The League

I kept seeing the previews on FX for The League, a show about guys in a fantasy football league. The previews looked pretty funny, but I just was not too sure.

Until about the first five minutes when one of the characters starts saying how he is going balls deep this year (which was my fantasy team name at one point). It immediately reminded me of the morning I woke up and read this article over at KSK. Unfortunately, none of my friends ever read it, so making Rex Grossman jokes never made sense.

Some other highlights from the show:
-the main character having his girlfriend finger his ass during sex
-Taco (yes that is a character's name) singing a birthday song to his friend's five year-old daughter. He describes her parents going at it 69 style.
-pedophile jokes
-smoking pubic hair and getting high

It will be interesting to see if the show can continue to crack me up each week, but also see the characters grow at the same time.

a flash, followed by

spectacular.

Comic Book Movie Grades Part 2

I figured it is about time to update the list. Movies that I forgot or have come out since last time will be in bold. If I changed my mind about a movie, it will be in italics.

Spider-Man: A+
Spider-Man 2: A+
Spider-Man 3: A-/B+
X-Men: A
X2: A+
X3: B+
X-Men Orgins: Wolverine: C
Blade: B-
Blade II: B
Blade: Trinity: B+
Daredevil: B-
Elektra: C
Fantastic Four: C+
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer: D-
Hulk: C-
Punisher: C+
Catwoman: F
Constantine: C
Batman: B
Batman Returns: B-
Batman Forever: C
Batman and Robin: D-
Batman Begins: A
The Dark Knight: A+
Superman: B+
Superman II: B
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut: B+
Superman III: D
Superman IV: F
Superman Returns: A-
Hellboy: B
Hellboy II: The Golden Army: B
Sin City: A+
Road to Perdition: A
Judge Dredd: F
V For Vendetta: A-
A History of Violence: B-
The Crow: B
From Hell: B
Howard the Duck: D+
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: D
Man-Thing: F
Spawn: C
Ghost Rider: C-
300: A+
Iron Man: A+
The Incredible Hulk: B+/A-
Watchmen: A
30 Days of Night: B
The Spirit: F

30 Days of Night

Yes, I am doing a review of the movie 30 Days of Night. No, I am not stuck in some time-warp, and no this is not the first time I have seen the movie. I just realized I never posted anything about it and well, it is almost Halloween and I just watched it again on Encore. Good enough reason in my book.

For those of you that have not seen the movie, let me give you a quick recap. It is set in Barrow, Alaska, one of those places that get thirty days of darkness in winter. A pack of vampires decide to come to the town and kill everyone. The movie revolves around those thirty days and how the sheriff (played by Josh Hartnett) keeps a few people alive.

This movie is based on the comic of the same name. That comic is one of the only ones to ever creep me out. Maybe it's Niles' storytelling, or maybe Templesmith's art (most likely a combination of both), but it was a very good comic.

The movie follows the book pretty well, and it also has parts that scare the bejeezus out of me. Some of things the movie does well: bring the vampires to life, if you read the book, you know that those vampires do not look like your typical bloodsuckers. They resemble the old Nosferatu (huge pointy teeth...well just look at the picture).

I enjoy vampire movies, well as long as my vampires are not sparkly when they go out in the sun, but I really like them when they are just evil. There is no reasoning with these vampires, no discussions of morality. They come to the town and the feast on the people like they are at an all you can eat buffet.

So if you feel like watching a good vampire movie, check this one out. Here is my favorite scene of the movie:


Comic Book Movie Grade: B

Dear Youthworker. . . . About YS. . . . And Thanks Doug!

There are two voices in this blog today. . . .

Walt:I’ve now had a little more than a week to process, discuss, and try to sort out what I think about the big changes announced last week at Youth Specialties, an organization (or more accurately, a group of people) I’ve grown to know and love over the course of the last thirty years.

YS was there for me when I was serving in the local church as a youth pastor. I was always excited about traveling with my team of volunteers to one-day resource seminars, conventions, and other events. The overwhelming majority of youth ministry resources that populate my shelves bear one of the many different YS logos. In recent years, it was my friends at YS who have done more to encourage me and promote CPYU than anyone else. They’ve also given me more opportunities than anyone else to train and serve youth workers – year after year – at the NYWC.

For those of us who have been around YS for a long time, Marko’s termination is one in a long line of changes that have taken place relatively recently. First, Wayne Rice moved on. Then, Yac died. Last January, my good buddy Tic and a host of YS staffers were terminated. And now, another big change. Each of us has to respond to news that no doubt makes us emotional. My initial response was to text Marko last week, tell him that I was praying for him, and to thank him again for the role he and YS have played in encouraging and supporting CPYU.

Just as I’ve been blessed to have YS (the people) as a friend, I’ve been doubly blessed by the friendships I’ve made with countless others through YS. One of my closest and most respected-friends is Doug Fields. Doug’s a part of a trusted group of close buddies who I can always rely on for wisdom and perspective. Throughout the last week, Doug has served in this function in his normal, balanced, and well-reasoned manner. Doug’s said a lot of good things that he has graciously committed to writing because. . . . well. . . . I think they are things we all need to think about and hear in order to gain perspective as we wander around in a cloud of dust that - believe or not – is settling and will settle. I asked Doug to jot down his thoughts. Doug’s words echo my own thoughts, and since he says it all better than I can, I yield several inches of blogging space to my esteemed colleague from California, Doug. . . .


Doug: I’ve had several people ask me what I think of Marko being fired from YS and if I think YS will survive.

