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For those who are gluttons for listening punishment, here is my official myspace musician page.
Local Pump Price of Unleaded Gasoline:
$3.52/gallon
Price Per Barrel of Oil:
$125.96 (previously $107.90)
last modified May 11, 2008 at 18:16
My brother David does some interesting textual analysis of the passage in John that describes Jesus' resurrection of Lazarus:
In the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11) most translations will say something like "Jesus was deeply moved" in verse 33 and again in verse 38. The actual word is "embrimaomai," which is used in classical Greek to mean the snorting of horses. In Matthew and Mark, it's used twice to mean that Jesus strictly charged people whom he healed to not tell anyone what he had done, and it's used again (in Mark, I think) to mean that the disciples rebuked the woman who "wasted" precious ointment on Jesus.
I think you'll find that most commentators agree that we must not understand "Jesus was deeply moved" as meaning that he was sorrowful. Rather, there needs to be an element of anger in our interpretation of Jesus' emotional state.
This can also be titled, Everything You Wanted To Know About What Is Really Happening in Fallujah But The Mainstream Media Failed to Report.
It has it all, pictures and stats, of the torture chambers, weapons caches, enemy positions in mosques and territories,... all right here in this cozy little report(courtesy of National Review Online).
We give thanks to you, O God,
we give thanks, for your Name is near;
men tell of your wonderful deeds.
--Psalm 75:1
As Peggy Noonan has said, our country, after all it has been through recently, needs to "shhhhhh!" What better opportunity for hushing than to collectively pause as a nation and give thanks. As a Christian, every day should be simultaneously Thanksgiving, Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter by being filled with thanks to God, wonder at His goodness and glory, sadness for our sin, and readiness and hope for Christ's return.
Some other things I am especially thankful for this year:
* My sweet, beautiful, faithful, and kind wife Kathleen (of seven years).
* My two smart, beautiful girls and handsome, strapling boys (like their Dad)
* My great job here in Arkansas
* My fantastic Mom, Dad, Brothers, Sisters, their families, and all my wife's beautiful family
* George Bush's reelection
* My friends out there who read my blog
* My blogging friends throughout the years
Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!
Jason Whitlock has written a provocative piece for the Kansas City Star blaming the hip-hop black culture of the NBA for its decline and the recent ruckus in Detroit. Certainly worth a read. By the way, it requires registration, but it's free. If you are paranoid about registering for news sites, go here. From the piece:
Allen Iverson, Latrell Sprewell, Kobe Bryant, Dream Team failures, an embrace of all the negative aspects of the hip-hop culture and a horrid style of play have conspired to make the NBA easy to ignore. By decimating the Pacers and publicly acknowledging that there has been a lowering of expectations in terms of player (and fan) behavior, Stern made it clear he's not in denial about the NBA's troubles.
I am, however, concerned that the league's players will remain in denial. Surrounded by groupies and yes-men, fortified by multimillion-dollar contracts and endorsement deals, it will be easy for NBA players to misinterpret Stern's warning.
In this column, I am calling on my peers in the media to level with NBA players (and all professional athletes) and tell them what's really going on.
Victor Davis Hanson has an excellent piece over at National Review Online. This should be required reading for everyone, especially you naysayers (yes, you know who you are) and pessimists regarding all that we have accomplished in the past three years.
We are living in historic times, as all the landmarks of the past half-century are in the midst of passing away. The old left-wing critique is in shambles — as the United States is proving to be the most radical engine for world democratic change and liberalization of the age.
Steve Spurrier, former head coach of the Florida Gators and Washington Redskins, has reportedly accepted the head coaching position at the University of South Carolina.
I actually think that this is a good move on Spurrier's part. USC is a school with loads of potential and lots of fan love. This is good news for the SEC East, too, in that it should upset the balance of power there. Currently, on the power balance you have:
SEC East
Georgia...Rising Moderately
Tennessee...Rising Barely after a two year descent
Vanderbilt...Descending rapidly and deeply like a bunker-busting bomb
Florida...Stabilized and poised for descent once Zook leaves
South Carolina...Rising Moderately, even faster if Spurrier hired
Kentucky...Descending rapidly in tandem with Vandy
This has got to be good news for Saban fans. You know that Saban has to be itching for the opportunity to trounce Spurrier once again. So, maybe a renewed Spurrier/Saban rivalry will keep him around LSU for a few more years.
When the French Prime Minister says things like this, I am reminded of why we hate the French (from SNL).
LONDON (Reuters) - French President Jacques Chirac said in a newspaper interview on Tuesday that Britain has gained nothing from its support for the United States-led invasion of Iraq.
