I mentioned in the last post that I was one of 14 US officials chosen to work the World Masters' Championships in Riccione, Italy. There were also about 12 officials from Great Britain, 3 from New Zealand, 2 from Puerto Rico, and 1 from Brazil. I didn't know before I arrived in Italy what I would be doing at the meet. Most of my officiating experience is in the vertical jumps and combined events, so I was anticipating working there. However, I discovered that I would be working in the "call room" or clerking area for this meet. (I'm sure that Tommy Free and his crew will get a kick out of that!) I have done a little bit of that, when forced to, at our home meets. But never at a meet with 9,000 athletes and in languages that I don't speak.

The Call Room is the place where each athlete comes before his or her event - whether track or field. We check credentials, bib numbers, spikes, put them in their heats, give them their hip numbers, and take them to the track or their venue at the appropriate time. It can be crazy at times and, with athletes from around the world speaking different languages and used to different systems (some of who are old enough to get easily confused), it was chaos most of the time. We got through it, though not without some stress and tension. Let's just say that Italian officials don't do things the same ways that officials from the US or Great Britain do them. Add the language barrier to that and some tension arose. Eventually things got better, but the Italians weren't quite as worried about rules or procedures:

1) Throws were measured from a variety of places through the meet - from the front of the mark, the back of the mark, the tail of the javelin, or even when the javelin stopped sliding.

2) Nary a clock could be found during the meet, so no timing was done.

3) Foreign officials were mostly used to retrieve implements or turn the numbers of the performance board, even though most were highly experienced and, among them, had officiated several Olympic Games, Olympic Trials, etc.

4) Officials didn't help with warm-ups in any event, including the throws. Usually, if there was an American or Brit on the crew, they would. Otherwise, the athletes had to retrieve their own implements, etc.

But for all the frustrations, it has been a good experience. I have learned a lot (including many things not to do) and had the chance to develop some good friendships.

Some of the highlights were athletes I met. In the next post, I'll tell you about a few of them. Above is a picture of our Call Room in action.

After a hiatus of a few months, I'm back on the blog again. This is the second year in a row that I have taken a break from writing over the summer. During the school year, I usually preach twice a week, and often teach another time or two, and I guess I just get tired of "talking" so much. But now I'm back.

I'm writing this post from a track in Riccione, Italy. For those of you who don't know, I am one of 14 track and field officials from the US invited to work the World Master's Championships. This is the largest of the world championships, with almost 9,000 athletes from 96 countries ranging in age from 35-97. They compete in 5 year age divisions and 430 are from the US. The meet is actually held at three different stadiums in this area, with Riccione being the major one. The others are at Misano and San Giuvanne. This is my second international meet (the first actually outside the US) and it is a great honor to be here. The meet actually started on Sept. 4, but I have had trouble finding internet connections! But I'll write a little at a time so, if you're interested, you can read a little at a time.

Some of the athletes here have been very accomplished. There are many former Olympians who are still competing. In fact, Willie Banks, a former world record holder, is here. And there are others who were never stars but who love to complete. Since there aren't any entrance standards, whoever wants to enter (and pay their way to Italy) can compete!

The trip here was a long one - about 32 hours of travel on three flights, six trains, a taxi, and about 14 hours in terminals. Which was about two trains and four hours more than I anticipated. Lesson one: not all train stations are open all the time. I discovered that as my train zipped through where I wanted to get off at 1:15 am! The train finally stopped 45 minutes later. It took a while to find my way back.

The hotel we're at is nothing fancy, but the food is great. A big continental breakfast in the mornings and a huge buffet of pasta, seafood, beef, pork, etc. every night - with a half liter of wine per person for the wine drinkers. It sets a pretty high standard for our Arkansas meets!

I'll quit for now, but will try to post more later.

Follow-up on the CNN broadcast mentioned in the last post:

The Anderson Cooper 360 show on CNN is doing a three-part story this week on "What is a Christian?" It will be broadcast on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights at 9:00 pm central. A segment about Beachreach will be in the series, but I don't exactly when or on what night.

That's all I've got for you!

Happy Holiday!

What holiday, you might ask?

It's Opening Day! The first day of the 2007 Major League Baseball season! (Alright, there was one game last night, but I think of it as a kind of "Christmas Eve.")

I know this isn't really a holiday - but it should be. Schools should be closed. Businesses shut down. Everybody gets the day off to go to the ballpark or watch baseball on TV or listen to it on the radio. I got myself in the mood by watching "The Rookie" on Saturday night. Today, I'll listen to baseball games on the "radio" - one of the great and simple pleasures of life. It is relaxing and so "Rockwellian" - with a modern, technological twist. I subscribe to a MLB service where, for $15 a year, I can listen to any major league game, anywhere in the country, over the internet - and choose which team's broadcast I want to hear. I know that may sound a little over-the-top to some of you - but I think it's pretty cool. So the big choice today will be which games to listen to. I know that I will listen to at least part of the games in which I have pitchers starting (yes, I have two fantasy baseball teams), as well as the Royals broadcast.

Last night it dawned on me that I should have taken off work today and gone to KC for the Royals home-opener with the Red Sox. Allen, Michael, or Craig - if any of you read this - you are responsible to remind me of this next year!

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Our Spring Break trips went well again this year. I went for the third year in a row to Panama City Beach, FL to do a week of outreach to college students who were there to party. It is a tiring week with a lot of late hours, but it is a great experience for our students and for me. It is a wonderful, hands-on "lab" in prayer and evangelism. Our students and staff were able to speak spiritual truth into the lives of students from all over the country and to see God use them to make a difference.

CNN will be airing a special report soon on college students and sex. As a part of it, there will be a segment on Spring Break in Panama City Beach. As they filmed that, they also spent time with those doing the same ministry we were and there is supposed to be a 5-6 minute segment on that. If I discover exactly when it will be on, I'll let you know.

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A few weeks ago, Brittany Spears was making a "name" for herself by checking out of rehab, getting her head shaved, hitting bars, etc. During that period, she was the butt of jokes for every talk show host and comedian. Except one.

Craig Ferguson is the host of the Late, Late Show on CBS - on right after Letterman. One night a few weeks ago - in the midst of the Brittany mania - I caught his opening monologue and was really moved by it. Rather than using her as a source of humor, he chose to show her grace and mercy. He talked about his own struggles with alcoholism. It was funny and sad and moving. I emailed him, thanking him for it.

The monologue is now on YouTube. If you want to see it, here is the link.

A few random thoughts after a few weeks away from the blog ...

