Narnia: I Love This Dialogue!

I'm over 40 years old and I'm finally reading The Chronicles of Narnia. I finished Prince Caspian last night (which means I can see the movie now), and this is by far my favorite quote/exchange. Those who know the allegorical aspects of the book will appreciate the following:

"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."
"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.
"Not because you are?"

"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."

As I continue to grow in the faith, I see how much "bigger" God is. We can't box him in, or understand his mind at this time. The good news is that I get to spend eternity growing in this aspect.

Dual Relationships

A relatively verbatim transcript of last night's dinner conversation...
-------------
Dad: Hey Chris, you know my friend Tim?
Chris: (Puzzled look) Who?
Dad: You know, Tim and Sandee, in Germany?
Chris: Oh, yeah!
Dad: Well he is sort of like the principal of the school where he works, (actually he's more like a superintendent but I'm talking to an 8 year old here). But, he also teaches a class in the high school. And do you know who's in his class now?
Chris: Who?
Dad: His own son!
Chris: (Really puzzled look! Like this is abnormal)
...
Dad: Hey Chris, what would you think if I was your teacher?
(At this point, Chris attempts to evade the question and somehow redirects the conversation. Perhaps on purpose?)
Mom: (smiling...or rather smirking) Daddy, I don't think Chris answered your question.
Dad: I think you're right. Chris, how would you feel if daddy was your teacher?
Chris: (Mentally processing....clearly looking for the most politically acceptable response. This "transcriber" believes he's looking for the answer that won't offend dad.)
Chris: Weird.
(Laughter)
Dad: (With a smile) Weird?
Chris: Yeah, but, well, weird could mean two different things. Like, when I say "weird" I sort of mean "nasty." But sometimes I say "weird" like when something is "cool!" (Side note: Dad needs to work on getting Chris to stop saying "like" so much).
Mom: So weird could mean "nasty" or "cool?"
Chris: Yeah
Mom: So if dad was your teacher, that would be cool then?
Chris: No.
(More laughter, including dad who now redirects the question to his 6 year old.
Dad: Hey Andrew, how would you like it if dad was your teacher in school?
Andrew: I think I would want to snuggle with him!
(Smiles)
Dad: You would, huh?
Andrew: Yeah, and I would want to be the teacher too!
Dad: Hey Andrew, how would you like some dessert? Chris, it's time for bed.
-------------

OK, that last line isn't true. :-)

It amazes me though that an 8 year old can already recognize the complexities of dual relationships. This conversation was definitely worth some laughs.

Resolutions...not

I have made one successful New Years resolution in my life. About three years ago, I resolved not to make any New Years resolutions. This is one could be in jeopardy, but I have determined that there is a better word than resolution. Perhaps we should call them goals or targets. This is better because if you miss the target, you just keep trying. With resolutions, you do things like resolve not to overeat. This is a common one and usually works pretty well by midday on January 1st when you've sat down with your Bowl Party snack. At this point you decide you've blown it and get up for your fourth plateful of chips. The only good that comes out of that is that the pressure is then off.

I hear of people who take the end of the year to reflect and take inventory and then plan for the upcoming year. After 40 years, I figured I'd give that a shot. (I've always been a little late to the dance). This is not an exhaustive list, but here are some goals I have for the upcoming year.

In 2009 I intend to

• intentionally "carve out" time specifically for my wife and me.
• continue spending an hour or so every morning reading scripture, praying and drinking coffee. :-)
• read the following books: Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands (P. David Tripp), The Reason for God (Timothy Keller), Surprised by Hope (N.T. Wright), Don't Waste Your Life (John Piper), The Chronicles of Narnia (Books 1 & 2 were finished on New Years eve and day...5 more to go), The Edge of the Tidal Pools (Michele Phoenix).
• take at least one class at Reformed Theological Seminary.
• continue to go to the gym 2 to 4 times a week.
• eat after 7pm only one time per week. (I'm not doing too well int his area so far :-) )
  

I suppose there's more, but hey, when someone who reads this asks me in December how I did, I don't want them to see ALL of my missed targets. :-)

It's not that easy being green

(I don't know if that's a good post title or not, but Kermie did a great job of singing it years ago)

This morning while driving to work I heard this story on The Market Place Morning Report. Now before you go reading or listening to the whole thing, let me recap what's sticking in my mind. Remember all of those plastic bottles you throw into recycling bins? You know, the ones that make you feel just a little better about the fact that they are going to somehow be used again. Well, these bottles often get shipped to China and South America to be processed and then shipped back! The person in the story says it's cheaper this way. Well, good thing shipping plastic across the world and back doesn't cause unneeded burning of greenhouse gasses and polluting of our environment. Otherwise, it wouldn't seem like an environmentally friendly thing to do.

