Jalen Rose, Grant Hill, & America

I usually don't read NBA news, and somehow I got a very important story confused as an NBA story...not an American story...which this really is. The more I looked into it and listened, the less I wanted to comment, and the more I thought we should all listen.

Jalen Rose had this to say in a recent documentary about the Fab Five.

Grant Hill, a wonderful basketball player, student, and person, on the 92' Duke NCAA Championship team, had this piece in the NY Times.

This is a very interesting and important dialogue. It may anger, sadden, annoy, or bore you, but this is an important discussion for our nation.

I'd be lying if I didn't want to berate Rose. I hated everything about the "Fab Five"...which is why I had to stop and listen to what he was really trying to say...and there is more to Rose's statements than what is on the surface. I make no comment in regard to agreeing or disagreeing, other than saying, "Stop. Listen to his point." You can make your own determination.

Firing the 20 for the 80

I subscribe to Seth Godin's blog. I enjoy reading his leadership and organizational insights. They usually spur me on when I need a kick in the tail.

In the interview below, he speaks of a hotel owner who "fires" 20% of his customers so that he can focus on the other 80%. Having a clientele devoted to a particular vision allows the provider to focus on that vision. How do you get that clientele? Seth suggests firing those not on board. Risky? Controversial? Yes.

I know Mike Slaughter of Ginghamsburg UMC has said, "The biggest growth we ever had was from 100 to 60." Mike essentially "fired" attenders of his church and lead the church to devote their ministry to a core that ended up growing exponentially. To this day, he is unflexing in regard to the aims and direction of the church...food for thought. Lots of good stuff here, check out the video.

Exclusive interview with Seth Godin from GiANT Impact on Vimeo.

A Weekend of Ups and Downs...but More Ups!

Purdue lost to, 10th place in the B1G, Iowa. A team everyone has mauled, except IU, we lost in what was amazingly only a one point loss. We didn't hustle or play hard, and the shots didn't go in the bucket. That always equals a loss in the B1G.

Other than that, though, it was a great weekend. The local Girl Scouts had an overnight and joined us for worship. It was fun having almost 30 girls and their parents join us worshiping God!

I've been wanting to fix some sound equipment issues, and I invited Terry LeMaster to check it out. Friends from CCUMC, Terry brought his whole family, and we had a great time after church.

Later in the evening, Steph and I did Youth Group. The bright spot of any week, the DVD was very powerful. John Ortberg's The Me I Want to Be is OK, but this video was worth the entire lesson.

What a great weekend!

Boiler Up!

#12 Purdue @ #1 an Ohio State University tonight!

Can Purdue win? Absolutely! Will they win? Well, that's why they play the game.

The key matchup according to the media is 6' 9" Fr. J. Sullinger of aOSU vs. 6' 10" Sr. J. Johnson. Both lead their teams in scoring and rebounding. Both are the top candidates for Big Ten player of the year. Each have a lot to prove about being the dominant post player of the year...

BUT...I'm going with the guards. I think that Sullinger and JJ will both play well, and thus negate each other. The key is going to be Etwuan Moore and Purdue's defense vs. Lighty and Buford. If Threetwuan Moore continues to play like he did vs. MSU and Purdue's guards are able to deny the aOSU guards entry passes, it will be a long frustrating night for the school that pays their players...umm...I mean aOSU. If Purdue is not able to deny Sullinger the ball, it will be the beginning of a long, terrible darkness over the Big Ten as Sullinger's game will open up aOSU's long game, spelling certain doom for the forces of good.

I don't think it will go like that, though. I think it will be a hard fought game going down to the wire. Threetwuan Moore hits the game winning three.

Purdue 71
aOSU 69


P.S. Look for Seth Davis to still say Purdue is not good after the win.

Respecting Your Elders

In my line of work, I deal with a large percentage of older adults. It is no surprise, and it is often admitted by older adults themselves, that this demigraphic strongly dislikes change.

However, life is full of change, and we are living in a moment in history when the change from week to week is literally equivalent to the changes occurring in a century for most of history. Change has exploded into an ever quickening pace. More has been learned in the 20th century than all of human history combined. It truly is an unbelievable time to live!

