I have never liked the end of things. I get melancholy on the last day of the baseball season, when I finish a good book, even the end of a school year. The ultimate ending, besides death, of course, is New Year's Eve.
I remember as far back as being a kid that I really hated New Year's Eve. It seemed like a very anti-climatic "holiday" to wrap up the Christmas season. Perhaps I am a glass is half empty kind of guy when it comes to New Year's Eve. To me it was more of a time to look back than it was a time to look forward.
And what about that stupid song "Auld Lang Syne". The translation is :" times gone by". I think my hatred of New Year's Eve started with that song. "Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind...." seemed very sad to me. No, I don't want to forget old acquaintances. I want to remember. I want to reflect. My perception has always been that people were so disappointed by the mistakes of the past that they looked to the new year as a way to make their world and life better...and they rarely did. Those who forget the past tend to repeat it.
In high school there was the pressure if you were going to get invited to a New Year's Eve party. If so, would someone want to kiss me at midnight? No one did. Then when I got into college it was another excuse for many to over-indulge and make fools of themselves. I have never been a drinker so that aspect has been lost on me too.
It was easier after I married and had kids. Ribeyes on the grill became a tradition or Lasagna. But still as we watched the ball drop I had this sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. And there was that darn song playing as we watched freezing people in Times Square kissing. What for most is a moment of celebration has mostly been a moment of sadness for me. The thought of old acquaintances running through my head.
After I divorced New Year's Eve was even stranger, sadder. When I started seeing someone the pressure was on to come up with just the right place and way to bring in the new year. A glass of champagne and a lady to kiss made things a little easier. But still there was that underlying disdain for the whole "holiday".
Then in my compartmentalized mind there was the record keeping...the last time I had done something or seen someone. Then, the goals of doing things again so that I wouldn't get shutout during that calendar year. And then, the stupid resolutions. Lose weight, exercise more, read my Bible more, read more in general, cuss less, hold my tongue, speak my mind, anger slower, etc. So much pressure!
I can say that I have had only about 5 great New Year's Eves. The best ones are when you are with the people or the person you love; but I have never been able to escape the emptiness in my belly whenever I hear "Auld Lang Syne".
It is approaching midnight...this will be either my last blog of the year or my first of the next. I made a conscience effort to be alone tonight. There will be no Auld Lang Syne. Old acquaintances have not been forgotten. Many have been brought to mind. Tomorrow will be just another day and I hope that a year from now I will be reflecting again. I hope to reflect on: love lost and won...friendships gained...deeper relationship and walk with Christ..forgiving and being forgiven....laughing more than crying...life more than death.
This past year has been one of great discovery for me. I have come out on the other side of a valley that I began in last year. Perhaps this will be the year that I will look forward more than looking back.
Ten minutes till 2013...I better push "send".
Happy New Year to those who I remember and those I still have in my life and to those who I have yet to meet. Time DOES go by!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
Monday, December 31, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
CUBAN WAY part two
I was really on a roll with this blogging thing this summer; then I returned to Cuba. When I returned to the USA I was overwhelmed with all I had experienced and seen. I felt that the timing was not right; nor did I have the words to express the mixture of emotions I was experiencing. I didn't want the story of my personal battles to take away from what God had done and is doing in that country. So, I decided to wait.
The next thing I know, school had started and I was knee-deep in a new schedule and new students. Once again, the Lord's timing was perfect and I can now write with a clearer lens.
I truly enjoyed Cuba 2012. Despite some stomach issues early in the week it was even more rewarding than the previous year. I loved my team! The Lord placed me with a group of wonderful people to travel with and to share with. It opened up friendships and fellowships that have now been carried back home. I feel more a part of my church now than ever before. The Lord has opened so many doors for my personal growth.
One of the highlights for me on this trip was being able to go into the community and reach out to men and women who had not yet devoted there life to Christ. The work of the house churches we teamed with is truly amazing. They are sowing seeds and winning disciples daily. The gospel is being proclaimed!
We were sent out in pair with local house church leaders to visit some of the homes they had been working with. It was humbling to see the effort and dedication of these brothers and sisters and how they had shared the gospel with there neighbors. We were blessed to be able to show and share Christ's message.
We were quick to point out that we had nothing new to add to the gospel. There was nothing that we could tell them that our Cuban brothers and sisters had not already shared. But we wanted to show them that we feel so strongly about the greatness of our God that we wanted all people to know Him and that is why we travel there. We were received warmly and our teams saw several people give their lives to Christ. In others, we helped to water the seed that had already been planted.
My first trip to Cuba I did not see the level of poverty that I was exposed to this time. In 2011, we entered the country on tourist visas. This time, we had religious visas and were able to venture into areas of the city that previously had been "off-limits". We saw homes with floors made of crushed rock, walls with gaping holes, doors that barely kept the chickens out and the barest of furniture or items of convenience. It was humbling in the truest sense.
In one home I ask the woman if she knew who Jesus was. She said that He was the the one that you prayed to to get things. I then ask her if she knew who Santa Claus was. She replied that she knew of him too from seeing movies and TV shows. We tried to show her that God is not Santa Claus; that God is not a magic lamp that you rub to get the desires of your heart. We told her that God is not a a genie who will give you everything you want...but he will give you everything you need.
As we moved from home to home a pattern was beginning to develop. It is a pattern that is not unlike how some here in the United States and around the world view God. It was an attitude that God has to prove Himself to be believed or trusted. "What have you done for me lately?"
As we entered the last home a young mother told us of how one of the walls of her home had collapsed onto her young son. He was taken to a hospital in Havana and was in the ICU for five days. While there, the child was under the care of a Christian doctor. At the same time, she was approached by witch doctors...yes, you read that right! Witch doctors!
The doctor told her that he could help her son, who had suffered serious head trauma. The witch doctors were competing for her allegiance saying that they had the means to cure her son through ritual. Eventually, the young mother chose to follow the advise of the doctor and the boy recovered. It was because of this that she decided to dedicate her life to Christ.
The story troubled me on a number of levels. I immediately recalled the story of Satan tempting Christ in the wilderness. "Thou shall not put your Lord God to the test." What would have happened if the young boy had not recovered? Would the mother have decided the witch doctors were valid and correct? Would she have rejected God and Christ?
Too often we bargain with God. If You do this...I will do that. I am know I am guilty of this in my own life. That is why trips such as these are so valuable. Not so much to the people we go to serve...but to us...to me! If I go to serve and to be served I come back doubly blessed. God reveals Himself through those we intend to serve.
The Cuban Christians are prayer warriors. They dwarf me in my faith and trust in God. They understand that we worship and owe all glory to a BIG God. He is capable of doing all things and they have BIG faith in how they worship him.
Many changes are coming to the country of Cuba. The restrictions for travel are being relaxed. The Castros are aging and many believe that when they pass from control of the government that the Cuban people will be liberated from suppression and oppression. Cubans are a people that have learned to appreciate the blessing of receiving "all they need" and not all they want. Most Christians there feel the urgent need to spread the gospel so that when Cuba "opens up" that their nation will know Christ and He is the giver of all things.
So it is humbly that I have gone and humbly that I return from my trips to Cuba. I brought back so much more than I was able to leave with them personally. When teaching about the development of radio and television I concentrate on need/necessity vs. luxury. We have become a people that expects...dare I say demands the luxuries of this world. What once was considered a luxury we now consider a necessity. May each of us learn to be content with our daily bread. May I learn to see God as a huge God and my problems as small. May each of us be thankful for all that we have in this season of Thanksgiving and may we prepare to enter the Advent season praying to hasten the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The "Cuban Way" refers to how they work the present system there to counter their oppression. But for me the Cuban Way is also an example of the boldness we should display in our proclamation of the Gospel. It refers to how they are multiplying disciples in that country. It is Acts 2 in action!
We do serve a great God...one who sent his Son to live the life we could not live, die the death that we deserved to die and conquered sin and death by rising from the dead. That is a God worth sharing to all peoples. Cuban Way? The Christian Way! Amen!
Thanks for reading.
Jeff
The next thing I know, school had started and I was knee-deep in a new schedule and new students. Once again, the Lord's timing was perfect and I can now write with a clearer lens.
I truly enjoyed Cuba 2012. Despite some stomach issues early in the week it was even more rewarding than the previous year. I loved my team! The Lord placed me with a group of wonderful people to travel with and to share with. It opened up friendships and fellowships that have now been carried back home. I feel more a part of my church now than ever before. The Lord has opened so many doors for my personal growth.
One of the highlights for me on this trip was being able to go into the community and reach out to men and women who had not yet devoted there life to Christ. The work of the house churches we teamed with is truly amazing. They are sowing seeds and winning disciples daily. The gospel is being proclaimed!
We were sent out in pair with local house church leaders to visit some of the homes they had been working with. It was humbling to see the effort and dedication of these brothers and sisters and how they had shared the gospel with there neighbors. We were blessed to be able to show and share Christ's message.
We were quick to point out that we had nothing new to add to the gospel. There was nothing that we could tell them that our Cuban brothers and sisters had not already shared. But we wanted to show them that we feel so strongly about the greatness of our God that we wanted all people to know Him and that is why we travel there. We were received warmly and our teams saw several people give their lives to Christ. In others, we helped to water the seed that had already been planted.
My first trip to Cuba I did not see the level of poverty that I was exposed to this time. In 2011, we entered the country on tourist visas. This time, we had religious visas and were able to venture into areas of the city that previously had been "off-limits". We saw homes with floors made of crushed rock, walls with gaping holes, doors that barely kept the chickens out and the barest of furniture or items of convenience. It was humbling in the truest sense.
In one home I ask the woman if she knew who Jesus was. She said that He was the the one that you prayed to to get things. I then ask her if she knew who Santa Claus was. She replied that she knew of him too from seeing movies and TV shows. We tried to show her that God is not Santa Claus; that God is not a magic lamp that you rub to get the desires of your heart. We told her that God is not a a genie who will give you everything you want...but he will give you everything you need.
As we moved from home to home a pattern was beginning to develop. It is a pattern that is not unlike how some here in the United States and around the world view God. It was an attitude that God has to prove Himself to be believed or trusted. "What have you done for me lately?"
As we entered the last home a young mother told us of how one of the walls of her home had collapsed onto her young son. He was taken to a hospital in Havana and was in the ICU for five days. While there, the child was under the care of a Christian doctor. At the same time, she was approached by witch doctors...yes, you read that right! Witch doctors!
The doctor told her that he could help her son, who had suffered serious head trauma. The witch doctors were competing for her allegiance saying that they had the means to cure her son through ritual. Eventually, the young mother chose to follow the advise of the doctor and the boy recovered. It was because of this that she decided to dedicate her life to Christ.
The story troubled me on a number of levels. I immediately recalled the story of Satan tempting Christ in the wilderness. "Thou shall not put your Lord God to the test." What would have happened if the young boy had not recovered? Would the mother have decided the witch doctors were valid and correct? Would she have rejected God and Christ?
Too often we bargain with God. If You do this...I will do that. I am know I am guilty of this in my own life. That is why trips such as these are so valuable. Not so much to the people we go to serve...but to us...to me! If I go to serve and to be served I come back doubly blessed. God reveals Himself through those we intend to serve.
The Cuban Christians are prayer warriors. They dwarf me in my faith and trust in God. They understand that we worship and owe all glory to a BIG God. He is capable of doing all things and they have BIG faith in how they worship him.
Many changes are coming to the country of Cuba. The restrictions for travel are being relaxed. The Castros are aging and many believe that when they pass from control of the government that the Cuban people will be liberated from suppression and oppression. Cubans are a people that have learned to appreciate the blessing of receiving "all they need" and not all they want. Most Christians there feel the urgent need to spread the gospel so that when Cuba "opens up" that their nation will know Christ and He is the giver of all things.
So it is humbly that I have gone and humbly that I return from my trips to Cuba. I brought back so much more than I was able to leave with them personally. When teaching about the development of radio and television I concentrate on need/necessity vs. luxury. We have become a people that expects...dare I say demands the luxuries of this world. What once was considered a luxury we now consider a necessity. May each of us learn to be content with our daily bread. May I learn to see God as a huge God and my problems as small. May each of us be thankful for all that we have in this season of Thanksgiving and may we prepare to enter the Advent season praying to hasten the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The "Cuban Way" refers to how they work the present system there to counter their oppression. But for me the Cuban Way is also an example of the boldness we should display in our proclamation of the Gospel. It refers to how they are multiplying disciples in that country. It is Acts 2 in action!
We do serve a great God...one who sent his Son to live the life we could not live, die the death that we deserved to die and conquered sin and death by rising from the dead. That is a God worth sharing to all peoples. Cuban Way? The Christian Way! Amen!
Thanks for reading.
Jeff
Thursday, November 22, 2012
The Cuban Way
It has been a while since I have written a blog. I have known for a while that I would write about my trip to Cuba this summer; but I have put it off for a number of reasons. For one thing, I did not want it to seem as if I were patting myself on the back for going to a communist country preaching the gospel. In reality, I feel that I have done nothing special...yet my pride and ego want to claim some type of kudos.
This was my second trip to Cuba in two years. Part of my desire to go back was to reestablish some of the friendships and relationships I made the first time. Another part of me felt there was some type of unfinished business there.
Last year, on the very first day I experienced a "goose pimple" moment. We had arrived in Havana very late (or very early the next morning) on our first day of travel. After getting very little rest we were off to the province of Artemesa, about an hour west of Havana. I was awestruck by the sites I was taking in. Hardly a second would go by without some new visual stimuli presenting itself. Cars from the 1950's were everywhere, motorcycles with side-cars, men riding horseback, horse and buggies, all manner of bicycles and cattle staked out by the side of the road made me know I was not in "Kansas anymore". It was all so surreal.
The first place we went was up in the mountains to a house church that had five members. That afternoon, counting our missionary team, there were 13. We were to begin the service with praise and worship. Using an old TV and a modern DVD player we would see, hear and sing along to Christian music in Spanish.
