Yearly Archives: 2009

In Defense of Laughter

President Obama was criticized for going on Jay Leno, and Steve Kroft got on his case during a “60 Minutes” interview last Sunday when he smiled too much while talking about the economy. [Note to Steve: Lighten up. Though as a journalist, I know you were simply taking a spur-of-the-moment opportunity to obtain insight in the name of news–and you succeeded.]

Anyway, comedian Jane Condon wrote a piece on CNNPolitics called “Grab a Laugh, Mr. President.” She writes, “Everybody needs to use comedy in hard times.” It’s a good article, and I couldn’t agree more. People watch Jon Stewart because it mixes insight with humor. I don’t think humor somehow undignifies the Presidency.

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When the Kids Get Along

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Came home to find Jordi and Molly sleeping on Pam’s comforter. Molly doesn’t always tolerate her brother being in close proximity, so it was worth a photo.
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In Support of … AIG?

It’s hard to feel sorry for AIG. And I don’t–not for the company. But all companies are staffed by human beings, or reasonable facsimiles thereof. Real people work at AIG, some of them not unlike you and me. People who Barney Frank and friends couldn’t care less about, as they score cheap populist points.

Here’s a resignation letter from an AIG exec. You gotta admit–he’s got a point.
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Pam and the Kids Taking a Nap

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Ally, Noodles, Ping Pong

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Curt holding Ally, as Mandy and Jonathan watch.

Rick’s kids, Anna and Cameron, are on spring break, so he took the week off and brought them–along with Baby Ally–to Fort Wayne for a few days with Mom and Dad. Dorene remained in South Bend, working.

Stu and Joyce and their clan came over Monday night for a meal at Mom and Dad’s. Homemade noodles and Mom’s legendary rolls were the headliners.

But the real star was Ally. Everyone took turns holding her. For the record, Ally is the first of my nieces and nephews that I have held as a baby. 

Last night Rick and I trekked to the table tennis club. He plays at the South Bend club (which cranks out nationally-ranked players), and we’re both playing in a big tournament in South Bend this weekend. 

Rick has come to my club three or four times now, and enjoys it. Last night he won the majority of his matches, including the one against his big brother (we play the best of five games, and our match went down the wire to the fifth game). It is against the natural order of things for Rick, eight years my junior, to best me. I remain deeply resentful.

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Change Some Things, Don’t Change Others

Craig Groeschel posted “Working with God’s Seasons.” One point says:

If you had a singles ministry that worked for 9 years, but is no longer effective, celebrate the 9 years of success. Close it down and do something different. Don’t keep something on life support once its season has passed.

That applies to so many things whose time may have passed.

Most churches I know don’t hold a traditional Sunday night service–and maybe none at all (including mine). I grew up with that format, but since changing churches in 1989, haven’t attended a Sunday night service since. At my previous church, we did small groups, which were more effective. At Anchor we’ve never done anything on Sunday night. I wouldn’t call that “effective”…yet I don’t begrudge having the night free.

From my denominational perch, I see churches all the time that need to choose a different future, before one is forced on them. In most cases, they should merge with a nearby church, or just close. We were talking yesterday about churches in two different states that would be better off–the people would, and the cause of Christ in those communities–if they went this route.

There are many other things that need to turn out the lights. Christian organizations. Church traditions that mean nothing to current generations. Staid service orders. Women’s mission groups (okay, now I’m in trouble). Various church committees. 

On the other hand…in today’s society, we tend to treat as changeable some things that shouldn’t change.

