IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER!

This quote by Bill Murray in Meatballs will be spinning through my head all week:

"But it doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter... [chanting]... And even if we win... if we win... HA!... even if we win. Even if we play so far over our heads that our noses bleed for a week to ten days... even if God in heaven above comes down and points his hand at our side of the field... Even if every man, woman, and child held hands together and prayed for us to win it just wouldn't matter because all the really good looking girls would still go out with the guys from Mohawk because they've got all the money. It just doesn't matter if we win or we lose. It Just Doesn't Matter!! It just doesn't matter!! [chanting continues]"

I am going to have to resist the urge to get the crowd chanting this at the various teacher meetings I will need to attend prior to school starting on the 26th. I have attended these meetings for 18 years.

It just doesn't matter.

We will talk about the benefits of extending the school day or the school year.

But it just doesn't matter.

We will argue whether to use direct instruction or a more investigative approach.

But it just doesn't matter.

We will get this year's new program in Math, Reading, Science, etc...

It just doesn't matter.

We will attend many training sessions telling us how to use data to drive our instruction.

It just doesn't matter.

We will use more technology in the classroom than ever before.

But it just doesn't matter.

We will diversify, scaffold, shelter, differentiate, and accommodate for every student.

It just doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter.

None of that will matter because many, many students have figured out that regardless of how little they do, no matter how disrespectful they are, no matter what trouble they cause ... there will be no consequence. They will still have their video games, phones, and TVs waiting for them at home and they will move to the next grade at the end of the year. Those students will destroy the learning experience of the shrinking number of students who want to succeed academically.

Against that, all of the meetings concerning style and materials is just noise.

It just doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter. [Chanting fades]

I Love My Neighbors!

My family and I moved from Michigan to Utah 4 years ago. We live in a suburb of Salt Lake City that has a pool, a clubhouse, and about 200+ homes. I sit on the HOA board, which can be a pain at times, but it keeps me plugged in to the neighborhood.

About half of our neighborhood are members of the LDS church. Last week their Bishop (lay pastor) went home to be with Jesus. It is a sad time for the family, church, and neighborhood; yet I have been blessed to see the outpouring of love and support that has occurred. It again reminds me how blessed my family is to live here.

Bishop Williams was a blessing to me and my family even though we are not LDS. He was always welcoming and easy to talk to. He and I both shared an affinity for TV and movies, so our conversations often went there. He brought life to our neighborhood.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Williams and their church family.

Happy Pioneer Day!!

Happy what????

Pioneer Day is a Utah holiday. It celebrates the day that Mormons came to the Salt Lake Valley back in 1847.

It just so happens that it is also the day my family came to Salt Lake 4 years ago. It was great to have fireworks going off everywhere on our first night here.

My family moved from the Detroit area along with 35 other folks to start a church (K2 the Church). I actually am amazed that my wife and I made this move. We are both the non-risk-taking type. I spent my first year here perpetually asking myself, "Did we really just move across the country?"

Looking back, it was the smartest move we ever made. We LOVE living out West. No humidity, great weather, beauty everywhere. We could not ask for better neighbors. In addition, our church is planting in the southwest end of the valley, near my home, so we will soon be able to serve at a church in our local community.

It has been a good 4 years.

Oops... I was off by a week!

It seems that the Salt Lake Emergent Cohort meets on the 4th Wednesday of the month... not the last Wednesday (It took a fifth Wednesday this month to bring that difference to a practical level for me). Which means our meeting is today, and not next week. Sooooo... if you are in the SLC area, please feel free to come and join us at High Point Coffee on 78th just west of Redwood at 7:00. It is just a casual time to drink some Java and talk about Jesus.

Back to Palm (or why I love my Centro!)

I have been using PDAs for about 15 years. My first was a B/W clamshell unit running Windows CE 1.0. It was actually a pretty neat machine for the time; an instant on that ran Windows. I switched to a Palm Vx and stayed with various Palm units for years.

I eventually switched back to the dark side. Palm seemed to be faltering, and the Windows PDA had more robust multi media functions.

But now after about 6 or 7 years with Windows PDAs, I have come back to Palm. I have been carrying two items for too long - phone and PDA. There have been a few models that brought together both that have been tempting, but usually lacked something important or were prohibitively expensive.

However, the Palm Centro rolls in under 100 dollars. I slapped an 8 gig microSD inside and now have my audio bible, seminars, music, TV shows, movies, and books all in one place. In addition to all of the PDA functions, this thing is really a great phone. All that, and now my web addiction can travel with me.

It is great owning a Palm again. I had forgotten how quick and intuitive Palm is. It is not flashy or full of eye candy... but it gets the job done solidly.

My Buddy Chad

Pennsylvania is getting one of Salt Lake City's best! My buddy Chad has packed his things and is presently on the road to Pittsburgh to work with the youth of that city. Chad has been an extreme blessing to our church and community. He has a gift for making everyone feel welcome and important.