As the first song came on the TV I recognized the song and its singer. It was the niece of the woman I had been dating for nearly six years at the time. It was almost overwhelming to me. The Cubans did not know her name but the song, Perfume de tus Pies, had become a Christian anthem of sorts to the Cuban people...at least the ones in that area of Cuba.
When the song was over I was encouraged to share what I knew about the young lady singing. I told, through our translator, that I knew who she was and my connection to her through her aunt. They responded by wanting to write to her and tell her what a blessing the song had been to them, I told them I could make that happen. On the day of my departure I was given a bundle of letters and brought them back to the USA. I mailed them to her father; who in turn forwarded them on to his daughter.
I saw all of this as a sign of affirmation for my relationship with this girl's aunt. But things didn't progress as I had planned. I learned during Thanksgiving a year ago that the letters had reached their desired destination and that they had moved the recipient to the point that she decided to go to Cuba herself. She went in March, but I have no idea what part of Cuba she visited.
In the meantime, my relationship with her aunt was ending and when it came time to sign up for this year's trip to Cuba the relationship was broken and was not going to be mended. I had doubts if I wanted to go back...to relive that moment...that instance where I thought God was clearly telling me, "This is my sign to you that you are meant to be together."
But as I said, I felt I had some type of unfinished business. This was proven when several of the Cuban people ask me the first day if I got the letters to her. It had not occurred to me that they were not aware of how the story played out. That evening I was ask to share my "testimony" and I shared how God had worked in all these things.
(November 22, 2012-Thanksgiving Day)
It has been a while since I have attempted to finish this blog. Much has happened in the lives of some of my Cuban friends. The daughter of the pastor of the church we visited actually got to come to the United States to receive scoliosis surgery. This in itself is a miracle. Then our translator was granted permission to leave Cuba and he is now in the U.S. reunited with his family; after over a year of separation.
When I titled this blog entry "The Cuban Way", I was going to tell about how life is so different in Cuba. I wanted to share how resilient and resourceful these amazing people are. I will do that eventually but for now my unfinished business has taken care of itself.
I am not sure if I will return to Cuba in the near future but I know that the Lord was sovereign in all that took place before, during and after my visits there.
This was my second trip to Cuba in two years. Part of my desire to go back was to reestablish some of the friendships and relationships I made the first time. Another part of me felt there was some type of unfinished business there.
Last year, on the very first day I experienced a "goose pimple" moment. We had arrived in Havana very late (or very early the next morning) on our first day of travel. After getting very little rest we were off to the province of Artemesa, about an hour west of Havana. I was awestruck by the sites I was taking in. Hardly a second would go by without some new visual stimuli presenting itself. Cars from the 1950's were everywhere, motorcycles with side-cars, men riding horseback, horse and buggies, all manner of bicycles and cattle staked out by the side of the road made me know I was not in "Kansas anymore". It was all so surreal.
The first place we went was up in the mountains to a house church that had five members. That afternoon, counting our missionary team, there were 13. We were to begin the service with praise and worship. Using an old TV and a modern DVD player we would see, hear and sing along to Christian music in Spanish.
As the first song came on the TV I recognized the song and its singer. It was the niece of the woman I had been dating for nearly six years at the time. It was almost overwhelming to me. The Cubans did not know her name but the song, Perfume de tus Pies, had become a Christian anthem of sorts to the Cuban people...at least the ones in that area of Cuba.
When the song was over I was encouraged to share what I knew about the young lady singing. I told, through our translator, that I knew who she was and my connection to her through her aunt. They responded by wanting to write to her and tell her what a blessing the song had been to them, I told them I could make that happen. On the day of my departure I was given a bundle of letters and brought them back to the USA. I mailed them to her father; who in turn forwarded them on to his daughter.
I saw all of this as a sign of affirmation for my relationship with this girl's aunt. But things didn't progress as I had planned. I learned during Thanksgiving a year ago that the letters had reached their desired destination and that they had moved the recipient to the point that she decided to go to Cuba herself. She went in March, but I have no idea what part of Cuba she visited.
In the meantime, my relationship with her aunt was ending and when it came time to sign up for this year's trip to Cuba the relationship was broken and was not going to be mended. I had doubts if I wanted to go back...to relive that moment...that instance where I thought God was clearly telling me, "This is my sign to you that you are meant to be together."
But as I said, I felt I had some type of unfinished business. This was proven when several of the Cuban people ask me the first day if I got the letters to her. It had not occurred to me that they were not aware of how the story played out. That evening I was ask to share my "testimony" and I shared how God had worked in all these things.
(November 22, 2012-Thanksgiving Day)
It has been a while since I have attempted to finish this blog. Much has happened in the lives of some of my Cuban friends. The daughter of the pastor of the church we visited actually got to come to the United States to receive scoliosis surgery. This in itself is a miracle. Then our translator was granted permission to leave Cuba and he is now in the U.S. reunited with his family; after over a year of separation.
When I titled this blog entry "The Cuban Way", I was going to tell about how life is so different in Cuba. I wanted to share how resilient and resourceful these amazing people are. I will do that eventually but for now my unfinished business has taken care of itself.
I am not sure if I will return to Cuba in the near future but I know that the Lord was sovereign in all that took place before, during and after my visits there.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
IS IT REALLY BLACK OR WHITE?
I have never been Black, Asian, Hispanic, Gay or a Woman. I have never been rich or lived in utter poverty. I have never been Jewish or Hindu or Muslim. And guess what. I am not going to apologize for that! However, I am a growing minority! I am a White Anglo-Saxon American Male Christian.
The news this past week has been crazy. With all the problems with the economy, violence in our communities and other suffering in the world, Chick-Fil-A is under attack because it's president, Dan Cathy had the gall to answer a question honestly.
"We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit," he said. "We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that."
So what is wrong with that? Can anyone actually say that they are surprised by this statement? Afterall, Chick-fi-A is closed on Sundays because of their strong Christian beliefs. Where is the hate that so many are claiming? Nowhere do I see in this statement anything that condemns any people or group. Is the man not due the privilege of free speech. And no, this is NOT hate-speech.
I am divorced. Should I be offended by Cathy's remark..."we are married to our first wives."? That would be silly. It is just another example of how polarized we have become as a society. It is the "we" vs. "them" mentality...and I hate it!
The company later released the following statement: "The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect -- regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender." That IS Christianity!
Being Christian is not an exclusive club where only certain people are allowed in. If anything, we all qualify for inclusion because we share a common characteristic...we are all sinners. One of the greatest hindrances to true Christianity is the "holier than thou" mentality of judgement that some Christians feel they are entitled. " I may do this...but I would never do that" scale of sin is a disservice and an affront to God.
To a totally and completely Holy God...any sin is offensive.
So, Jeff, are you saying that gay-marriage is a sin? I am saying that there is strong scriptural evidence of what God's plan is: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24 ESV)
"For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error." (Romans 1:26-27 ESV)
I also believe that there is strong scientific evidence that some people, male or female, are predisposed to not be attracted to the opposite sex. I don't have the answer for everyone. I only have the answer as I apply it to my life. This is just another of those times where I am happy I am not God. I am content to let Him take this one.
And consider this. In the scope or eternity and salvation does it really matter? "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. (Matthew 22:30 ESV) "For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
(Mark 12:25 ESV)
I do not mean to take the scripture out of context; because Paul is not condoning homosexuality when he wrote: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28 ESV)...but, as Christians we have to leave room in our hearts that everyone has sacred worth. I see nothing in Mr. Cathy's comments that contradicts that.
Boycott if you want, however, I will continue to support Chick-fil-A because, as far as I can see, they actually do practice what they preach. And just because I eat a waffle fry doesn't make me a hate-monger either! Please choose your battles carefully! What are you really willing to fight for? (another future blog)
MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS...OR SO I THOUGHT
As I was working in my classroom this morning registration is taking place just outside in the hallway. An African-American woman came into my room and ask if I was the broadcasting teacher. When I said I was, she wanted to know why I didn't have a poster displaying African-American broadcasters on my bulletin board outside my room. What?
I am not artsy-fartsy when it comes to decorating bulletin boards. (or anything else for that matter) On the bulletin board outside my room I have my name, the schedule for the use of this room and a poster from the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. This is not meant to be a social, political or philosophical agenda. It was a gift from a former student and it fills the void of an empty bulletin board AND it relates to what I teach. I didn't draw it and I never saw it as being controversial or offensive in any manner.
The poster has drawings of people who have had or made an impact on broadcasting in Chicago. It includes, Steve Allen, Jack Benny, Jack Brickhouse, Harry Carey and Kula, Fran and Ollie; just to mention a few. Unfortunately, none of the people drawn on this poster is African-American.
There have been numerous African-Americans who have played huge role in broadcasting. I quickly brought to the conversation the names of Ed Bradley, Bill Whitaker (both of CBS News) Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby. I later added Bernard Shaw, the longtime anchor/reporter for CNN to my list.
Just because none of those individuals had a picture on the wall or on the bulletin board does not scream my lack of racial sensitivity. Not everything has a motive or an agenda. Not everything is politically or racially motivated. Does the fact that I think of Oprah as a broadcaster rather than a Black/African American broadcaster speak positively on how far we have come in this country or how far we still need to go? Does the fact I don't have a picture of Ed Bradley scream a lack of racial diversity? Is it not enough that I acknowledge Barrack Obama as President of the United States or does he need to the Black President?
Wouldn't a better way to approach me have been to say. "If I brought some pictures of prominent African-American broadcasters would you mind putting them up?" The mere phrasing of this woman's question implied a deliberate exclusion on my part. "Why are there no African-Americans on your bulletin board?' I was immediately put on the defensive and I resented it.
As I said at the top, I have never been black. I have not had to view the world as a "person of color". There is enough injustice in the world without having to search for it. There is enough hatred in the world without having to vilify someone about his biblical family values. This country is so polarized that we are choking ourselves to death. Our government can't work effectively because rather than compromise for the common good we would rather divide and conquer. We are more concerned with "winning"....and somehow when that happens we all lose.
Love one another. "We love because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19 ESV) Everything kind of falls into place after that!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
The news this past week has been crazy. With all the problems with the economy, violence in our communities and other suffering in the world, Chick-Fil-A is under attack because it's president, Dan Cathy had the gall to answer a question honestly.
"We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit," he said. "We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that."
So what is wrong with that? Can anyone actually say that they are surprised by this statement? Afterall, Chick-fi-A is closed on Sundays because of their strong Christian beliefs. Where is the hate that so many are claiming? Nowhere do I see in this statement anything that condemns any people or group. Is the man not due the privilege of free speech. And no, this is NOT hate-speech.
I am divorced. Should I be offended by Cathy's remark..."we are married to our first wives."? That would be silly. It is just another example of how polarized we have become as a society. It is the "we" vs. "them" mentality...and I hate it!
The company later released the following statement: "The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect -- regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender." That IS Christianity!
Being Christian is not an exclusive club where only certain people are allowed in. If anything, we all qualify for inclusion because we share a common characteristic...we are all sinners. One of the greatest hindrances to true Christianity is the "holier than thou" mentality of judgement that some Christians feel they are entitled. " I may do this...but I would never do that" scale of sin is a disservice and an affront to God.
To a totally and completely Holy God...any sin is offensive.
So, Jeff, are you saying that gay-marriage is a sin? I am saying that there is strong scriptural evidence of what God's plan is: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24 ESV)
"For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error." (Romans 1:26-27 ESV)
I also believe that there is strong scientific evidence that some people, male or female, are predisposed to not be attracted to the opposite sex. I don't have the answer for everyone. I only have the answer as I apply it to my life. This is just another of those times where I am happy I am not God. I am content to let Him take this one.
And consider this. In the scope or eternity and salvation does it really matter? "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. (Matthew 22:30 ESV) "For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
(Mark 12:25 ESV)
I do not mean to take the scripture out of context; because Paul is not condoning homosexuality when he wrote: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28 ESV)...but, as Christians we have to leave room in our hearts that everyone has sacred worth. I see nothing in Mr. Cathy's comments that contradicts that.
Boycott if you want, however, I will continue to support Chick-fil-A because, as far as I can see, they actually do practice what they preach. And just because I eat a waffle fry doesn't make me a hate-monger either! Please choose your battles carefully! What are you really willing to fight for? (another future blog)
MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS...OR SO I THOUGHT
As I was working in my classroom this morning registration is taking place just outside in the hallway. An African-American woman came into my room and ask if I was the broadcasting teacher. When I said I was, she wanted to know why I didn't have a poster displaying African-American broadcasters on my bulletin board outside my room. What?
I am not artsy-fartsy when it comes to decorating bulletin boards. (or anything else for that matter) On the bulletin board outside my room I have my name, the schedule for the use of this room and a poster from the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. This is not meant to be a social, political or philosophical agenda. It was a gift from a former student and it fills the void of an empty bulletin board AND it relates to what I teach. I didn't draw it and I never saw it as being controversial or offensive in any manner.
The poster has drawings of people who have had or made an impact on broadcasting in Chicago. It includes, Steve Allen, Jack Benny, Jack Brickhouse, Harry Carey and Kula, Fran and Ollie; just to mention a few. Unfortunately, none of the people drawn on this poster is African-American.
There have been numerous African-Americans who have played huge role in broadcasting. I quickly brought to the conversation the names of Ed Bradley, Bill Whitaker (both of CBS News) Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby. I later added Bernard Shaw, the longtime anchor/reporter for CNN to my list.
Just because none of those individuals had a picture on the wall or on the bulletin board does not scream my lack of racial sensitivity. Not everything has a motive or an agenda. Not everything is politically or racially motivated. Does the fact that I think of Oprah as a broadcaster rather than a Black/African American broadcaster speak positively on how far we have come in this country or how far we still need to go? Does the fact I don't have a picture of Ed Bradley scream a lack of racial diversity? Is it not enough that I acknowledge Barrack Obama as President of the United States or does he need to the Black President?
