Rev Darryl Matthews Ponderings

Not Holding President Obama Responsible

2010-06-02T22:50:00.005-04:00

Sometimes we put too much on the President's plate. There has been a lot of talk in the press about how President Obama needs to do something to fix this oil spill mess in the Gulf of Mexico. Is the Army Corp of Engineers going to come in and resolve this problem? I don't think so. We are a number years out from Katrina and the levies in New Orleans are still in jeopardy.

The government's role in this BP mess was "prior to" when the agency that regulates the permits allowed BP to proceed with drilling without the proper back-ups. We need back-ups to the back-ups when it comes systems to stop up the oil piping.

At this point, the gov't doesn't have more expertise than BP so I'm not sweating POTUS Obama to make some decision which will solve this crisis. He's taking some political heat because he proposed a couple a weeks ago to increase off-shore drilling in the Gulf and East Coast stating that the drilling techniques were very advanced and quite safe! Oops.

But I don't blame POTUS for something that is an accident. We live in an accident prone world. There are events where are beyond our ability to control. Katrina's happen. Challenger explosions happen . . .

9-11s happen . . .

As one of the fishermen said on NPR, there are some things that the gov't does and there are some things that private industry does. Cleaning up this mess and plugging that hole is in BP's area of expertise.

What do you think? Does the government help or hinder the clean-up efforts?

Passing Of A Childhood Friend - Derrick Miller

2010-01-05T23:51:00.008-05:00

You ever have a friend that you grew up with that everyone used to tease for one reason or the other? Well, I had such a friend growing up in Neptune, NJ named Derrick Miller and we did a lot together. Derrick was different in that he had a head that was shaped different than most people and it was that shape that was the subject of much ridicule by others.

I don't know why the Lord made our friendship so close but we were like brothers. He was always at my house fellowshiping with my family. He was the kind of friend that would be in our playroom watching TV while my family was eating dinner. When other children wouldn't play with Derrick or include him in activities, it seems we always came together and did something. Many a summer day we spent at the Boys Club in Asbury Park swimming, shooting pool or playing table soccer. When I worked at Camp Winaukee in New Hampshire a couple of summers in the late 70s, I invited Derrick to join me up there to give him a chance to see another part of this great country.

I learned this evening that Derrick passed away last week (thanks to the beauty of information sharing via Facebook) at the age of 48 and my heart is heavy. Childhood teasing can be something that is brutal and tough to overcome as an adult because it whittles away at one's self esteem and confidence. That teasing as a kid never really gave Derrick the confidence to excel in life (in my opinion). He spent some time serving in the military and got out with some skills as an electrician. When I last saw him in NJ a few years ago, he didn't look too good but I was sure glad to see him and reconnect with my friend.

I'm still seeking details about his passing. He didn't even have an obituary in the Asbury Park Press (our local newspaper). Can you imagine that? To be on this planet for 48 years and not even have an notice in the newspaper about your passing? I hope that rough living was not the cause of his transition from time to eternity. One thing I do know: our time on this planet is but of a few days! If you haven't prepared for eternity through the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, now would be a good time to get right with the Lord.

How To Know When Your Ministry Is Headed In The Wrong Direction

2009-10-14T09:07:00.004-04:00

I thank God for technology and its wonderful use in the Kingdom community. I have a 30gb I-Pod that I have loaded up with not only political programs and music but also with some of the great radio ministries of the day including Grace To You, In-Touch, Homeward, The Urban Alternative and Enjoying Everyday Life. But one of my favorites and one that I've listened to even before there were I-Pods is Insight for Living with Chuck Swindoll. Chuck's teaching is extraordinarily biblical with practical application.

And this morning I was blessed by another message in a series on the attributes of God from 2 Chronicles 26. In that message entitled The Glory Of God, Chuck shares five things that let you know when ministry is headed in the wrong direction:

When greater battles are fought within than without (e.g, pride, greed, lust, conceit, etc.)
When more attention is paid to building our own kingdoms rather than God's kingdom.
When the Lord's help is no longer essential.
When reproof and warnings are resisted rather than respected.
When the consequences of sin no longer cause fear.

All five are powerful warnings for anyone in ministry and it is especially applicable to those of us in pastoral leadership. There is so much emphasis in the clergy realms today to build bigger and larger sanctuaries at a cost of millions of dollars in blood and treasure. When the Lord's favor does come upon us with growth, I hope we keep the five warnings above in mind.

It is my hope that all of us would be careful in what we do for the Lord and that God would get all the glory from our efforts be they in a megachurch or in a storefront.

Where Is Your Sanctuary?

2009-07-23T06:28:00.001-04:00

TAMPA, FL-The psalmist says in Psalms 122:1, "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD." We tend to recite this beloved psalm when we are making our way into the church building on the Lord's day but does it need to apply only to the church house? If we are not careful, we tend to limit the time of worship to those times when we are in the physical sanctuary where we corporately meeting a couple of times each week.

One of the reasons I so enjoy a long commute is that my vehicle (over the years its been a Lumina, two Saturns, a Cavalier and currently an Aztek) has been a sanctuary where the Holy Spirit and I commune and He feeds my spirit as I prepare to take on the day. But my car is not the only meeting place where I hook up with God's spirit. There have been times when my cubicle is the place of worship complete with my visiting choirs (Brooklyn Tabernacle, Chicago Mass, West Angeles COGIC, Mahallia Jackson, Darlene Zschech and Mississippi Mass) and guess preachers (Tony Evans, Charles Stanley, Joyce Meyers, Chuck Swindoll, Dan Chun, Wayne Corderio, Vashti McKenzie, Joni Erickson-Tada and many more).