Oh well, there goes any potential resolution of me not being cynical this year. :-)

Pair o' Dime Props: Joyce Theis

As a kid, typically a group of friends seem to congregate at one house. This was the case for me and the house I spent a good portion of my high school and college years belonged to John and Joyce Theis. Their house was awesome! A nice stereo in the basement as well as a pool table, dart board, board games and a piano. It was a "party basement." My buddy Jim and his brother Bill had a few parties there too. It seemed that every day after school, we'd head over to Jim's house and shoot pool and listen to Rush, Styx, Boston or Jethro Tull. They'd even let me put on The Kinks from time to time. But this post really isn't about that. It's about the fact that when you spend a lot of time with a good childhood friend at his house, you become extended family. I found myself often calling Jim's folks mom and dad.

"Mom Theis" was a sweetheart! The mom of three of her own kids and adopted as a mom by others, she always seemed to have a nice smile for you. If you were lucky she'd even greet you with a kiss. Despite spending most of the time in the basement playing pool, I have some fond memories of Mrs. Theis. Twenty-five years ago I went to Christmas Eve service with the Theis family. It was the first time I ever took communion. She was kneeling next to me at the altar of their Lutheran church and I remember her uttering "Amen" as she received the elements. Mrs. Theis was completely deaf in one ear and had about 10% hearing in the other one. In church she sang out with gusto and you knew it sounded perfect to her heavenly father. Soon after this, Mr. and Mrs. Theis taught me and Jim how to play bridge and I had the privilege of spending many evenings playing cards with them. Mrs. Theis was from Georgia and had that wonderful Georgia drawl. She would occasionally say with the accent, "That makes me madder than a wet hen!" For some reason, I absolutely loved hearing her say that.

About six or seven years ago, Mrs. Theis was diagnosed with Lung Cancer. Knowing the gravity of that particular form of cancer I know many of her friends were praying for Mrs. Theis. She was about 72 or 73 when she was diagnosed and that made things even more concerning. Thankfully, God gave those around her another six or seven years to enjoy her company until she passed away this past Friday. I've been told she was ready, willing and waiting, so the sadness is for those who knew her. I'll miss her smile, her greeting, her beef stew and her apple cake. She's a wonderful lady who can now can take deep breaths, hear everything around her and still sing with gusto. I hadn't seen Mrs. Theis for a few years, but I will still miss her. I will make her apple cake later this week and will think about her during Christmas when I have communion.

Choosing a Consulting Firm

A few weeks ago I was asked to review over 900 pages of proposals from 9 consulting firms. As you may expect this was quite a delightful way to spend a week at work and at home. After much reading, skimming, meeting and discussing, the group responsible for determining which vendors to bring in for presentations came to a decision to bring in three firms for two hours a piece. All three presentations were today and thanks to my friend, the coffee bean, I made it through all three and retained consciousness. But now, after all this time, a decision must be made. Here are the "highlights" from today's meetings:

Consulting Firm A
This firm brought six people for the presentation. All but one of them was younger than me, (and I'm not that old). They all wore dark suits, used the cliché "Think outside the box" once and twice told us that they didn't want to just provide us a binder of findings as the final deliverable and it be put on the shelf. They wanted to be sure we found value in implementing what was in the binder. One person told one semi-funny joke twice and they provided one color 17"x11" color handout while we listened to a two hour Powerpoint presentation.