Wouldn't a better way to approach me have been to say. "If I brought some pictures of prominent African-American broadcasters would you mind putting them up?" The mere phrasing of this woman's question implied a deliberate exclusion on my part. "Why are there no African-Americans on your bulletin board?' I was immediately put on the defensive and I resented it.
As I said at the top, I have never been black. I have not had to view the world as a "person of color". There is enough injustice in the world without having to search for it. There is enough hatred in the world without having to vilify someone about his biblical family values. This country is so polarized that we are choking ourselves to death. Our government can't work effectively because rather than compromise for the common good we would rather divide and conquer. We are more concerned with "winning"....and somehow when that happens we all lose.
Love one another. "We love because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19 ESV) Everything kind of falls into place after that!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
Friday, July 20, 2012
Tragedy in Colorado
I have wondered the past few days what I would write about in my next blog. The topics that have run through my head have been pushed to the back burner due to the shooting massacre in Aurora, CO. Some of the details have been released by authorities as their investigation continues. As I write this 12 are confirmed dead and 58 are listed as wounded.
There are many directions this story will lean over the coming days and weeks. There will be the understandable quest for a motive, the inevitable link to the movie "The Dark Knight Rises", there will be discussions of the topic of violence in motion pictures and in life, concerns about tightened security at movie theaters and much much more.
One also has to think about the amount of tragic and violent events that have rocked that area of Colorado. The theater shooting took place not far from Columbine High School, the site of a mass murder in 1999. It is also the same community that is still haunted by the Jon Benet Ramsey murder; which remains unsolved. This area has certainly had it share of devastating events.
Wiser minds than mine will ponder and try to answer why these types of events happen in the Denver metropolitan area. The fact is this could have happened anywhere. Columbine and Aurora are not much different than the community where I live.
I don't say that to make people afraid to go out of their homes, into their communities, attend motion pictures or midnight premieres. If anything, it is just the opposite. You can never know when evil, the unexplainable might happen. We can not let unexplainable and random acts paralyze us.
Consider the story of one of the victims in the theater shooting, Jessica Redfield. Also known as Jessi Ghawi, she was an aspiring Colorado sports reporter who had narrowly escaped a Toronto mall shooting last month. She wrote in her blog that she had a eerie feeling that day and felt she had to get out of the food court area; so she left. Moments later a gunman opened fire killing one and wounding several others.
Last night there was no such eerie feeling. The 24-year old was one of the 12 to be killed. My point...none of us are guaranteed the next sunrise....next week...our next breath. We should not be afraid to live our lives as fully and as completely as possible. Life is too short not to.
It is common for us to hear of suicide bombers in the Middle East and we often breathe a sigh of relief when we learn that it didn't happen in our country or our community. Then something like this sends a shock wave through us.
The one topic that I haven't mentioned to this point is the weapons used in the massacre: “An AR-15 assault rifle, a Remington 870 12-gauge shot gun and a .40 caliber Glock handgun. We believe those three weapons were used in the scene and another .40 caliber Glock handgun was found in the car. We’re not sure if that was also used in the scene,” said Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates.
All of the weapons were obtain legally; which is disturbing to me. I am as big a defender of America's Constitution...including the 2nd Amendment...as anyone. What I can't defend is why anyone needs to possess assault weapons.
This will be the main topic of debate over what happened in Colorado. Some will argue that if you take guns away from the people only criminals will have them. The reality is that the suspect was able to purchase the weapons legally because he had NO criminal record prior to the shooting.
He can't say that anymore!
Thanks for reading.
Jeff
.
There are many directions this story will lean over the coming days and weeks. There will be the understandable quest for a motive, the inevitable link to the movie "The Dark Knight Rises", there will be discussions of the topic of violence in motion pictures and in life, concerns about tightened security at movie theaters and much much more.
One also has to think about the amount of tragic and violent events that have rocked that area of Colorado. The theater shooting took place not far from Columbine High School, the site of a mass murder in 1999. It is also the same community that is still haunted by the Jon Benet Ramsey murder; which remains unsolved. This area has certainly had it share of devastating events.
Wiser minds than mine will ponder and try to answer why these types of events happen in the Denver metropolitan area. The fact is this could have happened anywhere. Columbine and Aurora are not much different than the community where I live.
I don't say that to make people afraid to go out of their homes, into their communities, attend motion pictures or midnight premieres. If anything, it is just the opposite. You can never know when evil, the unexplainable might happen. We can not let unexplainable and random acts paralyze us.
Consider the story of one of the victims in the theater shooting, Jessica Redfield. Also known as Jessi Ghawi, she was an aspiring Colorado sports reporter who had narrowly escaped a Toronto mall shooting last month. She wrote in her blog that she had a eerie feeling that day and felt she had to get out of the food court area; so she left. Moments later a gunman opened fire killing one and wounding several others.
Last night there was no such eerie feeling. The 24-year old was one of the 12 to be killed. My point...none of us are guaranteed the next sunrise....next week...our next breath. We should not be afraid to live our lives as fully and as completely as possible. Life is too short not to.
It is common for us to hear of suicide bombers in the Middle East and we often breathe a sigh of relief when we learn that it didn't happen in our country or our community. Then something like this sends a shock wave through us.
The one topic that I haven't mentioned to this point is the weapons used in the massacre: “An AR-15 assault rifle, a Remington 870 12-gauge shot gun and a .40 caliber Glock handgun. We believe those three weapons were used in the scene and another .40 caliber Glock handgun was found in the car. We’re not sure if that was also used in the scene,” said Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates.
All of the weapons were obtain legally; which is disturbing to me. I am as big a defender of America's Constitution...including the 2nd Amendment...as anyone. What I can't defend is why anyone needs to possess assault weapons.
This will be the main topic of debate over what happened in Colorado. Some will argue that if you take guns away from the people only criminals will have them. The reality is that the suspect was able to purchase the weapons legally because he had NO criminal record prior to the shooting.
He can't say that anymore!
Thanks for reading.
Jeff
.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Fallen Heros
It is said that we are a nation, a people that enjoys building someone up only to tear them down. We see it everyday in some form or another. This is mainly seen in the celebrity world. First there is the publicity push to get the person's name and face recognized and then the constant effort to keep that face before the public.
How often have we seen it? Some celebrity, we love, stubs their toe and the vultures are there to devour the carnage. We like to see the mighty and powerful fall. We also like a phoenix that rises from the ashes.
Sports and politics are full of such stories. Richard Nixon rose to the office of Vice-President under Dwight Eisenhower only to lose the 1960 Presidential election to John F. Kennedy. In 1964, Nixon ran for Governor of California only to lose there; spawning his famous line to the press, "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore."
But four years later he receives the Republican nomination for President again and wins! What an amazing story of comeback. Unfortunately, he would leave the office in disgrace with the Watergate fiasco. Sometimes it is self destruction that writes the final chapter.
I could go on and on, sighting one example after another. OJ Simpson was an American sports hero whose legacy was blackened when we was accused of the murder of his ex-wife. Even though he was acquitted, most Americans still think he did it. He is serving prison time for another unrelated crime. Self destruction.
How many have found delight in the rise and fall of golfer Tiger Woods?
Then there are those people who can only see the color of the uniform the person is wearing. The great baseball player Albert Pujols left St. Louis this past off-season to sign with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It amazes me how Pujols could be the greatest baseball player of his day while with St. Louis and immediately become a washed up over-rated ballplayer the next year because he changed uniforms.
We are loyal to our teams, our schools no matter what. A good friend of mine worked in the Athletic Department at Auburn University. He was constantly receiving calls during recruiting season, checking on the progress the Tigers were making with this prospect or the next. During one conversation an avid fan called to inquire about a top notch recruit who had committed to Auburn. "He is going to be pretty good, isn't he?", the caller ask. "He is really going to help us. I like him a lot." When informed that the aforementioned player had actually signed with Alabama the next words out of the mouth of the caller was, "Well, that S.O.B. wasn't any good anyway."
He went from being a great catch to being an S.O.B. in less time than it takes to run a kick-off back! We look at things though different lenses.
This brings us to the recent trial and conviction of former Penn State defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky. He was convicted of child abuse and of being a sexual predator. The trial has been over for a few weeks now but the fallout continues with the result of the eight-month, 267 page Freeh Investigation Report released today detailing a massive cover-up by top officials at the school; including Head Coach Joe Paterno.
I remember the outrage when "Joe Pa" was forced to resign prior to the end of the season. Defenders said he meant too much to the team, the school, the community and to college football to be forced out in such a way. The truth of the matter is he should have been gone years ago based on the findings of this report.
You see it stops being about wins and loses when crimes are being committed. How can anyone know that young boys are being brutalized and raped in the showers of any school's locker room and not feel repulsed and sickened by it? How could anyone walk in on such an act, as assistant coach Mike McQuery did and not beat Jerry Sandusky to within an inch of his life? How could high ranking officials, from Joe Paterno to the President of Penn State turn their heads and permit such acts. McQuery was afraid he would lose his job. The others thought it could ruin the school's reputation! How did that all work out for you now? It is the ultimate act of cowardliness! Real heros don't run from tough decisions!
We have to be careful here too. Following the announcement of the verdict, the district attorney in the case made statements about believing young children; that someone finally listened and that they will continue to listen. It took great courage for these boys, now young men, to tell their stories, to testify. Good for them. They are the real heroes here. They showed much more courage than any adult at the time. Justice can and will be served. But....
Let's not slip into the Nancy Grace school of "everyone is gulity until proven innocent". The fact is, people do lie. Not every person accused of a crime is guilty. Not everyone who says they were abused or raped or sexually assaulted is telling the truth! We only have to look back at the Duke University Lacrosse team scandal to know that.
All it takes is one claim against a teacher/coach/co-worker for his/her career and reputation to be tainted forever; whether its true or not. None of this is easy. So what do we do? We do what Penn State DIDN'T do. We follow up. We check out stories. We do listen and act accordingly. Its the same mantra we chant in journalism: Seek the truth and tell it fully. Then do the right thing!
The one thing we should have learned from Nixon to Paterno is that covering up something only makes it worse! Look how many more boys were victimized after these issues came to the attention of the powers that be. Much of this could and should have been avoided.
Due diligence is needed in all of these matters. All of us must take off our team colors and our rose colored glasses, lay aside our idol worship of celebrities. They are human and subject to human flaws. They put their pants on just like the rest of us. We must remember the definition of what is truly a hero, a champion. It shouldn't always be measured in wins and losses, national titles or championship rings.
Root for you favorite team. Cheer for your favorite player. Have fun with it. Just don't equate character and class with the ability to catch a football or to hit a baseball or to dunk a basketball or to coach a team to victory. Put things into perspective. No matter who wins or loses tomorrow night's Cardinals-Reds game or this fall's Iron Bowl game or the BCS Championship there are 1.3 billion Chinese and 1.2 billion people in India who could care less.
As long as there are flawed human beings in this world there will be fallen heros. There is only one hero that will never let you down; who has no flaw in Him. There is only one victory that matters. Jesus Christ is that hero and his victory over sin and death not only matters to you and me, but also to those 1.3 billion Chinese and the 1.2 billion people in India....and every people, tongue and nation on this planet.
Seek the truth: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
(John 14:6 ESV)
Tell it fully: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20 ESV)
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
How often have we seen it? Some celebrity, we love, stubs their toe and the vultures are there to devour the carnage. We like to see the mighty and powerful fall. We also like a phoenix that rises from the ashes.
Sports and politics are full of such stories. Richard Nixon rose to the office of Vice-President under Dwight Eisenhower only to lose the 1960 Presidential election to John F. Kennedy. In 1964, Nixon ran for Governor of California only to lose there; spawning his famous line to the press, "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore."
But four years later he receives the Republican nomination for President again and wins! What an amazing story of comeback. Unfortunately, he would leave the office in disgrace with the Watergate fiasco. Sometimes it is self destruction that writes the final chapter.
I could go on and on, sighting one example after another. OJ Simpson was an American sports hero whose legacy was blackened when we was accused of the murder of his ex-wife. Even though he was acquitted, most Americans still think he did it. He is serving prison time for another unrelated crime. Self destruction.
How many have found delight in the rise and fall of golfer Tiger Woods?
Then there are those people who can only see the color of the uniform the person is wearing. The great baseball player Albert Pujols left St. Louis this past off-season to sign with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It amazes me how Pujols could be the greatest baseball player of his day while with St. Louis and immediately become a washed up over-rated ballplayer the next year because he changed uniforms.
We are loyal to our teams, our schools no matter what. A good friend of mine worked in the Athletic Department at Auburn University. He was constantly receiving calls during recruiting season, checking on the progress the Tigers were making with this prospect or the next. During one conversation an avid fan called to inquire about a top notch recruit who had committed to Auburn. "He is going to be pretty good, isn't he?", the caller ask. "He is really going to help us. I like him a lot." When informed that the aforementioned player had actually signed with Alabama the next words out of the mouth of the caller was, "Well, that S.O.B. wasn't any good anyway."
He went from being a great catch to being an S.O.B. in less time than it takes to run a kick-off back! We look at things though different lenses.
This brings us to the recent trial and conviction of former Penn State defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky. He was convicted of child abuse and of being a sexual predator. The trial has been over for a few weeks now but the fallout continues with the result of the eight-month, 267 page Freeh Investigation Report released today detailing a massive cover-up by top officials at the school; including Head Coach Joe Paterno.
I remember the outrage when "Joe Pa" was forced to resign prior to the end of the season. Defenders said he meant too much to the team, the school, the community and to college football to be forced out in such a way. The truth of the matter is he should have been gone years ago based on the findings of this report.
You see it stops being about wins and loses when crimes are being committed. How can anyone know that young boys are being brutalized and raped in the showers of any school's locker room and not feel repulsed and sickened by it? How could anyone walk in on such an act, as assistant coach Mike McQuery did and not beat Jerry Sandusky to within an inch of his life? How could high ranking officials, from Joe Paterno to the President of Penn State turn their heads and permit such acts. McQuery was afraid he would lose his job. The others thought it could ruin the school's reputation! How did that all work out for you now? It is the ultimate act of cowardliness! Real heros don't run from tough decisions!
