chicago, St. Louis, even to the West Coast. The New York newspapers created a daily column to report “the daily progress of revival.” Ships that ported in New York City left with changed men and the effects of the revival swept through Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Europe, South Africa, India, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.

It happened once. It can happen again. What if we started praying fervently for NYC everyday? Pray for NYC.

PS - To see a video about the Fulton Street Revival, look at my September 14, 2007 post.

We Love NY!

Returned home today from a brief trip to New York City. Beth and I took Bailey for a few days as a high school graduation present. She wanted to see some Broadway Shows and shop for purses in Chinatown. More about that later...

The trip started and ended with cancelled flights. That's right. Our original flight with Delta was cancelled Wednesday morning so we had to fly with American Airlines later that day. 5 hours late arriving. Our flight home on Saturday afternoon was cancelled also - due to bad weather. So we had to stay an extra night and fly home Sunday morning. I've flown a good bit and had some problems before but I've never had cancelled flights on both ends of the journey.

Once we made it to NYC, it was a great experience. I've been through NYC many times but never stayed there for long. I was always on my way to another destination. This was the first time I've really spent much time there. And where else would a guy from Belvedere stay? The Belvedere Hotel, of course.

We did a lot of the touristy stuff:

The Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) which offers a classy view of the city.

Ground Zero - which is obviously quite humbling.

Staten Island Ferry (to see the Statue of Liberty for free)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art & Central Park

St. Patrick's Cathedral

We watched a Hare Krishna parade go by during our lunch in front of the Empire State Building on 5th Ave and we saw The Phantom of the Opera and Legally Blonde. It was a fun trip. It's late and I'm going to bed. I'll post more thoughts about NYC later. Stay tuned.

The Cross & The Hitchhiker

TNC meets at North Augusta High School each week and as a result of our being a portable church, we have a lot of stuff that is stored in trucks and storage rooms all over town. Last Saturday, I promised Paul (our fearless leader who supervises setup/teardown for TNC-NA) that I would clean up the storage area while his crew set up. While sweeping, cleaning, disposing, and organizing things under the designated areas as labeled on the walls (e.g., sound, tech, band, guest services), I moved the cross that we've used in past services to the Miscellaneous spot. I couldn't help noticing what I had done so I prayed, "Lord, don't let this happen to us. Don't let us get so caught up in doing church and having 'cool' services that we forget the cross and put it in the miscellaneous pile of our lives."

I took a picture to serve as a reminder to me and you that we must keep the cross first and foremost in our lives and in our churches.

The Hitchhiker

We picked up a hitchhiker on the way to the Big Mo last Thursday night. We had Volunteer Appreciation night at the Big Mo Drive-In Movie Theater in Monetta, SC. I actually liked the VeggieTales movie better than the new Indiana Jones movie.


We stopped at Exit 18 on I-20 to get gas and a big green grasshopper landed on our windshield. We just knew that he would get blown off as we got up to speed but the rascal hung in there at an average speed of 73 mph until we got to Exit 33. He stayed with us 7 more miles to Monetta and got in the movies free.

The Big Mo is a great night out with friends and family. I definitely recommend it.

Dunk'd

Take a look at some pics from our Dunk'd service last night. We had over 500 people attend to worship and watch about 40 people proclaim their faith in Christ at the Riverwalk Amphitheater on the Savannah River. Probably the most exciting and moving baptism service I've ever participated in.

Check out Mike Adams' blog and the Augusta Chronicle site.

For music lovers...

My son, Cliff, has a MySpace Music site. You can check it out at cliffjennings.com.

Everyday is a Vacation

The Discovery Channel has become one of my favorite TV destinations. I was watching Man vs. Wild the other night and Bear Grylls was out in the middle of nowhere starving again. He connected with a Namibian tribe in the desert and they spent eight hours digging a porcupine out of a burrow so that the tribe could eat. One comment that he made during the show was that it was normal and necessary for the tribesmen to do this in order to survive.

Can you imagine living in the desert and digging eight feet into the earth all day so that you could eat porcupine for supper?

I recently visited Water Missions International in Charleston, SC. (See May 12 post.) It’s an incredible ministry that provides water purification systems for those in need of clean drinking water. Over one billion people – yes, that’s a b in front of illion – do not have access to clean drinking water. More than two billion do not have adequate sanitation. Every 15 seconds a child dies from a water-related illness. Four children a minute. When you stop and digest that fact, it numbs you.