Gina and I were blessed to be given a trip to NYC last week. It was Gina's first trip there and I had only spent one day in NYC (and that was almost 30 years ago). We flew out on Thursday morning (the hardest part of the trip was the drive to the airport through the snow and ice but the non-stop flight to LaGuardia was great) and flew home on Saturday morning in time for a Christ on Campus Board meeting. (We got to LaGuardia about 30 minutes before the security gates opened.) But during our few hours in NYC we had a great time:

We ate lunch on Thursday with Rupert at the Hello Deli (of Letterman fame) and then took a stroll through the south end of Central Park.

Thursday night we attended a "Black-tie Optional" gala celebrating the 100th Millrose Games - America's oldest and most prestigious indoor track meet. It was a $1000 a plate affair in the Rainbow Room on the 65th floor of the Rockefeller Center. (The pictures are of the room and the view from there.) There were about 300 people - a "who's who" of track and field history, Olympic champions and world record holders. The Rainbow Room was the site of various fund-raising functions for such as John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan and you can eat there for about $250 a person.

Friday we went to Ground Zero and then to Times Square - where we did see The Naked Cowboy. I tried to get Gina to go give him a hug, but she wouldn't go for it. That night we attended the Millrose Games - the first track meet I have just watched as a spectator in almost 20 years. It was great to be in Madison Square Garden - as historic an arena as there is in the US - and the competition was good.

It was a great trip and we were greatly blessed by those who made it possible - especially Art Huff. We just needed more time. There was enough to do and see within six blocks of our hotel to keep us busy for a week of more: Times Square, Central Park, Broadway, Museum of Modern Art, etc.

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I enjoyed the Super Bowl and was pleased the Colts won. I like Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy and was glad to see them win. I especially appreciated Dungy's words after the game - that even more significant to him than being one of the first two African-American coaches in the Super Bowl was to be one of two Christian coaches who were successful "doing it the Lord's way."

Here is another statement from Coach Dungy. This comes from Rubel Shelley:

"That there is 'life outside of football' may be a necessary reminder for some sports fans and couch potatoes now that Super Bowl XLI is over. Now that the Indianapolis Colts have the Lombardi Trophy in hand, some of them may be wondering what they will do until next season begins.

But the line is actually from Tony Dungy, the Colts' head coach. It wasn't spoken after last Sunday's water-logged victory over the Chicago Bears but just after his son James committed suicide 13 months ago.

In a speech he made shortly after that tragedy, Dungy talked about all three of his sons. He spoke first of his middle son, Eric, and said his competitive nature is so focused on athletics that 'it's almost a problem.' Then he turned to his youngest son, Jordan, whose rare congenital condition makes him insensitive to pain.

'That sounds like it's good at the beginning, but I promise you it's not,' said Coach Dungy. 'We've learned some hurts are really necessary for kids. Pain is necessary for kids to find out the difference between what's good and what's harmful.'

'Cookies are good,' the coach explained, 'but - in Jordan's mind - if they're good out on the plate, they're even better in the oven. He will go right in the oven when my wife's not looking, reach in, take the rack out, take the pan out, burn his hands - then eat the cookies and burn his tongue and never feel it.'

'Pain sometimes lets us know we have a condition that needs to be healed,' Dungy said. 'Pain inside sometimes lets us know that spiritually we're not quite right, and we need to be healed. And that God will send that healing agent right to the spot. Sometimes pain is the only way that will turn us kids back to the Father.'

Only then did Coach Dungy speak of his oldest son, James, who took his life three days before Christmas 2005. He spoke of his family's pain. He talked about lessons they were learning from it. He and his wife have since joined an organization dedicated to preventing teen suicide."

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Regarding the commercials, I did like the Kevin Federline commercial and the "beard comb-over."

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A couple of months ago I suggested the Banana Guard as a potential Christmas gift. Though I didn't get one for Christmas, I did purchase a couple. Pretty cool!

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Here's an article about a "caffeinated-donut." I guess it would kill two birds with one stone and save time!

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Some of you may want to check out Death Row Speaks - an anti-death penalty website that features poems, art, and other items from inmates on Death Row.

The death penalty is an area where my view has changed over the years. Though I do believe that government - as it operates within the purpose for which God designed it - may have the right to exercise capital punishment, I don't believe that it necessarily a good or wise practice for several reasons.

Christmas this year has left me reminiscing "nostalgically" about the different ways the season has changed in my life over the years.

When I was young (pre-college and pre-marriage), Christmas was an "extended-family" affair. As I remember it (and I admit that it has been quite a few years ago now), Christmas morning was at our house. But there were a lot of family gatherings: at my great-grandparents on the Armstrong side (with the sticky popcorn balls and the scary pictures of dead ancestors on the second floor) and at grandparents on both sides of the family. The Armstrong side was smaller (just ten of us, with the occasional visit from the Palmers or Aunt Sharon's family) and more sedate. The Huber side was larger, with more cousins who were a little more rambunctious.

When Gina and I were first married, Christmas really got out of hand for a while. We had at least seven Christmas celebrations (not counting our own). And since all of our family lived within 30 miles of each other, we were expected to try and hit all of them. It was rough on the babies (and, hence, on us) some years.

Over the past several years, Christmas has fallen in to a more comfortable flow. Typically, we attend the Christmas Eve candlelight service at our home church in Ft. Scott, KS. Christmas morning is at Gina's folks - a big breakfast with eggs, bacon, biscuits, and gravy - with her sisters and their families. Then presents and lunch. Most often we will then head in to my Mom's for Christmas with her and my brother and his family and my grandmother. Our traditional Christmas dinner is deep-fried shrimp (and chicken strips for those crazy people who don't like shrimp). Then presents. For many years, it also included the "grandkids" trying to figure out a way to catch Santa delivering the Christmas stockings. They never succeeded, though Stacy claims to have seen him in 1993. That was our last Christmas with my Dad. It's hard to believe that it has been 13 years.

But this Christmas was different. For the first time in 50 years, Gina wasn't with her parents on Christmas. For the first time in 48 years, I wasn't with my mom. Because of Stacy's recent surgery, we decided to stay in Springdale. We missed being with brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews. We missed being with our parents.

But, in my mind, it was also a special Christmas. For the first time, it was just our family. We had the big, traditional Christmas breakfast - eggs, bacon, biscuits, and gravy. We opened presents. We took naps. We watched movies. We played dominoes. And it was good.