We have to be careful here too. Following the announcement of the verdict, the district attorney in the case made statements about believing young children; that someone finally listened and that they will continue to listen. It took great courage for these boys, now young men, to tell their stories, to testify. Good for them. They are the real heroes here. They showed much more courage than any adult at the time. Justice can and will be served. But....
Let's not slip into the Nancy Grace school of "everyone is gulity until proven innocent". The fact is, people do lie. Not every person accused of a crime is guilty. Not everyone who says they were abused or raped or sexually assaulted is telling the truth! We only have to look back at the Duke University Lacrosse team scandal to know that.
All it takes is one claim against a teacher/coach/co-worker for his/her career and reputation to be tainted forever; whether its true or not. None of this is easy. So what do we do? We do what Penn State DIDN'T do. We follow up. We check out stories. We do listen and act accordingly. Its the same mantra we chant in journalism: Seek the truth and tell it fully. Then do the right thing!
The one thing we should have learned from Nixon to Paterno is that covering up something only makes it worse! Look how many more boys were victimized after these issues came to the attention of the powers that be. Much of this could and should have been avoided.
Due diligence is needed in all of these matters. All of us must take off our team colors and our rose colored glasses, lay aside our idol worship of celebrities. They are human and subject to human flaws. They put their pants on just like the rest of us. We must remember the definition of what is truly a hero, a champion. It shouldn't always be measured in wins and losses, national titles or championship rings.
Root for you favorite team. Cheer for your favorite player. Have fun with it. Just don't equate character and class with the ability to catch a football or to hit a baseball or to dunk a basketball or to coach a team to victory. Put things into perspective. No matter who wins or loses tomorrow night's Cardinals-Reds game or this fall's Iron Bowl game or the BCS Championship there are 1.3 billion Chinese and 1.2 billion people in India who could care less.
As long as there are flawed human beings in this world there will be fallen heros. There is only one hero that will never let you down; who has no flaw in Him. There is only one victory that matters. Jesus Christ is that hero and his victory over sin and death not only matters to you and me, but also to those 1.3 billion Chinese and the 1.2 billion people in India....and every people, tongue and nation on this planet.
Seek the truth: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
(John 14:6 ESV)
Tell it fully: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20 ESV)
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
Thursday, July 5, 2012
I Miss Mayberry
I learned of the death of Andy Griffith Tuesday while I was driving back to the area where I grew up. I did not grow up in Mayberry; in fact my hometown is much smaller. As a kid, we didn't even have a Sheriff or any kind of police presence in our town. We did have a town drunk though.
The Andy Griffith Show (AGS) was based in the fictional southern town of Mayberry, NC; but it could have been any small town in the US. Debuting in 1960, it ran until 1968 and then gave way to Mayberry RFD (1968-1971). We purist will tell you that vintage AGS ended when it began being broadcast in color.
CBS had a host of sticoms that centered around small city or rural life: The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, Hee Haw and Gomer Pyles USMC (a spin-off of AGS), This homespun approached appealed to middle America but not so much to Madison Avenue. Despite the fact that overall ratings were still strong, the demographics were not what national advertisers were looking to reach. CBS, which stood for the Columbia Broadcasting System started being called the Country Broadcasting System among the advertising execs.
Not all that slowly, CBS began to cancel these shows; replacing them with more urban and "socially conscience" shows, i.e., All in the Family, Mary Tyler Moore, Rhoda, Good Times, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time and Maude.
The shows in the 60's did not match the real life of the 60's. Perhaps that is why they were so embraced by us "common folk". In Mayberry the biggest issues were Barney and Thelma Lou's relationship; Opie getting the wrong grade on a report card; Andy's dating life (he sure dated a lot of good looking women in such a small town*). Then, occasionally, there was some lawman's work where Barney's courage was always tested.
{*We purist think Helen was a b%^$# and Andy should have married Peggy the nurse. Much hotter!}
In real life the 60's were anything but what we saw in prime time. It all seemed to begin in November of 1963 with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. From that day on, all Hell broke loose: the assassinations of Malcom X, Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy; and the attempt on the life of George Wallace. There was Viet Nam, the Civil Rights race riots in L.A.and Detroit, waterhoses and police dogs in Birmingham, the Manson Family, and Richard Speck. No...Mayberry was not real life at all!
Even my tiny hometown was not immune. One of our own died in Viet Nam. The biggest battle Gomer Pyle ever faced was Sergeant Carter! Shows like AGS helped us escape, if for only 30 minutes at a time.
People will look back on those TV shows and think it was a quieter, easier time; but it wasn't. I do not long to return to those days at all. The events of that era, as CBS reporter Dan Rather once said, "...shook something loose from the American psyche". Some have said life has never been the same in this country since. We springboarded right into the 70's with more riots, Kent State, Watergate, the Munich Olympic tragedy, Iran hostages, gas shortages and double-digit inflation.
This is why we loved the AGS and shows of it's kind. It was life as it should be, how we wanted it to be. The fact that the show has never really left the airwaves, with syndication re-runs, tells us that we still wish it were that way.
Each generation and decade will have trials and tribulations. It is called life. Rarely can we solve any of our problems in 30 minutes (minus 8 minutes of commercials). We push on. We do the best we can. We dream of better days from the past and for our future.
The song MAYBERRY by Rascal Flatts, talks about "I miss Mayberry sitting on the front porch drinking ice cold Cherry Coke". Great song and great thoughts of a life most of us wish we had. But it is dream, a fantasy; and there is nothing wrong with that. But in reality, in real life, it is hard to miss what you never had.
The passing of Andy Griffith is just one more reminder that life and DEATH do happen. How grateful I am for the many hours of entertainment and escape that show has brought to me and millions of others. Rest in peace Andy. You made our world a better place because Mayberry could be everyone's hometown.
Yes, even though I never lived there...I MISS MAYBERRY!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
The Andy Griffith Show (AGS) was based in the fictional southern town of Mayberry, NC; but it could have been any small town in the US. Debuting in 1960, it ran until 1968 and then gave way to Mayberry RFD (1968-1971). We purist will tell you that vintage AGS ended when it began being broadcast in color.
CBS had a host of sticoms that centered around small city or rural life: The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, Hee Haw and Gomer Pyles USMC (a spin-off of AGS), This homespun approached appealed to middle America but not so much to Madison Avenue. Despite the fact that overall ratings were still strong, the demographics were not what national advertisers were looking to reach. CBS, which stood for the Columbia Broadcasting System started being called the Country Broadcasting System among the advertising execs.
Not all that slowly, CBS began to cancel these shows; replacing them with more urban and "socially conscience" shows, i.e., All in the Family, Mary Tyler Moore, Rhoda, Good Times, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time and Maude.
The shows in the 60's did not match the real life of the 60's. Perhaps that is why they were so embraced by us "common folk". In Mayberry the biggest issues were Barney and Thelma Lou's relationship; Opie getting the wrong grade on a report card; Andy's dating life (he sure dated a lot of good looking women in such a small town*). Then, occasionally, there was some lawman's work where Barney's courage was always tested.
{*We purist think Helen was a b%^$# and Andy should have married Peggy the nurse. Much hotter!}
In real life the 60's were anything but what we saw in prime time. It all seemed to begin in November of 1963 with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. From that day on, all Hell broke loose: the assassinations of Malcom X, Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy; and the attempt on the life of George Wallace. There was Viet Nam, the Civil Rights race riots in L.A.and Detroit, waterhoses and police dogs in Birmingham, the Manson Family, and Richard Speck. No...Mayberry was not real life at all!
Even my tiny hometown was not immune. One of our own died in Viet Nam. The biggest battle Gomer Pyle ever faced was Sergeant Carter! Shows like AGS helped us escape, if for only 30 minutes at a time.
People will look back on those TV shows and think it was a quieter, easier time; but it wasn't. I do not long to return to those days at all. The events of that era, as CBS reporter Dan Rather once said, "...shook something loose from the American psyche". Some have said life has never been the same in this country since. We springboarded right into the 70's with more riots, Kent State, Watergate, the Munich Olympic tragedy, Iran hostages, gas shortages and double-digit inflation.
This is why we loved the AGS and shows of it's kind. It was life as it should be, how we wanted it to be. The fact that the show has never really left the airwaves, with syndication re-runs, tells us that we still wish it were that way.
Each generation and decade will have trials and tribulations. It is called life. Rarely can we solve any of our problems in 30 minutes (minus 8 minutes of commercials). We push on. We do the best we can. We dream of better days from the past and for our future.
The song MAYBERRY by Rascal Flatts, talks about "I miss Mayberry sitting on the front porch drinking ice cold Cherry Coke". Great song and great thoughts of a life most of us wish we had. But it is dream, a fantasy; and there is nothing wrong with that. But in reality, in real life, it is hard to miss what you never had.
The passing of Andy Griffith is just one more reminder that life and DEATH do happen. How grateful I am for the many hours of entertainment and escape that show has brought to me and millions of others. Rest in peace Andy. You made our world a better place because Mayberry could be everyone's hometown.
Yes, even though I never lived there...I MISS MAYBERRY!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Love of My Life
I have been doing alot of deep thinking lately. Not that I don't usually, but circumstances in my life have caused me to reflect on the past, the present and the future. As I move past middle-age (it is doubtful I will live to be 114 years old, so yes I am beyond middle age) there is more past now then there is future; at least in quantity.
It is staggering just how many lives I have had already. Or should I say "careers" Some are more jobs than careers but hopefully you get the idea. Lets see.
I have: Mowed lawns, hoed and turned watermelon vines, loaded and stack watermelons, baled hay, cut corn out of beans, worked at an A&W, been a janitor, a mover, and worked a snack bar; all before graduating from Junior College. This does not count two full seasons practicing and playing basketball for Spoon River College. Then there was the summer job working in a factory and the 1 1/2 years in puratory there following my time at SRC.
Since graduating from Western Illinois University I have been a staff announcer, disc jockey, news reporter, sports director, play-by-play man. I have worked both TV and radio. I have done voice-over work and I have produced and edited numerous project, for various clients.
Along the way I have worked with a travel agency...sold encyclopedias,...co-owned, published and sold advertising for a bridal magazine...taught high school....and have my own financial services business.
Whew, I am tired from writing all that and I am sure if I thought harder I would likely think of some other endeavors I have been in. I won't even mention the stations, teams, and free-lance broadcasting jobs. Now throw in there son, brother, student, cousin, boyfriend, husband, father, brother-in-law, ex-husband and friend.
The point and the title of this entry is to look at my life in different sections rather than as a whole. After all, to get to the "whole" person you have to look at the sum of their parts and there have been lots of moving parts in my life.
So why the moment of reflection? Why now, at this time? Well, I am coming out of a relationship where I thought with all my heart that I had found the true love of my life. Details are not important here but for months I walked around consumed with the grief and mourning of that lost love. I was miserable and not able to find much happiness or joy in life. It was bad! It is that valley I referred to in an earlier blog.
But here is the deal. What does "love of my life" really mean? If you break it down as I did earlier...I have had many different lives. Now that is not to imply that I had that special someone along each of those times,but seasons come and seasons go. In fact, that is bibical:
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV)
She WAS the love of my life...at that part of my life. There were even seasons within our relationship. The first date was the "time to be born". The dating and courting process was the "time to plant". The love and affection we shared was "a time to build up". The death of loved ones during our time was the "time to mourn". It goes on and on.
Now apply all that back to the whole life experience. The scripture starts out that we are all born. We can't escape that fact. Each of us will go through every one of these seasons. We will, in one form or another, weep and laugh, mourn and dance, embrace and refrain from embracing, keep and cast away. It is part of life. None of us can avoid any of it.
But look how the author of Ecclesiates ends this particular passage. "A time for peace." Is it an accident that he writes of all these seasons of life and then concludes talking about a "time of peace"?
We can be assured, no matter the circumstances, if we place our lives and our confidence in God that through it all we will receive peace. True peace can only be found in one place and that is the Cross.
Love of my life? The true love in my life and in yours is Jesus Christ and the love he showed on the Cross. It is there whether we realize it or not. His love is there through ALL seasons.
" And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,....(John 1:14 ESV)
The word IS Jesus. Jesus IS God. God IS love. His love endures FOREVER!
“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
(1 Peter 1:24-25 ESV)
Doesn't it make you feel safe and secure that there is one person that will always love you; that God's love will never leave you? It does me! God will not leave me regardless of the season I am in. He proved that by living the life I could not live and dying the death I deserved to die and defeating sin and death when he rose from the grave. AND he did it all BEFORE I was even born...BEFORE I had a season at all! What love!
I look forward to many more seasons in my life: Father-in-law, grandfather, etc.. I will have seasons of loving and being loved. There will continue to be more seasons of trial. But, I know what I have been seeking through the many seasons so far, the LOVE of my life, has been with me the entire time. Praise God!
I hope you know that kind of love too. If not, look to the Cross. No greater love was ever known!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
It is staggering just how many lives I have had already. Or should I say "careers" Some are more jobs than careers but hopefully you get the idea. Lets see.
I have: Mowed lawns, hoed and turned watermelon vines, loaded and stack watermelons, baled hay, cut corn out of beans, worked at an A&W, been a janitor, a mover, and worked a snack bar; all before graduating from Junior College. This does not count two full seasons practicing and playing basketball for Spoon River College. Then there was the summer job working in a factory and the 1 1/2 years in puratory there following my time at SRC.
Since graduating from Western Illinois University I have been a staff announcer, disc jockey, news reporter, sports director, play-by-play man. I have worked both TV and radio. I have done voice-over work and I have produced and edited numerous project, for various clients.
Along the way I have worked with a travel agency...sold encyclopedias,...co-owned, published and sold advertising for a bridal magazine...taught high school....and have my own financial services business.