I’ve witnessed poverty around the world. I’ve spent two months in Africa and worked with Tanzanians who wore the same clothes every day. The women walked out of the village into the bush everyday to gather firewood and bring it back balanced on their heads. A chicken and a Coca-Cola for supper was a unique luxury. I’ve seen filthy Aborigines in Western Australia who worked in gold mines for a measly wage while the owners of the mines sold the fruit of the labor for hundreds of dollars per ounce. I’ve stayed in a modest home in Guatemala where the “shower” was freezing cold water from a half-inch PVC pipe. I’ve seen the poverty in Nicaraguan refugee camps in Costa Rica and Palestinian refugee camps in Israel. The world is so much different than most Americans know.

This spring in my American hometown the temperature reached the high 80’s. We were getting a little stuffy in the house so I went through the annual ritual of waiting until the heat was unbearable before turning on the air-conditioner. The heat won and now I am comfortable. Everyday I’ve taken a hot shower in one of our two bathrooms. Our kitchen pantry is full. I don’t have to dig for a porcupine for supper. I just dig in my fat wallet for a credit card to pay for almost anything I need or even want.

We Americans are spoiled rotten. Everyday is a vacation for us. The sad truth is that we are so accustomed to our rich lifestyle that we don’t realize how easy our lives have become. A typical day for me would be a monumental day for many world citizens. To wake up in an air conditioned house, pop a pastry in the microwave, pour fresh milk from a refrigerator, and take a hot shower would be almost too much for some people to comprehend.

A line in National Geographic Adventure magazine caught my attention recently. “Our culture of plenty keeps us permanently in a vacation state of mind” (The Permanent Vacation by Laurence Gonzales, June/July 2008, pp. 28-31). It’s true. For most of America, we are on vacation everyday. We have clothes in our closets, food in our fridge, and a sturdy roof over our heads. We don’t look over our shoulders for predators and we do not have to constantly stoke a fire for warmth.

Am I writing this to convict you? No, it’s not my job to convict you. God does that. (See John 16:8). I don’t want you to feel guilty for living in a great country but I do want you to feel blessed and to pass that blessing along. How? That’s between you and God. Maybe you need to sponsor a child in an impoverished nation or help build a water purification system that will provide clean drinking water for an entire village. Perhaps you could help fight illiteracy or join the battle against HIV/AIDS. What if you helped establish a church in a rural community that had no witness for Jesus? What if you gave a week of your vacation away to share the love of Christ with kids using a few puppets? The needs and avenues are endless.

I guess my point is this: You are blessed. Pass it on.

I'm not sure why...

Not sure why I was compelled to stop and take this pic with my trusty cellphone camera but this local artwork always makes me laugh when I see it at a muffler shop on Edgefield Rd.

The artist must be a great salesman.

Artist to muffler shop owner: "I can paint Fred Flintstone holding a Flowmaster muffler saying God is good all the time. What do you think?"

Muffler shop owner: "You're a genius! Do it!"

A Day in Charleston

The TNC staff jumped in a rental van at 8 o'clock this morning for a quick trip to Charleston. We visited Water Missions International. What a phenomenal story and an incredible mission. George and Molly Greene began this ministry after Hurricane Mitch struck Honduras in 1999. God worked in their hearts and eventually led them to start WMI. I encourage you to learn more about this organization. TNC will be sending 2 mission teams there this summer to assist in assembling and distributing water purification systems. WMI is busy this week as they prepare to send 12 systems to the cyclone relief efforts in Myanmar. I was really impressed with this ministry.

After the WMI trip, we traveled to the DreamCenter in North Charleston. Did you know that North Charleston is the 7th most dangerous city in the United States? North Charleston, SC! The DreamCenter is Seacoast Church's efforts to reach inner-city North Charleston with ministries to the poor, the drug-addicted, prostitutes, and otherwise needy people in the area. They are less than a year old but already making a strong impact in the community. The same TNC teams who will help with WMI will also spend a few days at the DreamCenter.

We wanted the TNC staff to see these ministries in person so that we could speak passionately and intelligently about our involvement in Charleston. It was well worth the trip. A good day.

I love seeing ministries like these two reaching people in simple, practical ways.

The Story of Stuff

A short video worth watching:

http://www.storyofstuff.com/index.html

Relay for Life

Relay for Life was last Friday night. We joined cancer survivor John Redmond and his team from TrueNorth. It was a lot of fun. I didn't know that I would see so many people that I know there. We were able to catch up with a lot of old friends and acquaintances.