Who knows when it will happen again. Things are in transition. We don't know for sure where Erin will be next year or what her work schedule will be like. Stacy will be graduating from college in a couple of years. Changes are coming.

And though it took Stacy's surgery to make it happen, and though we missed being with our extended family, God did bless us with, for the first time, a very special Christmas at our house.

It has been a couple of weeks since I've posted. They have been a busy couple of weeks with several things to mention, but tonight is a night to say good-bye to a couple of men who touched the lives of many people - including mine.

On Dec. 1, Josh Lantz died doing something he loved to do - canoeing. If you would have asked me which of the 18,000 students at the UofA would be out in a canoe on a rain-swelled river on a 20 degree day, I would have said Josh Lantz. He loved to be outside: mountain biking, ultimate, running, hiking, on the river. On that day, his love for those things out-weighed his good sense. When his canoe tipped, Josh was unable to get out of the water. When they found his body about three hours later, it had a peaceful smile.

In almost 25 years of working with college students, I don't know that I have ever know anyone quite like Josh. He definitely walked to a different drummer, but you didn't have to be around him very long before you realized that drummer was Jesus. Josh was passionate about Christ - he loved to worship, he loved to pray, he loved to study God's Word. You could see it as he played guitar and mandolin (most often barefoot) in our worship band. Josh was passionate about people. When you talked with Josh, you had his total attention. He wanted to know all about you. He had a way of making everyone who met him think that they were one of his best friends. There was no pretense - just complete sincerity. He was full of hugs and always ready to pray with you. And because of Josh's passion for God and for people, he was passionate about making a difference in people's lives - especially those who were in need. The last trip he took with Christ on Campus was to Indianapolis for the National Missionary Convention because that was where he was heading. His plan was to use his civil engineering degree to build water wells for impoverished people.

As I sat in Josh's memorial service last Wednesday, a passage of Scripture came to my mind. As I was thinking about it, Josh's pastor began to speak about the very things I was thinking. The passage is John 13, where John says that Jesus knew where he came from, who he was, and where he was going. Because of that, he was free from any need to prove his superiority or fight for position - he was free to demonstrate his love by washing his disciples' feet. I don't know that I have ever been around anyone who was more comfortable with who he was and more sure about the direction of his life than Josh Lantz. Because of that, he didn't feel a need to impress. He was able to squeeze the most out of everything that he did. He was just free to be passionate about the things that were important to him - God and people and serving both.

A week before Josh died, we had talked about him being one of our "young guns" - one of the freshmen and sophomore men who were going to lead ConC over the next few years. He was excited about that. I'm going to miss that chance to serve with him, to walk with him as he walked to the beat of Jesus. Josh was 19.

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On Monday, Seth Wilson went to be with our Lord. Seth was 92. Seth's legacy is too long to go into here. Let it suffice for now to say that he was Ozark Christian College for most all of its existence, serving as a professor, academic dean, and guiding force for decades. He was also the professor that I took more hours from than any other. His influence on my life - and the lives of hundreds of others - was huge. His love for God and his Word looked different than Josh's did, but was just as passionate and life-consuming.

I went to college with many who were too intimidated to take classes with Seth. Seth was a demanding teacher. Role call was taken each day and the expected response was not "here" but the number of hours that you had spent preparing for that class session. The expected response was two hours. I took most of my Life of Christ courses from Seth. Each day (Tuesday-Friday) we would take a different section of the Gospels. As class began, he would call on a student who was expected to stand and recite the passage from memory. And when finals came around, it was even worse. Seth's finals were essay finals and we were given a four-hour time slot to take each final. With Seth, you expected to be in that final for all four hours. If you finished the test he had prepared, he would have another for you to do! On the other hand, if you wrote all four hours on the first question, that was OK. He just figured you knew that much about the other questions. His classes could be intimidating and rigorous and life-changing.

From Seth I learned a passion for God's Word and the necessity of spending time with it, meditating on it, and seeking the Truth that was there. I learned that when it comes to the things of God, he deserves the best we have to offer.

Over the past few years, the attitudes between our culture and Christians has changed. There are so many areas now where the mood has become confrontational. And it works both ways. There are areas where Christians have been the confrontational ones - calling for boycotts, protesting, and putting together political movements to do battle in a war against secularism. Christianity Today recently ran an article about some Christian "political operatives" in Ohio and DC. The language of these Christians (many of whom are ministers) was couched in terms of a holy war and enemies and conquest. You can read the article here. But in areas such as abortion and gay marriage, many Christians have been pretty confrontational (and sometimes insanely so) for quite some time. I'm not really comfortable with that approach. I don't know that it does much to demonstrate that the Kingdom of God operates on a different set of values and attitudes than the world.

But the other "side" is stepping up its attack and some of the loudest voices are those in the scientific community. Time Magazine's cover story a couple of weeks ago was entitled, "God vs. Science." The NY Times ran a disturbing article this week that detailed a recent conference called "Beyond Belief: Science, Religion, Reason, and Survival." The article quoted many of our nation's "elite" scientists calling for an end to religion. One man equated religious education for children with brain-washing and child abuse. It seemed that the desire of most taking part in the conference was to quit being patient with religion and religious people and to go on the offensive to squelch religious thought and faith. (You may have to register with the NY Times to read the article, but registration is free and, I think, worth it.)

As one who has worked on a university campus for almost 25 years, that would be a troubling direction. For the most part, even non-religious professors have not been antagonistic towards Christians on most university campuses. But if this attitude changes and professors become more confrontational, it would make life even more difficult for Christian students.

I have always believed that Christian faith and science go hand-in-hand. My conviction has been that all Truth ultimately finds it source in God and that we as people of faith don't have to fear honest scientific inquiry. I believe that when we study any of the natural sciences we are studying the creative and ordered mind of God as our world reflects his work, nature, and character. But it seems to becoming increasingly clear that the non-Christian scientific community may not be open to that perspective.

I had caught a "clue" to this over the past couple of months. We have been doing a series of talks on Tuesday nights that are geared to help Christian students to think "Christianly" about their society and the issues facing it. We have talked about affluence and justice, about Truth and what it means to really be Pro-life. And, since evolution and creationism and Intelligent Design have been such hot topics, I wanted to talk about "origins." But I didn't want to talk about it. Even I'm a little skeptical of someone without a background in the natural sciences talking "authoritatively" about these issues.

So I attempted to find a Christian professor at the UofA to address these issues. I know that we have Christian professors in the natural sciences. But I couldn't find anyone willing to do it. I contacted the Christian Faculty Fellowship. No one was willing to step up. That was discouraging! I don't know the reason for the lack of willingness, but it could be fear of taking too vocal a stand as a member of the UofA faculty. I don't know that is the reason, but it is possible.