Well, I’ve been around long enough to know there are two sides to every story and I’ve not been privy to both sides. So, if working in the church has taught me anything, I’ve learned that it’s wise to be slow to judge, criticize and jump to conclusions. The thoughts below are limited to gut-level observations and intended to be my way of answering all the emails that I’ve gotten from friends in youth ministry who want to know what I think about the “hostile-takeover”. Here you go, here’s what I’m currently thinking:

1. I love the fact that fellow youth workers are rallying behind Marko.
He is definitely worthy of thanks, praise and support for all he has done in being a leader in youth ministry while at YS. He is one of us and “one of us” seems to have been wounded and regardless of the other side’s point of view, I love the comradery and defensiveness for Marko! I’m honored to be part of a “team” that gets angered when one of us is hurt. And, let’s be honest, Marko has been a GOOD one of us--raising the bar in YM, cheering on youth workers, challenging us to think, being a champion of junior high, etc...

2. Personally, I am heartbroken that Marko was fired in a corporate-type of way.
The way Marko described the firing to me seemed brutal (you’re done, over, clean out your desk, hand over your phone, give us your computer, etc…). I know that is how the corporate world works, but I’ve worked in the church since I was 18 years old and it just seems so heartless to me. I told Marko I was sad for that to happen to him—I would have hated to have gone thru that experience.

3.I DON’T believe Zondervan is the evil empire that some within the youth ministry world is accusing them to be.
The moment YS was sold to Zondervan (4ish years ago), a new reality was born. Zondervan is a FOR PROFIT company that trades on the NYSE. They are accountable to shareholders and Zondervan (and YS) lives under the pressure of high financial performance. They MUST turn a profit. Zondervan wasn't out to kill, quench or damage YS...they bought the company from Karla Yaconelli with the belief that they could make it a better and more profitable ministry. They had no reason to want it destroyed, they invested millions in the hope that it would thrive. They had to cut their losses--their financial model was dependant on large events with paying customers. In the church-world, when tithes go down, conference budgets are cut.

4. I’m sad that YS probably won’t ever be “my-YS” again
YS is a rich part of my youth ministry legacy. When I was a young youth worker, Wayne Rice, Mike Yaconelli and Tic Long were youth ministry demi-gods and they took a big risk in giving me a platform to teach at their conventions and write books. They saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself and kept cheering me on and inviting me to do more. I brought an “in-the-trenches” element to YS that they appreciated and my ministry platform expanded. I am very grateful to the legacy of YS!

But, for me, “my-YS” was YS infused with the spirit of Yaconelli. Mike provided the resounding DNA that surfaced louder than the other leaders. YS was Yaconelli-breathed. It was his baby! Mike didn’t want to lose money with YS, but it wasn’t about the money for him--it was about the mission, the message and the audience. When Mike tragically died, “my-YS” died. Though my long-term, dear friend Tic was still there to help Marko lead the way, it just always felt a little different to me without Mike’s presence. Not bad different, just different-different.

I write all that because I know the loss of Marko will be the loss of “my-YS” for many younger youth workers. I totally get it. It feels weird when you identify so strongly with a personality and they’re no longer leading it. I understand if your YS isn’t the same again.

5. Karla Yaconelli did what I’d want Cathy Fields to do if I died.
Karla was an incredible support and cheerleader to Mike when he was running YS. She sacrificed a ton of her husband as he traveled throughout the year speaking and building the ministry of YS. She’s a remarkable woman! This last week I’ve heard people say that she should never have sold YS to Zondervan because that was the impetus for all these events. In this case, “shouldn’t have” is simply birthed from ignorance. Karla didn’t want to run YS…she wasn’t wired for those types of responsibilities. Karla did the right thing and sold to the right company—Zondervan had a 20+ year relationship with YS and it was a natural partner! Her intention was that Mike’s legacy would continue thru Zondervan’s reach and she would be able to survive and move on with the assets from Mike’s hard work. If I died, I would never expect or want Cathy to continue to try to run Simply Youth Ministry in my absence if it wasn’t in her heart. I would want her to do what was best for the future of her and our kids…the same thing that Mike wanted for Karla.

6. Youth Ministry organizations will come and go.
Everything will have its season and run its course. Over the landscape of youth ministry, the powerhouses will fade away and new influencers will arrive. This happens with resource companies and it happens with churches… it’s the cycle of life. Twenty five years ago church leaders flocked to the Crystal Cathedral, then ten years ago they flooded Willow Creek and Saddleback…now, they race to North Point and LifeChurch.tv. Churches, ministries and organizations come and go—the YMCA was once the most powerful youth ministry presence of its time…now, many YMCA’s are ghost towns. I’m happy that Simply Youth Ministry continues to grow, but there will be day when people say, “What was the name of that guy who had that internet company and did conferences with Group?”

7. Marko is bigger than this knock-down.
I haven’t done life as intimately with Marko as I have with Yaconelli and Tic…but, I know him well enough to know that his identity is stronger in Jesus than in being the president of YS. Sure this move stings…and yes it’s not what he planned…but he will still love and serve Jesus in spite of this move. What we know to be true about his character in good times will only be enhanced during this difficult time.

8. Youth ministry will still happen.
Whether it’s Marko, or Yaconelli or Tic or anyone else who has taught, challenged, led and encouraged us…we go on. Youth ministry continues. Teenagers need caring adults to love them, believe in them, and point them to Jesus. With or without YS…youth ministry continues—that’s the way to honor a leader, a legacy…and our Lord Jesus.


Walt: While I’m grateful for Doug’s perspective, I know that it means nothing unless I act on it. I’m constantly reminding my kids of their need to fill their wells with the “This I know’s” (the richness of the perspective of God’s Word) and then acting on those things when the going gets rough and you don’t always see things clearly. I’m convinced that if we don’t live that way, we might wind up doing some things we wish we hadn’t done when we find ourselves walking through muddled stuff that is blurry, confusing, and emotional. Doug, you’ve given me some “this I know’s” to add to my own this week.

Which lead me to this weekend in Cincinnati. . . . the second of this year’s YS National Youthworker’s Conventions. My goal this weekend will be the same as it always is when I head off to a NYWC: I intend to embrace the privilege of the invitation I’ve been given by YS to honor and glorify God through serving and training youth workers. As always, I’m excited about being a part of this great event.

