Ever have one of those days?

Yes, this picture is real. It's of a $1.5 million yacht falling off its sling while being loaded into a cargo ship for delivery in Dubai. If you didn't notice, yes, there's a dude on the back of the boat as it goes down, to give you a sense of the size of the 55-foot vessel (he was fine).

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Welcome to the New World!

I think people love to downplay the rapid amount of change that our society is currently experiencing. Every once in a while you'll hear someone say, "You know, things are no different than they were when I was a kid." I always laugh at such statements. The video below will show you why.

Lucky #11

Kim and I celebrated our 11th Anniversary last night!! We ate at The Palm, and it was awesome!! I can tell you this... Anniversaries aren't as easy as they once were. After our wonderful dinner, we tried to go see The Bourne Ultimatum. We took our seats in the Megaplex, along with about 400 of our closest friends, and I knew we were in trouble. I really don't like crowds, especially in a movie theater, and there was a sense - call it a gut feeling - that something was going to go wrong.

We got there about 30 minutes before the movie was slated to air, and at some point during our wait, Kim started to develop a pretty nasty headache. We debated leaving, but decided to stay and see if the headache would fade once Jason Bourne started killing people. In the middle of the previews, a smallish fellow with dark hair and glasses began to walk down our row. He stopped right in front of me and started demanding that the man seated on Kim's left move down a seat. He didn't ask politely or anything civilized like that; this guy simply started waving his finger in a circle (about two inches from my nose), while saying "Scoochie!" I thought it would be best to stay out of this thing, but the wagging finger on the tip of my face was really starting to bug me.

The man next to Kim reluctantly moved one seat to the left, and then the "Scoochie!" guy turned his attention to Kim and me. I could feel myself getting angry. In my minds eye I envisioned flicking this little guy, like a Milk Dud, across the room. As we stood to "Scooch" a seat over, I simply looked down at the guy and calmly said, "We're going to move, but you're going to have to quit waving your finger in my face. Do you understand?" Thankfully the guy backed away, put his arms up in the air - as if to say, "Please don't knock me onto this Coke and JuJube stained floor." - and returned to his seat.

In the end, we left about 30 minutes into the film because Kim's headache worsened to an unbearable point. Poor thing. We came home early, and she immediately retired to bed. It was still a good night (as is any night with my wife!), and I'm so thankful to have such a beautiful and wonderful wife. Thanks, Kim, for the best 11 years of my life!!

Hope

I sat in on a gathering of folks last night, and the topic of discussion was hope. For some hope is a difficult thing to grasp. It's kind of like a Star Wars movie... it seems wonderful and amazing and mind boggling and - well - unreal. That's the problem with hope. You find yourself wondering if it really exists or if it's some fantasy flying through your head like the Millennium Falcon.

The guy who lead the discussion last night referred to "The Shawshank Redemption", where, at the end of the film, Andy writes a note to Red and pens these words: “Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” Could it be that what Andy wrote is true? Is it really possible that hope is the best of things, and it tells of something eternal, or are we the Lloyd Christmas's of the universe, who, when faced with million to one odds give the blindly hopeful response, "So you're saying there's a chance?!!"

Though I don't believe that Christians are blindly hopeful, there is certainly, as Barak Obama would say, an "audacity" to our hope. It takes a lot of nerve to claim hope in a world characterized by extreme materialism, extreme poverty, discrimination, violence, sexual perversion, broken marriage, environmental disregard, and a litany of other things that make me want to cash in my chips and get out of Dodge. It's crazy, in a world that cultures genocide, female circumcision and HIV/AIDS, that there would be any room for hope.

But the claim of the message of Christianity is, unashamedly, hopeful. What makes it even more audacious is that the object of its hope is unseen. Romans 8:24-25 says, "For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?" The point is well taken. Shouldn't it be said that if hope isn't audacious, it's not hope at all, but something entirely different? Isn't the whole point of hope its audacity?