Whew, I am tired from writing all that and I am sure if I thought harder I would likely think of some other endeavors I have been in. I won't even mention the stations, teams, and free-lance broadcasting jobs. Now throw in there son, brother, student, cousin, boyfriend, husband, father, brother-in-law, ex-husband and friend.
The point and the title of this entry is to look at my life in different sections rather than as a whole. After all, to get to the "whole" person you have to look at the sum of their parts and there have been lots of moving parts in my life.
So why the moment of reflection? Why now, at this time? Well, I am coming out of a relationship where I thought with all my heart that I had found the true love of my life. Details are not important here but for months I walked around consumed with the grief and mourning of that lost love. I was miserable and not able to find much happiness or joy in life. It was bad! It is that valley I referred to in an earlier blog.
But here is the deal. What does "love of my life" really mean? If you break it down as I did earlier...I have had many different lives. Now that is not to imply that I had that special someone along each of those times,but seasons come and seasons go. In fact, that is bibical:
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV)
She WAS the love of my life...at that part of my life. There were even seasons within our relationship. The first date was the "time to be born". The dating and courting process was the "time to plant". The love and affection we shared was "a time to build up". The death of loved ones during our time was the "time to mourn". It goes on and on.
Now apply all that back to the whole life experience. The scripture starts out that we are all born. We can't escape that fact. Each of us will go through every one of these seasons. We will, in one form or another, weep and laugh, mourn and dance, embrace and refrain from embracing, keep and cast away. It is part of life. None of us can avoid any of it.
But look how the author of Ecclesiates ends this particular passage. "A time for peace." Is it an accident that he writes of all these seasons of life and then concludes talking about a "time of peace"?
We can be assured, no matter the circumstances, if we place our lives and our confidence in God that through it all we will receive peace. True peace can only be found in one place and that is the Cross.
Love of my life? The true love in my life and in yours is Jesus Christ and the love he showed on the Cross. It is there whether we realize it or not. His love is there through ALL seasons.
" And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,....(John 1:14 ESV)
The word IS Jesus. Jesus IS God. God IS love. His love endures FOREVER!
“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
(1 Peter 1:24-25 ESV)
Doesn't it make you feel safe and secure that there is one person that will always love you; that God's love will never leave you? It does me! God will not leave me regardless of the season I am in. He proved that by living the life I could not live and dying the death I deserved to die and defeating sin and death when he rose from the grave. AND he did it all BEFORE I was even born...BEFORE I had a season at all! What love!
I look forward to many more seasons in my life: Father-in-law, grandfather, etc.. I will have seasons of loving and being loved. There will continue to be more seasons of trial. But, I know what I have been seeking through the many seasons so far, the LOVE of my life, has been with me the entire time. Praise God!
I hope you know that kind of love too. If not, look to the Cross. No greater love was ever known!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
Saturday, June 30, 2012
How Will I Line The Birdcage?
Journalism in the U.S. is in trouble. Or more percisely the American people are in trouble when it comes to journalism or the lack there of. Earlier this month Advance Publications announced the slashing of more than 400 newspaper jobs in the state of Alabama; including the Birmingham News, Huntsville Times and the Mobile Press-Registar. The cuts also affected the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Not only has the media group cut staff, it is planning to move from daily publications to only 3 days a week. You know, because news doesn't happen everyday.
Hey, I understand the ecomonics of all this. Newspapers are a dying breed. The majority of Americans say they now receive their news from TV, the internet or some other type of social media. It has become increasingly more difficult to make a profit in the newspaper business...and local TV and radio stations are also feeling the crunch of not only the economy but the changing media landscape.
(Newspapers do not make it's money from the sale of papers...it makes it from the sell of advertising. Fewer eyeballs reading papers, the less they can charge for an ad. One has to wonder if TV and radio will benefit from the ad overflow.)
Alabama is not an island. Newspapers have been shuttering all around the country for the last couple of decades. In fact, most major cities which had multiple newspaper outlet are down to one. Since 1984, when I came to Birmingham I have seen the Birmingham Post Herald go from the morning paper to the evening paper and then shut down completely. The Birmingham News was the evening paper and moved to the morning and now will reduce publication to only three days.
Local news will continue to be available in various outlets, such as online at al.com , but one of the primary roles of newspapers, i.e., journalism is being compromised. The role of watchdog!
This was just one of the topics of conversation I had this week with a former TV news reporter. Now working as a public relations officer, he says that with fewer reporters being responsible for covering more news beats the results will be some public issues and policies will simply fall through the cracks. In other words, they can't be in all places at once.
One of the great things about the First Amendment is the power of a free press. It allows for all media to explore and examine AND report on government and school boards and public entities that tax dollars support. The watchdog function of journalism is not just important to newspapers, it is essential for US as news consumers. When done properly, they act on our behalf.
Yes, there are still TV news station that will cover city counsel and school board meetings but good news consumers don't rely on only one form of media to get their news. AND TV is less likely to have a reporter that can devote the time to a beat. Radio news, at least in Birmingham...forget about it! With the eliminations of newspapers and reporting jobs it also eliminates the number of eyes keeping watch. This is not a good thing.
More and more the news consumer will be getting the "company line" as media outlets rely more and more on press releases and public relations propoganda. Some would argue that we have already seen the movement to fewer eyes keeping watch due to increasing number of newspapers, televison and radio stations that are owned by fewer and fewer entities.
The classic 1976 motion picture "Network" is one of the most prophetic pieces of work regarding the television news business and corporate America. You really need to watch it! It predicts reality TV nearly 40 years before it's time.
Check out this scene with Ned Beatty who plays the part of the head of a major corporation that owns a fictional televison network :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxiT30N6ti4&feature=related
The deregulation of the broadcasting industry during the Reagan years has also changed the broadcasting landscape. Before, any person or corporation was limited to owning 7 AM Radio stations, 7 FM radio stations and 7 TV stations IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. Now, there is no limit on ownership. Citadel Broadcasting owns five radio stations in Birmingham ALONE. As does CXR Holdings.
Major corporations such as Time-Warner, News Corp, Clear Channel and Comcast, just to mention a few have ownership in multiple newspapers, magazines, TV and Cable Networks and stations. And that is just a handful...there are more.
This month sounded yet another death knell for the newspaper industry. It also is a foreshadowing of what may be in store for what we get as news and HOW we get it. It was inevitable. We no longer live in a 24 hours news cycle. It is instant now with Facebook and Twitter and the other social media. The turnaround time on newspapers was too slow. It was old news. Although the longer wait was not necessarily a bad thing. The longer turnaround time permitted newspapers the "luxury" of fact checking before rushing to break the story (see CNN and Fox News on the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding Health Care).
To be honest, I rarely pick up a newspaper; I read the newspaper online...but those same reporters that were covering the stories were posting it online and still providing the service of journalism. With reduction of staff, even online journalism will dimished.
I do not mourn the newspaper industry per se. You adjust, you adapt or you die. I do mourn the loss of jobs and the loss of opportunity for aspiring journalists. I fear that we are taking one more step away from accountability.
Seeking the truth and telling it fully has never been more important. But the importance of holding our politicians accountable is no more critical than making sure our news media is also credible and doing it's job.
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
Not only has the media group cut staff, it is planning to move from daily publications to only 3 days a week. You know, because news doesn't happen everyday.
Hey, I understand the ecomonics of all this. Newspapers are a dying breed. The majority of Americans say they now receive their news from TV, the internet or some other type of social media. It has become increasingly more difficult to make a profit in the newspaper business...and local TV and radio stations are also feeling the crunch of not only the economy but the changing media landscape.
(Newspapers do not make it's money from the sale of papers...it makes it from the sell of advertising. Fewer eyeballs reading papers, the less they can charge for an ad. One has to wonder if TV and radio will benefit from the ad overflow.)
Alabama is not an island. Newspapers have been shuttering all around the country for the last couple of decades. In fact, most major cities which had multiple newspaper outlet are down to one. Since 1984, when I came to Birmingham I have seen the Birmingham Post Herald go from the morning paper to the evening paper and then shut down completely. The Birmingham News was the evening paper and moved to the morning and now will reduce publication to only three days.
Local news will continue to be available in various outlets, such as online at al.com , but one of the primary roles of newspapers, i.e., journalism is being compromised. The role of watchdog!
This was just one of the topics of conversation I had this week with a former TV news reporter. Now working as a public relations officer, he says that with fewer reporters being responsible for covering more news beats the results will be some public issues and policies will simply fall through the cracks. In other words, they can't be in all places at once.
One of the great things about the First Amendment is the power of a free press. It allows for all media to explore and examine AND report on government and school boards and public entities that tax dollars support. The watchdog function of journalism is not just important to newspapers, it is essential for US as news consumers. When done properly, they act on our behalf.
Yes, there are still TV news station that will cover city counsel and school board meetings but good news consumers don't rely on only one form of media to get their news. AND TV is less likely to have a reporter that can devote the time to a beat. Radio news, at least in Birmingham...forget about it! With the eliminations of newspapers and reporting jobs it also eliminates the number of eyes keeping watch. This is not a good thing.
More and more the news consumer will be getting the "company line" as media outlets rely more and more on press releases and public relations propoganda. Some would argue that we have already seen the movement to fewer eyes keeping watch due to increasing number of newspapers, televison and radio stations that are owned by fewer and fewer entities.
The classic 1976 motion picture "Network" is one of the most prophetic pieces of work regarding the television news business and corporate America. You really need to watch it! It predicts reality TV nearly 40 years before it's time.
Check out this scene with Ned Beatty who plays the part of the head of a major corporation that owns a fictional televison network :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxiT30N6ti4&feature=related
The deregulation of the broadcasting industry during the Reagan years has also changed the broadcasting landscape. Before, any person or corporation was limited to owning 7 AM Radio stations, 7 FM radio stations and 7 TV stations IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. Now, there is no limit on ownership. Citadel Broadcasting owns five radio stations in Birmingham ALONE. As does CXR Holdings.
Major corporations such as Time-Warner, News Corp, Clear Channel and Comcast, just to mention a few have ownership in multiple newspapers, magazines, TV and Cable Networks and stations. And that is just a handful...there are more.
This month sounded yet another death knell for the newspaper industry. It also is a foreshadowing of what may be in store for what we get as news and HOW we get it. It was inevitable. We no longer live in a 24 hours news cycle. It is instant now with Facebook and Twitter and the other social media. The turnaround time on newspapers was too slow. It was old news. Although the longer wait was not necessarily a bad thing. The longer turnaround time permitted newspapers the "luxury" of fact checking before rushing to break the story (see CNN and Fox News on the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding Health Care).
To be honest, I rarely pick up a newspaper; I read the newspaper online...but those same reporters that were covering the stories were posting it online and still providing the service of journalism. With reduction of staff, even online journalism will dimished.
I do not mourn the newspaper industry per se. You adjust, you adapt or you die. I do mourn the loss of jobs and the loss of opportunity for aspiring journalists. I fear that we are taking one more step away from accountability.
Seeking the truth and telling it fully has never been more important. But the importance of holding our politicians accountable is no more critical than making sure our news media is also credible and doing it's job.
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
Monday, June 25, 2012
Off With Their Heads
I found it interesting recently that a woman from Pennsylvania is suing the Phillie Phanatic for injuries she sustained when he picked her up and threw her into a swimming pool; deck chair and all. She claims that he tossed her into the shallow end of the pool causing back and neck problems.
Read about that here. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2012/06/phillie-phanatic-sued-/1
Let me say that I HATE sports/team mascots; particularly the ones whose faces are completely hidden. You name them…I hate them. I find them more of a distraction from the sporting event than any entertainment. But there is something creepy about not being able to see who is really inside that suit. Heck, I am not that thrilled with Mickey Mouse at Disneyland or Disney World.
I am sure you have heard of the “six degrees of separation”. If not, it is the theory that any two people can be linked together through a maximum of six other people. (It would be a fun experiment to try this with your Facebook friends.) Because of my career as a minor league baseball announcer I am actually only one degree separated from the San Diego, World Famous (whatever he is calling himself these days) Chicken and quite literally had to be separated from our buddy the Phillie Phanatic!
During my years with the Birmingham Barons the Chicken performed during a Barons game at Old Rickwood Field. After the game he and his assistant bummed a ride from me back to his hotel. Despite making $4000-$6000 for the night, he was too cheap to rent a car or call a cab. After a long ball game (these clowns add 20 minutes to the length of the game) I was ready to go home. But “The Chicken” lingered in the clubhouse…taking his time showering and watching Letterman on the TV while his assistant and I loaded up the back of my station wagon with his trunks of costumes and props.
When “his Highness” was ready we finally were able to depart. The trip was made in virtual silence and when we arrived at the hotel “The Chicken” did not bother to help unload the trunks; leaving that to his assistant and me. And here’s the kicker. He never said “thank you”, “I appreciate it”, “kiss my foot” or anything! This was just the beginning of my hatred for mascots.
A few years later while broadcasting a Samford University basketball game my wife is bringing my very young daughter at the time through the lobby of Seibert Hall. One of the corporate sponsors for Samford was Little Caesar’s Pizza. Well, they have this guy/gal dressed up like Little Caesar or Baby Pan-Pan and “it” jumps out from behind a pillar and scares the bejezuz out of my daughter. She has never liked masked characters since! It is a good thing I didn’t find out about this until after the fact.
Ahh…but that is what brings me to my less than one degree of separation from our old buddy , The Phillie Phanatic. It was a Friday night in August 1992. I was out of baseball and had been a teacher for, oh…about two weeks. A friend from out of town was visiting and we decided to take the whole family to the Barons game. It was a double-header and we arrived just as the first game was ending.
(Side note to this story: While driving to the game we heard on the radio that a cheerleader from a local high school had been killed when her head struck a light pole while she had her head out the school bus window on the way to a football game. They were still in the parking lot when it happened. This was very somber and sad news and we discussed how quickly something like that can happen.)
Okay, back to my story. We were seated in the box seats behind the third base dugout. Having seen as many baseball games as I have, I am terribly aware of just how rapidly a late swing can shoot a baseball into the stands. Someone on the third base side must be particularly alert when a left-handed batter is up and vice versa. During the final moments of that first game I kept reminding all the kids around us and their parents to pay attention.