Fortunately, I was able to find a biology professor at John Brown University who is going to come and talk with our students next Tuesday. My hope is not so much that he can answer all the questions regarding evolution, creation, and Intelligent Design but that he can help us think "Christianly" about the issues. And that he can demonstrate to my students that it is possible to pursue the natural sciences and be committed to Christ and his Word.

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In other news:

Missouri State University in Springfield, MO recently settled a lawsuit. It seems that a professor gave his students the assignment of writing letters to the state legislature in favor of homosexual adoption. One student, Emily Brooker, declined to do so on religious grounds. So the professor punished her for it - filing a grievance, moving to withhold her degree, and placing her before a board of inquiry. Emily filed suit and MSU backed down. The grievance has been removed from her "permanent record" and the professor has been relieved of administrative duties and suspended from teaching for a while. You can read the story here.

In another example of how dumb our world can be, schools are beginning to ban tag. You know - tag. The highly dangerous game we used to play on the playground. I mean, they have already all but removed dodge ball from the school grounds (although the classic movie, Dodge Ball, did create a resurgence for the game). What's next? Tetherball? Kickball? Dean Johnson of the Christian Science Monitor has a good column about this development.

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Lastly, if my last post's suggestion of a Banana Cover as a Christmas gift didn't meet all of your holiday shopping needs, you might try this: the Air-Guitar T-shirt. Maybe just the thing for the aspiring musician or karaoke star on your list!

Moses was back on campus last week. "Moses" is the what folks at the UofA call Gary Bowman - a preacher who comes to campus. (I know that he also preaches at Oklahoma State, but I think they call him something different there.)

Moses is like most of the itinerant preachers that come to college campuses, except that he is from the area and is here on a regular basis. The modus operandi is to create a stir, create some controversy, draw a crowd. The message is one of generalization, stereo-type, and condemnation. If you're in a sorority, you're a whore. If you're a cheerleader, you're a whore. If you're a girl and wear shorts, you're a whore. If you're male, you're a whoremonger. If you're Democrat, you're going to hell. If you're one of the Christian groups on campus, you're a fraud. If you are him, you've ceased to sin.

Last week he was more volatile than normal, judging and attacking. College students love to try and argue with him - though he doesn't give them much of a chance and just eggs them on all the more. Last week, one student who even arrested for disorderly conduct for bringing out his own bullhorn.

I have met Gary a few times and I definitely am not in a position to know his motives. But I have often wondered about his methods. I'm not sure that his methods or his message really serve to point people to Christ. They seem to draw a lot of controversy. A lot of argument. A lot of anger. A lot of shouting.

"Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." II Timothy 2:23-26

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." I Peter 3:15

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Some interesting things I've recently read online:

This article from Relevant Magazine addresses something I've talked about before - Christians who are cheap and poor customers in restaurants. I've always felt that Christians should be the best tippers!

Here is Stylus magazine's list of the 50 greatest "live" albums of all time.

In Cambodia, an entire midget fighting team of 42 (a team of midgets who fight, not a team who fights midgets) took on a lion. (I'm not making this up). The lion won. You can read about it here.

And, since the Christmas season is quickly approaching, here are a couple of things you might find interesting. First, reviews of some new Christmas albums. And then, something you might consider as a gift - a banana guard.

Last week was a good week. It's just too bad that I've just now had time to blog about it!


* Our daughter, Erin, passed her Nursing Board Exam and is now a licensed RN! Next step, finding a job.

* We have hired Jim Miller to be our campus minister at the University of Arkansas, Ft. Smith. Jim has been a friend of ours for almost 30 years: one of my college roommates, a groomsman in our wedding, and I was best man in his. Many of you will remember that Jim's wife, Cheryl, passed away in September. He is ready to get back in ministry and excited about campus ministry. He has spent the last three weekends with us and has had a chance to see a lot of different facets of it - from the inner-city trip (see below) to the 2:00AM Grill to our worship services to mentoring students and more. We are excited to have him in Ft. Smith (he'll start at the first of January). I believe that he will do great in campus ministry - he has the personality and giftings for it - and it will take a load off of me. I've been down there one or two days a week for most of this semester.

* We sent a group of about 36 down to Dallas for a weekend of ministry in the inner-city. They had a great (and safe) trip. These kinds of trips begin to open the eyes of our students to the needs in our world and the reality that they can help do something about them. Case in point: Erin (see above) wants to work as an RN in an inner-city hospital or clinic.

* Through a strange set of circumstances, I have been in contact with a couple of high school classmates - guys that I probably haven't seen or heard from in 20 years! It seems that one of them sits in the desk right behind one of our alumni in Dallas.

* ESPN Game Day will be here in Fayetteville on Saturday for the Arkansas-Tennessee game. They are saying that this may be the hardest ticket to get in the history of Razorback football. And I have one! Thanks, Brian!

Last weekend we celebrated Gina's 50th birthday. It was a great weekend. First, her teacher friends decorated her room on Friday with ducks and gave her a plethora (I don't get to use that word very often) of duck cards and gifts. (I would post a picture of her in her duck hat, glasses, necklace, and watch but I would be in so much trouble.) Then, on Saturday night, we had a surprise dinner party for her with about 35 folks - family, church friends, school friends, college students, family friends. It was a wonderful evening. I think her 50th birthday celebration was special - even with her older sisters' harassing her all week.

And she deserves all the attention and appreciation. She is a such a great mother to our daughters, wife to me, teacher to her students, and friend to so many. She gives and gives.

And she's still a hot little mama!

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We've been doing a series on Tuesdays at ConC to try and help students to think "Christianly" about our culture and the issues of our day. We've talked about such things as justice, affluence, sexuality, etc. This week the topic was "What does it mean to be pro-life?"

For most of us, we think of "pro-life" in terms of one issue - abortion. But a consistent "ethic of life" should influence our thinking about life at all points. Every life is valuable because each of us have been created in the image of God. Each person is intrinsically valuable because of that and not because of what they can produce or contribute. When you begin to apply that value of life consistently across the board, it applies to so many issues: poverty, capital punishment, war, euthanasia, stem cell research, living wages, health care, and more. Unfortunately, many politicians who are "pro-life" never get beyond abortion and fail to address the broader implications of a consistent pro-life ethic. And many of us who are Christians are the same. It seems that, historically, those of us who are conservative in our faith have been the slowest to address life-ethic issues.