I used to hope for a car. Now I have a car, and the mystery of its motorly goodness has well been revealed. Before I owned my own vehicle, the thought of driving a mechanized chariot seemed so alluring. After owning a car for several years now, the allure is gone, and all that's left is an overinflated car payment. The hope has faded, replaced by the harsh reality of $3/gallon gas, liability insurance and costly repairs. Truth be told, Dallas traffic has cured me of the desire to even want to drive.

Now, contrast this to a hope that is yet unseen. Unseen hope produces great longing. The desire to attain this hope is great, and the object of this hope is illustrious. For the Christian, this hope is found in the person of Jesus, because upon Him all the deepest hopes of man are placed. And what is the promise attached to this hope? Well, it's the same as the promise attached to the hope that Andy wrote about when addressing Red: “Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

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This post is dedicated to my good friend, Stephen Presley. Thanks, brother, for always reminding me of the hope of the Gospel.

Those Crazy Iraqi's

The first line from this story is just classic.

"Iraqi fans have been stocking up on gasoline and ammunition in preparation for their national soccer team's Asian Cup semi-final against South Korea on Wednesday."

I'm going nuts waiting for LSU football to arrive, but gasoline and ammunition?! I probably won't stock up on that until next year's LSU/Alabama game, when Nick Saban makes his return to Tiger Stadium!

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Dead Horse Alert!!! Christians and Drinking

Dan Kimball has posted a couple of interesting blog entries lately about Christians and alcohol. Man, if I had a dollar for every conversation I've had about this issue, I could probably throw a kegger! Even though the issue is a well worn path, the posts are still worth reading. Be sure to read the comments page too. This argument usually gives me tired head, but it is an intriguing read on Dan's site. Check it out.

What to Watch

Summer TV watching is tricky business. You get the usual bevy of spare stuff that wasn't good enough for prime time, and the stuff that was ready for prime time is playing through a loop of re-runs. In light of that, here's a few of my favorite shows this summer, and one that you should stay away from:

1. Burn Notice (USA) - This slick action/comedy/drama is well produced, written and acted. The lead characher, Michael Western (Jeffrey Donovan), is a spy who's recieved a "burn notice", spy speak for getting fired. He's been cut off by the government and is on the FBI watch list. Only problem is he doesn't know why. So, while he's trying to figure it all out, he's also taking private investigator type jobs to pay the rent. This dude is as cool as they come. His list of supporting actors includes the dude from Army of Darkness and the Old Spice Commercials (Bruce Campbell). I love that guy!
2. The World Series of Pop Culture (vH1) - Kim and I watched this show last year and were hooked. You may be still able to catch the replays of this super fun pop culture trivia extravaganza since the originals have already aired. It pits several teams of three against each other in a tournament style competition. I just love seeing how many of the questions I can correctly answer. Good stuff.
3. The Closer (TBS) - Man, this is just a good show. There was one episode that had the craziest first five minutes I've ever seen on TV. It actually worked, too, which is rare for crazy scenes. Kyra Sedgwick's fake Georgia accent drives me a bit insane, but the show is really cool.

Now, for one television gimmick that you can live without:

1. Stay away from Sportscenter this summer. It pains me to write this, but it's true. Stuart Scott is hosting this silly segment called "Who's Now", and it's the most ridiculous thing I've seen in a while. It's intended to determine which athlete is both a superstar in their sport and off the field. Athletes are paired against each other in a lame and very subjective popularity contest. Plus, you get to hear from "the panel", which includes spare hosts who look like they wish they were as popular and relevant as the athletes they're judging. Just report the sports issues of the day, ESPN! Leave the commentary out of it. We don't need you to tell us who is popular, we just need to know who won the game.
   

I'll Take Two Pair!!

Oh, Don't Forget!!

