5 Things in Week 39 of 2012

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1. What a wonderful weekend at Spring Creek.  I really enjoyed the Finance Seminar on Saturday morning.  I learned that I’ve got some work to do to get my things in proper order.  A tip here and there makes it all worth the investment of time.  We also had a good day Sunday.  I’m really enjoying Sunday nights Men’s Fraternity and I know the ladies are having a good time in their study.  We had almost 30 adults involved in those studies with another 36 kids, youth and adults in AWANA!

2. I’ve been knocking around an idea to write a paper/essay on why democracy is unlikely in a predominantly muslim nation.  My theory is based on the differences in theology between Islam and Christianity.  I believe there are several Islamic theological beliefs that work against democracy while their counterparts in Christianity are a vital support for democracy.  Here is one as an example: Islam imparts little value to the individual compared to the doctrine of soul competency in Christianity.  With little value placed on the individual, Islamic nations tend toward autocratic rule instead of democratic rule.  If you notice, those nations that have some type of democratic rule with Islamic majority populations are relying on a purely secular state.  Christianity places value on the individual and his/her place in the world.  With the Holy Spirit filling believers, Christians believe that every person can contribute to the betterment of the nation.  Therefore, Christianity is more supportive of the nature of a democracy.  Just a thought, there is more to come.

3. Read this interesting article this week in the Houston Chronicle.  Basically the cheerleaders at Kountze High School in Houston decided to have Biblical themes to their football signs this year.  The school superintendent banned the signs but a judge overturned the ban saying the school couldn’t censor speech based on religious content.  Seems odd that a superintendent of schools would rather the cheerleaders make signs that said “Kill the Eagles” instead of signs that said “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  Let’s encourage violence instead of Bibilical values.  I think not.

4. Big football weekend coming up with the opening of Big 12 play for my Longhorns.  This weekend we’ll get a better idea of how good the defense is and how improved David Ash is as a quarterback.  On the road in Stillwater is never an easy task.

5. We’re looking for a new show to watch at our house.  We watched the first episode of “Revolution” last week.  Not bad.  An interesting premise.  I’ve got the DVR set to record “Last Resort.”  But I’m glad to see “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” back on and this week is the debut of the new season of “Hawaii Five-O.”  God bless the man who invented the DVR.  That’s the only way to watch TV.  🙂

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5 Things in Week 38 of 2012

1. I’ve been a Dallas Cowboy fan my entire life, but it’s been hard the past several years. I like Jason Garrett as the coach and I’m a fan of Tony Romo and many of the other players, but at some point you’d think they would perform with some kind of consistency. It was hard watching them this past week. The only good thing was that I was watching on the DVR so I could fast forward through so much of the ineptitude.

2. I don’t know if Paul ever actually set foot on the island of Crete. He “left” Titus in Crete to straighten out the churches. It seems that Paul may have been there with Titus and then left him behind to do the work. If so, when. Luke makes no record of it, except when he records their travels around the island in Acts 27. So maybe he went there without Luke, after Acts was written. Hmmm…

3. Bourne Legacy was worth the money to see it at the theater. Definitely requires having seen the other movies to get what is going on. Spoiler Alert: I thought it was neat how they set this movie in the same time frame as the third one. That’s a great take for a sequel that has so many new characters in prime roles.

4. Really enjoyed the Men’s Bible Study on Monday night. We’re going through Romans 8. What a great chapter of the Bible. So much depth of thought and right examination of real life. And the statements of truth are compelling. Any guys who want can join us next Monday @ 6:30 @ my house.

5. Julie and I spent this past weekend in Galveston enjoying our 23rd wedding anniversary. We stayed at the Hotel Galvez (I highly recommend it) Friday and Saturday nights. Relaxed by the pool, had some great meals and just enjoyed being away together. I am greatly blessed to have such a wonderful wife who loves me without reservation. And we have been twice blessed by great daughters who love us, one another and the Lord.

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5 Things for the Week

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1. Sunday nights are back!  We had a full night last night with AWANA and Men’s Fraternity kicking off.  And next week we’ll add the Ladies Bible study.  It was lots of fun with some new faces in the evening.  I think this year is going to be one of our best in AWANA as we work hard to reach out to our neighborhood.

2. Football is back!  The first full weekend of football season is almost in the books (2 games tonight).  I love football season.  The weather starts to change, my favorite teams get on the field.  It’s just a great time of year. And it gets even better when the Horns and the Cowboys win!  Of course we feel bad for our Aggie friends whose debut in the SEC looked eerily similar to their days in the Big 12.

3. Of course with the return of football we also get the return of the Monday Night Football Men’s Bible Study.  We’ll meet at my house tonight (Monday) at 6:30.  We’re going to start by working through Romans 8.  Bring a Bible and an appetite!

4. As the father of two band kids, marching season has also gotten into my blood.  The ORHS War Eagle band looked great Thursday night, and they were huge!  Great to see so many students benefiting from the experience of being in a good band.  BTW, last week we bought our airline and hotel for NYC.  Can’t wait to see the band march in the Macy’s parade this Thanksgiving!

5. One of my goals for the week is to find some time to go see “The Bourne Legacy.”  I can’t believe I haven’t seen it already.  I’ve heard is was good and I loved the previous ones.  If you’ve seen it, was it worth the money?  Should I just wait to get it on DVD?  Let me know.

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5 Things for the Week

1. Worship was great Sunday.  I really enjoyed the music led by Mike and our worship team and I thought the congregational singing was great.  I always love how our church sings.  Often, when we have guests, especially preacher types, they comment on how loud our church body sings.  I love to preach about worship and I really enjoyed how we responded with such powerful music.

2. Football season is underway with the high schools and colleges kicking it off this past weekend and the NFL starting up this week.  I love this time of year.  It just smells like football and Fall.  My first Fantasy Football draft was last night and the second one is tonight.  Last night’s is the “real one for me”.  Lots of competition between the guys.  And it’s the one I won last year for the first time.  🙂

3. I recommend you go see “Obama’s America 2016” showing at the theater at Market Street.  This documentary is a very straightforward look at the factors that helped shape our current president’s governing philosophy.  It’s always a good thing to know WHAT a person thinks, and even better to understand WHY they think the way they do.  This movie answers that question.

4. Julie and I split up this weekend (it’s okay, she came home Monday).  She went to Austin to see Courtney and I went toward Dallas to treat Holley and some of her friends to a day on the lake.  I had a great time with the group from UNT.  It’s comforting to know that your daughter has done well and made friends with a nice group of young adults.  I’m also very happy that they both like to be around their parents, because we very much like to be around them.

5. Just finished Hank Haney’s book about teaching Tiger Woods.  It’s a really interesting look inside their relationship and Haney’s take on why Tiger is the way he is.  I think he often makes excuses for Tiger’s selfishness, saying that’s what it takes to be great.  I don’t think other great athletes were all that way and I don’t think Tiger had to be, though he may think so.  The other fault lies with thinking that great golf accomplishments equal greatness.  Just started the biography of Steve Jobs this week.

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