Trying to think through these issues with our students has been a stretching experience. It makes me look at the current political issues and races differently.

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Speaking of pro-life, here are a couple of interesting articles.

The first if from ABC News regarding a court case in Virginia. The second is from The Times (of London) regarding some technological advances and some of the reactions to them.

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"People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated."
D.A. Carson

Some earlier link problems have been corrected. Sorry about the inconvenience.

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Tonight was our annual "Ask Mike Night" at Christ on Campus. We have been doing this for fifteen years or more - setting aside a night when students can anonymously ask any questions they want. It is always fun and interesting. I think that tonight was the first time I have received a question about aliens (from outer space, not other countries).

I always end the night with two feelings. The first is second-guessing my answers, or at least wishing I had another chance at the question. I don't think I would change the answer, but I often wish I had said it better or included something I didn't. By "rule" I only have three minutes after I read the question to complete the answer. Tonight, especially, I felt that many of my answers were too "rambling". The second feeling is always a deep sense of inadequacy. There are so many things I don't know and my wisdom is so shallow that I'm afraid that I don't do the Lord or my students much of a service in my answers.

There are always more questions than there is time to answer them. There have been many years when "Ask Mike Night" carried on to two, or even three, nights. But with access to this forum, I will address the questions I didn't get to on here. I'll try to do a question or two a week. But not tonight.

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If you watching the second game of the World Series on Sunday, or have been exposed to any sports news since then, you probably know about Kenny Rogers, the Detroit pitcher on Sunday, and the brown spot on his hand. He claimed it was dirt, but photographic evidence shows that it has been there on more than one occasion. The common thought is that it wasn't dirt, but pine tar or some other sticky substance that let him get a better grip on the ball.

In other words, he cheated.

The real question was why didn't Tony LaRussa, the St. Louis manager, pursue the issue more fervently? Most seem to think that some of his pitchers cheat, too, and so he didn't want to make too big of an issue of it.

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Here is a link to an article in Christianity Today about how Christians in Lebanon are responding to the conflict there and reaching out to help their Muslim neighbors in need. In an area of the world so full of hatred and violence, it is a joy to see Christians who are practicing their faith in a very real and practical way.

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"The Gospel message says: 'You don't live in a mechanistic world ruled by necessity; you don't live in a random world ruled by chance; you live in a world ruled by the God of Exodus and Easter. He will do things in you that neither you nor your friends would have supposed possible.'"
Eugene Peterson


"God's Word is designed to make us Christians, not scientists, and to lead us to eternal life in Jesus Christ. It was not God's intention to reveal in Scripture what human beings could discover by their own investigations and experiments."
John Stott

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See what the New York Times calls "the greatest web site of all time."

If that link doesn't work, you can go straight to the website here.

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Columnist Bob Herbert of the New York Times wrote a piece on the misogyny of our culture. He sees the attacks in Bailey, CO and PA as hates crimes against women that raised very little outrage across our country. He then demonstrates how our culture tolerates a negative attitude towards women. It's thought-provoking and troubling. And it is a clear demonstration of how little a truly Christian worldview has permeated our "Christian nation."

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And, finally, on a lighter note, WebMD has an article entitled, "Coffee: The New Health Food?" Good news for many of us!

Maybe you saw this in the news:

"Mark Downs, a little league baseball coach, was convicted by a jury in Pennsylvania for asking one of his players to harm a teammate. Downs offered to pay one of his players $25 if he'd bean an autistic player in the head with a baseball to prevent him from being able to play, which is just what happened."

The district attorney said, "This is a serious breach of sportsmanlike conduct."

Duh.

The incident made me think of Bob Bennett's song, "A Song About Baseball." If you can track it down somewhere, it is well worth a listen. It's a great song about a father's unconditional love and a great parable of God's unconditional love.

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On a larger, but in my mind, a less tragic, scale, I'm sure most of you have seen clips of the Miami University-Florida International brawl last Saturday. It seems to me that Miami has failed to step up and deal seriously with the issues in their football program. This is the third similar incident in that last seven games for Miami. Though several players received one game suspensions (which happen to come again winless Duke), neither the players nor the team is going to suffer greatly. At least Florida International took the incident seriously enough to dismiss some players from their team. And I didn't notice any of them clubbing people with their helmets or stomping on them with their cleats as Miami players did.

As often seems to be the case - winning (and the financial return) mean more than character and integrity.

Larry Coker has got to go as the Miami coach. The Hurricane are out of control.

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Probably the most influential theologian of the last century is John Stott. Christianity Today recently published an interview with him. Some excerpts:

"I believe that these so-called secular people are engaged in a quest for at least three things. The first is transcendence. It's interesting in a so-called secular culture how many people are looking for something beyond. I find that a great challenge to the quality of our Christian worship. Does it offer people what they are instinctively looking for, which is transcendence, the reality of God?

The second is significance. Almost everybody is looking for his or her own personal identity. Who am I, where do I come from, where am I going to, what is it all about? That is a challenge to the quality of our Christian teaching. We need to teach people who they are. They don't know who they are. We do. They are human beings made in the image of God, although that image has been defaced.

And third is their quest for community. Everywhere, people are looking for community, for relationships of love. This is a challenge to our fellowship. I'm very fond of 1 John 4:12: 'No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.' The invisibility of God is a great problem to people. The question is how has God solved the problem of his own invisibility? First, Christ has made the invisible God visible. That's John's Gospel 1:18: 'No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.'

People say that's wonderful, but it was 2,000 years ago. So in 1 John 4:12, he begins with exactly the same formula, nobody has ever seen God. But here John goes on, 'If we love one another, God abides in us.' The same invisible God who once made himself visible in Jesus now makes himself visible in the Christian community, if we love one another. And all the verbal proclamation of the gospel is of little value unless it is made by a community of love.

These three things about our humanity are on our side in our evangelism, because people are looking for the very things we have to offer them."

"I believe that evangelism is specially through the local church, through the community, rather than through the individual. That the church should be an alternative society, a visible sign of the kingdom. And the tragedy is that our local churches often don't seem to manifest community."

You can read the full interview here.

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Some of our students have started a Peace and Justice Group that meets to talk and pray about worldwide justice issues, as well as areas of conflict. One of the resources they have used is this map from Project Ploughshares. The map will show you where armed conflict is taking place, as well as break down the issues, etc. Just click on the labels.

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As many who read this know, one of my hobbies is officiating track and field. I have been able to travel from coast to coast and to officiate some of the greatest athletes in the world.