Not only was this night a doubleheader, it was Phillie Phanatic night! As soon as the game was over he pops out of the third base dugout and begins to “entertain”. The entire night felt surreal to me. There was a giveaway on the field and the woman who won was invited to home plate. There she and her two young children were greeted by the Phanatic and his Four-Wheeler. He coaxes the mom to get on for a ride and he takes her all the way out to the warning track in center field. He has her get off, takes her picture and then hops on the bike and leaves her 400 feet away from her kids who are at home plate.
The cat and mouse game starts then. She begins walking toward her children and he acts like he is coming back to get her. Ha ha…nice joke. But when she stops, thinking he is coming to get her, he stops the bike. This goes on for several seconds. In the meantime, the little kids are getting upset… so much so that the dad comes onto the field to get them. Finally, the mom is allowed to get back on the bike and is delivered to home plate, her children and her annoyed husband.
But wait. It gets worse. During this time my kids and some other kids we know move down to the first row behind the dugout. Hey… we are 20 minutes away from the start of the second game. No foul balls to contend with, right. No problem.
But the Phanatic is back! He decides to tease the kids above the dugout with a baseball; making them think he is going to throw one into the stands. He walks out to the coaching box and goes through an exaggerated wind-up and rears back and lets it fly…I mean it is sailing. Now the idea of the routine is that he has one of the players in the dugout ready to catch the ball and fake the kids out. But this time the ball slips out of his costume covered hand and it is headed right for the nose of my four year old daughter. Luckily one of our friend’s son brought his glove to the game. He literally dives over two empty seats to catch this ball…the force of the throw pushing the glove into my daughter’s face!
That is when the Phanatic and I got up close in personal. He knew this stunt had gone horribly wrong and I knew I was about to kick some mascot butt. The next thing I know I am standing on top of the third base dugout with my left hand on the throat of this idiot and my right hand cocked and ready to put his lights out. The thing that was as annoying as anything was he was making is appear to be all part of the act. Finally, after calling him some things I cannot put in a family blog I kind of shoved him away from me and walked away…to the cheers and jeers of some of the fans.
Remember we had just learned of the death of a young lady hours before from a freak accident and I could see the possible consequences of this freak show. I was drained. I felt sick from the fight or flight rush of adrenaline that had coursed through my body. I was shaking like a leaf. Talk about an adrenaline flush!
That was 20 years ago and it still quickens my pulse each time I retell the story. So you can see, I am not much a fan of the mascot…any mascot that hides under a mask. Baby Pan-Pan, The Chicken, The Phillie Phanatic, Fredbird, Babe Ruff or Mickey and Minnie Mouse. To me it gives opportunity for a moron to do idiotic stunts while never having to reveal his/her true identity. (There was the night at Rickwood Field where Wicki Wood moon walked and fell off the top of the Barons dugout; now that was entertainment!)
It should be noted that the guy who was inside the Phanatic suit during our close encounter has retired and there are two new men that have taken over the act. Apparently he trained them successfully to be idiots underneath that silly green outfit too. If there's merit, I hope the lady wins her lawsuit.
As for the next degree of separation? I say off with their heads!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
Friday, June 22, 2012
Blessing or Burden?
It was ten years ago this week that beloved broadcaster, Jack Buck and Cardinals pitcher, Darryl Kile died. In fact, it was ten years ago today that Kile died. Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post Dispatch called it, "The worst week in St. Louis sports history."
I cannot say that I knew Jack or Kile. I had met Jack on a few occasions and had an encounter with Kile at spring training the year he died. Of course, like most Cardinals fans I felt like I knew Jack better than I did. I had spent many years listening to him and Harry Carey broadcast the Cardinals games on the radio. It was only after Carey was fired that I got to truly appreciate the talent that was Jack Buck.
I wanted to be Jack Buck...or be as good as he was. He had the job I dreamed of having some day. Just as many young ball players may dream of playing along side their favorite player, I dreamed of working in the same booth with Jack...calling Cardinals games. He made it look and sound so easy.
I do know Jack's son Joe. We crossed paths and got to know one another while we were both broadcasting Triple-A baseball. Joe with the Louisville Redbirds and me with the Pawtucket Red Sox. I remember that among my peers in the league we all HOPED that we would get that call to the majors; but everyone KNEW that Joe would.
By the year 2002, the year of Jack Buck and Darryl Kile's deaths, I was out of professional baseball broadcasting. Joe, indeed, had made it to the Big Leagues and was , in fact, trying to cut back his local work because of his commitment to Fox Sports.
Jack was in and out of the hospital in late 2001 and as the new year began found himself back in the hospital only to never leave. As the 2002 baseball season began to unfold Joe was in the booth filling in for his dad. It was during spring training of 2002 that Jack Buck and Darryl Kile were welded together in my mind; months before their deaths.
It was my third time to go to spring training. I had made two previous trip when I was broadcasting for Pawtucket, but this was my first as a "fan". My family and I had made the trip to Jupiter and had tickets for a pair of Cardinals exhibition games. On Tuesday, I sat in the stands with my family and watched the game and afterwards approached the window of the broadcast booth to say hello to Joe, who was working the game with Mike Shannon.
We spoke for awhile and then he ask if I was going to be coming back again. When I told him we would be back on Thursday he invited me to come up and sit in the booth during the game. I took him up on his offer, abandoning my family in the stands. During that time I caught the baseball broadcasting bug again (not that I had really ever lost it).
My conversation with Joe was primarily limited to just before the start of the broadcast and during commercial breaks between innings. But the things that is burned into my memory is Joe's cellphone. He was constantly getting updates about his dad. I remember one inning where Joe was doing the play-by-play when he got a call and turned the broadcast over to Shannon. I knew that Jack was not doing well and in fact was doing much worse than the public had been led to believe.
Earlier that same day, on one of the back fields used by the Cardinals for spring training workouts,my family and I hurried to catch the last moments of the pitchers drills. We got there just as things were wrapping up and players were heading to the clubhouse to get ready for the game. That is when we encountered Darryl Kile.
We were quite fond of Kile, as a Cardinals pitcher, but also because he looked like he could have been related to my wife's family. We approached the rope that separated the fans from the field and Kile came over to sign autographs. As he signed for my son I noticed that he signed using his left hand. I thought that interesting since he was an All-Star right handed throwing pitcher.
Old broadcasters don't die they just lose there voices and I had to ask him about what I had observed. Kile told me that he actually was LEFT handed. He did everything left handed EXCEPT pitch! He said he ate, wrote, even bowled left handed. The only reason he threw right handed is because growing up he only had access to baseball gloves for right handed throwers. So he taught himself to throw with his right arm. I thought the story quite interesting and one I had never heard told on any broadcast. I knew that if I were broadcasting a Darryl Kile game I would be sure to use that story.
So on that day I had lasting memories of both Jack Buck and Darryl Kile. Jack's through the worry and concern of his son, Joe; and through my personal interaction with Darryl Kile and the time he took to talk with us that day.
When Jack passed away I remember feeling like I had lost a member of the family. I was deeply saddened because I had admired him for so many years and because he was kind to me on those times I did meet him. But the death of Kile stunned and shocked me. He was so young and was a professional athlete...how could that be?
I learned of Kile's death while in the ER with my daughter. We had gone of a canoe trip with her church youth group that day. While trying to negotiate some white water the canoe tipped to one side and she put her hand down on the rocks to keep us from turning over. In doing so, she ripped off her fingernail.
While in the ER, the Game of the Week came on the TV in the room we were in. It was a clear and bright day in Chicago but for some reason the game was being delayed. After several minutes, Cubs catcher Joe Girardi came out and made the announcement to those in Wrigley Field and a national television audience that there had been a tragedy in the Cardinal family and the game would not be played. We would later learn from, of all people, Joe Buck that Kile had been found dead in his hotel room.
It is strange how people enter your life or cross your path, even in the briefest of moments. It makes you think and wonder about how certain things happen in the time and with the timing they do. In that moment, I was connect again with Darryl Kile, Jack and Joe Buck.
I am not sure what the "take away" is from this but I do believe that somehow we are all linked together. We do not live in a vacuum. Perhaps the "take away" is that we are placed in other peoples lives; sometimes for a brief encounter...sometimes for longer periods of time. Regardless the duration, we have the ability to be a blessing or a burden...to be blessed or to be burdened by an experience.
Take a moment to think how God may place you in someone's path today...no matter how briefly. Will you be a blessing or will you be someone's burden? You may never know what memory they will take away from having met you!
R.I.P. DK57 JFB
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
I cannot say that I knew Jack or Kile. I had met Jack on a few occasions and had an encounter with Kile at spring training the year he died. Of course, like most Cardinals fans I felt like I knew Jack better than I did. I had spent many years listening to him and Harry Carey broadcast the Cardinals games on the radio. It was only after Carey was fired that I got to truly appreciate the talent that was Jack Buck.
I wanted to be Jack Buck...or be as good as he was. He had the job I dreamed of having some day. Just as many young ball players may dream of playing along side their favorite player, I dreamed of working in the same booth with Jack...calling Cardinals games. He made it look and sound so easy.
I do know Jack's son Joe. We crossed paths and got to know one another while we were both broadcasting Triple-A baseball. Joe with the Louisville Redbirds and me with the Pawtucket Red Sox. I remember that among my peers in the league we all HOPED that we would get that call to the majors; but everyone KNEW that Joe would.
By the year 2002, the year of Jack Buck and Darryl Kile's deaths, I was out of professional baseball broadcasting. Joe, indeed, had made it to the Big Leagues and was , in fact, trying to cut back his local work because of his commitment to Fox Sports.
Jack was in and out of the hospital in late 2001 and as the new year began found himself back in the hospital only to never leave. As the 2002 baseball season began to unfold Joe was in the booth filling in for his dad. It was during spring training of 2002 that Jack Buck and Darryl Kile were welded together in my mind; months before their deaths.
It was my third time to go to spring training. I had made two previous trip when I was broadcasting for Pawtucket, but this was my first as a "fan". My family and I had made the trip to Jupiter and had tickets for a pair of Cardinals exhibition games. On Tuesday, I sat in the stands with my family and watched the game and afterwards approached the window of the broadcast booth to say hello to Joe, who was working the game with Mike Shannon.
We spoke for awhile and then he ask if I was going to be coming back again. When I told him we would be back on Thursday he invited me to come up and sit in the booth during the game. I took him up on his offer, abandoning my family in the stands. During that time I caught the baseball broadcasting bug again (not that I had really ever lost it).
My conversation with Joe was primarily limited to just before the start of the broadcast and during commercial breaks between innings. But the things that is burned into my memory is Joe's cellphone. He was constantly getting updates about his dad. I remember one inning where Joe was doing the play-by-play when he got a call and turned the broadcast over to Shannon. I knew that Jack was not doing well and in fact was doing much worse than the public had been led to believe.
Earlier that same day, on one of the back fields used by the Cardinals for spring training workouts,my family and I hurried to catch the last moments of the pitchers drills. We got there just as things were wrapping up and players were heading to the clubhouse to get ready for the game. That is when we encountered Darryl Kile.
We were quite fond of Kile, as a Cardinals pitcher, but also because he looked like he could have been related to my wife's family. We approached the rope that separated the fans from the field and Kile came over to sign autographs. As he signed for my son I noticed that he signed using his left hand. I thought that interesting since he was an All-Star right handed throwing pitcher.
Old broadcasters don't die they just lose there voices and I had to ask him about what I had observed. Kile told me that he actually was LEFT handed. He did everything left handed EXCEPT pitch! He said he ate, wrote, even bowled left handed. The only reason he threw right handed is because growing up he only had access to baseball gloves for right handed throwers. So he taught himself to throw with his right arm. I thought the story quite interesting and one I had never heard told on any broadcast. I knew that if I were broadcasting a Darryl Kile game I would be sure to use that story.
So on that day I had lasting memories of both Jack Buck and Darryl Kile. Jack's through the worry and concern of his son, Joe; and through my personal interaction with Darryl Kile and the time he took to talk with us that day.
When Jack passed away I remember feeling like I had lost a member of the family. I was deeply saddened because I had admired him for so many years and because he was kind to me on those times I did meet him. But the death of Kile stunned and shocked me. He was so young and was a professional athlete...how could that be?
I learned of Kile's death while in the ER with my daughter. We had gone of a canoe trip with her church youth group that day. While trying to negotiate some white water the canoe tipped to one side and she put her hand down on the rocks to keep us from turning over. In doing so, she ripped off her fingernail.
While in the ER, the Game of the Week came on the TV in the room we were in. It was a clear and bright day in Chicago but for some reason the game was being delayed. After several minutes, Cubs catcher Joe Girardi came out and made the announcement to those in Wrigley Field and a national television audience that there had been a tragedy in the Cardinal family and the game would not be played. We would later learn from, of all people, Joe Buck that Kile had been found dead in his hotel room.
It is strange how people enter your life or cross your path, even in the briefest of moments. It makes you think and wonder about how certain things happen in the time and with the timing they do. In that moment, I was connect again with Darryl Kile, Jack and Joe Buck.
I am not sure what the "take away" is from this but I do believe that somehow we are all linked together. We do not live in a vacuum. Perhaps the "take away" is that we are placed in other peoples lives; sometimes for a brief encounter...sometimes for longer periods of time. Regardless the duration, we have the ability to be a blessing or a burden...to be blessed or to be burdened by an experience.
Take a moment to think how God may place you in someone's path today...no matter how briefly. Will you be a blessing or will you be someone's burden? You may never know what memory they will take away from having met you!
R.I.P. DK57 JFB
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Thanks Dad
On this Father's Day 2012 I am blessed to have all three of my "children" with me. It is hard to refer to them as children when they are all so grown up and living such meaniingful lives, The fact that all three want to hang with the old man at times other than Father's Day means more to me that any gift or card designated for a Sunday in June.