  • If your marriage loses its spark, move on. Its “season” has ended, so admit it. Start a new season with somebody else. Wedding vows now sometimes replace “I will love and cherish you, til death do us part” with “I will love and cherish you as long as we are together.”
  • If you’re unhappy with something at church, take your toys and go elsewhere. Loyalty is outmoded. Go where your needs will be met, not where you can be used by God to meet other people’s needs. 
  • If a biblical teaching just doesn’t seem to work in today’s culture, or otherwise seems unnecessary to you, discard it. Watch whatever you want on TV and at the theatre. Engage in whatever sexual behavior society considers okay. Pile up debt as you pursue materialistic mirages. Don’t get too attached to biblical absolutes.
  • Tithing? Treat this quaint practice as optional. You’ve got too many financial needs to part with 10% of your income.
  • Smoking, drinking, pot–these are harmless. Everybody’s using them. We need to relate to our culture, so feel free to indulge.
  • If you experience any doubts or turbulence in your faith, hang it up. Maybe somewhere down the road you’ll want to rediscover God, but for now, if God just doesn’t seem to be pulling his weight, say good riddance. No sense clinging to something that doesn’t work for you. Because after all, it’s not about Jesus, it’s about you. 
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NCAA: Yearning for Buzzer-Beaters

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m a bit bored with the NCAA tournament. “Bored” is one of the last words you’d associate with March Madness. But while there have been some good games, we haven’t had the big upsets and buzzer-beaters that normally epitomize the NCAA tournament. 

After two rounds, I think that means 48 games have been played. You’d expect a little more excitement than there’s been.

Maybe this weekend will be better. I’d sure like to see a buzzer-beater.

On a good note: my Arizona Wildcats are still in the hunt.

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Book: Finally Finished “The Audacity of Hope”

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Today I finished–finally–Barack Obama’s book, “The Audacity of Hope.” I mentioned earlier that I was reading it, and found it very good. Having arrived now at the end, I can say it was a resoundingly good read. It puts into perspective, and shines illuminating light on, so many aspects of our President and decisions he has made. 

He is also quite self-deprecating, not impressed with himself. That comes through especially in his final chapter, “Family.” I loved what I read about his role as a husband and father and how he tries to balance those roles with a very public career. He present himself not as a person who has it all together, but as a highly flawed guy still trying to figure it out. It’s not the type of stuff a campaign advisor would want him to publish.

The chapter deals with various policy issues affecting the family, and you catch glimpses of things–including some excellent ideas–he feels strongly about (though these issues haven’t arisen yet). But mostly, he talks about Michelle, his daughters, and his journey as a husband and parent.

He tells of his courtship with Michelle, and how she repeatedly refused his requests for a date. They met at a law firm where he came as an intern and Michelle, having already worked there three years, was assigned as his advisor.

When he launched his first Congressional run (and lost), “Michelle put up no pretense of being happy with the decision. My failure to clean up the kitchen suddenly became less endearing.”

The burdens of parenthood increasingly fell on Michelle. “No matter how liberated I liked to see myself as–no matter how much I told myself that Michelle and I were equal partners, and that her dreams and ambitions were as important as my own–the fact was that when children showed up, it was Michelle and not I who was expected to make the necessary adjustments. Sure, I helped, but it was always on my terms, on my schedule. Meanwhile, she was the one who had to put her career on hold.” 

He is very honest, and self-critical, about how his ambitions affected Michelle. He writes at one point that Michelle told him, “You only think about yourself. I never thought I’d have to raise a family alone.” Phew! Harsh stuff.

“I determined that my father’s irresponsibility toward his children, my stepfather’s remoteness, and my grandfather’s failures would all become object lessons for me, and that my own children would have a father they could count on. In the most basic sense, I’ve succeeded….And yet, of all the areas of my life, it is in my capacities as a husband and father that I entertain the most doubt.”

“I have chosen a life with a ridiculous schedule, a life that requires me to be gone from Michelle and the girls for long stretches of time and that exposes Michelle to all sorts of stress….[My rationalizations] seem feeble and painfully abstract when I’m missing one of the girls’ school potlucks because of a vote….My recent success in politics does little to assuage the guilt….And so I do my best to answer the accusation that floats around in my mind–that I am selfish, that I do what I do to feed my own ego or fill a void in my heart.”

Amidst these self-critical statements, he tells some wonderful stories from his family life, especially regarding the girls, that show he’s really trying to figure it out–how to be a really good husband and father. You see two girls who are bright, fun-loving, and well-adjusted, and he freely gives Michelle credit for that. But he’s more part of the equation than he gives himself credit for.