Leading an organization, leading for best practices in communities, that means I am advocating change often. Sometimes those changes are small. Sometimes they are big.

Unfortunately, I have found that resistance to change often finds the most base, ad hominem arguments, which gets to my point: At what point does the "I'm 90..." become a trump card?

It leaves us with giving up and letting resistance to change have its way, or it becomes the perception that you're "attacking a 90 yr. old."

I guess maybe I'm jealous. I want a trump card that shames everybody even when their logic is sound. "No! You can't do that! I have brown eye brows! You just leave little ole me with brown eyebrows out. You non brown-eyebrow-liker!" Man that would be awesome to pull out when I'm obviously not right. The brown eyebrow trump card...something I didn't decide and don't control...but makes me right nonetheless.

I'm also tired. Tired of fighting. I'm tired of "That's not the way we've done it." I'm tired of "You're just young." I'm tired of "You'll learn some day." I'm tired of "Old people are left out." These accusations are merely that...accusations, ad hominem attacks that surface when the facts prove a point.

Yet, culturally, we let these arguments stand...and win. I guess I have a lot to learn about respecting my elders because I just can't when they play these games.

Cheaters Do Win!

One of the lessons I'm going to have to teach my son and daughter is that cheaters do win. Contrary to what Daddy and Mommy have taught them their short lives, the NCAA is proving time and time again that it DOES pay to cheat (pun intended)!

Last night a player whose family asked for $200,000+ to play for two different schools was lauded as a hero for winning the BCS National Championship Game. In case you haven't heard, his father asked for money for Cam to go to different SEC schools. The schools turned this in, and the NCAA, ever so moral and righteous, deemed that Cam nor Auburn can't be held responsible for his father's indiscretions. The cheater wins.

This year O$U players were actually caught receiving special perks for being players and for selling Big Ten Championship rings. They were suspended for 5 games next year...BUT, they were allowed to play in the Bowl game this year. Again, the cheater wins.

John Calipari, the cheatingest coach in all of sports, has been the head man at two different universities that were given sanctions for improper recruiting violations and recruits having someone else take their SAT. Yet, the NCAA has cleared him every time. Yet, here he is the lauded Coach Calipari, at head of the (formerly) prestigious Kentucky basketball program. This cheater really knows how to win!

Here's to the cheaters! Yours is the victory and the glory and the wins! Cheers to the NCAA for being a leading force in the change of antiquated ethics...pshhh...who needs integrity...It doesn't give you trophies or $$$.

More Than We Can Handle

1 Corinthians 10:13 is often misquoted/misused...I've heard it (and probably said it this way myself) "God won't give you more than you can handle." And, while this is true in a sense, it is often pulled out of its context to mean something like "God will not allow stuff to happen in your life that you cannot effectively overcome." This is false.

John Ortberg pointed this out in It All Goes Back in the Box, as he correctly writes,

People twist that statement into saying that God will never give us
more than we can handle. Really? Look around the world:
holocaust, death, martyrdom, cancer, war. Whether it's a special
assignment or just living in a fallen world, people all the time are given
burdens they cannot handle...Paul's point is that we can never worm out of
responsibility for sin by saying it's God's fault.

I'm glad I ran across this. It challenged a reading that I had blindly accepted. I knew people had more than they could handle. I've read that verse and said to myself, "There are things, I'm not sure I could handle." To be honest, I felt a sense of pressure when reading this. Nothing can break me? Really? No...that's just religious platitude.

God gives us an out when it comes to temptation, but there are circumstances in life that will beat people down, sometimes even take their life...literally and/or figuratively.

That is why it is so important for the Church to be involved and missional in its endeavors to the community and world in which it exists. There are evils and oppressions out there that are taking people's lives slowly and painfully. And it's more than any of us could handle...alone.

This is why I believe in the Church: I have seen, felt, and participated in Her Salvific mission given by Christ to redeem the world. The message of God's love and mercy are so vital to give hope, and the active love of the body of Christ through mercy and caring ministries demonstrates what salvation is really all about: wholeness.

Happy New Year!!!

Holiday wishes to everyone! I hope that your Christmas and New Year were fun, safe, and meaningful. This has been such a unique year, but I can say that I am learning a lot about myself lately...mostly where I need to grow as a person. As long as I can follow through with it, that's a good thing!