I am going to miss having Chad's example. His insight into the practical applications of our faith has always been a challenge to me. I can jaw a lot about faith; Chad does it. I have been honored to be counted among his friends and am really going to miss him.

Godspeed my friend. I am sure that there, as here, everyone you do life with shall be blessed!

George Carlin on God and Hell

I have been listening to a lot of George Carlin since his death; great social and political commentary. However, if you get queasy at the F bomb, you won't last 2 minutes.

George stated in a very succinct way one of the most glaring inconsistencies you hear coming from modern evangelicals.

George Carlin:
And [God Says] if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place...

...full of fire and smoke...

...and burning and torture and anguish..

...where he will send you...

...to live and suffer...

...and burn and choke...

...and scream and cry...

...forever and ever...

...'til the end of time!...


But He loves you. :)

There it is, clear as crystal. On the one hand you will hear Christians state that God loves you with an EVERLASTING LOVE. That God's love is different because, unlike everyone else, His love is UNCONDITIONAL. But if you do not subscribe to certain particular beliefs (which vary from Christian group to Christian group) God will subject you to suffering beyond imagination for eternity.

So which is it? Unconditional love? Or love with the biggest condition the universe has ever seen?

I am a Draconian Parent (or why Disney Channel is of the Devil)

My assumption years ago was that anything on the Disney Channel was safe for children. I have found this not to be the case. Disney seems to populate their station with teen dramas targeted to pre-teens. I think this marketing has given us some undesirable results.

I first started to notice it last summer when my daughter was in the third grade. Many of the girls her age spoke horribly to one another and to adults. They were running around trying to stir up drama about who liked who and had so and so kissed you know who yet.

Third Grade?? Where was this coming from?

My wife and I have always been pretty strict with our children's TV viewing. They basically never watch live TV and we encourage them to watch educational stuff or family oriented shows. Kathryn has petitioned for the Disney Channel for a long time, but I have limited basic cable so that is not even an option.

Last summer, I discovered why that is a good thing.

We were staying at a hotel for an out of state wedding. While I played cards with my wife and parents, Kathryn found the Disney Channel. I watched the Suite Life of Zack and Cody out of the corner of my eye. In this episode, the two pre-teen brothers were fighting over a girl. The girl was the "girlfriend" of the one brother but the other was going to have to kiss her for a play. The pre-pubescent boys were ready to go to blows over kissing a girl. The next show had a bunch of pre-teen and early teen girls backstabbing each other over a boy.

After the kids went to bed, I checked out some more Disney shows. It seemed they all focused on teen and pre-teen relationship drama. Few of them offered any redeeming qualities by resolving these matters in a kind fashion. The characters usually only did the right thing once they were forced into it. Many of the young girls in these shows dressed like they were going to a bar. Every adult character seemed to be a complete buffoon or overgrown child.

I still have limited basic cable but if we ever decide to upgrade, for the sake of my kids I will be locking out the Disney Channel.

Congrats Detroit Bible Quizzing!!!

I heard some wonderful news on my answering machine today. Detroit Bible Quizzing won the World tournament this year. Not only that, they took first, second, and third! Amazing! Detroit has won that tournament two other times in its nearly 40 year history.

Bible Quizzing is probably second to none when it comes to learning scripture. I am sure that every person on those Detroit teams would have been able to quote this year's material (Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon).

I was with the Detroit Bible Quiz program for 20 years. I am grateful to the many, many people who did life with me as a teen and as an adult. I offer deep thanks to the people who continue to make the Detroit Bible Quizzing program available to the young people of the Detroit metro area!

Long live Bible Quizzing!

Dobson Has the "Fruitcake" View

It has never ceased to amaze me (though no longer surprise me) how Dobson and Focus on the Family will twist, distort, and exaggerate. Listening to Dobson's comment yesterday, I had to choose between: Is Dobson that unashamedly devious or pathetically ignorant?

He said of Obama's 2006 "Call to Renewal" speech:

"He's trying to make the case that it is anti-democratic to believe or fight for moral principles in the Bible that are not supported by people of all faiths. Or presumably by those of no faith....What the senator is saying there in essence is that I can't seek to pass legislation for example that bans partial-birth abortion because there are people in the culture who don't see that as a moral issue. And if I can't get everyone to agree with me, it is undemocratic to try to pass legislation that I find offensive to the Scripture. Now that is a fruitcake interpretation of the Constitution. This is why we have elections, to support what we believe to be wise and moral. We don't have to go to the lowest common denominator of morality, which is what he is suggesting....What he is trying to say here is unless everybody agrees we have no right to fight for what we believe. I thank God that that is not what the Constitution says."

Sorry Dobson... go back and listen to the speech again (DID you listen to it?). Obama is not saying that he cannot pursue moral legislation unless it is ok with people of all faiths. He is saying that if his moral view is founded in scripture, he must find a way to argue his case to someone who does not accept the validity of scripture.

Here is what Obama said:

"Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God's will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all."

What is saddest of all is that millions of Christians will take what Dobson says as gospel ... without ever looking into it themselves.



HT: Chad B.