But no one succeeds without help from others along the way. Two who helped me in the realm of track and field were Ed and "D" Wells. I met Ed and "D" in 2000 when Arkansas built its indoor track facility and we started hosting more championship meets. They were long time officials who had the chance to work the ultimate event - 1996 Olympic Games. They took me under their wings, taught me a lot about officiating, and got me into several meets in Mississippi, Missouri, Kentucky, Alabama, etc. that helped to build my resume' and get to know other officials and coaches.

Ed passed away on Sunday in Clearwater, FL.

I haven't had a chance to post since the horrifying events of the last week in Pennsylvania - the murders of the young Amish girls. What a testimony that community gave as to the counter-cultural nature of a life lived by the values of Christ. And it wasn't their rejection of modern conveniences that spoke so loudly, but their willingness to demonstrate compassion, grace, and forgiveness to the family of the murderer. Most of our cultural cries "an eye for an eye" but they demonstrated mercy and compassion. And the world noticed. They talked about their love and their values.

That is the kind of difference that brings glory to God. It isn't our rantings and ravings. It isn't our efforts to exert political or economic power. It will be lives that are lived by the values of Jesus, while clinging to the Truth of Jesus, that will be noticed. The world will notice compassion. It will notice mercy. It will notice grace. It will notice forgiveness.

I thank God for the faithfulness of that Amish community. They have allowed the world to see a different, deeper side of Christianity - one that is beyond the megachurches and printing presses. They have demonstrated a Christianity that takes God's Word seriously, that applies it to the affairs of man (regardless of how tragic or senseless), and that applies it with love and compassion - not with heavy-handed dogma or self-righteous rants. I firmly believe that this kind of witness will do far more to soften the hearts of those who are cynical about Christianity than our fine arguments.

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In light of their model, I read an interesting remark in the latest issue of Christianity Today. Sociologist Brad Wilcox noted that the highest rate of domestic violence in America today is among nominal Christians - those men who wear the name of Christian but rarely darken a church door. They also have a very high divorce rate.

What a contrast between those who just wear the name of Christian without any regard for what that means in their lives and values and those who have learned to incorporate the Word of God into the deepest parts of their lives.

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Here is an interesting column by Terry Mattingly on The New Campus Rebels.

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Here is Christianity Today's list of the 50 books that have most shaped the ways we think, witness, worship, and live. Many of them I've read, but my "want to read" list just went up!

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And, finally, to help with your Christmas shopping, check out the new items offered in the Neiman Marcus catalogue. Included are such things as a 500 horsepower BMW ($139.000), a backyard water park ($100,000), a trip into outer space ($1.76 million), membership in a Tuscan wine estate ($3.8 million). Of course, if those things are out of your price range, you can go for the hand-crafter Italian pet shelter ($7,000, but it does include a leather recliner).

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A few true confessions:
I like the "Man Law" beer commercials
I like the Vonage commercials - "One smart decision among a lifetime of stupid ones"
After all of these years, I still enjoy most of SNL

My "baby" daughter turns 20 today. That starts to make me feel "older."

Happy Birthday, Stacy!

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These words were in the passage I read today from Isaiah. I thought of my friend Jim and his kids as I read them - but all who are going through difficult times:

But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me."

"Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."
Isaiah 49:15-16

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I'm entering this post at Panera here in Fayetteville. It's a great place to drink some coffee, eat a bagel, read, and study. I try to spend a couple of hours here on Friday mornings. But it is also Bible study central! I got here before 7:00 am today and there were at least three small group Bible studies going on around the restaurant!

One other funny note: Apparently Panera's web filtering system is pretty sensitive. It always blocks Jen's blog, saying it has "adult/mature content." I haven't ever found such things on her blog, but it is fun to give her a hard time about it.

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Last night's dance: A review of the Rumba. We needed that as we had forgotten a couple of the turns.

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If you enjoy classical music, the Philadelphia Orchestra is offering a free download of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. You can find it here.

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Check out this list of "Top Ten Web Tools for College Students."

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A track and field note: I wrote a couple of weeks ago about Tyson Gay's great summer - he ran the third fastest 200 meters (19.68) in history and is the fastest in history over 100 and 200 meters. In fact, over the summer he kind of blew by Wallace Spearman, his former teammate here at Arkansas and the American record holder for 200 meters indoors. Wallace's dad ran at Arkansas and he grew up here in Fayetteville. This summer, Wallace has run well but didn't improve much from the previous year. But a couple of week's ago, he won the World Athletic Championships with a 19.88 in the 200 meters - a personal best. But this weekend, Wallace ran 19.65 in South Korea, moving him back past Tyson and into third place all time. Apparently, Wallace has had some minor injuries all season and he is finally healthy.

So now two of the top four 200 meter times in history are held by former Razorbacks and three of the top four times have been run this year - Tyson Gay's 19.68, Wallace Spearman's 19.65, and Xavier Carter's 19.63. Of those guy's, Tyson is the old man at 24. Wallace and Xavier are just 20 or 21. Fun times are ahead!

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This is Bikes, Blues, and BBQ weekend in Fayetteville. That means an estimated 400,000 bikers will hit town and all of them will ride their motorcycles three feet from my office. It will be so loud, you can hardly talk. It's a good time for normal people to get out of town, so Gina and I are going to Ft. Scott for a day or so.

This is my 25th year of working with college students at the University of Arkansas. Though it doesn't feel like a long time, when you see it in writing it sure looks like a long time!

The truth is that there are a lot of people in college ministry who stay in it for a long time. There are others serving on this campus who have been here longer than I have and probably at least a half dozen who have been here for 15 years or more. I have friends around the country who have been at it much longer than I have.

There are a lot of reasons I have been here so long:

* Rather than moving every four or five years like many ministers, my congregation graduates and moves. I get to stay!

* I have always had the privilege of working with very patient and understanding people - both in my Board of Directors and in those who have worked with me on staff.

* College ministry allows most of us to work in line with our passions and gifts and avoids much of the "bureaucracy" found in the church.

But one of the things that has made ministry here easier and more enjoyable is that there is a camaraderie among those who do ministry at the UofA. For a dozen years or more, the leaders of a dozen or so ministries have met on Wednesday mornings to pray together. We pray for our ministries and our families and our finances and our students and our campus. We help each other through difficult times of ministry and through struggles with children, the loss of spouses, and physical frailties.