The highlight of the night was the luminaria service when victims of cancer are remembered and survivors are honored. I was also moved during the survivors walk and the caregivers walk. Cancer is an awful disease. Having lost a mom from breast cancer, it really hits home with me. My dad and mother-in-law are survivors also. Unfortunately, cancer has become too commonplace today. Hopefully, events like Relay for Life will help us get to the bottom of this disease that disturbs so many lives.

(Thanks to Mike Adams for the pic.)

Ben Stein's Expelled

The TNC staff went to see "Expelled" Tuesday afternoon. I think every young person - especially upper level high school and college students need to see this movie. I want Bailey to see it before she goes to college in the fall. I highly recommend it.

I'm a Hack at Photography

I'm no Mike Adams but I wanted to show you some pics I've taken with my camera phone. I've never been one to take a lot of pictures but the convenience of having somewhat of a camera with me all the time allows me to take a shot when I see something interesting.











Good Friday Art Display on Broad Street, Augusta, GA (Various sins listed on the cross)












Sign at St. Edwards Church in Murphy Village, SC















I stopped to fill up my motorcycle in Calhoun Falls, SC. This was posted over the john in the convenience store. I thought it was funny. Calhoun Falls (CF) is obviously a small town.

What it Takes to Survive

I subscribe to National Geographic's Adventure magazine. My friend and fashion critic, Walt Tanner, once asked me sarcastically why I subscribe to it since it is mainly for outdoorsy adventuresome types like hikers, mountain bikers, climbers, bungee jumpers, etc. It's simple why I like it. Great photography. And because of my love for travel, NG Adventure interests me because it covers all sorts of places on the globe. I skip over articles like "What Mountain Boot Should I Wear Today?" "Important Facts About Sterno" and "Top 10 Camping Tents of the Year."

An article in the latest addition (May 2008) caught my attention. In "Ties That Bind" by Laurence Gonzales it is cited that an important and recurring theme in survival stories is that being connected to loving people can help you survive. Gonzales tells several stories of wilderness survivors whose motivation and determination to be with their loved ones again was just what they needed to make it through almost impossible odds. (You can read the entire article here.)

Vito Seskunas, 53, was five miles into a solo backcountry ski trip in Grand Teton National Park when he broke his leg. It was a bad break. He knew he needed medical attention and he also knew that no one would find him. He scooted out of the snowy woods in a seated position. It took him 3 days. He said that as he worked his way through the snow for 14 hours a day he thought of how much he loved his wife, family, friends, and life in general. He was determined to dance and play with his pets again. He scooted in sets of one hundred. Each set was dedicated to someone or something he loved.

Gonzales also wrote that we thrive on group connections. We are designed to function not alone but together. "You would think that survival would be a very selfish process, but it's not. It's much more about how embedded in a family or a community we are. People who are more socially connected have a better chance of surviving. We live when we have something to live for."

It's another reminder to me that we are not created to be alone, nor are we created for ourselves. We are created to live together in love and harmony with those around us. When we all realize that, we will have peace. "The more we strengthen those bonds," Gonzales writes, "the better we'll be at facing adversity when it comes. And it always comes."

You can't be a Lone Ranger Christian. You must do life together with other fellow Christ-followers. It's the only way to survive.

Don't Try This at Church

A bad idea for a fundraiser:

Priest disappears on wild balloon ride

Stop and Hear the Music

I posted about Joshua Bell a few weeks ago (Don't Miss the Concert). A friend of mine, Ken Adams, (www.walkingasjesuswalked.blogspot.com)informed me that it is on youtube.com.

The Masters and Heaven

I spent yesterday at the Augusta National watching the first round of the Masters Tournament. I've been going there since I was in junior high school and, to tell you the truth, it doesn't excite me that much anymore. I play a little golf (bogey golf) and enjoy it but as I get a little older the Masters becomes a lot of been there, done that. I've seen some great players over the years. I've watched some incredible shots. My greatest Masters memory is following Jack Nicklaus on every hole of the third round when he made his memorable march toward his record 6th green jacket in 1986.

My favorite thing to do these days is to take a rookie with me to the tournament. I do get a thrill taking golf fans who have never been to the National. Yesterday, I took a ministry partner with me who is a big fan and he really appreciated the course, the players, and the execution of the shots that they made. My friend is a Kingdom worker in Asia - in a country where you must have "Creative Access" in order to work. So for him to happen to be in the States during the week of the Masters was quite convenient for him.

As I stood and watched the tournament, I thought about how the Augusta National is like heaven to a golf fan. I also noted some similarities between the Masters and Heaven. Things like:

• Everyone quietly focused on each move the golfers made.
• Roars of praise when a great shot was executed.
• Collective woes when a shot was not so good.
• Courtesy, hospitality, and smiles are everywhere.
• The beauty of creation surrounding everyone.
• Everyone seemed to be just glad to be there.