For those of you who will be in Cincy. . . or even in Atlanta in a few weeks. . . .let me go out on a limb and issue a bold challenge. Even though Marko is no longer a part of it, there’s still a YS, a YS staff, and a NYWC that is being run by a YS staff that is passionate about Jesus and passionate about youth workers. This reality is the true legacy of Wayne, Yac, Tic, and Marko. It’s my hope that we’ll come together to honor that legacy by honoring the passion of each of these guys for Jesus and youth workers through bringing honor and glory to God in our worship (24/7), our care and love for the YS staff, and our commitment to encourage and equip each other.

White Collar

I recorded White Collar(or is the proper new term DVRd?) the other night and watched it yesterday morning. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. It is basically Catch Me If You Can, but after he gets caught and starts working with the FBI. If any of you are like me, I was always curious about that aspect of that movie.

The relationship between the FBI agent and conman seems to be pretty typical, which is not a bad thing. I wonder though, if the constant threat of being sent back to jail will be there or if that will get tossed out the window after a few episodes.

In the first episode the conman (I am too lazy to look up names), finds a loophole in warrant law, which could be the solution to every criminal they try to catch whenever they cannot get a warrant (which would then become very annoying, also I am sure some lawyer would attack something like that...) Or maybe he will not be able to use that one again since the FBI gave him a badge that says FBI Consultant or something...

Sorry about that little ramble. Another plus side of the show is Tiffany Amber Thiessen, and let me say, she is still hot.

Silly Weekend Videos

Remember how I said I love those Adult Swim videos of Carl from Aqua Teen talking about sports? Well they have started doing them weekly and I have spent the last hour watching a bunch of them. Here are three of them, including this weeks.

Where the Wild Things Are

I was going to try and post a review of the movie, but then I read filmdrunk's review and decided that was almost exactly how I felt about the movie. I had a few differences, but they are slight and really not worth mentioning.

Actually, I want to point out this post over at stuffwhitepeoplelike. Take a minute and read it, and come back when you are finished.

Okay, after Kacie and I saw the movie, a few nights later we are at Champs enjoying a tasty beer, and there are two guys beside us discussing movies. One white guy (probably mid 20s) and one black guy (in his 40s). The black guy says how he did not really like the movie because it was a bit dark and scary for his kids.

The white guy cannot seem to comprehend this and starts saying stuff like this:
"But dude, it's a Spike Jonze movie! He is awesome."
"How can you not be a fan of Mark Sendak's books?"
"The book changed my life as a child."

I really wish I was making this shit up, but I am not. The first comment is funny because I wonder if the guy actually knows the body of work Spike Jonze has done? Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, about the only things I can think of that he directed.

I believe he meant Maurice Sendak for the second comment, and I will be honest with you, looking at his works on wikipedia, I have only heard of WTWTA. The reason I thought of the stuffwhitepeoplelike post is because of their reference to Fight Club. I bet money this is a guy who tells people he read the book long before the movie came out. I am one of the few people who decided to buy the book after seeing the movie...

I also wonder if the white guy meant he was a fan of David Eggers books? I have never read any of his books, in fact I do not think I have heard of any of them. I guess that makes me dumb or something.

Last comment though really cracked me up: the book changed his life as a child. What the fuck does that mean? When I was a kid, I am pretty sure a peanut butter & apple butter sandwich would have changed my life. Ten sentences changed my life forever. What did this guy do as a child, read this story and say "damn, I should not be so wild. Allow me to start volunteering at the local animal shelter, or maybe I should read Voltaire."

And people wonder why I want to kill 93% of the people I see...

Girlfriend of the Week

Ugh, I slept in. I worked third shift last night and wanted to get up around five today, well it's seven and I am just rolling out of bed. Anyways, none of you really care about that, you just want to see some pictures of some hot girl.

Well this week I decided to go with Emily Deschanel. Over at the Warming Glow, there has been a comment debate about who is hotter, Emily or Zooey. Honestly, I think it is silly. They are both hot.

If you watch the show Bones, you get to see Emily at work and she plays her character very well. I took a bunch of anthropology courses, that is how a bio-anth professor acts (except they are never hot).

Stewards Past, Present, and Future. . . .

The November/December Youthworker Journal showed up in our mailbox yesterday. Much to my surprise and delight, the cover featured these words right there across the bottom: "Walt Mueller Gets Rich."

Wow! Well, the "Wow!" lasted about three-quarters of a second as I realized that 1) It was news to me. . . so obviously. . . it can't be true, and 2) The reference was to my latest Culture Watch column in YWJ.

This edition of YWJ is all about youth and missions. My column focused on addressing our materialism and teaching kids about stewardship. In the article (entitled "Why I Am Rich"), I mentioned that all of us and all of our kids are living our lives in the upper 2% of the world's population in terms of our stuff. I mentioned that we are materialistic, citing Kenneth Kantzer's 20-year-old quote, "The most serious problem facing the church today is materialism - materialism not as a philosophical theory, but as a way of life." And, I mentioned that we have a great responsibility to learn principles of Biblical stewardship that yield a lifestyle committed to meeting the world's great needs. . . . myself, kids, and adults alike.

All this reminded me of a quote from Turner Clinard that I recently read in Mark Allan Powell's book Giving To God: The Bible's Good News About Living a Generous Life. Clinard writes, "All the difference in the world exists between those who recognize and willingly accept their stewardship, realizing the gracious and bountiful and loving gifts of God, and those who set out with the attitude of putting a fence around as much of the universe as possible and saying, This is mine. It isn't. And nothing we can do can make it so."

For the last 20 years, I've been personally blessed and humbled by a growing group of individuals, couples, families, and youth groups who have embraced life in that former group mentioned by Clinard. For 20 years, they have partnered with us as "senders" to help us fulfill our calling as "the sent" through our ministry with CPYU. They've done this for 20 years! . . . . . that's amazing to me.