This is really cool, and you can thank me later. My recommendation is to open this in your browser first thing in the morning and keep it open all day. If you need to use it throughout the day, it will be right at your finger tips. This is a website that allows you to type a text message to yourself to be delivered at a later date or time. For instance, if your wife calls the office 5 minutes before you go into a big meeting and asks you to buy bread on the way home, you can use this handy little tool to send a text message to yourself at 5pm when you get off of work. You and I both know you're going to forget about the bread, so why not send yourself a reminder? I'm going to use the heck out of this site!

Potty Like it's 1999!!

Pierce has officially turned the corner!! The little man is now going "pee pee" on the potty unprompted. We are all very relieved (hah! Get it?).

May the horns of triumph blast out their joyful song from the highest mountains... May the birds and beasts be roused from the jungles... May the people rejoice with voices of victory... For my child - my Autistic child - can now take a leak!!

By the way, everytime I talk to Pierce about going "pee pee", or utter the words "potty" or "tee tee", I feel like a total moron. I feel like one of those super sappy women who run daycare center's. Speaking those words as a grown man just doesn't feel right. This has been humbling experience, but I've never been so excited about urine!!

The Most Intense Potty Training Ever!

We are potty training Pierce this week, and it's a freaking nightmare. Here's how it works:

• Check his pants every 5 minutes to make sure they're dry.
• Put him on the potty every 30 minutes and pray for pee pee.
• Leave him on the potty for 10 minutes.
• Repeat the process.
• Should he have an accident, we have to sternly say "You're wet", and take him to the potty. We are to place him on the potty and immediately remove him, and take him back to the scene of the crime and announce "You're wet. Pee pee goes in the potty." We repeat this process 5 times, and then start the 5 minute timer again.

We have timers all over the house. It's a real pain in the butt.

The first two days were full of lots of pee pee, but not on the potty. There were accidents-a-plenty. Kim was discouraged, and I was starting to wonder if I would ever get the smell of urine out of my nose.

Today, though, Pierce got it! He only had one accident all day!!!

This stuff is a pain, but it's all worth it if I don't have to change diapers anymore. No pain, no gain!!

I met this guy today...

...and he is really cool. This is The Ticket's own Bob Sturm, a local radio personality. Bob went to Liberty University, and knew the late Jerry Fallwell. He's now the co-host of one of DFW's most listened to radio shows (BaD Radio: noon - 3pm: 1310am). Anyway, Bob and I met for about an hour today, and he is a super nice guy. We actually visited at Irving Bible Church in the cafe. Could he be making another apearance at IBC soon? Check here in the coming days to find out.

Hey now, Sturminator!!

Patriotic Wisdom from Noonan

Those of you who read this page often (if there are any of you!) probably get tired of hearing me sing the praises of Peggy Noonan. Well, don't expect those praises to cease any time soon. Ms. Noonan is at it again with this wonderfully nostalgic and understated Opinion Journal column. In it she finds ways to not only celebrate freedom and immigration, but to subtly warn against a freedom and immigration that doesn't "let go" and embrace the United States. It's a wonderful article that is both charming and insightful.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th!

If this video doesn't make you want to celebrate America's Independance, I don't know what will. Watch it. Love it. Live it. Are you a real American?

Rocky Mountain High

Trent and I hiked to Horn Peak, a 13,450 ft. mountain that ranks among the ten most difficult hikes in Colorado. Trent was amazing! He had a couple of moments on the way up where he was a bit beaten down, but by the time we got to the tree line and the first peak, he was fresh as a store bought Krispy Kreme. While I was gasping for air and cramping with every step, Trent was slinking to the peak with the greatest of ease. He graciously waited for me to catch up before we summitted the peak together.

The climb was easily one of the most difficult physical challenges I've ever attempted. It blew away two-a-days in football and roofing houses in the Louisiana summers (the physical challenges that ranked 1 and 2 prior to climbing Horn Peak). Having Trent there with me made it extra special. It was the kind of epic adventure that you imagine the great men of old embarking on with their sons; the kind of character building right of passage that makes a boy into a man. This was real Braveheart kind of stuff!