I think heaven will have some of the same traits. We will stand in awe of our Lord focusing completely on him. We will shout praises for his amazing grace, incredible love, and unending mercy. We will share compassion for each other with a selfless love. There will be smiles, joy, and great happiness in heaven. The beauty of heaven is unimaginable. Heck, we will walk on streets of gold! 'Nuff said about that. And, of course, like the Masters, everyone will be glad to be in heaven.

The Augusta National may not be a great example of what heaven will be like but it at least caused me to smile and wonder at how amazing heaven will really be. I mean, if some people think a little golf course in Augusta, GA is heaven - how much more will it really be when we get there! It is indescribable, I'm sure.

Don't Miss the Concert

Joshua Bell found a place at the DC Metro Station where he could set up shop for the day as a violin player. Clad in blue jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a baseball cap, he took his instrument from his case, left the case open, dropped a couple of dollars in it as seed money, and he began to play.

Subway passengers heard Mozart and other classics as they hurried to their destinations. Most paid Joshua no attention as they rushed through the station to catch a train. By the end of the afternoon, Joshua had collected $32 for entertaining thousands of DC citizens.

It was part of a project by The Washington Post that the editors called "an experiment in context, perception, and priorities, as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste. In a banal setting, at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?"

What I didn't tell you is that Joshua Bell is a world-renown violinist. His violin was a rare Stradivarius worth over $3 million. Three days prior to his impromptu concert in the DC Metro Station, Bell played to a sold out crowd at Boston's Symphony Hall. Seats for his concert were $100 each.

Do you stop and pay attention to what God might be doing around you or are you too busy? Can God speak to you through ordinary people or do you have to hear it from pastors of large churches with a Doctor in front of their name or an international TV ministry? Do you hear God speaking to you through everyday events or do you wait for him to speak to you on Sunday mornings? Does God speak to you through a blue collar guy just scraping by or do you have to hear from God through a best-selling author?

How many times have you missed the music because you were too busy trying to get to your next destination? Just a thought...

Bracketology & Mascotology

March Madness is here and that means basketball fans around the country are filling out their NCAA Tournament brackets. There is a science to it. ESPN calls it Bracketology. It's a not-so-simple process of trying to predict the winners among the 64 college basketball teams in the season-ending finale.

At the TNC offices, we have a friendly little competition going among the staff. No wagering - just doing it for pure entertainment and possibly a reason to gloat if you're the winner. I filled mine out tonight. My final four include: North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis, & UCLA. I'm picking UCLA & UNC in the championship game with UCLA taking it all. Who really knows? It'll be fun finding out.

I was bored doing the brackets the normal way so I created two other ways to fill out my brackets. I filled another one out according to school mascot. I'll call it Mascotology. I looked at each school mascot and determined who the winner should be based on the strength of the mascot. For example, in a first round upset, I'm picking the Boise State Broncos over the Louisville Cardinals since everyone knows a bronco is bigger and stronger than a cardinal. I'm also picking the Austin Peay Governors to defeat the Texas Longhorns. Governors have much more power than longhorns.

My final four in Mascotology are: George Mason Patriots, Kent State Golden Flashes (lightning bolts are powerful!), Miami Hurricanes, and Duke Blue Devils. The champs in this scenario are the Duke Blue Devils. Interestingly, the Duke Blue Devils had to play the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils in the fourth round. Duke won that game since they were a higher ranking devil.

Since Ephesians 2:2 says that the devil is "the ruler of the kingdom of the air" you have to assume that the devils will dominate the tournament in Mascotology. Unfortunately, the Siena Saints will be defeated in the first round by the Vanderbilt Commodores. A high-ranking naval officer can whup a saint.

In Mascotology, people who are armed always beat animals. For example, the Xavier Musketeers will beat the Baylor Bears in the second round. The Tennessee Volunteers will defeat the South Alabama Jaguars in the second round also. Everybody knows that a Tennessee hillbilly is going to have a gun with him to shoot any jaguars that might show up.

My third bracket is an Alpha Bracket. I chose the winner for each game based on which one was first in the alphabet. The final four in this bracket are: Arkansas, Arizona, Austin Peay, and Cal. State Fullerton. Arizona will win a squeaker in the championship game over Arkansas.

I predict that my Mascots and Alpha picks will be about as accurate as my "normal" picks. It will be fun to see how the brackets turn out.