Consulting Firm B
This firm had two people considerably older than me. One person spoke the whole time, right after lunch and before my second round of coffee. No jokes were told and they also told us twice that they didn't want to deliver a binder that just gathered dust on a shelf. They wanted to be sure we found value in implementing what was in the binder. They provided a nice color folder/brochure and a printout of their Powerpoint presentation. They put six slides on a page, twelve total on both sides. You had to squint to read the slides on the page and there really wasn't room for notes. The speaker spoke for exactly two hours and no jokes were told. My eyes stayed open but not by much.

Consulting Firm C
This firm brought four people including the owner. They were all older than me by some degree. They did not tell us anything about binders or thinking outside the box. They provided a nice folder of information and a printout of the PowerPoint slides. Two slides on one side of the paper providing plenty of room to write. They had about one third the amount of slides that the other firms had. All four people spoke and they had plenty of energy which matched my alertness thanks to round two of my coffee. I do not remember any jokes but I do remember laughing on multiple occasions. Most importantly, they ended their presenation 20 minutes early.

Naturally and for strictly professional and pertinent reasons, my vote is for Firm C, hands down.

(Please note: If you find this post boring, I'm sorry. Just be thankful youdidn't have to sit through what I had to sit through today :-) )

NCAA Football is in upheaval

In the past, I have offered up that sports are challenging my faith, but now I realize that something bigger is happening. Consider the following anomalies in college football. These facts will make your head spin and make you question if all is right in the universe:

• Notre Dame continues to lose and will not go to a bowl game for the second year in a row.
• Michigan has their first nine loss season in the school's history. They finished the season losing to Ohio State 42-7. (This one doesn't keep me up at night)
• Jim Tressel called for a fake punt against Illinois while OSU was leading by 21 with less than 10 minutes left to play. This may not seem like a big deal, but anyone who knows Jim Tressel, knows his conservative in coaching is second only to his conservatism in wardrobe. He's the kind of guy who would stop at 42 against Michigan when it could have been 56.
• The University of Cincinnati will be going to a BCS bowl game. Let me say that again. The University of Cincinnati will be going to a BCS game! The final four, yes; but a BCS bowl!?!
  

But the largest piece of evidence that College Football is in upheaval is this:

• Florida State has produced a Rhodes Scholar! Yeah, you think all that other stuff is crazy. Myron Rolle, a safety for the 'Noles, is a Rhodes Scholar. The guy wants to be a neurosurgeon and now has the opportunity to study in Oxford. Unbelievable. I don't know what shocks me more; the fact that this guy would go to FSU, or the fact that Bobby Bowden would even consider recruiting someone who would put their studies before football. A fluke indeed, but regardless - hats off to Mr. Rolle.
  

The times, they are a changin'. I should have known when OSU recruited the top quarterback in the nation. My world is being rocked.

GPS Shortcomings

Last Mother's day I gave the Mrs. a Garmin. It's great! I love the maps and it's fairly efficient in giving me directions to where I need to go. I love the technology too. It's like watching yourself on a map while you're driving. However, I do have a few suggestions for improvement.

Let's talk about the voice. Our's is pretty neat since you can give it an English or Australian accent. Or, if you're ambitious and bilingual, you could actually program it to give you directions in your second language. Honestly, though, after a while, you want something a little different. Perhaps some additional dialects could be added into the device. Take for instance some northeastern accents. We lived in Northern New Jersey prior to moving down here and nothing would be cooler than hearing a nice Jersey accent with the appropriate attitude while driving. The female voice even talk like she has a big piece of gum in her mouth or something. And to have the male voice, say something like "Hey! You missed the turn! Sheesh! Hold on while I recalculate..." Of course, I would wonder whether someone from New Jersey would be able to tell you to turn left at a major intersection. (If you don't get that joke, then you probably don't know what a jughandle intersection is either. :-) )

Now that I live in Charlotte, I think it would be great to have some southern accents as well. "Where do you want to go today sweetheart?" Or "Oops, well bless your heart, you just missed that last turn. Hold on honey while I recalculate that for you." It could even call me "sir" at the appropriate times - now who wouldn't like that? Or how about a little more familiarity in tone? "You want to go where? Oh, now you can't get there from here. You wanna head on down to the post office and then turn left right after the Bojangles..."