God is so amazing to meet us at various places in our journey and He reminds us of His faithfulness and promises to us. One of the ways in which God speaks to us is through His continued creative hand in the great sanctuary of the natural world. Many times it has been in viewing nature that I appreciate the presence of the Lord in my life.

When I came out the door of my home in Hawaii and saw a glorious rainbow like that in picture to the left, how could one not praise the Lord (there's another sanctuary, a Montana mini-van) or be reminded of his promise to Noah to never again destroy the earth by flood?

The psalmist asks the question, "Where can I go from thy Spirit?" with the presumed answer being, Nowhere". I discovered yet another place of worship during those times when I was learning how to SCUBA dive as God would meet me on the water and then yet again underneath the water.

Let me invite you to expand your personal definition of sanctuary. Right where you are at this moment, you can "enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise". Revelation 3 paints the picture of Jesus standing at the door and knocking. When we open that door to Him, wherever we might be is transformed from a regular place to a place of fellowship and worship and when we are in the presence of the Lord, there is peace, joy, strength and beauty.

Sotomayor & "Fidelity To The Law"

2009-07-22T06:51:00.001-04:00

TAMPA, FL-One of the quotes that has been played over and over again from the Sotomayor hearings that took place last week was her response to the question of her judicial philosophy, "fidelity to the law". If that was all there was to being a judge, we could just load up a sophisticated computer with some advance artificial intelligence software and then just feed the elements of our judicial cases to it for a ruling.

But we don't use computers to issue rulings. We have human beings which means that laws must be interpreted through human beings. And it is at this point that the variable of experience can come into play. Many on the right were up in arms about Judge Sonia Sotomayor's "wise Latino woman" comment and she apologized for offending anyone but it is that Latino experience that Judge Sotomayor will be bringing to the bench.

Can we honestly say that judicial rulings in the Jim Crow south were not influenced by racial oppression of the human beings living in the south at that time? The statue of Justice might be blind that's on our courthouses but the best we human beings can do is strive to be objective but it is flavored by who we are, where we grew up and the experiences we've had in this life.

If the law were so black and white (no racial pun intended), all of the opinions of the Supreme Court would be unanimous. If the law were so easily interpreted, there would be no dissents. But it is our experiences that shape our worldview and that worldview effects the way in which we experience the world. How else can one section of the population see that Jeremiah Wright is an anti-US racist and another section of the population see him as prophetic minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ? How else can one are of the judiciary see abortion as an affront to human life and another area see it as a right that can be exercised even in the third trimester?

In the recent Surpreme Court ruling about strip searchings in our schools, I appreciated Justice Ginsbergs comments to the effect that many men might not appreciate how degrading and humiliating it is for a teenage girl to be strip searched. That was spoke through the lense of one who was a teenage girl and who understood all of the complexities that go with it. Not as a justice that was like Joe Friday, "Just the facts ma'am."

The thing that has disappointed me about these hearings for the new justices to the Supreme Court is that nothing is really communicated about who the justice is and what truly is their judicial philosophy. I remember one of the first hearing that I watched when Justice Antonin Scalia was before the Senate and how interesting it was to hear detailed discussions about the law and its nuances.

You would think that with 17 years on the federal bench that there would have been much to talk about with Judge Sotomayor about the way in which she comes to conclusions in her legal renderings. Not to find amunition to shoot her down or words that would lock her into how future cases would be decided. But just an engaging discussion with the judge and the committee that will enlighten the citizenry. Those days seem to be gone in this age of "avoiding meldown" (as Senator Graham put it) rather than digging deeper.

Living A Life Of No Regrets

2009-07-10T09:43:00.007-04:00

I heard a very powerful statement the other day that most elderly folks don't regret what they have done but that they regret what they haven't done. Oh sure, we make mistakes along life's journey but that is part of the trip. The question that you need to consider in your own life is whether you are allowing fear to keep you from trying new things and pursuing new opportunities.

I am so thankful to the Lord for the many, many opportunities and experiences that He has sent my way. Some might look at my life and say that they would never have moved from California to New Jersey to Michigan to Indiana back to New Jersey and then to Pennsylvannia and then Hawaii and Oklahoma and now Florida. But to be honest, I wouldn't trade anything for the journey for the Lord has opened me up to so many incredible things in these short 48 years.

And the journey is not over yet. Are there opportunities that I have missed? There sure are and questions that I have but we can't allow those questions or blown chances to keep us from grabbing a hold of the reigns and going down another path. I could easily ask myself, "Why did I leave a great pastoring position in Hawaii?" and beat myself up over that. But you know what, God had a purpose and a plan even in that and He has brought me to a place of ministry in lovely Tampa.

I'm thankful for the technology that has allowed me to take pictures and videos of my journeys so that others can see where I've been. Every once in a while its good to look back over those photos and see the exciting journey I've traveled. Do you have a camera on your cell phone? Start snapping some pictures and capturing the moments of your life not only for yourself but to share with future generations what lies ahead when you live life all out.

Is fear holding you back from living life to its fullest? Jesus said in John 10:10 that He has come that we might live the abundant life. That doesn't mean you have to millions in the bank or the best car on the road. Right where you are you can experience life at its fullest in Christ. When you breathe your last, will it be a "whew, that was some trip" or a "man, I wish I could have "?

MJ & OJ: Will Declared Innocent Black Folks Ever Get A Fair Shake?

