Category: random thoughts

I am at Emy J’s right now (as is common) and just finished a 30 minute conversation with an individual that I haven’t seen in at least a year and a half that blew me away. His name is Travis and he was the college recruiter that connected Adam, Pam and my oldest son, to Northland college. I believe Adam would say that Travis was one of the main reasons he eventually went to Northland (Adam has since transferred to UW – Eau Claire because Adam changed his major and Northland did not offer that major). When we initially met with Travis, Adam and I both felt a connection with him. He was passionate about his school and helping young students to find the best educational match for them. His passion for Northland was infectious.

What was so impressive with this conversation I just had with him was that Travis saw me first and said “Hi Robert.” He remembered me even though we I had not seen him in quite some time and even then only met with him a few times. Yet he still remembered my and Adam’s names. He not only remembered our names but also remembered many specific details of our lives. He asked specific questions concerning how things were going with Adam and even remembered that I pastor a church. He remembered all this even though he meets tons of people all day long. Either he is stalking Adam and me or he has an excellent memory. 🙂 I was so impressed by his memory that I told him so. He responded by saying it wasn’t that difficult because he really loved this part of his job. He said connecting with students and parents was the part of the job that he got the most out of and it enabled him to make it through the parts of the job that he didn’t connect with as well. In my opinion you tend to do well in jobs that you love.

Travis’s love for his job reminds me of one of my favorite movie quotes ever. It comes from the movie “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory” (a movie that I don’t really care for other than this quote). Charlie discusses the idea of selling his golden ticket for money for the family. Grandpa George responds by saying:

There’s plenty of money out there. They print more every day. But this ticket— There are only five of them in the whole world, and that’s all there’s ever going to be. Only a dummy would give this up for something as common as money. Are you a dummy?

Sometimes you have to work at a job you hate just for survival. When you do that it is admirable and praiseworthy. You are doing what is necessary for the survival of your family. That is a sacrificial action and I can’t say enough about how much I respect such actions. On the other hand, when you don’t have to work at a job you hate for survival and you are doing something just for the money that is a different story. I’ve known people who worked jobs that continually tore them down just because they made a lot of money at that job. It was horrific to watch. They always print more money but finding a job you actually love, well that is rare. You’d be a dummy to give up a job you love for something as common as money. Are you dummy?

I am so glad that Pam & I love our jobs. I hope and pray for the same for our kids. I am pretty sure we haven’t raised dummies.

I usually keep a pen and some form of paper by my side of the bed just in case I want to remember something during the evening. Late at night If I don’t write down whatever I am thinking about I will most definitely forget it by morning. Last night around 2 am I woke up after I had been thinking while sleeping. I had thought of something that I wanted to blog about. I remember thinking at the time “this will be good and something that probably hasn’t’t been discussed much.” So I looked for my pen and couldn’t’t find it. I finally decided I would grab my phone and use the WordPress app I have on it to start a draft of the post with the title to remind me of what I wanted to write about. I remember that the app wouldn’t allow me to save a post with just a title so I added a little content also. I just opened the app up so I could start to remember what I wanted to write about and image to the right is what I saw in the draft post.

I have no idea what “dislodg[ing] during a sermon” is nor do I even think that “dissolving during  sermon” would necessarily be a good thing (I guess that depends upon how bad the sermon is). All I know is that I thought it was something really good last night. Apparently my standards of good are much lower when I am asleep. I tend to think of sometime of thunderdome experience when I read “dislodge during a sermon.” While that might be very entertaining I can’t really see that it would be helpful to the kingdom of God. I wonder if Tapestry can fit a full size thunderdome into the Washington Elementary School gym?

I’m fairly sure that whatever I was thinking about had something to do with the conversation that Pam and I had before bed which dealt with a portion of Miroslav Volf’ book Exclusion & Embrace