Whereas many communities - and many campuses - have an air of competition between churches and religious groups, these ministries at the UofA have a sense of cooperation and partnership. We lift each other up to students. We don't try to recruit students who are plugged in at other ministries. We try to find ways to work together to advance the cause of Christ and exalt God on our campus. You would find a lot of differences between us in theology and practice. And, if we let ourselves, I know that we could get into some pretty heated discussions. Though we don't always agree, we do share certain things in common: a commitment to Jesus Christ as God Incarnate and the only Savior of the world, a commitment to God's Word as authoritative and our standard for faith and living, and a commitment to seeing the Gospel proclaimed and students won and equipped.

I know that this type of fellowship isn't common. And I do believe that it is part of the reason that ministers stay at the UofA. I know that it is part of the reason that I have been here for almost 25 years.

That and I don't think that anyone else would have me!

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My fantasy football team stinks.

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Last week's dance: Swing. Or, more precisely, East Coast (as opposed to West Coast - but don't ask me the difference) Jitterbug (as opposed to what else, I don't know) Swing.

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My daughter, Erin, is in Hawaii for eight days. The family of a friend of hers is on vacation there and they had an extra ticket. So she gets a basically free eight-day Hawaiian vacation. Pretty cool!

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For those who are movie fans, check out Entertainment Weekly's list of the 25 most controversial movies in history. I've only seen four of them.

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Read about two churches in Texas that are being sued because they practiced church discipline by revealing that members were involved in affairs.

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Did you see the Time magazine cover story a couple of weeks ago entitled "Does God Want You to Be Rich?" It looks at some of the prosperity preaching that is going on and the response of other Christian leaders to it. It is a good piece.

Cheryl Miller "took her first breath of heaven's air" (as Jim put it) on Friday morning after a six month battle with cancer. Gina and I went to her memorial service this evening in Langley, OK. It was a good time of celebration, with Jim leading a time of worship (with his son and son-in-law accompanying) and sharing with those gathered. They will do the same thing again on Saturday in Effingham, IL where they ministered for over 10 years.

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On Saturday we had a Board of Directors meeting for Christ on Campus. That is notable because we only have two a year, so they are usually pretty long affairs (three hours). But they are also notable because our Board is such an enjoyable group of men and women to work with. They are people who love the Lord, love Christ on Campus, love college students, and who are patient with me. They aren't looking at how they can control the ministry (as some boards seem to do) but they are looking for ways to help us minister more effectively. Almost half of our Board are former ConC students, which makes the situation even more enjoyable. I always leave our Board meetings encouraged. I just hope everyone else does, as well!

However, this Board meeting did have some sadness to it. After 24 years of service, Harv Coon stepped down. Harv has been a part of Christ on Campus as long as I have. For over 20 years, he was chairman of our Board. He has been a mentor to me in many ways. His wisdom and vision will be greatly missed.

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Last week's ballroom dance: the Tango (American, not Argentine).

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From the "Isn't That Obvious" category, a San Francisco neuropsychiatrist says there are real differences between the brains of men and women and the sooner we understand that, the better! I don't know how much she spent on her research, but my guess that a marriage license would have been cheaper and proven the same point! You can see the article here.

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A Los Angeles Times story talks about a Christian retailers convention and the ways that Christians can come up with to take advantage of the "silliness" (instead of other words I would prefer to use) of the Christian community. Some of the items that you can purchase:

• Christian perfume, which is supposed to give you an opportunity to witness when someone asks you fragrance you are wearing
• Follow the Son flip-flops which will leave the message "Follow Jesus" in the sand as you walk by
• Gospel Golf Balls (made by Top-Flite) are golf balls with Bible verses on them. I guess they would probably make me feel better about the number of balls I lose in a round. I would just be doing more witnessing.
• Of course, there are all kinds of Christian candy, Christian dolls, Christian t-shirts and caps, Christian keychains ....

To me, it all seems to trivialize the Gospel in some way.

September 11.

People more articulate than I am have been talking and writing about this day all day. I'm not sure that there is anything that I can add to the discussion.

But I guess I'll try.

There are a few days that stick in my mind:

• Even though I was in kindergarten, I can remember watching John Kennedy's funeral procession on television.
• I was in a grad school class at the UofA when the space shuttle blew up in 1986.
• I was at Mom and Dad's house on Washington street to see Doug Flutie's "Hail Mary" pass that won him the Heisman Trophy and to see George Brett go ballistic in the "Pine Tar Incident."
• I was at home on a Saturday morning, getting ready to go to Susan's for breakfast, when another space shuttle blew up on re-entry
• I was at home eating breakfast on Tuesday, September 1, 2001.

That whole day was spent with the office TV on, staff and students coming in and out, watching in disbelief.

That night our service was given to trying to process what happened, to try to gain perspective, to pray.

And none of us approach life the same way that we did five years and a day ago. Our world has changed. It is more cynical. More suspicious.

It's hard to believe that those young men thought that they were honoring God by causing so much suffering.

But then, there is a long history in Christendom of men who did unspeakable things in the name of God, as well.

What do you remember from September 11, 2001?

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Track and Field Trivia Question: Who is the fastest sprinter (including both the 100 and 200 meter dashes) of all time?

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Many will find this amusing (and if you actually saw it happening - you would probably find it hilarious), but Gina and I have a new hobby: Ballroom Dancing. We have started taking group lessons on Thursday nights. The lessons are only an hour long and we get introduced to a new dance each week. Last week was our first one and we had a great time learning the Rhumba!

See what happens with go over the hill over middle-age and your kids are in the process of emptying the nest.

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Of the four guys who played for our SHS high school team last year and signed with Arkansas, two were starting by the second game of the year and another has had considerable playing time. The fourth is red-shirting.

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USA Today has an interesting article on religious beliefs in today's edition. Among the things they report:

• Americans hold at least four different views of what God is like.
• About 92% of Americans believe in a God of some kind.
• Almost 90% of Americans have some time of religious affiliation.

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Answer to the trivia question: Former Razorback Tyson Gay. Unless you are a hard-core track and field fan who has kept up with this summer's European season, I'm sure you would have been hard-pressed to guess that. With his 9.84 100 meter time and his 19.68 200 meter time, he has moved past Justin Gatlin (with or without drugs), Carl Lewis, Asafa Powell - everyone!

Tyson is a very quiet, polite 24-year-old who still lives and trains here in Fayetteville.

Fayetteville has been known as the home of great distance runners for a quarter of a century. And it still is. But maybe the two greatest sprinters in the world also live and train here - Tyson Gay and Veronica Campbell (winner of two gold and one bronze medal at the last Olympic Games). And that doesn't even include Wallace Spearman, Aaron Armstrong, and Omar Brown.