2009-07-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

The racial divide in the media perplexes me at times. I'm amazed at how the media treats indicted black folks who are then found to be innocent of all charges. In the 90's when OJ Simpson was on trial for the murder of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, there were a lot of people looking for him to get a death sentence or life imprisonment. All the pundits thought it was going to be a slam dunk, open and shut case. The jury had a different perspective and found OJ innocent.

Was OJ able to resume his acting and endorsement career? After all, he was found innocent in a court of law by a jury of his peers. The many on the right who are always talking about the rule of law seemed to have forgotten that little point and no matter what the context, 9 times out 10 when the discussion of OJ comes up in the media, he is always painted as a murderer who beat the rap.

In that same "trial of the century" there was a racist police officer by the name of Mark Fuhrman who had some damaging audio tapes with him using racial slurs about black people and using the N word. But was he dragged through the mud and ostracized from the media? No!! He is brought back on TV time after time after time as a criminal investigator expert. Why is it that OJ is treated as criminal (and I'm talking before the silly crap he recently did that landed him in jail) when he was declared not guilty but Mark Fuhrman, for whom we have evidence of his racial bias, gets to be an expert pundit on television all the time.

I say all that to say that it seems to be happening all over again in the wake of Michael Jackson's sudden passing. Look at the blistering commentary by Bill O'Reilly:

Now I realize that Michael Jackson is not on the same par as Martin Luther King in terms of moral impact on our world but he has had an impact on the culture and on a whole generation of not just black children but young people all over the world. Just like many of my generation, I grew up with all of the Jackson 5 albums in my record collection. MJ was not just a flash in the pan entertainer, he is someone with whom we grew up (he was only two years older than this your humble columnist).

Just like OJ, what Bill and other media & political types tend to do is to focus on the accusations of child molestation. Never had MJ been convicted of any criminal behavior and even when they took the case to court (for those who want to say MJ paid off the first accuser), the evidence didn't hold up and the case was dismissed.

Bill complains that MJ spent millions on himself while singing "We Are The World." MJ like any other celebrity (including O'Reilly who is just back from Switzerland) certainly is able to spend money on himself unlike your ordinary Joe the Plumber type and why shouldn't he? We live in a capitalistic society where if one earns millions of dollars, you are free to spend it however you want (after you give Uncle Sam his due, of course). No one complains about the multiple Penthouses and real estate that Donald Trump owns. No one complains about the jets, cars and other material possessions that many in Hollywood possess. Why should MJ be any different when it comes to enjoying the fruits of his success?

But Michael Jackson also raised millions of dollars to feed starving people in Somalia from that same song, "We Are The World" and he did it not by himself but was able to bring a W-I-D-E variety of entertainers together to make that song possible (right after a Grammy awards show no less) and with their presence also bring along the support of those entertainer's fan base which made the song and the accompanying album a big seller. To paraphrase a biblical passage, Bill has raised his thousands and Michael his millions.

Was MJ a saint to be cannonized? Of course not. He was a great entertainer who was eccentric and had some questionable behaviors that while were not prudent, were not criminal at least from a legal standpoint in a court of law. So why not celebrate his life rather than focusing on the charges upon which he was NEVER convicted? His music has been the music of my life from a youth to the most recent material he released.

I wish the media would stop convicting innocent (from a criminal standpoint) black folks in the public square and never letting them come up for air when they are found NOT GUILTY. The last time I checked, our judicial system based on the phrase, "Innocent until PROVEN guilty."

My Review of Medela Breastmilk Freezing and Storage Set

2009-06-15T11:54:00.002-04:00

Toys R Us

Medelas 80ml (2.7 oz) bottles are sterilized for mom and babys health and safety. Designed to be the most convenient, most time-saving and safest breastmilk bottle.Perfect size for newborns and easy storage in refrigerator or freezer. Screw-on lid for leak-proof seal. Sterile inside and ready to us...

Outstanding Storage Addition

Darryl The Dad Tampa, FL 6/15/2009

Pros: Convenient, Durable, Seals Well, Washes Easily, Easy to use

Best Uses: At Home, Feeding, Milk Storage, Travel

Describe Yourself: Grandparent, Parent of Two or More Children

Very handy product. My wife has used them to store milk and they hold just enough to satisfy our little son in the middle of the night. The fact that you can screw a nipple right on to the container is very handy and with the liquid scale on the side of each container, you can track how much baby is drinking.
These units are also small enough to freeze and not take up a lot of room in your freezer.
Overall, using these containers while breast feeding allows the dads to do a little night duty and give mom a break while still supplying the little dude or dudette with momma's milk. I highly recommend these.

Sotomayor & Life Experiences When Judging

2009-06-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

President Barak Obama has selected Sonia Sotomayor to be the replacement justice for retiring justice David Souter. There has been a lot of hoopla about the fact that Judge Sotomayor brings her life experiences to the bench when she convenes a court. Some have called her a racist and unfit for the nation's highest court. But the truth of the mater is that no matter what career field we enter, we ALWAYS bring our life experiences with us. I am grateful that Judge Sotomayor has been honest enough to give voice to it.

Republicans on the Hill and in the pundocracy talk about the judges who hold up the rule of law. When Jim Crow ruled the day in the south, judges were upholding the rule of law but those rulings were funneled through a life experience that devalued blacks and elevated white supremacy.

It has been quoted that "Justice is blind" and certainly that is a excellent slogan and a great vision statement for any court but the only person who can be completely objective based on an absolute pure moral standard is Almighty God. Anyone other than the good Lord brings their experiences (good and bad) to the bench with them. We can only hope that a combination of that experience coupled with knowledge of the law can yield a just result. But time and time again we have seen where even the best judges, attorneys and juries can make a mistake. Not because it was intentional but because failable human beings are making the decisions.