Earlier this month we notified our constituency of our plans to continue and forge ahead for as long as the Lord allows. A group of our long-time friends came together to pool $25,000 in a challenge grant that we issued at the beginning of October. They are challenging all of you who use, value, and appreciate CPYU to come together with them in an effort to raise an additional $25,000. I'm thrilled to report that as of today, we are almost halfway to our goal! $12,392 has been raised.

All of us here at CPYU and those who benefit from our ministry are grateful for the stewards - past, present, and future - who have made this ministry possible. Of course, I realize that the ultimate source of all that we have and are comes from God and God alone. But I also realize that to make this happen he uses the combined efforts of those he has called to be sent, and those he has called to be senders. Would you prayerfully consider becoming a sender and joining our team of stewards by making a tax deductible contribution that will go towards our $25,000 challenge grant!

If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution, please click here. As a thank you for every gift of $25 or more, we'll send you a copy of my latest book, The Space Between: A Parent's Guide to Teenage Development.




Youth culture is changing and changing fast. We remain committed to providing up-to-date information and analysis from a distinctively Christian perspective. And, we remain committed to doing so with Biblical faithfulness, integrity, excellence, humility, and the highest principles of financial stewardship. God willing, I'm looking forward to another wonderful 20 years!

Halloween '09

The last few years I have not been able to go out and enjoy Halloween because of work. Fortunately this year I have the weekend off. The question is, what should I do? Also, what should I be?

Option A
Go to State College and hit up the bars. Always a fun time, plenty of scantily clad girls running around. The problem is where to stay. However, there is no home football game that weekend, so getting a hotel room would be relatively cheap. If we can get a few people to go, it would not cost much money.

Option B
Find a party to go to. Umm, always a fun idea, unfortunately I do not know of anyone having a party...

Option C
Head to Pittsburgh. This could be fun, but it also falls in with the problem of option B...

Option D
Do nothing and be absolutely miserable. Come on people, do not allow this to happen!

Costume Ideas
-Pope
-Jesus
-Pope or Jesus with a giant fuckin' sword!
-Insert your idea here

Anyways, let me know what you folks think.

The Dark Tower

The other day I finished reading book seven of the Dark Tower series. This marks my second time through the entire series, and I must say that it got even better this time around. I have a feeling this is going to turn into a rambling mess about the final book, which people complained about, so if you have not read the series, I apologize, you should tune in later for another post or something.

Things I Loved
The deaths. Yes, that sounds morbid, but each death of a main character is moving and we get to see how they helped changed Roland for the better.

-Eddie's death comes early in the book, and it's actually kind of shocking by how abruptly it happens. As Roland travels along, he continues to use phrases that Eddie often used.

-Jake's death was the saddest. He gives his life to save Stephen King. Roland thinks of him as his son, which is a huge change from the first book, where Roland considered him "the boy" and decided to let him fall. I do believe that Roland would have given his life to save Jake, which is as close to Roland giving up the tower as possible.

-Oy's death was the most heroic. The one time we see Roland truly vulnerable, he falls asleep with no one capable to keep watch against Mordred. The spider-boy attacks, but Oy steps in and gives his life to save Roland (or as Oy would say Olan). The sad part was, how regretful Roland is about the way he treated Oy before he died. Roland would have considered Oy's death to be a sacrifice for the tower, or for his own survival (as with David the hawk), yet now he mourns his friend's death like it were any member of the ka-tet.

-Walter/Randall Flagg: I know many people disliked the way "the man in black" met his end (being eaten by Mordred). They claim that it was just a way to set up how powerful Mordred is and that it did not live up to the hype of the showdown between Flagg and Roland.

For me though, it reminds me of how in Lord of the Rings, you keeping thinking that at some point Sauron and Aragorn will have this great sword fight, yet it never happens.

The only more fitting death for Walter, would be if Jake would have shot him with the Ruger (since it seemed to scare Flagg in book IV). I think Jake killing him would have really been a nice touch, but instead Roland's other son does the deed. I love how Flagg thinks his thinking cap can block Mordred, which it does not.

I also loved the ending, well both endings. The first ending is great because Roland opening the door to the tower is the perfect ending. I love that King also lets the reader know that you can stop there. I love though, how we get to go along with Roland as he travels towards the top of the tower. When he gets there he realizes he has done it before and that he is going to start over. There is a lesson in there about wanting things so badly. I wonder if Roland will break the cycle now that he has the Horn of Eld?

I also wonder if the reason characters seemed to get those odd premonitions (such as Jake saying that the rose in the vacant lot is the universe, or all universes, and not knowing how he knows that) is because they have been locked in this cycle as well...something to ponder I suppose.

A TV Series
As most people, J.J. Abrams bought the rights for $19 (or so I have read a few places). This makes me hope they will make the series into a TV show, especially on HBO or something.

I have spent the last few days thinking about how awesome this show would be. Hell, I have even started breaking down how each season should go. I would post all that stuff, but I am sure only one person is going to read this.

I have also heard that Christian Bale would be a good Roland, and all I can say is...NO. I just do not picture Bale when I read the books. Bale does not seem to fit the description of "old long, tall, and ugly."

Obviously, a young Clint Eastwood would probably be perfect, unfortunately my time machine is broken. I would say going with unknowns would be the best bet, maybe a semi-star for Roland. Who would you cast? And do not give me any names like Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt...absolutely not.



Here is an old mock trailer someone did. I actually love the idea for Pere Callahan...

Walkoff! . . . .

It's early afternoon and I just climbed out of bed a couple of hours ago. I didn't climb into bed until 3am after a long solo drive home from witnessing not only Phillie baseball history, but baseball history. Thanks to an invitation from my long-time friend and fellow Phillie-lover Randy, I was there at midnight when Jimmie Rollins became only the third player in baseball history to hit a walkoff extra-base hit in a post-season game with his team one out away from taking a loss. As a life-long Phillie fan who has died what seems like a million deaths with his team, this was pretty sweet. Add to that fact that last year, thanks to Chris, I was able to be there to see C.C. Sabathia's meltdown in the NLDS against the Phils in another legendary game, and I'm on a streak. I'm not used to this!



