Former Broncos Player is Found by Jesus

I just ran across a great story posted on 9news.com.  The title, however, should read, "Jesus Pursues Former Broncos Lineman; Gets Help from His Pal Jason."  If you have a few minutes, it is well worth your time to read.

Former Broncos lineman admits drug habit

God is definitely awesome, and I mean that in the least cliched and most serious way possible.

Salvation Army Band - Phil Keaggy

What kind of guy would I be without dedicating a Culture Corner spot to one of the best rock guitarists of all time (and undoubtedly the best nine-fingered guitarist ever). Of course, I speak of Phil Keaggy. While he is quite good with his band, I prefer to hear him solo--just his guitar and massive spread of effects pedals. I got to hear him a few years ago in just this manner, and it was a performance in which all I could do was shake my head and wonder. Now that I have a few pedals at my own disposal, I am realizing how hard it really is to find the right effects for the right songs, not to mention add backing vocals, drum beats and baselines to songs with just a loop and a guitar. How does one even think up something like that? The man's talent is ridiculous.

So without further ado, I present to you Mr. Phil Keaggy.

Merry [CENSORED]!

I stopped by Starbucks on my way to work this morning, and while ordering my drink I was witness to what, unfortunately, has become a common occurrence. The barista wished his patron a “Merry Christmas.” He immediately realized his error, apologized and extended the store-approved greeting, “Happy Holidays.” The “offended” patron was, of course, not offended in the least and expressed that he rather preferred the former greeting. This got me to thinking, just how many Americans are offended by “Merry Christmas?” Thankfully, the Internet knew the answer.

First, I wanted to know how many of us actually celebrate Christmas. A Google search showed that 96% of Americans celebrate Christmas. Ninety-six percent! That’s 291,671,654 of us, compared to 12,152,985 who do not (based on July 2008 population est.). One might be tempted to think at this point that if 96% of the population celebrates Christmas, approximately 96% of the population would not be bothered by “Merry Christmas.” So I did a little more digging.

I next discovered a 2005 Gallup poll on this phenomenon. The poll focused on consumer reaction to retailer approaches concerning the holidays. Here are some of their results:

• 3% of respondents would be bothered by a store displaying the words “Merry Christmas”; 97% would not.
• 32% of respondents would be bothered by a store displaying the words “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings”; 68% would not.
• 5% of nonreligious respondents would be bothered by a store displaying the words “Merry Christmas”.
• 8% of non-Christians respondents would be bothered by a store displaying the words “Merry Christmas”.

Now, I’m no business owner, but looking at the Gallup data, I would assume the proper course of action would be to inform my employees to wish customers a merry Christmas! That way, I only run the risk of giving 3% of my customers a negative experience, versus 32% if I extend a generic holiday greeting. That is potentially a serious amount of cash money walking out the door.

So why do many businesses insist on banning “Merry Christmas?” I would have to assume that it’s due either to 1) their being caught up in a culture of extreme tolerance or 2) they don’t want to get sued. Regarding 1), this whole tolerance thing is getting a little out of hand. Let’s take an example. Say three people are in your store. Person A is offended by being told, “Merry Christmas.” Person B is offended by being told, “Happy Holidays.” Person C is offended when you don’t acknowledge the season at all. What are you as a store owner to do? No matter what, you will offend someone. How do you choose whom to offend? Or, conversely, to which person will you give preferential treatment? Using tolerance as the “gold standard” by which one acts leads to absurdities such as this. It is a poor foundation on which to build one’s life. The bottom line is, you can’t be tolerant of everyone all the time, so let us dispense with the notion once and for all. Regarding 2), what can I say? The few sue-happy activists are desperately trying to ruin things for us, and the judicial system is letting them. I suppose if I were a giant corporation with deep pockets like Starbucks, this might be sufficient motivation for me to ban “Merry Christmas” from my stores. Better to bother 32% of your customers whom you know won’t sue than tick off the one guy who will.

In the end, I suppose this is a pretty trivial matter. It doesn’t change the fact that 96% of us do celebrate Christmas, or that some of us even celebrate it for the right reason (by the way, it’s Jesus). But it does make me hang my head a bit and wonder how we even got to this point as a country.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Fear of the LORD

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10 (NIV)

I'd never really come at this verse from a philosophical perspective, but for some reason I did this morning. Why is the fear of the LORD the beginning of wisdom? How is knowledge of the Holy One understanding? What's going on here, anyway? I began to think...

If we fear the LORD, if we have knowledge of the Holy One, then we have begun at the proper place. We have started our search for wisdom and understanding with Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Those who fear the LORD find the foundation of their worldview rests on this statement. Whatever else that is deduced or induced comes from this fact.

Now a person can start at X and form a valid chain of arguments that lead to Y. The logic can be air-tight, and every counter-argument can be refuted soundly. But as we all know, if X itself is false, the rest of the argument is a moot point. If we start off with X = "In the beginning, God...", then we are not guaranteed to make it successfully to Y, but we are guaranteed that we have begun the journey well. We know that whatever wisdom or knowledge we desire, we cannot get it without first starting from "In the beginning, God..."