Why don't we celebrate the differences and perspectives that other cultures bring to the judicial process instead of trying to pretend that we can be absolutely objective and impartial under every circumstance? Who we are and what we have experiences is what makes us unique as the human creature. If we want unfeeling and purely cold decisions, we should just developed a good artificial intelligence computer program with voice recognition features that should hear and rule on our judicial proceedings.

Political Talks Takes Another Hit

2008-07-30T19:24:00.003-04:00

TAMPA, FL-Political dialog has taken another hit in the media. One of the things you would like to get out of your political candidates is truthful answers that at least give you a chance to get to know what the candidates are like on the inside. You would think that with over 50 debates concluded during the primary process (between Republicans and Democrats alike) that we would have a pretty good idea of who the candidates are. But here we are in July and there are still unanswered questions about both candidates.

If that were not bad enough, in this internet and technological age in which we live, the candidates have to be weary of EVERY comment that they make on the video record because everyone from the mainstream media to an 7th grade videophile can take that video off of Youtube, slice it and dice it to make it say anything one might want to promote.

Case in point was the interview that Barak Obama did with Katie Couric during his recent trip to the Middle East. In that exchange, Couric asked Obama a couple of times about the military troop surge and how it did have an effect to help quell the violence and ethnic strife in Iraq. I believe the reason Obama could not admit that the surge was successful was because as soon as he were to say that, it would pop up in a McCain ad against him.

John McCain had a photo moment riding in a golf cart with Bush #41 and I'm sure that image will pop up in an Obama or 529 Organization ad tying McCain to the Bush Dynasty even though taking such a ride has nothing to do with the type of policies that McCain might implement.

The problem with such great advances in technology is that it makes the candidates less likely to say something meaningful. EVERYTHING is carefully crafted, rehearsed and presented and that is a sad thing for our democracy.

Obama and Couric Interview:

Tech: Fix For Failed Adobe Flash Player Installation

2008-07-16T13:56:00.006-04:00

Nothing can be more frustrating than trying to install a critical plug-in for your web browser and having the system give you an error. Such was the case when I needed to install the latest Adobe Flash player in my Internet Explorer browser. Now I don't even use IE as my primary browser because of the security issues but I had to get the Flash player installed so that I could use Adobe Captivate to record some work processes that I was attempting to document.

Every time I tried to install the plug in from the download page I would get an error message saying that the Adobe Flash Player failed to install. I spent a couple of hours trying to set certain security settings per the support information posted on the Adobe website. Finally I Google'd my problem and got a link to www.fixya.com which had the exact answer that resolved the problem. I found my solution under the heading "55 Other Users Have The Same Problem".

If you are suffering from the same problem, this solution might just fix your problem. Once I typed the command correctly per the instructions, I was able to go back to the Flash install page and install the player with no problem whatsoever. I got so happy that I even went ahead and installed the Adobe Media Player. Don't know how I'll use it yet but it's installed!

With Flash installed for IE, I can now put IE back on the shelf and go on about my business with Adobe Captivate and resume my regular web browsing with my browser of choice: Firefox.

When Will Black Folks Get It?

2008-07-09T22:00:00.000-04:00

TAMPA,FL-While the media will cover Barak Obama as an African-American (or my term black) candidate for President of the United States, you will never hear him play up this aspect of his candidacy. Why? Because while blacks and Hispanics are a significant voting block, the truth of the mater is that these groups are still minorities that could not elect a minority President outright.

Barak Obama is smart enough to stay about the racial fray and appeal to ALL Americans as highlighted in his recent television ad which shows promiently his white mother and grandparents and the Kansas heartland values that were instilled into him as a youth. He has to have broad support if he is to be the first black President which is why his win in Iowa at the start of the primary season was so stunning and critical.

Jesse Jackson Sr made the silly mistake of accusing Barak of talking down to black folks. I thought the comments were not necessary and have to wonder if there are some sour grapes from Rev Jackson because Barak is accomplishing what he was not able to do in the 80s during his presidential runs. If nothing else, Barak Obama has talked up to black folks and all folks quite frankly about the possibility for change in America. His verbal gifts have been used to elevate and not denigrate for the most part.

Be that as it may, I think that it is important for black folks to realize that just because Barak Obama may be the next President of these United States, it doesn't mean that his entire agenda will be focused on the black community per se. It is my hope that should he be elected to the highest office in the land that he would bring a different sensitivity to the plight of those who have been on the margins of our society for some time. It is my hope that he would give voice to those who have been without a voice. It is my hope that his policies would benefit ALL Americans no mater what their racial hue. It is my hope that if Barak Obama were to become President of the United States that we could finally say that what is good for America is good for all Americans and not just a privileged few.

See the segments on Bill O'Reilly's The O'Reilly Factor:

Additional discussion:

Tech: A Practical Idea For Your Cell Phone Camera

2008-07-03T15:29:00.005-04:00

TAMPA, FL-Let's face it, unless you have excellent lighting, your cell phone camera is probably not going to take a Pulitzer prize picture. I take outstanding pictures on bright sunny days as evidenced by the lake photo. A little touch up with Photoshop and it is serving as a great wallpaper for my computer's desktop at work.

But another practical idea for the camera on your cell phone is to use it as a memory jogger. I was in a used book store a couple of weeks ago looking through the religious section and found a treasure trove of decent titles that I am interested in acquiring. Rather than pulling out my Blackberry Curve and jotting down all of the titles, I pulled out my Curve and took pictures of all of the titles that interested me.