Dawn at the base of Horn Peak. Wow!

Our first Mile Marker. Only 3 miles to go!!


There's the Peak from the trees

The ascent to Horn Peak

Summit Champs!!


The view from the top!

Things I'm Learning from Autism (Part 4)

People with Autism have difficulty communicating and interacting with others. In this sense, they are just a magnified version of the rest of us. What I'm learning is that the problems we face with Pierce, although very difficult, are not all that different from the problems we face with our typical children, or even ourselves.

My wife and I can be selfish, poor communicators. My other kids often times become fixated on certain topics or objects, and demonstrate self serving motives on a regular basis. There is no guarantee that Pierce's therapy will give him the bright future that we hope for, but there is also no guarantee that our typical children will develop into the wonderful people that we hope for. In a very real way, Autism is just an extremely magnified view of the problems we all face. We are all selfish, unresponsive, myopic and obsessive. We just have sophisticated ways of covering it up.

So, what I'm learning from Autism is that we are all broken, and there is no simple therapy for our condition. Only something transcendant can make us whole. Just as Pierce doesn't have the ability to "cure" himself, we have no way to fix ourselves. In our case, Jesus is the cure. Ephesians 2 tells us that we were "dead" in our sins, "but God, who is rich in mercy" has saved us, offered us a seat in heaven, and given us his son. His grace has made us complete.


Autism Lesson #4: Autism is just a magnified view of the problems we all face (selfishness, communication and fixation).

Things I'm Learning From Autism (Part 3)

One of the main concerns with Autistic people is that they have a tendency to wander. We have had to call the police several times when Pierce has escaped our grasp and wandered off through the neighborhood. We've added locks to our doors, installed alarms, and have even purchased a tracking system that works through a wrist tag attached to Pierce's arm. Even with all these precautions, Pierce still finds ways to escape and wander. He's a regular Harry Houdini!

What I've learned from this propensity to wander is that fear and danger are good things in that they warn us when things become unsafe. Now, we certainly aren't supposed to base our life decisions on safety and security; God often times calls us to enter into situations that are insecure and unsafe. If we based our lives on safety, we'd never travel to places like Darfur, which desperately need our help. But it is foolish to subject yourself to danger if there is no extenuating circumstance that justifies such action. In Pierce's case, wandering into danger because you have no inner voice to stop you is simply reckless.

So, I guess the main lesson here is that danger and fear are reserved for causes that transcend common sense and call for drastic action. Reckless living for the sake of curiosity is a bad thing. It hurts those you love and compromises your ability to truly live out the Gospel. Our call is not a safe one, but it is also not one that is reckless and prone to wander.

Autism Lesson 3: God gives us a sense of fear and danger so that we will weigh our actions based on the Gospel and not be reckless

"Overdressed" Dresses up Nicely (A review of the new Caedmon's Call release)

When you're wearing a fig leaf, it's hard to feel overdressed, but that kind of ironic imagery not only paints the cover of Caedmon's Call's new release, it permeates nearly every song on the album. The return of Derek Webb brings with it a raw and rich honesty, and the songwriting talents of the underrated Andrew Osenga give this album, and the band, a mature yet edgy, warm yet independant feel that is unmatched in their previous efforts. If 40 Acres told of a band coming of age, Overdressed tells of a band entering a new age with a feel that is at the same time both fresh and trusted.

The album begins, as it should, with Webb singing Trouble, a bluesy number that speaks of sin as not simply a "struggle", but something as deep as "the blood running through my veins." Webb's return is marked by the band's trademark B-3 organ, and fresh harmonies. Trouble is a song that sounds at once familiar, and demonstrates, right from the start, that all is right in the world of Webb/Caedmon's relations.