Of course the sky's the limit with this. A london cockney accent or a nice thick Yorkshire dialect. You name it, it shouldn't be that hard to add these.

But here's what I really want when it comes to the Garmin. I want the following dialogue:

"Turn left in .2 miles"
(No turn)
"Recalculating..."
"Make U-turn in 400 feet"
"Recalculating.....again...."
"Please turn right onto Main St."
(Volume increases)"Please adjust the volume on your GPS while I recalculate again"
"Please turn right onto 2nd street"
"Um, hello? Are you even paying attention to me? Let me recalculate again"
"Turn right onto 3rd Street"
"Do you even want my help! Why did you even buy me if you're not going to listen to my recommendations"
"Turn right on 6th Street"
"OK, now you're really lost....you are so clueless!!!!! Recalculating...."
"Arrive at Destination on left?!?! Wow! I never thought of going this way. I take back everything I said. Please accept my apologies. I bow to the one with superior directional knowledge. Let me file this route away so I won't suggest you go that long way again."


Now THAT would be cool.

Come on Folks, show a little compassion!!

Yesterday, on the way to work, I was listening to the Marketplace Morning Report on my local Public Radio Station. This week, oil prices fell to their lowest levels in over a year, at less than $70 a barrel. This seems like good news but apparently this isn't so good for the OPEC nations. They need prices to be higher. According to Stephen Beard, Iran and Venezuela need the price per barrel to be around $95 in order to balance the budget for their respective countries. This is a concern and I think that in the American Tradition, we should all think long and hard on what we can do for these countries as they face these hardships. I suggest we pass a virtual offering plate around and send all proceeds directly to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Iran and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela to ensure their country had a balanced budget and suffer no hardships. Who's with me?

OSU at USC: The Good News Either Way

Tonight, is a huge game for Ohio State! The Buckeyes are in Southern California to face the USC Trojans. I have to admit that my disdain for USC was born in the 1970s. At about the age of 8 I starting hanging around with a kid named Nick Jonson. His family was pretty rabid in their love for the Buckeyes and Nick and I were good friends for some time. The tradition became for me to watch all the OSU games (when the Jonson's didn't go to Columbus) with them. Anyhow, USC has faced OSU 5 times since I was old enough to know anything about football, and they are 5-0 since then. Moreover, they won the first match up 18-17 and denied OSU the 1980 National Championship game with a score of 17-16. (I still believe Charles White did not score on that last drive by USC. It was a beautiful goal-line stand and I think I'm still in denial because of it). USC is leading the series against the Buckeyes 11-9-1. I want OSU to win BAAAAAD tonight!

But here is what's interesting. As much as I'm looking forward to tonight's game, I'm even more excited for tomorrow morning. Why? Well, if the Buckeyes win, I can go to my OSU-saturated church and celebrate with all of the transplanted Buckeyes who live here in Charlotte. I can begin thinking about a third National Championship game in a row, and hope that every SEC team beats up on each other and that the final NC opponent is from any other conference but that one. Of course there are still a few games before then that will be nail-biters, but I will know the chances are still there. My blood pressure will go up every Saturday between now and the day after the Michigan game and have a month of build-up for the big game in January. It will be exciting and stressful.

Which brings me to why I am excited for tomorrow even if they lose. First it won't be against an SEC team, so I won't have to deal with that. As a matter of fact I think a good portion of the SEC would like to see the Bucks win. (They probably think their chances of winning another NC game is greater if OSU is their opponent, so of course they want them to win). More importantly though, if the Buckeyes lose, I can relax. I will still enjoy the Saturday games and suspect the Buckeyes will win most if not all of them, but I won't be wired. I usually don't say this, but every year I get hyped up for the Buckeyes and stress out because of it too. A loss tonight won't be the end of the world. As a matter of fact, it will likely make my football watching more detached but also collectively more enjoyable. Perhaps this is another sign that sports isn't quite as important as I thought it was.