It has been two and half years since my father passed away and I was reflecting on the drive to the beach this weekend how much of an impact he had on my life. Here is part of the eulogy that I spoke at his funeral December 22, 2009:
It has been two and half years since my father passed away and I was reflecting on the drive to the beach this weekend how much of an impact he had on my life. Here is part of the eulogy that I spoke at his funeral December 22, 2009:
At a funeral once I heard the minister make reference to the dash in the program denoting the date of birth---dash---and then the date of death. In Dad’s case, it would be December 30, 1917---dash---December 19, 2009. The really important thing is not so much the beginning and the end but the dash…how a person fills the time between being born and when they die. There are a lot of things that happened during those 91 years.
I once heard a man say that if he could do things over he would make all of the same mistakes again; only this time he would make them sooner. In one of my last conversations with Dad I ask him if he would change anything about his life and he said, “No, not really.”
I found that answer to be both sad and in a way comforting. Sad, because there were so many things he would have loved to have tried if he had had the guidance or support. It is comforting, however, to have lived a life with no regrets and to be content. He never envied or was jealous of what anyone else had.
He was a very competitive person. However, he was not competitive for power, or influence or money or for riches. But if it were a game of HORSE or horseshoes, canasta or wheelchair races he wanted to win and to be his best.
He loved his family, baseball in general and the Cardinals in particular. He loved milkshakes, cherry pie and pancakes.
He was creative, funny and imaginative. He converted our breakfast table on Sunday mornings into WSBS-The World’s Smallest Broadcasting Station-where he recreated old radio shows for us… pausing for commercial breaks for whatever product was on the kitchen table…whether it was holding up a box of Aunt Jemima Pancake mix or a bottle of Karo syrup. It was a broadcast that never extended beyond the walls of our kitchen…
He would have loved to have worked in broadcasting, something that I have been fortunate to do. He didn’t know back then how to get a job in broadcasting but he helped a lot of people hear or see the games by repairing their radios and TVs. He took great pride in his work and his work ethic; something that he passed on to us and I hope I have passed on to my children.
His competitiveness and his stubbornness were evident to the very end. He once told me he wanted to live as long as possible.... He had lost so much. But now, he can once again see…he can once again hear…he can once again walk. And even though he told me he was not very fast, he can once again run. And I know that if there are games in heaven, he is playing one right now!
That was in 2009 but something else struck me recently. I touched on it a little earlier. Dad was not materialist at all. He never coveted anything that other people had. Some thought he was tight with his money and to a certain extent he was. See, he never wanted what anyone else had; he just wanted what belonged to him. He was careful with his money and that was his right. I can never remember ever going without. He provided everything we needed.
There were things my mom would have liked to have done or had. There were often times that his thriftiness made life harder than it should have been, but he always was looking ahead to that "rainy day". We thought he was "tight" but after all it was his money. When he got older and we had more access to his finances we learned that he rarely turned down any appeal for a contribution. The checks may not have been for much..five dollars here and five dollars there...but he had trouble saying no.
I try to be generous too and focus my giving more specifically than my dad. Another traits that I gained from my father was pretty much a lack of desire for material things. Granted I do spend a lot of money eating out but I don't splurge on material items for myself and I will not go into debt to feed my ego or the ego of my children. What kind of legacy would that be leaving them?
I never wanted my family to do without either but there is something valuable in hearing the word "no" now and again.
And then there are others who seem to desire/lust/covet the material things of this world and the security that can come with them. It saddens me that a personal relationship has ended seemly based largely on a choice of comfort, contentment and security through materialism rather than contentment with being with a soul mate, best friend and love. One day you will learn that love wins! It always does in the end.
Its Father's Day and I would be giving my dad something because the calendar says I am supposed to. But as I listen to the sound of MY son sleeping I realize my dad gave me a great gift with his example. He could not be bought. He would never sell out. He never expected anything to come his way simply because he felt entitled to it. He worked hard and earned his way in life.
I don't have to apologize that God has given me all I need. I don't have to feel badly that my car is a Saturn and not a Mercedes or BMW. (you see I don't care) I don't have to worry about not living in a big house with a big bank account. I have learned what it is to be content with what God see fit for me to have at the time I need to have it.
The reality is I feel sad for those people who feel their contentment and their security can be placed in the things of this world.
So thanks, Dad for showing me that there is value in honesty and integrity. Thanks for showing me that you can live nearly 92 years and have no regrets. Thanks for knowing that your happiness was not found in things of this world but in family and loved ones. Thanks for teaching me never to sell out and that each of us should have enough self-worth that we can never be bought.
The greatest gift I could receive this Father's Day is knowing that I have passed some of those same values on to my children. I have been blessed beyond measure and I don't need a calculator to add up my assets to know that.
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Who's Side Are You On?
As anyone who knows me knows, I love baseball. To me it is the greatest sport ever invented. This is not a popular notion where I live, where football remains king, but I still feel that way. People who say that baseball is boring never watched Game Six of last year's World Series or sat through the final innings of last night's perfect game by San Francisco Giant pitcher Matt Cain.
In fact, I would be so bold to say you wouldn't think baseball boring if you sat with me at a game. I love the game within the game. There are so many moving parts during a game that the less than average fan would miss it. The communication between the bench and the catcher...the signs flashed to the pitcher. The shortstop and second basemen signaling which one will cover the bag in the event of a stolen base attempt.
My usual comeback to people who tell me that they find baseball boring is: "Well, it is a thinking man's game." Sure there is more full body action during hockey or basketball; and football offers explosive plays. But for me the NBA has gotten to be a joke until the finals. Give both teams 100 points and put 2 minutes on the clock and lets save some time.
Baseball is still a regional game. It has lost some of its appeal as the "National" Past Time because of the NFL's one game a week hype by its rightsholders. Here in the south, college football is more religion than it is an athletic competition.
The regional nature of baseball makes it difficult to gauge its national status. MLB has never been healthier and when you look at the ratings of local baseball broadcasts it holds it own. Baseball fans are loyal to their team. There is a difference between a Cardinals fan and a plain ole baseball fan. Some people will watch baseball no matter who is playing. Other are only interested in watching their team. Fantasy leagues and the various viewing packages have increased out of market games. I find myself checking in on other games to see what my fantasy players are doing.
I am such a baseball/Cardinals fan that I have XM in my car and MLB.TV on my computer so I can listen/watch all their games. The way it works with my packages is that you only get the home team's broadcasts. So, I get to listen to a lot of different announcers. Maybe it is sour grapes from a former minor league announcer but there are a lot of pretty bad P-B-P guys working right now. (topic for another blog maybe)
The point of this blog entry is to hold a mirror up to baseball fans and reflect how Americans get their news. Say what? Bear with me a little longer. Because baseball is such a regional sport fans get used to the way the games are called by their favorite team's announcer. Mike Shannon and John Rooney do the Cardinals games and there is no question who they work for. Same is true with Marty Brenneman of the Reds, Milo "we and they" Hamilton of the Astros or even Vin Scully of the Dodgers. That is just the point. We want our announcers to be for our team.
In most cases, a typical local broadcast is going to center on the home town boys at least 75 percent and the other team about 25 percent...give or take. But when we watch a nationally televised game on Fox or ESPN the crew has to be more balanced. They generally try to be 50-50. Of course, the game often dictates some of that.
Now comes the interesting part. Fox broadcaster, Joe Buck says that whenever he does a World Series game he gets angry letters from BOTH sides telling him that he is biased against their team. Texas fans complained that he was pro St. Louis. St. Louis fans told him he was going out of his way to talk about the Rangers. Sounds to me like he must have gotten it right. We are not used to hearing the other team get half the attention. It is not what we want nor expect.
So how does that apply to news? I am glad you ask. Look around at your friends and the people you enjoy hanging out with. If you are like most people you find friends that have something in common with you. You share the same interests, hobbies, same type of movies, etc. I know some people who just like to argue or debate but for the most part most people want to be around folks that tend to think the same way they do.
The same is true of the type of news programming you prefer. No question MSNBC leans left and Fox News leans right. In my opinion, CNN falls somewhere in between. I have already debated that statement with some folks...but lets go with that for now. Jumping back to the baseball analogy, if you are a left leaning Democrat you want to listen to like minded commentary and agree with MSNBC's approach. If you are a right wing leaning Republican you most likely prefer Fox News. You see you want to hear it from your "hometown" announcer. See where I am going with this?
Don't get me wrong. There is enough bias to go around. But sometimes the bias is in the eye of the beholder. My whole point is this country no longer knows what news is. We have "News Channels" but the biggest part of their programming is commentators analysing the news...giving their opinion.
As for me, I watch them all. I want to see how Fox is covering a story and how they can make it Obama's fault. I am interested how MSNBC will spin it so that the Republicans look bad. Here is my thinking: When someone has to tell me they are "Fair and Balanced" or "No Bias No Bull" or to "Lean Forward" red flags go off for me. Ye protestest too much!
The news is no different than buying a car or a flat screen TV. Test drive it. Check it out. Compare. Don't just buy it because your dad always drove Chevys. We as a nation have a responsiblity to be better consumers of news. If we demand more, if we expect more...eventually the quality will improve. Don't just get your news from one source..shop around. You may end up back where you started but you will have done the heavy lifting to make you better informed.
As for who's side is the media on...well they should be on OUR side. That is their job...to seek the truth and tell it fully. Go ahead and root for the home team; but the opponent can make some great plays too and it is unkind and unwise to think otherwise.
Thanks for reading.
Jeff
In fact, I would be so bold to say you wouldn't think baseball boring if you sat with me at a game. I love the game within the game. There are so many moving parts during a game that the less than average fan would miss it. The communication between the bench and the catcher...the signs flashed to the pitcher. The shortstop and second basemen signaling which one will cover the bag in the event of a stolen base attempt.
My usual comeback to people who tell me that they find baseball boring is: "Well, it is a thinking man's game." Sure there is more full body action during hockey or basketball; and football offers explosive plays. But for me the NBA has gotten to be a joke until the finals. Give both teams 100 points and put 2 minutes on the clock and lets save some time.
Baseball is still a regional game. It has lost some of its appeal as the "National" Past Time because of the NFL's one game a week hype by its rightsholders. Here in the south, college football is more religion than it is an athletic competition.
The regional nature of baseball makes it difficult to gauge its national status. MLB has never been healthier and when you look at the ratings of local baseball broadcasts it holds it own. Baseball fans are loyal to their team. There is a difference between a Cardinals fan and a plain ole baseball fan. Some people will watch baseball no matter who is playing. Other are only interested in watching their team. Fantasy leagues and the various viewing packages have increased out of market games. I find myself checking in on other games to see what my fantasy players are doing.
I am such a baseball/Cardinals fan that I have XM in my car and MLB.TV on my computer so I can listen/watch all their games. The way it works with my packages is that you only get the home team's broadcasts. So, I get to listen to a lot of different announcers. Maybe it is sour grapes from a former minor league announcer but there are a lot of pretty bad P-B-P guys working right now. (topic for another blog maybe)
The point of this blog entry is to hold a mirror up to baseball fans and reflect how Americans get their news. Say what? Bear with me a little longer. Because baseball is such a regional sport fans get used to the way the games are called by their favorite team's announcer. Mike Shannon and John Rooney do the Cardinals games and there is no question who they work for. Same is true with Marty Brenneman of the Reds, Milo "we and they" Hamilton of the Astros or even Vin Scully of the Dodgers. That is just the point. We want our announcers to be for our team.
In most cases, a typical local broadcast is going to center on the home town boys at least 75 percent and the other team about 25 percent...give or take. But when we watch a nationally televised game on Fox or ESPN the crew has to be more balanced. They generally try to be 50-50. Of course, the game often dictates some of that.
Now comes the interesting part. Fox broadcaster, Joe Buck says that whenever he does a World Series game he gets angry letters from BOTH sides telling him that he is biased against their team. Texas fans complained that he was pro St. Louis. St. Louis fans told him he was going out of his way to talk about the Rangers. Sounds to me like he must have gotten it right. We are not used to hearing the other team get half the attention. It is not what we want nor expect.
So how does that apply to news? I am glad you ask. Look around at your friends and the people you enjoy hanging out with. If you are like most people you find friends that have something in common with you. You share the same interests, hobbies, same type of movies, etc. I know some people who just like to argue or debate but for the most part most people want to be around folks that tend to think the same way they do.
The same is true of the type of news programming you prefer. No question MSNBC leans left and Fox News leans right. In my opinion, CNN falls somewhere in between. I have already debated that statement with some folks...but lets go with that for now. Jumping back to the baseball analogy, if you are a left leaning Democrat you want to listen to like minded commentary and agree with MSNBC's approach. If you are a right wing leaning Republican you most likely prefer Fox News. You see you want to hear it from your "hometown" announcer. See where I am going with this?
Don't get me wrong. There is enough bias to go around. But sometimes the bias is in the eye of the beholder. My whole point is this country no longer knows what news is. We have "News Channels" but the biggest part of their programming is commentators analysing the news...giving their opinion.
As for me, I watch them all. I want to see how Fox is covering a story and how they can make it Obama's fault. I am interested how MSNBC will spin it so that the Republicans look bad. Here is my thinking: When someone has to tell me they are "Fair and Balanced" or "No Bias No Bull" or to "Lean Forward" red flags go off for me. Ye protestest too much!
The news is no different than buying a car or a flat screen TV. Test drive it. Check it out. Compare. Don't just buy it because your dad always drove Chevys. We as a nation have a responsiblity to be better consumers of news. If we demand more, if we expect more...eventually the quality will improve. Don't just get your news from one source..shop around. You may end up back where you started but you will have done the heavy lifting to make you better informed.
As for who's side is the media on...well they should be on OUR side. That is their job...to seek the truth and tell it fully. Go ahead and root for the home team; but the opponent can make some great plays too and it is unkind and unwise to think otherwise.
Thanks for reading.