For twenty-seven years, I have basked in the knowledge of God's goodness to me. Twenty-seven years ago today, he gave me a wife who has been a joy, a source of strength and wisdom, and my best friend.

Today was our 27th wedding anniversary. Twenty-seven years. That kind of makes us sound old! But they have gone by so quickly. God certainly blessed me in allowing me to out-marry myself. Gina is so patient with me - with my schedule, with me travel, with my moods and shortcomings.

And, as a friend said a few days ago, she is still a hot little mama!

Tonight we celebrated by going to eat at one of our favorite steak places - Doe's Eat Place down on Dickson Street in Fayetteville. Since we had at least an hour and a half wait to get in to the restaurant, we spent some time walking up and down Dickson. It was the first time Gina had been on Dickson the night before a big football game. With USC in town for a game tomorrow and a pep rally going on tonight, Dickson Street was packed with people from all over the country, bands were playing at clubs up and down the street, people were calling the Hogs, and it was definitely a carnival atmosphere.

If the Razorbacks pull off the improbably and beat USC tomorrow night, Dickson Street will be uncontrollable.

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Spending the evening with Gina and celebrating our anniversary made me hurt all the more for Jim and Cheryl Miller. Jim and I were roommates in college and spent a year traveling around the country in a college music group. Gina and I drove to Indiana in December of 1978 so that I could be best man in their wedding. Two days later we were engaged.

It appears that Cheryl is in the final stages of cancer and will be meeting Jesus face-to-face very soon. Jim has faithfully kept a blog since the cancer was discovered last spring. His patience and tenderness and God-centered attitude has been such a huge blessing to those of us who have kept up with the blog.

Gina and I are going to run over to Tulsa on Sunday and Monday to spend some time with them.

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The latest issue of Christianity Today features some articles on Dallas Willard - the philosophy professor at the University of Southern California who has also been one of the most influential Christian writers of the past 25 years in the area of spiritual growth and formation. Willard says that the intersection of his philosophical and devotional work can be found in the simple question: Who are you going to become?

That struck me as being so profound. We are all becoming something. We don't stay the same. We are constantly moving from some place to another place as people. We are becoming something. We are becoming better people. We are becoming closer to God. We are becoming wiser. Or we are becoming less of these things. The magazine went on to include this quote from Willard:

"The general human failing is to want what is right and important, but at the same time not to commit to the kind of life that will produce the action we know to be right and the condition we want to enjoy. This is the feature of human character that explains why the road to hell is paved with good intentions."

We say that we want the right things - the best things - but we aren't willing to do the things that will produce that result. That seems to be the story of my life. Whether it be spiritual formation or loosing weight or other noble goals, too often I'm unwilling to take the actions needed to produce the desired results. Am I really willing to do what is needed to become what I want to become? To become what God wants me to become?

And even at the age of 47, I am still becoming.

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ESPN just played the top three defensive plays in KC Royals history. Two things struck me:

1) Bo Jackson was awesome! I had forgotten what an incredible athlete he was.
2) I miss the Royals actually being good.

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From the "What Was He Thinking" department: Click here to read about the evangelist who died trying to follow Jesus' example - of walking on water!

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Derek Webb, former lead singer of Caedman's Call, is giving away his new album free to those who want to download it. Click here to do that.

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It's almost midnight. Time to get ready to head back to Dickson Street for the 2:00am Grill. It should be a busy night!

The semester is upon us. Residence Halls opened earlier this week (it is politically "uncorrect" to call them dorms). Classes start on Monday. Our first Sunday service is tomorrow. There are probably a hundred things that still need doing (including finishing tomorrow's sermon). Ahh... the start of a new year! You would think that after 24 of these things I wouldn't always feel so rushed and unprepared. But it seems to be a common phenomenon among campus ministers. All of my colleagues are feeling the same way.

Doing student ministry is a different animal than working in a church. Very rarely do you find a church where your leadership leaves town for three months and comes back at the same time as 16,000 other people. Very rarely at a church do you have that many people move into town at about the same time - including about 4,000 brand new residents!

So every year at sit at this point and wonder: "Will anyone actually show up?" We've sent emails and notes. We've put up flyers and ads in the campus newspaper and ads on Facebook and "chalked the walks." But when things start this week, will anyone show up besides our staff and families and the students who are playing in the band, etc.? They always do, but you always wonder. Maybe one day they won't. I hope tomorrow is not that day!

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Our newest staff members started this week. Austin Brown will be taking Jake's place. He started on Tuesday. Austin is from NW Missouri and has been involved in campus ministries there as a student, Board member, and volunteer leader. His wife, Amy, was also involved in campus ministry as a student and part-time women's minister. They also have a 4-month old daughter named Olivia. Austin will start off leading our worship teams, doing tech stuff, getting to know students and building relationships. His responsibilities will expand as time goes on.

Samantha Smith will be serving as an intern this year. Sam graduated from the UofA last May and has been a part of ConC for the past couple of years. She loves our ministry and is exploring what God has in mind for her future.

We are very glad to have them both here!

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As those who have read this blog over the past year know, for the past four years I have volunteered with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Springdale High School. Specifically, I worked with the football team. This year, four of the guys who were in my group over the past three years are playing for the Razorbacks. Three of them will probably contribute quite a bit this year as freshmen. The other most likely will redshirt. Of course, of the four only one has returned any of my emails this summer. Not a good sign ...

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This year I'm not going to be working with the Springdale football team. With transitions taking place in the Springdale schools and transitions taking place on our staff and with our ministry, it seemed like a good time to step back from that. But it does look like I may end up leading a weekly Bible study for coaches at Harber High School - the new school in Springdale.

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One of the big items of discussion over the past couple of years - and especially this summer - has been the DaVinci Code. Part of its premise is that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and they had children. Now, a woman in LA claims to have traced her genealogy back to that union. Here is a USA Today story about it. Of course, she has signed a huge book deal.

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My fantasy baseball leagues are winding down. I'm in the middle of both leagues so it's not been a great season. But then again, I am ahead of the Burners. Our fantasy football league will start up soon. Fox News ran a story that said employers lose 1.1 billion dollars a year in lost productivity from employees messing with their fantasy league teams at work. Of course, the article also said that it would probably be even more costly to damage morale by banning them!

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A note to Mom: I received your email saying you liked the blog because you imagined I was writing just to you. The fact is that I could be! Who knows if anyone else ever reads this thing?