In our post-game office debrief of the game (always fun to debrief things with the CPYU staff!), I told them about much more than the deafening - and I mean DEAFENING - roar that followed Rollins' hit. You see, Philly is a very unique place with very unique people who know and love their sports. My eyes and ears were wide open, enjoying the opportunity to soak in some vintage Philly culture on the way to and from the game. After driving from Lancaster to meet Randy in Fort Washington - where I more or less grew up - we drove together to the Fern Rock subway station in North Philly to grab the Phillies Express to Broad and Pattison. . . . an intersection where my life intersected with many, many great sports memories. Having shared a bunch of those memories with Randy during our teenage years made last night extra special. The train was loaded with expectant Phillies fans all decked out in red. Even the couple headed to the Springsteen concert across the street from the ballpark was wearing Phillies gear. Emerging from the subway station onto the street to see the stadium and lights, to hear the sounds, and to smell the smells was awesome. The post-game journey home was the same. Finally, alone in my car heading west on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I tuned in to 610 WIP to hear Scott Frantzkee and Larry Anderson's radio call of Rollins' hit. Hearing their excitement, I knew that I had experienced something special that would become another great memory.

But there was something else going on in my head as I exited that stadium and embarked on the drive home. I can't help but think that last night was "the best" for many of the folks who were there. In other words, the game, the team, and the moment were engaged and embraced by folks in a redemptive manner. Hungry for Heaven and yearning for that always elusive something more that fulfills, I wondered how many of those rabid fans believed that if only the Phillies would win. . . then everything in the world would be right. I don't want to take away from the moment. It was absolutely awesome and I thoroughly enjoyed it all. But even before I pulled into my neighborhood at almost 3am, I was aware of the fact that life goes on and that there's nothing in this world that can fix us, heal us, or fulfill our deepest yearnings. Everyone at last night's game had to get out of bed today. And with getting out of bed comes the realization that a victory can't fulfill. The hole in the soul is still there.

And then I thought a little bit more. I am grateful to God for perspective. He is the only one who can redeem. Thanks to His inexplicable grace which He gave to me, I have not only been redeemed, but continue to learn who and what can and can't bring redemption. My buddy Randy knows the same. You see, we grew up together under the tutelage of the same youth pastors who God used to help us gain that perspective. So while we were high-fiving last night along with everyone else in Section 114, something deeper was going on for the two of us. It was great, but there's so much more.

And Doug. . . you looked awesome on the scoreboard screen after Victorino's catch!

twitterpated

there's a squirrel in my tree

I named him Elliott. After Elliott Smith, a musician from Portland. 

Squirrels are awesome. 

let the wild rumpus start

Trailer for "Where the Wild Things Are".

I can't wait.

Why did I never read this as a child?

nooks & crannies

home

Football Question

I know that many of you watch and know more about football than me, so I am going to ask you a question. If you watched the Patriots/Broncos game on Sunday, you noticed at the end, the Broncos had the ball on third down with very little time left. Orton gets sacked and it is a 4th and 15 at the 50 yard line, well out of range of a field goal.

The Broncos decide to punt and put the ball at the 5, and the Patriots do not return it, nor do they attempt a play with seven seconds left. The Broncos win the coin toss and drive down and kick a field goal to win the game in OT. Here is my question: why not try for the touchdown at the end of the game if you are the Broncos?

Hear me out for a second. They were at the 50 yard line, you take a a deep pass towards the end zone, what is likely to happen? The ball either gets batted down, or in a worst case scenario, the Patriots intercept the ball and run it back for a touchdown. What are the odds of that though?

Also, if you do not complete the pass and the Patriots recover with time on the clock, they will only have time for one more play and they too will be out of field goal range. To me it just seemed silly to punt at that point, especially when you are just letting a coin toss decide the game (I know they always say that some ridiculous % of teams that win the coin toss win the game...)

For those of you who watched the game, or know more about football, please weigh in on this for me.

Read These. . . .

I love a good and inspiring book. I'm guessing you do too. So. . . . I want to pass on recommendations for a couple of new books that I've read that I'm encouraging others to read as well.


You may remember me mentioning Jeffrey Marx's Season of Life in the past. This true story of transformation, redemption, and character development was a best-seller that Derek Melleby and I have been quoting for years. Now, Marx has released a new football story that will inspire sports fans and even non-fans alike. The Long Snapper is a quick can't-put-it-down book that tells the story of Brian Kinchen's unprobable invitation to come out of retirement to long-snap for the Patriots during their Super Bowl run of 2003. Marx uses his engaging signature-style to take readers on Kinchen's journey from middle-school Bible teacher to the stresses of long-snapping when ultimate football prize is on the line. With a son who was long-snapper in high school, I know just how nerve-wracking a responsibility it is and how the long-snapper remains invisible until they mess up. This is a great story that will serve as a well from which to draw lessons to pass on to the kids you know and love when you are presented with teachable moments.


My second recommendation is a new book from my friend Jonas Beiler, a former Amishman who started a local Christian counseling center that was funded by his wife Anne's homemade pretzel stand. Anyone who travels through airports or goes to the mall is familiar with Anne's "Auntie Anne's Pretzels." The new book from Jonas is Think No Evil: Inside the Story of the Amish Schoolhouse Shooting and Beyond. Jonas gives a compelling firsthand account of not only what transpired at Nickel Mines and his personal involvement, but how the Amish were committed to forgive. Jonas asked me to endorse the book and I'll pass on what I wrote: "Many accuse our Amish neighbors of being strange and unusual. In the immediate aftermath of the Nickel Mines school shootings, the world found that to be true. The deeply hurting Amish community showed a strange and unusual commitment to show deep grace, mercy, and forgiveness. . . . of the type that should be normal and usual for us all. Jonas Beiler takes us into the story of the Nickel Mines shootings, offering readers deep insights into how the world should be. This is a compelling story that will not only make you think but just might change your life."