Sports are challenging my faith

January 2008: At my church we had a "Men's Challenge" event to kick off the year. The challenge speaker was Walt Wiley who is a great guy and a Christian. It was an enjoyable event. Walt used to be the chaplain for the Atlanta Braves, so he shared some stories about some of the guys on the team. It was cool. At first it seemed hard to believe that a team like the Braves would even want a chaplain, but I figured baseball players are relatively decent guys and they get traded so often, there is no doubt that Christians would eventually land in Atlanta whether they wanted to or not. Later that night, I met this guy named Dan. A really nice guy who is married and has two adopted children. He seemed pretty strong in his faith too, but...well, I found out later he went to the University of Michigan! Unbelievable! Christians in Ann Arbor! There must be something wrong. I figured it was a fluke.

July 2008: The junior high youth pastor at my church is a great guy. I haven't met him personally, but I've enjoyed and have been challenged by his preaching on the occasions that I've heard him. Well his Facebook profile is open and I cam across it one day and couldn't help but notice that he's from the state of Michigan and is a big Wolverines fan! Could lightening strike twice?

September 2008: Well, anyone knows that Ohio State fans such as myself don't really have a soft spot for Florida. The Gators trounced the Bucks twice in one school year in National Championship games. It was disgusting. Well, I was on the elliptical at the Y Saturday morning, minding my own business and then the following story was played regarding Florida QB and Heisman winner Tim Tebow:




Could it be that the school you go to or cheer for has nothing to do with your faith!?!? I'm stunned.

Pair o' Dime Props: Glenn Dorsey

OK, considering OSU is currently unable to beat an SEC team, I have to admit it's hard to give props to former LSU Tiger, Glenn Dorsey. But the latest Dick's Sporting Good's commercial is just funny. This weekend as college football started, I caught this during one of the games. Can Dorsey act? Well, no. But he poked fun at himself in this ad, and for that he's won some points in my book.

First Days and a New Chapter

Well it has been an eventful week in our home. After having an open house at our kids' school on Monday, my wife has been working non-stop to prepare for a new school year. This was a big one, especially for my youngest who I dropped off at Kindergarten earlier today. Mr. Self-Confident had no problem with it. He eats up the idea of going to school, will eat up the social interaction, and if they aren't careful, will also eat up his teachers. :-) His charm is a bit blinding at times.

Tina and I remark frequently on how different our two boys are. The older son is reserved most of the time whereas the younger would just assume be center stage. The older is the thinker and the younger the doer. Both are blessings and we celebrate their differences. Our older one, being the thinker began 3rd grade on Wednesday. It's a "transition year" with a theme of "responsibility." They gave him a planner and there are rumors of hours of homework. I'm hoping he will teach me how to be organized and responsible some day. :-) We're very thankful for our small school and the enthusiasm and energy the staff has for these kids.

As for Tina and me, well we have a new chapter in front of us. Two "full time students" in the house which will bring us some challenges no doubt. We're grateful for these boys and consider ourselves incredibly blessed to have them in our lives for a season.

Rusty Hardin does it again!

OK, I've posted it in the past, and here I go posting again. High Profile Attorney, Rusty Hardin has successfully defended the integrity of Victoria Osteen, wife of Joel Osteen who "co-pastor" Lakewood church in Houston. Allegedly, Mrs. Osteen was upset about a stain on the armrest of her first class seat on a flight from Houston to Vail, Colorado. Mr. Hardin who shares my childhood name of Rusty (and my adult surname of Hardin) has now successfully defended Mrs. Osteen as well as Wade Boggs, Warren Moon, Roger Clemons and many others has proven himself a very good attorney. However, due to the clientele he represents, I'm not necessarily disappointed that I shortened my name to Rus and I still receive the benefits that I mentioned in the previous post as well.

I do have something to ask the Osteen's though. If I could have their ear's for a few minutes, I would really like to know what exactly happened that would make a flight attendant think she could press charges? Surely Victoria was angry about something. I'm sure it was righteous anger at that....about that stain on her seat perhaps? I would be angry too if I were paying all that money for first class....as long as it didn't taint my witness.

Jim Borgman: The Blackberry/iPhone epidemic

Every once in a while Jim Borgman posts an editorial cartoon that I can't help but "repost" on here. This was a recent offering of his. I can't help but smirk every time someone says they want a blackberry. This is what it does to you. Can anyone else relate to this cartoon? Can I get a witness?