The chapter contains some very vulnerable stuff. How many politicians write about their short-comings? Throughout the campaign, we saw this picture of a wonderful family–and that seems to be the case. It’s the type of picture a political image consultant would try to paint. But in this book, Barack Obama pulls back the curtain and says, “Here’s what none of you see. It’s not always pretty.”

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Obama on Jay Leno

ObamaLeno.jpgI stayed up to watch President Obama on Jay Leno last night. As a communications guy trained as a journalist, it raised a lot of issues.

he mainstream press have always been the gatekeepers between the President and the public. Beyond an “Address to the Nation,” if you want to talk to the American people, you go through the press. You do a press conference. You appear on Meet the Press. You grant an exclusive interview to Charles Gibson, Brian Williams, or Katie Couric (or one of their minions).

But the press is combative, full of “gotcha” intentions, hoping to catch you in an inconsistency. What if you just want to talk to the American people in a non-combative situation? What if you don’t have time to prep for every possible clever question so that you don’t get twisted up and end up re-explaining yourself for the next week?

Imagine if Obama appeared on a FoxNews program. They would try to put him on the spot, force him to defend whatever he’s doing, trap him. They would try to get him to at least imply something negative about various Democrats–Pelosi, Dodd, Frank, Reid, and others. Obama would most definitely be on his guard, and rightfully so.

On the other hand, if Obama appeared on Keith Olberman or Rachel Maddow, they would throw softball questions which he could hit out of the park. They would set him up to say negative things about Republicans. 

Or, if Obama appeared with a real journalist, like the network anchors (well, maybe not Katie), David Gregory, Chris Wallace, or any number of others (including print people), they would have been going for a story. The goal wouldn’t have been enlightenment, but a “gotcha.”

The Rick Warren forum last summer was an eye-opener. Warren posed questions to Obama and McCain, separately, and they answered in a comfortable atmosphere. Warren wasn’t going for a headline, wasn’t trying to trap the candidates, didn’t want the candidates to get into an argument. He just wanted them to tell what they believed. And I found it tremendously enlightening.

It was the same way with Jay Leno. Jay’s not a journalist. He wasn’t trying to create breaking news. He just threw soft, but interesting, questions at Obama (I’m sure Robert Gibbs was involved in at least suggesting questions), and Obama answered them in what was a comfortable, non-tense atmosphere. None of Jay’s questions invited Obama to criticize Republicans. 

I found the appearance very informative, very “human.” It was presidential and laid-back and even fun at the same time.

This, by the way, is Larry King’s schtick, too. He just lets people tell their story, give their views. He’s not a journalist, doesn’t pretend to be, and so isn’t going for a gotcha. 

The mainstream media are mad, because they’re getting cut out of the process. But I don’t care. I’m tired of the gotcha mania.

 

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Still More from “Jesus for President”

Two previous posts talked about Shane Claiborne’s book “Jesus for President.” Those posts focused on what Claiborne says about nonviolence. But that was only one theme of the book. Here are some other worthwhile quotes:

Christianity is at its best when it is peculiar, marginalized, suffering–and it is at its worst when it is popular, credible, triumphal, and powerful.

Constantine flung open the doors of the church to the rich and powerful, but it was at a great cost. Repentance, rebirth, and conversion were exchanged for cheap grace, and the integrity of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus faded. People joined the church in droves, but Christian disciples were hard to come by.

The basis for living out the ethics of Jesus in this world is not that it works, but that this is the way God is. We are not promised that everything is going to turn out perfect.

I’ve learned from conservatives and liberals that you can be politically correct and still be mean.

We must be cautious not to abuse the idea of “bearing our cross.” … The cross is the execution tool of the state that killed Jesus and countless insurgents. And it is the place where Jesus faced and overcame violence with love. How ironic when someone gets a tattoo of Jesus on the cross but has no problem with religiously condoning violence….There are plenty of biblical motifs to counsel, soothe, and care for people in their troubles, but the cross is not one of them.

Paul warns that it is a desecration of the unity of the body when the well-fed come to the communion table with the hungry.

The best way to defeat the kingdom of God is to empower the church to rule the world with the sword.

Perhaps there is no more dangerous place for a Christian to be than in safety and comfort, detached from the suffering of others.

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