Speaking of growing, I've made some resolutions for myself this year. They are:

• Exercise regularly.
• Maintain a reasonable diet.
• Lose 20 lbs.
• Not lose my temper as much with my children.
• Get back to dotting more i's and crossing more t's. 2010 was a huge step back in that area!

Do you have any resolutions? Want to share?

Wassail

OK, so I've always wanted to see what the big deal was about Wassail. As most of you know, I'm a history major and lover, so to see 16th - 18th century England obsessed with Wassail, I'm curious as to what it tastes like. Why is this drink in so many songs? Why did the English have such a connection to it?

Yes, I've had the modern American stuff we call wassail, but it's really just a mulled cidar. I've always harbored some doubts that the stuff in church lady's crock pot was the stuff of song and dance! From what I've read Wassail is more of a "hearty" drink. The name itself means "Good Health."

Finally, I've found it: A professional chef's research into a 16th century Lambswool Wassail: It looks stout, hearty, and...interesting! I'm pretty sure it's more ancient than I thought. It's a basically a spiced beer; however, I'm confident it has a pagan religous origin. Apples and eggs were very important to the British Isles' pagan religions, and Wassail has always been related to Christmas...or Winter Solstice, an important holiday for most pre-Christian religions.

Overall, it's been a fun little research project, and now I'm trying to decide if I take the next step! Should I make it...and more importantly, should I serve it! Lol!

See what you think...would you drink it if I make it!?!

Wassail by Alton Brown
Ingredients
6 small Fuji apples, cored
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
72 ounces ale
750 ml Madeira
10 whole cloves
10 whole allspice berries
1 cinnamon stick, 2-inches long
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 large eggs, separated

Don't try this without looking up the Foodnetwork show on how to do it (Part 1, Part 2)! Apparently, it takes a few special twists to get it to come out right.

Seriously, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Caution! Choices ahead!

As I was walking out of the local elementary school today, I got to the steps. I had a choice to make. If I took the right side of the railing, I would have a small bit of ice on every step. If I took the left side of the railing, I would have a lot of ice on the very first step, but hardly any on the others.

Once choice had small dangers all along, while the other had a big danger right up front...but with relative safety after that.

For some reason it struck me as the way of life (maybe it was the fact I was looking for something to blog on...who knows). We're constantly faced with choices. Some good, some bad. Some choices are neither good nor bad; rather, it's a weighing of decisions, small factors, who I am, who those in the decisions are, who gets impacted by my decision, and can I afford to lose the cost in light of the potential gain.

If you're curious, I took the bad first step. Bold, gutsy, full of danger...OK, so it was just a step, but then again, perhaps it was more than that...

Elections

Yesterday was an election day. Overall, I think there were some good things that came from the election. #1 being that Nancy Pelosi was removed from Speaker of the House...yikes! What an embarrassment to our nation! I'm very glad she's gone. #2 I'm glad that people are starting to take some ownership of the political process. The voters must speak discontent when the politicians aren't hearing us...or following through with our message.

However, I am appalled at the whimsical nature of this election: Basically, what came back was: We changed our mind, we don't want healthcare...we don't want higher taxes...we don't want to fix our economy. Afterall, those were the platform of the last election's winning party!

And it all boiled down to "my money." Here's some info for you, America: You payed less taxes last year than you have since 1950! Yes it's true, read about it here.

So you're expecting the American government to give you free stuff, fight wars over seas, build roads, educate your children, and they are supposed to do that without money? How?

Taxes aren't the issue...it's the spending. Yet, spending always is loved voters because we benefit from it...we just want it at someone else's expense. And right now, we lovely Americans are choosing to bankrupt our children and their children.

Here's to you voters! Getting for yourself, and ruining your children!

Outdoor Dog

Our dog has a body odor problem. No, seriously, she really stinks. It's purely a dog smell. I'm pretty sure it's not an unhealthy or bad teeth smell. I think that just like some humans, our dog has B.O. issues.

And it isn't the greatest experience that she is an inside dog.