Now, get reading!

Pictures of Justin Bieber Kissing Jasmine Villegas inside a Car

Here are more pictures of Justin Bieber kissing Jasmine Villegas inside a car:

Photo credits: TMZ

Girlfriend of the Week

This week's GOTW goes to Red Sonja. You see, I like a nice fiery redhead, especially if she carries a giant sword and has no problem killing hundreds of men. Unfortunately, you can only have sex with her if you best her in combat. She has also been known to kick back a few tankards of ale, something I can respect...

Death to Pagans!

I was at work the other day (you know, the place that shall not be named) and had a fun experience with a customer. Since I cannot discuss any details of work, let me just say this, we have a product that is well known and loved, but during the Halloween period it alters slightly. This exchange happens at the cash register where I am ringing people out.

Guy: Excuse me, do you have any of the original product?
Me: Sorry, we had some earlier, but they sold out, all we have now is the Halloween product.
Guy: Well that is too bad because we love the original product.
Me: The Halloween product is basically the same thing.
Guy: As a devout Christian, I find it offensive.
Me: Oh, my apologies.
Guy: Apparently only us true believers in Christ can recognize and denounce pagan symbols. Not that you would know what I am talking about.
Me: Umm, what?
Guy: I am sure someone like yourself has no clue what I am talking about.
Me: Actually sir, I probably know a bit more about the topic than you do. I studied religion in college as part of my major.
Guy: Well whatever, I just find it appalling.
Me: Yeah, here's your change.

I really wanted to lay into the guy, but I was at work and the people in line were all part of the same church group and I figured it would be bad to piss them off. Why did the dickhead think I was unable to comprehend his "dire" situation about paganism? This is why religious people should be banned.

He is the kind of guy who will get offended if someone says Happy Holidays. I should have told him that I was Jewish or Muslim. I bet the guy has no problem with Easter Bunnies and Christmas presents. What a self-righteous asshole.

I wonder how offended the guy would be with a picture like this?

Baseball Wrap Up

This is going to be a long one folks. If you have no interest in baseball, I would suggest ignoring this and waiting for later when I tell you all about a funny thing that happened to me the other day (no, I did not get to wrestle a badger).

The season ended and the Pirates obviously sucked. Lets start off with the MVP Watch. I recap their week using these stats: Hits/HRs/SB/BA/OBP/SLG/R/K/BB/Team Record for Week.

NL
Pujols: 13/0/2/.310/.388/.381/4/4/6/3-8
H-Ram: 7/1/1/.194/.326/.361/6/6/6/6-4
Fielder: 15/6/0/.326/.429/.761/9/11/9/6-6
Braun: 21/3/5/.389/.414/.648/9/13/2/6-6
Howard: 19/4/1/.365/.421/.654/11/12/5/5-8

Obviously some guys stepped up their game for the close of the season, but lets see if it helped.

Rank
Pujols: 176 (25)
Howard: 159 (34)
Braun: 155 (34)
Fielder: 154 (37)
H-Ram: 152 (24)

An abysmal week for H-Ram, which cost him a few spots. Pujols is still the leader and will probably win the MVP, so lets have a look at their final season stats (instead of team record, I will include RBIs):

Pujols: 186/47/16/.327/.443/.658/124/64/115/135
Howard: 172/45/8/.279/.360/.571/105/186/75/141
Braun: 203/32/20/.320/.386/.551/113/121/57/114
Fielder: 177/46/2/.299/.412/.602/103/138/110/141
H-Ram: 197/24/27/.342/.410/.543/101/101/61/106

If you look at those lines, each one of them is worthy of a MVP season. Hell if you blacked out those names and had to choose, it would be difficult. I do believe that Pujols wins it though. Why? If you take Braun's and Fielder's stats and kinda create one super player, what do you get? Basically, Albert Pujols. He does everything well. All these guys have over 100 Ks in a season, he has 64. I think Adam LaRoche had that many in a two-week period before...I honestly believe it would be hard for people to argue for Howard, when Fielder has almost identical numbers only slightly better. I wish there were some kind of weird stats out there that could combine all this stuff into one number...oh well, I guess they do not exist.

AL
Mauer: 14/0/0/.292/.460/.375/6/5/15/10-3
Cabrera: 14/4/0/.250/.344/.500/8/9/8/7-7
Texeira: 11/2/0/.324/.425/.529/6/5/5/7-3
Jeter: 13/1/4/.419/.526/.516/3/6/6/7-2
Abreu: 10/2/1/.270/.341/.541/6/10/4/6-4

Rank
Mauer: 199 (36)
Texeira: 176 (34)
Cabrera: 170 (30)
Jeter: 169 (39)
Abreu: 156 (26)

Jeter had a fantastic week, hell almost enough to surpass Cabrera. By my very scientific calculations it seems Joe Mauer should win the MVP. Let us look at the final stats.

Mauer: 191/28/4/.365/.444/.587/94/63/76/96
Cabrera: 198/34/6/.324/.396/.547/96/107/68/103
Texeira: 178/39/2/.292/.383/.565/103/114/81/122
Jeter: 212/18/30/.334/.406/.465/107/90/72/66
Abreu: 165/15/30/.293/.390/.435/96/113/94/103

The argument against Mauer is the fact that he only played 138 games this season (Abreu played 152, and as you can see, did not really come close to matching Mauer's season). Now, I am going to propose something insane here. During our arguments recently, it seems that everyone thinks Texeira should/will win (except Ryan, who thinks Bobby Abreu is the best player in the AL). However, I believe that Derek Jeter should win the MVP. In my opinion if it were either he or Mauer, that would be quite fair.