I did this a couple of times and find that it is much easier than typing because I get the author's name and title perfectly as well as what the book looks like. Try it sometime. You might not take an award winning picture but you'll save wear and tear on your brain cells.

Check out this book Defending Black Faith at Amazon.com

Television: Golden Age vs Present Day

2008-06-30T18:00:00.004-04:00

TAMPA, FL-I must admit that I don't watch a great deal of television these days save for the Fox News channel and some offerings on PBS, TNT or ESPN. I have a number of other pursuits that keep me away from television watching. But my lovely wife and I were spending a very relaxful evening last night together and we were surfing the channels and came across the program Aliens In America on the CW channel followed by The Honeymooners on the WGN channel. What a contrast in television comedy!

Present Day

From the synopsis presented on the CW website, the show is about an awkward teen coupled with an exchange student living in his house and their high school adventures in Wisconsin. I couldn't find a more offensive and non-funny show on television. In this particular episode we learn that the main character Justin's fondness for drawing has transformed from his drawing happy rainbow pictures as a preteen to outright pornographic female images as a teenager.

When mom discovers the images during a routine room cleaning, we find that Justin has sketch book upon sketch book of these images. In the usual bumbling dad tradition of the media these days, Dad doesn't really confront Justin about these images at all. In fact, later on in the episode, he tells his son that he dealt with his male puberty urges by drawing the female bosom out of all of the double-o ("oo") words in the books that he read.

In seeking help, he goes to a clinic that is run by a Christian organization that tells Justin that the only way to rid himself of the problem is to come to Jesus and to slap his hand regularly with a ruler whenever he has a sexual thought.

Needless to say I found absolutely no humor in this episode whatsoever. I would have turned away if it were not for the fact that I was thinking about this post and how far TV has sunk in America. Amazing to think but in one episode:

Parents and adults were once again seen as cartoonish with no moral authority (Moms and Dads are easily manipulated to do the kids bidding);
The serious challenges of dealing with teen male puberty in the family were boiled down to cheap laughs;
Christian values (which does have a valuable response to sex and sexuality in the family) and people were caricatured and pictured to seem irrelevant;
Christians themselves were presented as unfeeling, legalistic, dogmatic people whose only concern was getting converts into the faith;
Reading classics was belittled as "old school" in our new technological age.

I sincerely hope that Aliens in America has a short television life.

Golden Age

Once Aliens went off the air, the Mrs and I surfed a little more and discovered that The Honeymooners was on and we camped out there for two episodes. There could not have been a more stark contrast between this Golden Age of Television program and the craziness that passes for entertainment today.

I've watched Ralph, Alice, Norton and Trixie for a number of years during my youth in the 70s and was struck this past week at the simplicity of the program. Over 80% of the program took place on one set that looked the same from week to week. The comedy itself was not in the gutter of sex or immorality. While Alice could really lay some sharp verbal zingers on Ralph, they were usually in response to a set up line by Ralph. The laughs came from human conversation with some sight gags and I was amazed at how long the scenes were without a cut or edit in the flow of the scene.

Even though one could anticipate what was coming next in a given episode, Jackie Gleason and Art Carney had a way of still making us laugh through acting. No computer animated graphics or fancy camera work for them. No skinny babes dancing around the set wearing very little clothes. Just a good script, a few props and some great actors and actresses.

The programs on the air that really have lasting value, are the ones where the story is the central part of the program. So much of our entertainment has been dumbed downed, sexed up, and product placement saturated that you sometimes have a hard time seeing the story (tree) for the distractions (forest).

Episodes watched: Better Living Through TV and Pal O Mine.

One Of The Best Investments You'll Ever Make

2008-06-27T06:00:00.001-04:00

"You input determines your outlook; your outlook will determine your output; your output will determine your future" Zig Ziglar

What we allow to come into our lives (input) will greatly determine what comes out of our lives (output). When you sit around every night allowing trash TV to be dumped into your consciousness, is it any surprise that you'll end up with bunch of time wasted with nothing to show for it?

How can this be turned around?

The one thing we all have the same amount of whether we be rich or poor, young or old, highly educated or a dropout is TIME. What we do with it will determine where we go. And one of the best things to come along to help us make use of that time is none other than: the Apple I-Pod.

"Have you lost your mind preacher?", I can hear you say.

Hear me out. I am certainly not a disciple of Apple (I am still a devoted Intel-Windows user) but this little device has definitely helped me to make the most of my time. I received my 2gb I-Pod Nano as a Christmas gift in 2006 and it has definitely been utilized (in fact, I need to upgrade it given the improvements Apple has made to newer generation I-Pods). Sure you can load up your entire CD collection and listen to must but the bigger benefit to me has been in listening to podcasts from around the nation.

One of the best things you can do with your time is to learn new things. The wonderful world of podcasting opens up so many additional opportunities to learn something new. Developing and expanding my faith is something that is important to me and with a 35 minute commute to work in the morning, I have been able to take advantage of that driving time by allowing the In-Touch and Insight For Living podcasts to prepare me for the day by allowing the Word of God to be planted into my spirit.

But in addition to those programs I also get inspiration and motivation from Zig Ziglar who also has a weekly podcast that is always uplifting. In fact right now (for the next two weeks), Zig is giving away some free gifts to his podcast subscribers so be sure to take advantage of this opportunity.