If, on the other hand, we start off with "In the beginning, God did not create the heavens and the earth", we have taken a wrong turn on the very first step of the journey. We base all our other knowledge on this statement that doesn't hold water, at least biblically speaking. We have started at the wrong X. This starting point may allow one to come very close to arriving at Y, but there will always be something...not quite right. There will be something lacking, something incomplete. The wisdom and understanding to be had from "In the beginning, God did not...", in the end, is not true wisdom, not true understanding. At best, it is an imitation, at worst, an abomination.

Not all paths lead up the mountain. It turns out this is because they don't all start at its base. They begin in the wrong place, and they lead in the wrong direction. A journey down these paths is doomed from the start. But there is one path that does start at the right place; it does lead in the right direction. And at the entrance of that path, a sign reads, "In the beginning, God..."

John Michael Crichton, 1942-2008

I read the sad news today that Michael Crichton died of cancer Nov. 4. He was 66.

He was unique for me in that he topped an extremely short list of modern fiction writers whose books I would actually read. In fact, not long ago I read Airframe, a tale about the VP of Quality at an airplane manufacturer exposing a cover up. As I work in quality in the aviation industry, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Timeline, Congo, State of Fear, Jurassic Park, Eaters of the Dead, The Great Train Robbery--I read and enjoyed them all.

Rest in peace, Mr. Crichton.

In Memoriam*

Michael Crichton

1942 - 2008

Best-selling author Michael Crichton died unexpectedly in Los Angeles Tuesday, November 4, 2008 after a courageous and private battle against cancer.

While the world knew him as a great story teller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us -- and entertained us all while doing so -- his wife Sherri, daughter Taylor, family and friends knew Michael Crichton as a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes. He did this with a wry sense of humor that those who were privileged to know him personally will never forget.

Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand. He will be profoundly missed by those whose lives he touched, but he leaves behind the greatest gifts of a thirst for knowledge, the desire to understand, and the wisdom to use our minds to better our world.

Michael's family respectfully asks for privacy during this difficult time.

A private funeral service is expected, but no further details will be released to the public.

*taken from MichaelCrichton.net.

The Lost Art of Listening

I have experienced several interesting encounters in the past month.  The most recent of these encounters happened today.  I was engaged in a class discussion on a very hot topic at the seminary.  As the lone representative of the male gender in the discussion group, I was asked for my opinion, and I proceeded to give it.  One member of the group, however, made several comments to me that indicated she was not so much listening as looking for ways to argue for her point.  She made various assumptions about what I said that were simply not true, and to be honest, rather offensive.  It was as if what I said was only useful to her if she could use it for her own purposes.

The second encounter I experienced was a few weeks ago, and it took place at a soiree for my wife's coworker.  I met two gentlemen, one of whom was a pastor, and both of whom had attended Denver Seminary.  Ah, I thought, these chaps will engage in good conversation with me.  Huzzah!  Unfortunately, this was not to be the case.  The two gentlemen proceeded to wax theological to each other, pontificating and philosophizing, with each, I believe, attempting to impress the other with his knowledge and rhetorical skill.  In fact, after the first few sentences, I was completely left out of the conversation, even though I would assume that I was their intellectual equal.  After a while I just walked off, and neither one of them seemed to notice my absence.

These encounters got me to thinking--whatever happened to listening?  I mean real, actual listening.  The gentlemen at the soiree never bothered to stop talking for a moment, say, "Jon, as a fellow seminarian, what do you think about x?" and genuinely listen to my response (and one of them was a pastor!).  The woman at class today only listened to me so she could make her point.  If she cared at all about what I thought simply because I thought it, then it didn't come across.  Whether these people intended it or not, they came across very selfish, inconsiderate and rude simply because they didn't listen to me.  I certainly did not feel very valued as a person in these situations.

This is why I try very hard to listen.  And it is hard work to listen.  It is hard work to bite your tongue, to let your own agenda slide and affirm someone else.  But when I keep my mouth shut, my agenda to myself and my ears open, I discover something--other people have good things to say, too!  In fact, I can even learn from them!  I can affirm them as persons of worth and become a better person myself.  

I confess, though, that I am just a little selfish.  I have a maxim that I follow, "Only speak when you have something to say."  So, having politely listened to another person, when I do open my mouth, I expect the same courtesy.  I expect to be listened to, to be valued as a person.  I think this is what frustrates me so much about the opposite behavior.  It can take me some time to think through what I am going to say.  For someone then to disregard my words really irks me.  It lets me know that I am better off saving my words for another occasion.  

In any case, I relate these stories and thoughts to you in the hopes that you will consider your own habits.  Do you listen well?  Can you let go of your own agenda, ask someone a question and just sit back and listen?  I can testify that there are people out there that just may be deeply appreciative of an open ear and a closed mouth, and you may learn a little bit more about the value of people, yourself.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. - Gen 1:27

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. - Jas 1:19, 26

Qwantz.com Takes on the Straw Man

I recently stumbled upon a very interesting and weird comic strip called Dinosaur Comics. The graphics never change (yet still amuse me every time), only the words. One strip I saw today I felt was apropos for posting here for three reasons:

1. You learn about a logical fallacy.
2. It pokes fun at people who debate each other on the Internet. (Who, me?)
3. It achieves 1 and 2 in a funny way.

So without further ado, say hello to T-Rex, Dromiceiomimus and Utahraptor!