As the weather cooled down, we (read "I") took Lily outside. She has a little house, a fenced in living area, food, water, and a huge bathroom. At first, the kids and Lily were very disappointed. The kids cried, and Lily paced outside the door. I might've cried, too, but it was because the loss of stench made me happy.

After a few days, though, we do think everyone is happier. Our house smells better, the dog isn't making that annoying sound of drying off her tongue (yeah, it's weird, she likes a dry tongue), and she seems to be having fun being outside. I enjoy watching her gorge on grass, then barf it all up. Very exciting, we have a bulemic dog.

She chases bugs, barks at stray dogs, and sunbathes to her hearts content...You can see that she is much less stressed, and she is much happier. Proving something I already believed....dogs were never meant to live inside...and when we treat animals like animals and not people, every creature is happier.

Conflict

I'm always stunned at the wide variety of ways that people deal with conflict. I suppose I shouldn't be. People are different. There are lots of ways for people to be different. We speak different languages, live in different areas, have different cultures, have different families, and our genes even differ.

Here's my take on some different approaches to conflict that I've seen:

• The Labrador - They just want to be friends, and as long as you feed and pet them, it'll be O.K. with them. Bad thing is...dogs smell.
• The Turtle - They hide from conflict. Hoping that in time the conflict will go away, they hide, retreat, run away. Did you know that turtle soup is tasty...mmmmmm.
• The Lion - They roar. They fight. They don't back down. Kings of the Jungle, they'll take on the world just to prove they're in charge. Interesting factoid: Lions don't live in jungles and the males don't hunt.
• The Bulldog - To your face they get along....but leave the room, and they've jumped on the coach again. Don't trust a bulldog, yet, the irony is that they are amazingly loyal to their pack.
• Frog - Oblivious to conflicts heating up, they get boiled in hot water. Contrary to rumors, frog meat is NOT good. It tastes like rubbery chicken dipped in fish oil.
• Tazmanian Devil - They yell...lots...But, they're pretty harmless. Lots of bark and no bite.
• The Homo Sapien - Conflict? [gun shot] What conflict? Homo Sapiens destroy everything in their path without regard to consequences.
• The Human - Has the ability to speak. No really, humans can speak, talk through conflict, and find ways for everyone to have some gain. Again, speaking is the difference between humans and other homonids and animals.

One of my favorite parts of the book series Dune is when Paul Atreides is tested...to see if he's human...or just another animal.

Perhaps, it's a question we shouldn't take for granted...Most conflict is handled poorly.

Remember the Days...

Remember the days of Duck Hunt, Contra, even Donkey Kong?

They've been brought together in some stunning videos...


Mortal Combat with Donkey Kong



Contra Meets Duck Hunt

Proving Once Again Purdue Is An "Almost" Away From Greatness

Long time Indiana native and Purdue fan, Brandon Dawson, who spoke highly of Purdue, committed to MSU yesterday.

A five star recruit that EVERYBODY wanted had Purdue and MSU on his shortlist. Most people believed that Purdue was a lock...Here's to assuming...

The Fumbles - Purdue @ ND 98'
The Missed FG's - Purdue vs. Georgia 98' (any one of 4 FG's would've won the game).
The Missed FG - Purdue@ OSU 93'
THE Fumble - Purdue vs. Wiscy 94'
The Tear - Purdue (BB) 10'

A long history of tragedy for Purdue sports...

It's All In How You Say It...

Stephanie and I were talking at lunch today. In the middle of a story, I stumbled over the correct way to grammatically state something, and I had to stop and say it both ways until I figured out that I said it correctly the first time.

Trying to be funny I restated my communication, but lost the whole discussion:

I won't repeat exactly what I said because, well...It didn't sound good at all...even though I was saying the same thing a different way.

The point is this: There are right ways to say things and wrong ways. This is determined by several factors. Your clarity of verbal communication. Your clarity of nonverbal communication. And MOST importantly, the listener's understanding of your communication.

We can't communicate well until we understand how people understand what we are saying. Semantic range within culture and locale is very important. For example, here in the USA, asking for a napkin at the dinner table is normal. In London, this would be quite unexpected and rude. Same word, different meanings.

Funny thing is that this happens all the time, and IMHO is the reason behind most miscommunications.