The beauty of podcasting is even if you don't have an I-Pod, you can still take advantage of the vast sea of learning that is available for FREE (the strongest word in marketing). Just download I-Tunes from Apple and that world of podcasting will be open to you. Secure an I-Pod or MP3 player from E-Bay or Amazon or your favorite electronics store and then you can take your learning on the road. As time goes on, I'll share with you some additional links to podcasts that I think you'll enjoy.

Some podcasting directories:
C-Span Podcasting, Podcast Bunker, NPR Podcast Directory, Fox News Podcasts, MSNBC Podcasts

Death Can Catch Us Off Guard

2008-06-25T14:33:00.006-04:00

ARDMORE, OK-There times when you hear about the death of an individual where you are caught completely off guard in hearing the news. I am a big movie buff and was stunned to hear about the deal of Sydney Pollack a couple of months ago. He directed The Way We Were and Tootsie and was also a fine actor as I had just recently seen him in Michael Clayton.

Being the political junkie that I am, I podcast Meet the Press every week and look forward to the engaging dialog that this show always delivers. So I was surprised once again to hear about the collapse and death of its host, Tim Russert, while he was on the set of MTP getting ready to record the weekly show.

While both of those deaths touched me and I do feel for their families, I didn't know either of these fine gentlemen and only viewed their lives from afar through the media. But this week, the surprising death of a former colleague brought me to a point of tears. Tisha Belt was the Director of HR at IMTEC Corporation during the time when I worked for the company from 2004-2006.

To know Tisha was to know someone who just bubbled with life. Some one who enjoyed life in corporate American even when her "temporary" HR office was a converted bathroom. Someone who had a laugh that was so contagious that you could be a couple of doors away from her office and still chuckle just because you heard her laugh.

She went home to be with the Lord on Monday. Truly an angel has been called home but I'm pretty sure that there is even more laugher in heaven now that Tisha is there. Death has a way of touching our lives when we least expect it and most suddenly.

The funny thing is that while we ALL have an eventual appointment with death, we tend to live our lives as if we can just move that appointment around in our Outlook planner or just reschedule it on our pocket or Google calendar. Psalms 90:12 emplores us to, "Teach us to number our days". That is to say that we are to make the most of each day that the Lord blesses us to see. Make each day count for something larger because when its all said and done, we have to leave all of our possessions behind. Our words and our works are the only things that make it from time into eternity.

My condolences to the Belt family. My praise to God for sharing Tisha with us for 37 years. My appreciation to you for sharing a part of your life reading this pondering.

Tisha Denise Belt's Obituary in local Ardmore newspaper: The Daily Ardmoreite

Visiting Civil Rights Ground Zero

2008-06-23T14:34:00.000-04:00

Montgomery, AL--This past Saturday I had the distinct privilege of visiting the only church that Martin Luther King, Jr pastored--the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL. It was in the basement of this historic church that the Montgomery Improvement Association in 1954 voted to initiate the landmark bus boycott after the arrest of Rosa Parks when she refused to give up her seat to a white man boarding the bus.

It is not often that one get the opportunity to tread on the ground where great historical events take place. Some have done so in the ruins of Greece and across the dusty trails of the Holy Land or the sacred ground known as Gettysburg. But just seeing the red brick church in the bright luminance of the Alabama sunshine made my heart flutter for just a while. This was enhanced all the more by sitting in that very basement for a civil rights video presentation and then walking upstairs to see the historic church itself.

Some things that I learned during my visit:

The original pews that were in the church during the famed weekly civil rights meetings are still installed in the church and are used each week (albeit with soft cushions) during worship services.
The original pulpit podium, chairs and communion table selected by Dr King during his pastorate are still in use today.
The church was renamed a few years ago to honor Dr King to Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church.
You have to pay to take the tour of the church which can be combined with a tour of the Church Parsonage where Dr King and his family lived. An adult combination ticket is $7 and $5 for children 12 and under.
Dr King was only 24 years old when he was called to pastor Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

Want to know more?

Montgomery Bus Boycott on Wikipedia, The African American History page, or The Eyes On The Prize PBS website.
The Church & Parsonage at The Church & Parsonage Website, Historic Places Of The Civil Rights Movement.
Life at Dexter Ave Baptist Church from Dr King's Autobiography.

Congress Changes Hands

2006-11-08T09:52:00.002-05:00

MELBOURNE, FL-Well the Republicans went down to defeat with yesterday's elections. They really don't have anyone to blame but themselves for a couple of reasons. First, the corruptions had run rampant and that just doesn't sit well with voters especially when the party is supposed to be ethical and concerned with family values. Second, they haven't accomplished very much legislatively. One would think that with the president and congress in the hands of the same party that much would get done but that didn't happen. At least nothing meaningful the impacts the electorate. Finally, Iraq continues to garner headlines with no end in sight.

Now with Jim Webb winning in VA, both chambers go to the Dems which should make for a very interesting two years running up to the Presidental election of 2008. Some things on the Democratic agenda are worthwhile but I for one do not look forward to increased taxes and regulation and the airwaves clogged with investigation after investigation. What has happened in the past is done and cannot be changed and now is not the time for a Democratic congress to impeach a Republican president. If that happens, the Dems might find themselves on the outside looking in again. Say, that might not be too bad after all!

Media Getting It Wrong

2006-06-08T11:12:00.001-04:00

MELBOURNE, FL-I was just reading a AP story on the Marriage Protection Amendment that was defeated yesterday in the US Senate and they lead the story with the title, "Senate Rejects Gay Marriage Amendment". The title is a complete mistatement of what the amendment was all about. It was never about Gay Marriage but a positive proclamation that marriage in the US would be defined as the union of one man and one woman.