This could come as quite a shock to many of you, but I was always one of the guys who thought Jeter was overrated. He just keeps impressing me year after year by his ability to take the things he does poorly, and getting better at them. If he wins the award over Mauer, I would completely understand and back it. Should I now look at some of those fake/made-up stats to maybe support my idea? Why the heck not, it's my blog. There are a few stats that would put Jeter 2nd behind Mauer (such as WAR, but I will not post the numbers or anything). If you want, go to fangraphs and check it out.

Our Picks
I cannot seem to find Offord's or Gideon's picks anywhere on my blog or the pancake. But without reposting everything, let me just say this. I had 16/30 teams correct. I had the AL wild card correct. Kern, 7/30. Way to go buddy.

Amidst all that research, I ran across this quote from January from Gideon, regarding Jeter as a HOFer:

Blogger The Gideon said...

I refuse to accept "I thinks" when it comes to stats. DO YOUR RESEARCH, GRRRRRRRRRR. At exactly 3400 hits a player would be in 9th all time. 3420 hits would bump them up to 6th.
Besides the hits though, his stats aren't really HOF worthy. Captain ain't nothin' but a title. A bunch of other people were on all those championship teams, but I don't really see any of them getting in, except for maybe Paul O'Neill - and that's just because the voters will be scared of the wrath that will ensue should he not make it.
Perhaps I'm just hatin' because I'm pissed we're still paying him all this money. He's like the 4th highest paid player in the league. I think...

Gideon, do you still believe that?

Fantasy Baseball Results
In Ryan's league, his friend Dave won it over Offord. Gideon beat Ryan for third place, and I unfortunately finished in fifth.

Over in Offord's smaller league, I finished third by beating Jason I. Ryan won the league by beating Dave. Offord finished in fifth place. The BatmanObviously guys did not fair so well. Although, I do not think they paid much attention.

I suggest one league next year. I do not mind multiple leagues, but I think paying attention to two leagues burnt people out, especially if you did not like the stat set up in one league as opposed to another. Maybe next year I will commission the league. Or if we do a secondary league, it should be with crappy stats. You have to pick the worst players. Batting stats: GIDP, Ks, CS. Pitching Stats: L,BS...we can work the details out later. Obviously averages would still apply, just the other way. That could end up being pretty fun. Imagine some of those trades? Ugh, I am stuck with Albert Pujols, I will trade him for Adam LaRoche.

And that ends this ridiculously long baseball post.

Watching Letterman. . . .

I'm a big fan of David Letterman's comedic style and genius. While I had seen Letterman on The Tonight Show in the late 70s, what I remember most about those early years is tuning in during the summer of 1980 to his daytime comedy show. His skits, gags, and timing were hilarious. That show died after a couple of months, and then in 1982 Late Night debuted and I could once again get my fill. Since then, I've showed my kids numerous YouTube videos of old Letterman highlights and we've laughed together. The best bit ever? Letterman and the monkey lady. . . .



Recently, I've watched Letterman less and less, something occasioned by a growing lack of TV time and the fact that I just can't stay up that late anymore!

Perhaps the most significant Letterman moment of all happened last Friday night when the humorous host took almost 10 minutes to tell his audience the story of his victimization by a blackmailer/extortionist. Not only was it a significant Letterman moment, but it was a significant cultural moment as well. Somehow, Letterman masterfully unwound the story and when he finally made his "confession," he became the hero and recipient of applause. I've watched the clip a couple of times and I'm still trying to sort it out. I think it's worth our attention as Letterman's story, the audience reaction, and the continued response offers us a great wide-open look into the mirror to see what we've become.



Sure, Letterman's sexual behavior was, as he says, "creepy." But is it more than that? Is it "normal" because that's the story about sexuality we've written in our current culture and choose to live/believe, or is it "creepy" because there's really something wrong with what he did?

Let's admit it, according to the Biblical drama of redemption and the Kingdom-story that's unfolding around us, Letterman's behavior is not really "creepy" at all. It's something much worse. It's wrong. And lest we self-righteously point our fingers at Letterman while thanking God that we haven't gone down that road, think again. I can speak for myself. My post-puberty life has been full of sinful and fallen expressions of sexuality in thought, word, and deed. It's also been a life marked by the never-ending struggle between managing (with God's help and by His grace) the sexual thoughts, words, and deeds of my life that are not what they're supposed to be, and living out my sexuality to the honor and glory of God. The struggle with sin is real. I suppose you might know what I'm talking about.

In the introduction to his wonderful book The Meaning of Sex, my friend Dennis Hollinger writes, "The issues surrounding sexuality and our sexual drives are far too significant to be driven by either cultural impluses or our hormones. And God knows we struggle with both. All of us struggle to make sense of our sexual beingness and our sexual longings. The temptations are powerful in a world where sexual images and impersonal sexual liasons are only a computer click away. The allurements send tremors through the core of our being with their potential to wreak havoc in our personal lives and covenants. They are already wreaking havoc in our society."

Watching Letterman this last week reminds me of who I am. It reminds me of the need to be honest with myself and recognize the sins I've committed, the struggles I face, and the fact that before the Biblical drama concludes in all its glory. . . the battle will continue. But after watching Letterman, I truly wonder if most people in our culture. . . our kids. . . will even realize that a battle should be raging.

Maybe you and the kids you know and love should sit down and watch Letterman's 10-minutes together. Then, talk about him, his humor, his behavior, and the audience reaction. Then, bring the Word to bear on the sexual realities of this rapidly changing world.

tossed salad & scrambled eggs

So I've been back home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest for a little over a week now. In that time I have quite literally traveled up and down most of the western coast of the United States. From Los Angeles to the Bay Area to Portland to Seattle and back to Portland once again.

I'm in love. With everything. And one person in particular. 

Life is BEAUTIFUL. 

Indy and I drove up to Seattle this past weekend for Heidi's wedding to Tyler Hagens. It was nothing short of perfect, an autumn wedding with no detail spared. And on top of that, it was a chance for us to get away for a couple days and seeing as neither of us had to work the day after the wedding we decided to spend all day Monday playing in the sunshine.