Jeff
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Looking For Signs
LOOKING FOR SIGNS
It is said that we are either going into a valley,already in a valley or coming out of a valley. I have been in a valley for the past several months and hopefully I am on my way out now. There have been lots of people who have prayed for and with me about the valley I am climbing out of and I am so thankful for those who have listened to the same lament countless times.
Much of my time has been spent in prayer too... but I was hesitant to turn everything over to God. I thought I knew what His plan was and continue to pray for what I wanted; not necessarily what He had intended. That is where "Looking for Signs" comes into this entry.
Let me take you back about 35 or so years. You see, this is not the first time I have "wrestled" with God. Anyone who knows me knows that I can be obsessive! Some who are reading this are nodding their head and saying, "Ya think?" Anyway, my obsessions have changed over the years. I guess it is not unlike any type of addiction; you just move on to something else.
I guess you could go back even farther than 35 years. When I was a kid my obsession was to play Major League Baseball. Most desirable the St. Louis Cardinals. I was long on desire but more than a bit short on talent. I still believe, though, if I had the type of coaching that my own son has been exposed to that thing might have been different. But I digress.
I loved the game. Still do. I worked hard at it too. I would stand in my yard so that I could see my reflection in one of the windows of my house and practice my swing. I was always looking for a game or someone to play catch. I usually was the first one at practice and the last one to leave. This same trait carried over when I was playing high school and college basketball.
If wanting it badly enough could have gotten me to the big leagues I would be in the Baseball Hall of Fame today. And I prayed for it. Constantly. It was my greatest desire in life. But it never happened for me. So you move on; you adjust your goals. If I couldn't make it to the big leagues as a player why not get there with another talent I had? Talking! Play-by-play. Little did it occur to me that there are fewer broadcasters than ball players. The odds were even MORE difficult!
I worked and worked and practiced and honed my craft. I would turn the sound down on the TV and do P-B-P. I listened to my broadcasting idol, Jack Buck and wanted to be just like him. I did games of my college team and took radio jobs in Canton and Jacksonville, IL before a nine-month stint in Iowa. After getting married and returning to Decatur, IL I finally landed a gig with the Birmingham Barons. Double-A baseball. It was just a matter of time.
And I never stopped praying for the big leagues. I never stopped praying for that major college play-by-play job. Then in the late summer of 1987 God answered my prayer. I was going to be allowed to work a pair of games at Old Comiskey Park. The White Sox were letting me come up to the Windy City to broadcast Major League Baseball.
They say that players who only spend a short time in the majors have had "a cup of coffee" in the show. Well mine was more like a sip. Six innings. The middle three innings on Tuesday and the middle three innings on Wednesday and I "knocked it out of the park." Because of changes in the White Sox broadcast booths I felt certain I would land a job. It never happened.
The details can be left to another time but instead of finding myself in "the show" I was back to riding buses in the Southern League. And I kept praying. Should I stay in Double-A Birmingham? Could I make the leap to the majors from there? I sent out tapes and resumes to every major league team. I even sent some to some Triple-A teams. And I prayed: "God I am a Christian and look at how important a messenger I can be for you in the big leagues."
I finally decided that I had to make the move to Triple-A and went for and landed a job with the Pawtucket Red Sox. This was a great opportunity but was one of the loneliest times of my life. I was away in Rhode Island while my wife and two little girls were back in Alabama. And I prayed. I prayed not for the money that a major league job would bring. I prayed that God would see how valuable I would be to him. What a platform to share the gospel and the good news and my faith to young men and women. "God you know this is what you want for me."
I was in the valley. I was one step away from the major leagues but I was away from my family. I found Pawtucket to be dark and looming: a city that drained the energy from you the moment you drove into town. Was it the city or was it the adversary? And I prayed!
My goal was to land my first full-time major league job by the time I was 35. Long story made shorter...by 35 I was not only NOT in the major leagues...I was out of professional baseball. And I prayed. "Why God? Don't you know how important I am to you? Don't you see how I can further your kingdom by me being in the big leagues?" It never occurred to me that I had not done much to further His kingdom in the minor leagues. You know, bloom where you are planted?
I became angry with baseball, the broadcasting industry, with my circumstances and with God. My thoughts and motives were selfish and that valley grew deeper; contributing in part to the failure of my marriage.
But God did answered my prayer. Now I did not hear His voice say this to me but in essence he said "Jeff, you want to have a platform before young people? You want to have an impact on kids? I am going to let you do that everyday." Believe me, it was not the way I had wanted my prayer to be answered. In 1992 I was hired to teach TV Production to high school students and I just finished my 20th year!
Okay, so what does that have to do with signs and the title of this entry? I was always looking for signs that God wanted me in the big leagues. I mean, getting called up to do the White Sox games is a pretty good sign, right? I got the job in Pawtucket, beating out over 200 applicants for the job. Surely that was a sign.
All my life I have been looking for that crystal clear moment of clarity that God wanted the same thing for me that I did. My desires were not necessarily wrong but the importance I placed on them were.
Fast forward to present time. As I wrote earlier I am coming out of a valley. It is a relationship valley. It was a relationship that I was sure that God had ordained. And I prayed. I saw the signs! Again, the details are best left idle for now but I was back to twisting God's arm again; wrestling with him...trying to convince Him to do things my way. I had seen the signs and I had seen how everything came together at the exact right moment so that every detail fit into place. It HAD to be God's will. And I prayed.
I prayed that God would see all the things He had done to make things work exactly as they had. I used God as a magic lamp to grant MY wish...to do what I wanted. I wanted to prove to God that He would be glorified by keeping this relationship alive because of all the things that could not have happened by accident.
But just like with my dream of being a big league player or a major league announcer I was more focused on what it would do for me than what it would truly do for God. The fact is, God doesn't need me to do anything; "... for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham."
(Matthew 3:9 ESV) I am His to use how He wants to use me.
This most recent quest for signs led me to reflect on some of the valleys of my life. So I did get to the majors. I got six innings of major league baseball play-by-play. Thanks God! And I had a wonderful relationship that was filled with going in and coming out of valleys. When that season was in full bloom it was some of the best moments of my life. It was real and meaningful but that season has now passed.
So what are the signs from God we should look for? Last summer a colleague of mine was distressed over a work assignment. She was stressed to the max with financial worry, the death of one of her parents and the illness of the other. This new assignment was the last straw!
She spoke of seeing signs of this and that. She talked about her daughter interpreting something as a sign from God. Finally after listening to her I told her what I should have been telling myself these past few months:
The most definitive sign that God has ever given us is the sign of His son dying on the cross for our sins. What greater sign could there be that God wants what is best for us?
I believe there are no accidents; no coincidences. I sometimes struggle with God's total sovereignty. I am still a work in progress and strive to understand it more fully. But I know that God has placed different seasons in my life...seeds you could say...that have been watered and cared for and provided to give me a glimpse of His grace.
Seasons come and go. “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
(1 Peter 1:24-25 ESV)
Are you looking for signs in your life? I know I probably will continue to look for signs of God's will in mine but I am climbing out of the valley knowing that the sign I MUST look for now and in the valleys to come is the CROSS. What a sign! What a Savior!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
It is said that we are either going into a valley,already in a valley or coming out of a valley. I have been in a valley for the past several months and hopefully I am on my way out now. There have been lots of people who have prayed for and with me about the valley I am climbing out of and I am so thankful for those who have listened to the same lament countless times.
Much of my time has been spent in prayer too... but I was hesitant to turn everything over to God. I thought I knew what His plan was and continue to pray for what I wanted; not necessarily what He had intended. That is where "Looking for Signs" comes into this entry.
Let me take you back about 35 or so years. You see, this is not the first time I have "wrestled" with God. Anyone who knows me knows that I can be obsessive! Some who are reading this are nodding their head and saying, "Ya think?" Anyway, my obsessions have changed over the years. I guess it is not unlike any type of addiction; you just move on to something else.
I guess you could go back even farther than 35 years. When I was a kid my obsession was to play Major League Baseball. Most desirable the St. Louis Cardinals. I was long on desire but more than a bit short on talent. I still believe, though, if I had the type of coaching that my own son has been exposed to that thing might have been different. But I digress.
I loved the game. Still do. I worked hard at it too. I would stand in my yard so that I could see my reflection in one of the windows of my house and practice my swing. I was always looking for a game or someone to play catch. I usually was the first one at practice and the last one to leave. This same trait carried over when I was playing high school and college basketball.
If wanting it badly enough could have gotten me to the big leagues I would be in the Baseball Hall of Fame today. And I prayed for it. Constantly. It was my greatest desire in life. But it never happened for me. So you move on; you adjust your goals. If I couldn't make it to the big leagues as a player why not get there with another talent I had? Talking! Play-by-play. Little did it occur to me that there are fewer broadcasters than ball players. The odds were even MORE difficult!
I worked and worked and practiced and honed my craft. I would turn the sound down on the TV and do P-B-P. I listened to my broadcasting idol, Jack Buck and wanted to be just like him. I did games of my college team and took radio jobs in Canton and Jacksonville, IL before a nine-month stint in Iowa. After getting married and returning to Decatur, IL I finally landed a gig with the Birmingham Barons. Double-A baseball. It was just a matter of time.
And I never stopped praying for the big leagues. I never stopped praying for that major college play-by-play job. Then in the late summer of 1987 God answered my prayer. I was going to be allowed to work a pair of games at Old Comiskey Park. The White Sox were letting me come up to the Windy City to broadcast Major League Baseball.
They say that players who only spend a short time in the majors have had "a cup of coffee" in the show. Well mine was more like a sip. Six innings. The middle three innings on Tuesday and the middle three innings on Wednesday and I "knocked it out of the park." Because of changes in the White Sox broadcast booths I felt certain I would land a job. It never happened.
The details can be left to another time but instead of finding myself in "the show" I was back to riding buses in the Southern League. And I kept praying. Should I stay in Double-A Birmingham? Could I make the leap to the majors from there? I sent out tapes and resumes to every major league team. I even sent some to some Triple-A teams. And I prayed: "God I am a Christian and look at how important a messenger I can be for you in the big leagues."
I finally decided that I had to make the move to Triple-A and went for and landed a job with the Pawtucket Red Sox. This was a great opportunity but was one of the loneliest times of my life. I was away in Rhode Island while my wife and two little girls were back in Alabama. And I prayed. I prayed not for the money that a major league job would bring. I prayed that God would see how valuable I would be to him. What a platform to share the gospel and the good news and my faith to young men and women. "God you know this is what you want for me."
I was in the valley. I was one step away from the major leagues but I was away from my family. I found Pawtucket to be dark and looming: a city that drained the energy from you the moment you drove into town. Was it the city or was it the adversary? And I prayed!
My goal was to land my first full-time major league job by the time I was 35. Long story made shorter...by 35 I was not only NOT in the major leagues...I was out of professional baseball. And I prayed. "Why God? Don't you know how important I am to you? Don't you see how I can further your kingdom by me being in the big leagues?" It never occurred to me that I had not done much to further His kingdom in the minor leagues. You know, bloom where you are planted?
I became angry with baseball, the broadcasting industry, with my circumstances and with God. My thoughts and motives were selfish and that valley grew deeper; contributing in part to the failure of my marriage.
But God did answered my prayer. Now I did not hear His voice say this to me but in essence he said "Jeff, you want to have a platform before young people? You want to have an impact on kids? I am going to let you do that everyday." Believe me, it was not the way I had wanted my prayer to be answered. In 1992 I was hired to teach TV Production to high school students and I just finished my 20th year!
Okay, so what does that have to do with signs and the title of this entry? I was always looking for signs that God wanted me in the big leagues. I mean, getting called up to do the White Sox games is a pretty good sign, right? I got the job in Pawtucket, beating out over 200 applicants for the job. Surely that was a sign.
All my life I have been looking for that crystal clear moment of clarity that God wanted the same thing for me that I did. My desires were not necessarily wrong but the importance I placed on them were.
Fast forward to present time. As I wrote earlier I am coming out of a valley. It is a relationship valley. It was a relationship that I was sure that God had ordained. And I prayed. I saw the signs! Again, the details are best left idle for now but I was back to twisting God's arm again; wrestling with him...trying to convince Him to do things my way. I had seen the signs and I had seen how everything came together at the exact right moment so that every detail fit into place. It HAD to be God's will. And I prayed.
I prayed that God would see all the things He had done to make things work exactly as they had. I used God as a magic lamp to grant MY wish...to do what I wanted. I wanted to prove to God that He would be glorified by keeping this relationship alive because of all the things that could not have happened by accident.
But just like with my dream of being a big league player or a major league announcer I was more focused on what it would do for me than what it would truly do for God. The fact is, God doesn't need me to do anything; "... for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham."
(Matthew 3:9 ESV) I am His to use how He wants to use me.
This most recent quest for signs led me to reflect on some of the valleys of my life. So I did get to the majors. I got six innings of major league baseball play-by-play. Thanks God! And I had a wonderful relationship that was filled with going in and coming out of valleys. When that season was in full bloom it was some of the best moments of my life. It was real and meaningful but that season has now passed.
So what are the signs from God we should look for? Last summer a colleague of mine was distressed over a work assignment. She was stressed to the max with financial worry, the death of one of her parents and the illness of the other. This new assignment was the last straw!
She spoke of seeing signs of this and that. She talked about her daughter interpreting something as a sign from God. Finally after listening to her I told her what I should have been telling myself these past few months:
The most definitive sign that God has ever given us is the sign of His son dying on the cross for our sins. What greater sign could there be that God wants what is best for us?
I believe there are no accidents; no coincidences. I sometimes struggle with God's total sovereignty. I am still a work in progress and strive to understand it more fully. But I know that God has placed different seasons in my life...seeds you could say...that have been watered and cared for and provided to give me a glimpse of His grace.
Seasons come and go. “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
(1 Peter 1:24-25 ESV)
Are you looking for signs in your life? I know I probably will continue to look for signs of God's will in mine but I am climbing out of the valley knowing that the sign I MUST look for now and in the valleys to come is the CROSS. What a sign! What a Savior!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
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