Here is the text of the amendment: "Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman."

Where in that language is there any mention of Gay Marriage? There is none and yet the AP leads with a headline that would suggest that the debate had to do with Gay Marriage. It had everything to do with protecting marriage and the family but clearly defining what has been the status quo for centuries. Certainly this is a case of misdirecting the reading public over what the debate was really all about. You have to be careful when skimming headlines because they are not always what they appear to be!

To stay on top of the effort to get the Marriage Protection Amendment passed, check out Focus On The Family's CitizenLink website.

Movielog: Madea's Family Reunion

2006-03-17T12:02:00.001-05:00

I had the opportunity to see Madea's Family Reunion this past Monday and it was a wonderful film for the whole family. Tyler Perry again did multiple roles in the film and pulled each of them off really well. Madea was a little over the top for me in the first film but in this one the balance was just right between being her crazy self and being a matriarch of the family.

The cast of the film was really great including Lynn Whitfield, Blair Underwood, Maya Angelou and Cicely Tyson (it's hard to believe that she is actually getting older but she hasn't missed a beat with her acting talent). Tyler Perry does an excellent job again in presenting some of the challenges of family life (this time between an engaged couple that involves domestic abuse and the dysfunction between a mother and her two daughters) and brings the plot twists to a conclusion without being too preachy.

I would give it three and half stars out of five.

Thinking Outside The Box

2006-03-17T11:15:00.000-05:00

The human creature is one that is resistant to change. Many of us eat the same breakfast each day. We have a clothing rotation that we seldom change. We take the same route to the office each morning. And if the truth be told, we even sit in the same spot in our church sanctuary each Lord’s day. Same routine day in and day out. Month after month. Year after year.

As believers we have not been left on the planet to uphold the status quo but to be God’s change agents in the world today. Romans 12:2 (NIV) states, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will–His good, pleasing and perfect will.” What this passage suggests is that we break out of old patterns and habits by changing our thinking (“renewing of your mind”).

When it comes to operating our business in a Christian manner, do we operate only from a motivation of profit? Are you willing to think of “renewed” ways of serving your customers? Jesus thought outside the box when he:

- Redefined who the religious customer is: the paralytic at the pool (John 5); the deranged man living in the tombs (Mark 5); or the thief on the cross (Luke 23:42-43).

- Instituted new customer service policies: washing disciples feet (John 11); was patient with belligerent and scheming customers (Mark 15:1-5; Matthew 27:27-31; Luke 23:33-34)

- Did things against the norms of the day: forgiving a sick man of his sins (Mark 2:4-11); visited Samaria and talked with a woman in public (John 4); commuted the death penalty of a woman caught in adultery (John 8:3-11)

As Christians who are business leaders in Hawaii, God is calling on each of us to reflect upon how we can better serve the Lord through our business. Your business is your ministry! Is your vision restricted and restrained because your mind has not been recently renewed? The Lord desires to do a great work through you. Think outside the box of conventional business thought and embrace the words of the master in John 14:12 (NIV), “. . . anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these . . .”

(Article was originally written for Christians In Real Estate's Newsletter in Honolulu, HI)

When Will Terrell Owens Get It?

2005-11-08T11:20:00.001-05:00

ARDMORE, OK-It is not often that the paths of talent and opportunity cross. When I was in high school, I had some pretty good basketball skills being 6'1" but because there were a lot of fellas who were my height and played as good as or better than myself, I didn't have the opportunity to play the sport that I really would have loved to letter in during high school. Instead, I settled on lettering as a diver on the swim team.

Every year thousands of young men across the country participant in practice after practice, doing drill after tiring drill with the goal of being that one player who will be granted access into the upper echelon of athletic performance: the NBA, MLB or NFL. With the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) heating up along with the Heisman Trophy still to be awarded, there are many college football players working hard to get his ticket stamped for the next level.

To be a professional athlete in any of the major sports in the United States is a privilege granted by a society that allows a marketplace that places such a high value on sports. Certainly the case could be made that there are many other overlooked professions that need the kind of attention and salary paid to our athletes: teachers, counselors, day care workers, firemen, police officers, clergy, customer service representatives, secretaries. The list could go on ad infinitum.

It was announced yesterday by Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid that Terrell Owens would be suspended from the Philadelphia Eagles for actions which were detrimental to the team. Terrell expressed in an interview that he felt the team did not do enough to honor him for his 100th TD reception on October 23 and that the team would be better with Brett Favre (of the Green Bay Packers) as their quarterback than Donovan McNabb. To be fair, Terrell Owens does have skills that, when used, have benefited the team. But his constant mouthing off has done more to disrupt what should be an elite team in his profession. The Eagles record rests at 4 wins and 4 loses. Hardly a stellar performance.

Terrell Owens will not catch another football in the NFL this season. I hope that in a more quiet and reflective moment that Terrell would consider the blessings he's been allowed to enjoy during his tenure in the NFL: (1) the opportunity to showcase his talents for a living; (2) the opportunity to make a lot of money for himself and his family; and (3) the opportunity to play in a Super Bowl when many talented players (e.g., Barry Sanders, Earl Campbell, etc) never had that chance.

Some one close to Terrell should tap him on the shoulder and let him know that he is fortunate that talent and opportunity are paths that have been running together for him for well over 10 seasons in the NFL. This latest episode of criticism against the Eagles organization and Donovan McNabb may have caused him to reach a fork in that path that could have him on the outside looking in on a sport that has been very good to him.