As the album progresses the thing that stands out is the flow of different styles and voices, instruments and arrangements. Need Your Love and Sacred, songs that easily bear the Caedmon's Call signature, are followed by Expectations, a simple yet sweeping epic that speaks of the over-optimistic outlook often attributed to real world faith. Osenga writes with great timing and truth that Christianity is often presented as another "expensive ad for something cheap." The variance in arrangements and writing gives the album the same kind of flow as a good compilation or soundtrack, and, as the album builds, a sense of anticipation develops within the listener. This is a "can't wait to hear what's next" release.

The anticipation created by the beginning of the album is richly rewarded in the second half of the release. The back-to-back-to back string of Share in the Blame, Hold the Light and Two Weeks in Africa is their best three song combination in recent memory. Share in the Blame is a folksy and melodic modern day admonition to get the log out of your eye before blaming others. Hold the Light is Osenga's tribute to accountability and trust, and it's haunting chorus is framed well by beautifully arranged instrumentals. It's a song more felt than heard, more absorbed than encountered, and it flows nicely into Two Weeks in Africa, a celebration of the change of perspective that comes only from participation in missions. The bridge on Two Weeks in Africa takes you from internal struggle to hope to outright elation over the possibilities present when people become partners with Christ in international missions.

The record ends with another gritty Webb number, All Across the Western World, followed by the encouraging Always Been There and Start Again. In a twist of irony, the final songs speak of the presence and new beginnings that Christ offers only to those who come poor and weary. It is a fitting ending for an album that recognizes man's propensity to stand before God Overdressed, embelishing his own goodness in light of God's glory.

In all, it's good to see Caedmon's Call return to form. The addition of Webb, though significant, is not all there is to Overdressed. Truth be told, this album dresses up very nicely. The writing is solid, as usual, but the overall flow of the music and themes is what makes Overdressed the best Caedmon's Call release in years.
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If you're anxious to hear something off of Overdressed, check out Share in the Blame on the Caedmon's Call Myspace Page here. Great guitar solo by Andy!

Things I'm Learning from Autism (Part 2)

This lesson goes hand in hand with Lesson 1 (Taking is bad; asking is good). The process of teaching Pierce to ask for what he wants is only effective if what he wants is witheld from him. In order to do this, we have had to remove all the toys and books from his room, place his favorite foods out of reach, and generally put everything he desires out of his grasp. We still want him to see the things he wants, but we want those things to be accessable to him only upon request.

This brings up an interesting lesson that I find so profound. The lesson is that our desires often seem just out of reach, and there may very well be a purpose for that. When the things you really want are beyond your reach, you become patently aware of your inability to get them on your own. You realize that you need help to get that which you desire most.

In Pierce's case the toys, food, books, etc. that he really wants can only be acquired with the help of others, namely his parents. In the case of humanity, the things we really want that are out of reach are often merely reminders of our helplessness before God. Our ultimate desires are security, comraderie, happiness and love. To a certain degree we can find all of these, but not in their fullest sense. In this world, security is an illusion, comraderie is flakey and fleeting, happiness is here one minute and gone the next, and love seems to come only at a very high price. We can have all of these desires, but the elusive quality that nags at our soul is the complete fulfillment of these desires. It is the book on the highest shelf, the four star restaurant with the food we can't afford, the toy that Mom won't indulge us with at the check out line. It's that nagging sense that things aren't as they should be, that we need help to make sense of it all.

For now, the help we need is the faith that one day things will be set straight. It's the belief that this is not all there is, that the thing we desire the most will one day be realized. It is, as the Apostle Paul implied, something that we do not yet have (Romans 8:24-25), but that we are to believe nonetheless. For, as Paul says, "hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

So, what I've learned from this aspect of Autism is that the things that are out of reach are there for a reason: they make us aware of our need for help, and they instill within us a hope that some day they will not only be within our reach, but fully attainable. So, lesson 2 ends with these words: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13)

Autism Lesson 2: Desires are out of reach because they make us aware of our neediness, and fill us with hope.