Chirac said he had urged Britain before the invasion to press President Bush to revive the Middle East peace process in return for London's support.
"Well, Britain gave its support but I did not see much in return," Chirac was quoted as saying in the Times. "I am not sure that it is in the nature of our American friends at the moment to return favors systematically."
As a good Reformed Christian, I realize that for the Christian, there is no universal brotherhood of man, so to speak, because if a Christian has Christ for his brother, he cannot simultaneously have the unbeliever as his brother.
My oldest son (3), on the other hand, is not aware of this theological technicality, rather believing that every boy that he encounters is his brother. He will say to me, after a trip to the park, how he did this or that with his "brother" while referring to some lad that he met on the playground. It's all well and good, however, because I understand that my son probably does not mean it in the spiritual sense, but most likely in the "Calvinist" sense. No, not John Calvin, but rather the "Calvin" of Calvin and Hobbes fame.
Yes, my son realizes that every young male under 7 is an ally in the War on Girlyism (WoG) and that together they must unite to Get Rid Of Slimey girlS (GROSS). It's a losing battle, but must be fought bravely regardless.
A few weeks ago, I finally broke down and bought Gillian Welch's cd Soul Journey. Sure, I knew that with Revival and Revelator, she had hard acts to follow. After struggling for fifteen minutes or so to remove that impossible wrapping, I opened up the package and popped it into the CD player of our minivan.
On the first listen, I could not tell. My kids were a little disappointed that we were not listening to The Revelator anymore. (By the way, how many 3, 4, and 6 year olds clamor to hear "Red Clay Halo" or "I Wanna Hear That Rock N Roll"?) We are on our third or so week of listening to this CD and, quite simply, it's some sweet stuff. My oldest girl already knows and heartily sings along to "No One Knows My Name" while my second oldest likes "One Monkey". Imagine my surprise when I heard my three year old singing along quite well to "Wayside/Back in Time". They are so funny.
I love this CD and I love that my family likes it. It's wholesome and the lyrics are simple yet always meaningful and heartfelt. I wish I had the time to tell you some of the funny things the kids say about Enya, Nora Jones, VeggieTales, and the rest of our driving music. If you don't have this CD, you're missing out on some really good music and, if you are like me, good music doesn't come around all that often.
It looks like Iris Dement has a new album out of old gospel songs. What to do, what to do...
Not as divided as the media would like you to believe, eh?
From USA Today:
Just so that you can get a grasp of what it would take for John Kerry to win Ohio, let's examine the facts.
136,221
*This is the number of votes by which Bush is leading Kerry in Ohio with 100% precincts reporting.
135,149
*The current count of provisional ballots in Ohio. This number is expected to increase to 175,000 ballots.
155,611
* The amount of votes Kerry would need to pick up from the provisional ballots (given the 175,000 figure for provisional ballots) in order to beat Bush in Ohio.
88.9%
*The percentage of provisional ballots that would have to break in Kerry's favor.
Well, I voted. Yesterday, actually. Unlike some other folks, I felt really good about my vote for George W. Bush. In fact, I'm damn proud of having the chance to vote for him again.
Why did I vote for GW? Well, for starters...
*He has restored dignity and honor to the Oval Office, which is no small task considering the notorious antics of his predecessor.
*GW has spurned the elite culture of Washington, D.C., preferring instead to spend his vacations on his ranch in Crawford, Texas, doing real work and interacting with the real "heart and soul" folks of America.
*His formulation for dealing with terrorism, the Bush Doctrine, confronts national sponsors of terrorism and works to eliminate the conditions that favor the breeding of terrorists in the Middle East and around the world.
*His tax cuts and energy plan provide opportunities for business, large and small. By increasing our own domestic supply of oil, allowing refineries to expand capacities, and allowing American businesses and citizens to keep more money, we set the stage for a strong economy supported by growing employment, low energy prices, and stronger businesses.
*GW will nominate Supreme Court justices that are strict constitutionalists, i.e. are skeptical of the inferred Constitutional rights to privacy, abortion, etc. that are not laid out specifically in the Constitution.
*And finally, GW makes no bones about his faith in God and it's importance in his life. Look, I don't know if he is a five-pointer, amillenialist Calvinist, but I do know that he has confessed Jesus as Lord and many of his policies seem to indicate an understanding of the sanctity of life, the importance of hard work, and the need of the government to step back and not impede individuals or faith-based organizations from caring for those in need.
So, I choose Bush. Four more years!
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