Movielog: Batman Begins Is Well Done

2005-10-24T11:31:00.000-04:00

I have been one of those folks who feel that Michael Keaton was the one actor who hit a homerun in playing Bruce Wayne and Batman in the original 80s run of films. Val Kilmer came a little closer but George Clooney missed the mark all together.

So when I heard that there was going to be another Batman franchise started entitled Batman Begins, I was a little skeptical of (a) who was going to play the dark knight and (b) where the story was going to begin. This weekend as I was sitting in the barber shop waiting my turn at a cut, I pulled out my laptop computer and popped in this DVD.

To my surprise and excitement, this film is actually a good refreshment on the Batman franchise. Christian Bale (whom I most recall as the spoiled rich kid in the movie Shaft) does an outstanding job in the role although at times he does seem to draw from Keaton's portrayal of Batman in his voice. Liam Neelson surprised me in the film and does an outstanding job as Bruce Wayne's mentor and trainer.

Some might consider the film a bit long but since this story is starting from the beginning and spends a good deal of time developing the backstory of Batman, its takes a little more time. But that is time well spent in developing the storyline including how the Batcave came to be as well as where Batman acquires all those gadgets of his on that miraculous utility belt of his.

Michael Caine plays a superb role as the butler Alfred blending dramatic with a touch of comedy as only he can do. Katie Holmes does a pretty good job as an assistant DA although I don't recall from the original comic book series (and I could be wrong) about Batman having a romance or a childhood friend named Rachel Dawes. Good groundwork is laid for the Joker and for additional sequels.

Cinematography is done very well with a great deal of the cityscapes shot with Chicago as the backdrop. In keeping with the high soundtrack bar that Danny Elfman did in the 1989 original, James Newton Howard & Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, The Last Samurai) do an outstanding job with the music.

I highly recommend this film (available now on DVD) and wish that one day, the Academy might give films like Batman Returns a serious look for some awards other than technical achievement. In the meantime, it'll have to settle for the acclaims of bloggers such as myself. The sequel has been announced for a 2008 release. I hope they can get it out sooner so the cast can stay intact.

Enjoying A College Homecoming

2005-10-13T11:36:00.000-04:00

ARDMORE, OK-This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel to the campus of Langston University in Langston, OK to be a part of their homecoming festivities. Having done my master's work at Howard University in the nation's capital, I had a pretty good idea of what homecoming was like at a historically black university. Langston U did not disappoint. Even though the university geographically sits in the middle of a prairie, the campus was alive with a lot of activity and festivity.

The affair was heightened by the fact that this was my first visit to the campus to see my daughter since I dropped her off there in August so I was excited to see her. My dauther Crystalyne plays the flute in Langston's 168 member marching band and it was a thrill to see "Crissy" marching away in the well rehearsed routines. She stepped with a liveliness I'm told that was customary for new freshmen members of the marching troupe.

Nonetheless, the half-time performance of the band was outstanding. And oh, yeah, there was a football game. Langston played Texas College and won the game 22-10. It was the first time that Langston had won a homecoming game in quite a few years.

John Roberts Will Serve Well

2005-09-21T11:46:00.001-04:00

ARDMORE, OK-It would appear that Circuit Judge John Roberts is on his way to being sworn in as the 17th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. I had an opportunity to watch some of the proceedings online via c-span.org and the Democrats on the committee tried their best to get some kind of commitment from Judge Roberts that Roe vs Wade would not be overturned based on the principle of stare decisis (see defintion).

The thing that I found a bit amusing about the proceeding was that some members of the Judiciary Committee wanted to lock down Roe vs. Wade as a precedent that should never be overturned. But precedent is only solid until it is reviewed anew and a case is made for a different ruling. The fact that an event sets the basis for establishing a precedent does not mean that there can never come a future event which could shed new light on a previous precedent. Such was the case with Brown vs. Board of Education which turned back the previously acceptable practice of segregated education in our public schools. Precedent simply guides lower courts until overturned by an appellate tribunal.

Another interesting dialogue that took place was the attempt to pin Judge Roberts down based on the memorandas, opinions or arguments that he made while a staff lawyer under the Reagan administration. Granted, the fact that he served under that administration as an appointed staffer suggests that his ideology was in line with Reagan. But to make the link that every action he took while in the counsel's office was his own I thought was insulting. He was beholden to his boss (as many of us are in our daily employment) and then ultimately to the President. If he had an opinion that differed from the President, it was probably voiced in closed door sessions but whatever he did in the public square, it was done as a representative of the administration.

I believe it was Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) who asked Judge Roberts about the role that his Catholic background would have on certain rulings that he might have to make. Senator Specter quoted President John Kennedy's remarks to the press that the church doesn't speak for him and he won't speak for the church. Senator Spector asked if that was Judge Roberts' approach on the bench. Judge Roberts replied in the affirmative.

Who we are and how we make decisions in life is linked very closely to the experiences we have had in our life. We filter our opinions and perceive life based on our education, upbringing, life experience and, yes, religious influences. While I didn't expect Judge Roberts to respond to Senator Specter in any other way, I also understand that if his religion does not influence who he is as a person (and I'm including serving as a judge as part of his personhood), then his religion is shallow and in vain.

Judge Roberts did an excellent job of interacting with the various Senators (some who were verbally hostile) and I believe he will make a good Chief Justice. From what I've observed, he appears to one who is open to hearing both sides of a case which is all that anyone can ask when going before a judge. His pro-bono work with charitable organizations says to me that he is not just a person who cares about the privileged but also is interested in those who are on the margins of society and possibly about those who are on the margins of the law itself.