We wandered over the whole of Pike Place Market, had lunch overlooking Elliott Bay (under the watchful eye of a very persistent seagull), tromped around Gasworks Park (where Indy climbed on absolutely EVERYTHING, making Seattle his very own jungle-gym) and topped the day off by visiting the Fremont Troll under the Aurora Bridge. 

There was a crisp breeze, autumn light and love was in the air. 

What a delightful corner of the world.

Come along with me to my little corner of the world
Dream a little dream in my little corner of the world
You'll soon forget that there's any other place
Tonight, my love, we'll share a sweet embrace

And if you care to stay in my little corner of the world
We could hide away in my little corner of the world
I always knew that I'd find someone like you
So welcome to my little corner of the world

And if you care to stay in our little corner of the world
We could hide away in our little corner of the world
We always knew that we'd find someone like you
So welcome to our little corner of the world

- yo la tengo - 

Have You Got 20 Minutes? . . .

My co-worker Derek Melleby started our CPYU Bookshelf blog because of a question we get asked over and over: "What are you reading?" It's a place where we share thoughts, reflections, and recommendations on stuff we've read that we think others might find challenging and helpful.

Every now and then, I'll read something that stirs me so deeply that I wish I could grab everyone I know, encourage them to read it, and then spend some time together sorting out the implications of what we've just read. Today I'm passing on one of those literary gems.

I thought I'd try to summarize Mark Galli's great piece - "In The Beginning Grace: Evangelicals Desparately Need Spiritual and Moral Renewal - On That Everyone Agrees. But What Do We Do About It?" - in the latest edition of Christianity Today. But I can't. I figured it's actually best for you to sit down for 20 minutes and read the article for yourself. I'm not sure what Galli says is going to sit well with everyone (he challenges some of our sacred cows), but his call to focus more on the vertical and less on the horizontal (read the article to learn more) is timely and right on. In addition, there's Craig Brian Larson's helpful sidebar on the power of Biblical preaching, "A Vertical Discipline."

This is all good stuff. I'm increasingly convinced from my travels in the church and the world of youth ministry that we need to be asking the difficult questions Galli challenges us to ask. A couple of weeks ago I listened in on a group of youth workers who were strategizing on how to meet a specific shared concern. Sadly, there was no conscious theological reflection. Instead, the group jumped headfirst into a discussion of pragmatic strategies with little on no thought put on the foundations (or lack thereof) or the possible outcomes of each. It was all about the horizontal in the here and now. I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that these good-hearted youth workers who are driven by a sincere desire to serve Christ and reach lost kids were doing the best they could based on what they had learned from years and years of ministry modeling that was trickling down from prior generations. Strategizing void of a deep consideration of theological foundations and possible outcomes has all-to-often become the norm.

I hope you'll take 20 minutes to read Galli's article. Then, let's get thinking and talking about his challenge to the church.

Rick Warren And Seminary. . . .

Over the weekend I and over 42,000 other people read an interesting tweet from Rick Warren. It said, "It takes about 10 yrs of local church pastoring to lose the arrogance u pick up in seminary, otherwise u likely won't lose it." Fully aware that there are a multitude of dangers related to tweeting stand-alone sentences and thoughts like this, I didn't want to risk mis-interpreting what Warren was hoping to convey. I've been chewing on his tweet for a couple of days and am struggling deeply with what he said and the implications for the generation of young leaders who are trying to figure out whether or not to engage with a seminary education. Sadly,I'm afraid that Warren's tweet will only serve to justify and feed the anti-seminary attitude that so many already have.

To be fair, a couple of tweets later Warren did say that "seminary teaches u to THINK & learn essential tools u dont know u need yet. Just beware 'Knowledge puffs up.'" I was grateful he passed on this fact that was certainly one of the many benefits I took from my own seminary education. . . . along with the warning. But I'm still troubled by that first tweet. . . so I thought I'd jot some thoughts for those who might quickly embrace and believe Warren's words and advice.

First, from a theological perspective, I'm not sure that a seminary education is the thing that makes pastors arrogant. Like the rest of us, pastors are all pretty messed-up people before they even set foot on a seminary campus. A good seminary education that takes the Scriptures seriously will convince you of your own depravity if you are already too arrogant to see it for what it is. Seminary doesn't make people arrogant. In Matthew 15 Jesus has one of his many conversations with the arrogant and pride-filled Pharisees and teachers of the law. While the context is all about ritual cleansing, there's a theological reality Jesus passes on about all of life. It's not the seminary education that goes into a person that makes them arrogant, but the arrogance that's already in there that rises up out of their hearts. Don't blame seminary. Arrogant pastors were arrogant people long before they went to seminary.

Second, I think time spent in seminary and 10 years on a church staff are really all about the never-ending process of learning how much you don't know, rather than getting puffed up about what you do know. If that's not happening to you during the process, then maybe it's time for a heart check. I remember walking up the steps of the library at Gordon-Conwell a few days before graduation. A friend and I were conversing about our education and what we had learned during our years on campus. We both agreed that the biggest thing we were going to take away from our seminary education was this: how much we don't know. I said, "I wish I knew as much now as I thought I knew when I first enrolled here." It was very humbling.

Finally, I want to offer some encouraging words to those who are pondering or have pondered a seminary education, but might be holding back due to any number of reasons (fear, cost, time investment, getting messed up, etc.). DO IT! If you are planning on spending a lifetime in ministry and you've been called to - as John Stott says - serve as a bridge between two worlds by bringing the light of God's Word to bear on people living in our times, you'd better equip yourself with the tools to understand and apply God's Word through teaching, preaching, and conversations.

I have found it personally helpful to be constantly reminding myself that I don't know as much as I think I know, that I'll never run out of things to know, and that I can never stop being a learner. For that reason, a good seminary education is worth infinitely more than it costs in dollars, cents, effort, and time.