5 am	Whine so that male companion will get up and let me outside to go pee. While I am peeing suddenly realize that there is a new smell in the yard that I have been daily sniffing for 6 years. Go to sniff new smell for 10 minutes only to realize that it actually isn’t anything new and therefore I can go back to bed. On the way back inside I discover that there actually is a new smell 5 feet away from where I had sniffed earlier. I sniff it for an additional 10 minutes before finally going inside and heading back to my den (which for some reason they call a “crate”.) Male companion does not seem to be aware of the danger I am saving him from.
8 am	All companions and liter-mates have been making a lot of noise for a couple of hours before leaving the house. Male companion has now come back to the house and wants to go on a walk. Get out of den, stretch, and  go back into den because, unlike my male companion, I realize it is too cold outside to go for a walk.
8:15 am	Male companion opens the closet that has the leashes which either means a walk or a treat. I choose to believe it means a treat, because surely he is smart enough to realize that it is too cold outside for a walk. I run downstairs.
8:20 am	Go for a walk. WALKS ARE THE GREATEST THING ON EARTH! THEY ARE THE BEST PART OF MY DAY! We walk a little over a half a mile. I spend half the time sniffing the wonderful smells of nature. Male companion keeps on stressing the need to walk rather than sniff. I assume the poor guy’s nose is broken. I will sniff a little extra so he can enjoy the smells through me.
9:00 am	Male companion leaves the house again and I begin my guarding duties.
9:05 am	Sleep
2:30 pm	YOUNGEST LITER-MATE IS HOME. Rarely is it the oldest liter-mate who is now often away for long stretches of time. EITHER WAY LITER-MATES COMING HOME IS THE BEST PART OF MY DAY! Liter-mate is so moved by my joy at seeing him that he gives me a treat. TREATS ARE THE BEST PART OF THE DAY. I bark to express my joy at the treat that I just received from my liter-mate. LITER-MATES ARE THE BEST! I now lay down for a quick nap.
3:30 pm	THE MALE COMPANION IS BACK! IT`S THE BEST PART OF THE DAY! He walks back to the closet that contains the treats and leashes. This time I am sure it is going to be a treat.
3:32 pm	Begin 2nd part of daily walk & sniff ritual. WALKING IS THE BEST PART OF THE DAY! I am pretty sure that if the male companion’s nose was working he would have given me a treat. Bitterness in a human is a terrible, treat-depriving thing. I think a little extra sniffing will help my male companion to get over his bitterness at not having a working nose and therefore I spend much longer than normal sniffing the neighborhood. SNIFFING IS THE BEST!
4:00 pm	Back home from wonderful sniffing of pee-mail from fellow neighborhood dogs. Male companion opens the closet that contains my food. MEAL TIME IS THE BEST PART OF THE DAY! In order to train the poor guy that he is doing the right thing and should do this more often I give him verbal encouragement. Bark for 5 minutes. These are great, full bodied barks that cause my front feet to fly off the floor. BARKING IS THE BEST! Male companion seems properly verbally rewarded so I scarf down my food in hopes that he will have been trained by the encouragement to give me more. Appears training has still not sunk in. Unfortunately it appears my male companion is a slow learner. I will have to remember to bark longer and louder tomorrow.
4:15 pm	Male companion enters his study to work. I wish to remind him that there are better things in life than work and therefore I go into the study with him and sleep on the futon as physical reminder of how good naps are.
5:15 pm	Female companion arrives home. I LOVE IT WHEN THE FEMALE COMPANION COMES HOME! I greet her at the door with some joyful barking. She seems appreciative. Once male companion and liter-mates have greeter her I join the male companion in his study again. Once more I serve as a physical reminder that he could be napping.
5:45 pm	Female companion is a much better napper than male companion (though he is much better at sleeping in than she is). Female companion usually goes up for a quick 15 minute nap when she gets home. She understands that NAPS ARE THE BEST! I decide to go upstairs and verbally encourage her in her napping behavior by making soothing high pitch whine-like noises while she is napping. She says something to me. Though I can only comprehend a few of their odd communications, I can tell from her tone that what she said was basically “Thanks for your encouragement.” I decide to reward myself with a quick nap.
6:00 pm	Female companion (who is the better cook of the two companions) is cooking and SHE’S GRATING CHEESE! DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID!?!?!? CHEESE!!!!! CHEESE IS THE BEST!!!! I must forgo my nap and stand my post underneath her to prevent any of the precious product from going to waste.
6:10 pm	All cheese has been rescued from being wasted. This was a hard and tiring job. I decide to reward myself for a job well done with a nap.
6:30 pm	Companions and liter-mates are now eating their meal. I move my reward nap to underneath what they call a “table.” This way I can be vigilant to make sure that no scraps mess up our home’s floor. Why do all the cleaning duties fall to me? I don’t regret it. I will serve in any way that I can. From my spot underneath the table I can also see if any food has been forgotten on the counters and make sure that it is eaten. Waste not, want not.
7:15 pm	I worry that my companions and liter-mates aren’t getting enough exercise. Studies show that you should move your major muscle groups every 20 minutes. EXERCISE IS THE BEST! I decide to force my fellow house dwellers to exercise for the next hour by pretending to need one of them to open the back door for me every 10 minutes so I can go outside and relieve myself.
8:15 pm	I reward myself for being a giver and focusing on other people’s needs by taking a nap.
9:15 pm	I realize that a nap is not a significant enough reward for the sacrifice I made earlier in going out in the backyard every ten minutes. I therefore whine until the male or female companion gives me a treat. TREATS ARE THE BEST AND REQUIRE BARKING!
9:20 pm	I reward myself for having successfully trained my companions to be “givers” like myself by taking a nap.
10:30 pm	Male & female companion seem to be going to their den to go to sleep. Therefore, I go out into the cold back yard to quickly relieve myself before going to my own den. This won’t take but a second.
10:31 pm	Apparently earlier, while I was taking care of my companions, a rogue deer snuck into our backyard. I know this because I can smell that awful creature. These deer are dangerous enemies who cannot be taken lightly. I must sniff the entire backyard to ensure that it is safe. My work is never done.
10:45 pm	I have made sure the backyard is secure but decide that the deer needs a good “barking to” as a reminder not to threaten my family.
10:50 pm	Deer have been verbally scared into submission and my family is once again safe. I should go to bed now but unfortunately I have noticed a stray turkey smell that I did not pick up earlier. I now need to make another round through the yard to make sure it is still secure. Will my duties never end!
11:15 pm	Yard is secure. Family is safe. I now go to my den for a well earned rest. Good night.

Right now I am watching the BCS Championship game and hoping that Auburn continues to win. Why?? Well becuse I am loyal to the S.E.C. Yes, Auburn is Bama’s biggest rival and losing to them screwed up Bama’s chance for a third consecutive nationl championship, but I want us to smash Auburn in the face, not some school from an inept conference. Yes as an Alabama fan I despise Auburn but I don’t even consider teams from other conferences, or even worse, teams who claim independence even though they are now scheduling 4-5 games a year with the ACC, as even worthy of being despised. They’re not good enough to hate. 🙂 Here’s an example of the SEC chant from Alabama stomping on Notre Dame at the 2013 BCS Championship game.

You can find some good articles that speculate on why the chant happens. Here are a few that I have enjoyed.

•  Why we chant SEC and you are the rust belt
• Why Southerners chant SEC
• SEC! SEC! SEC!

Good articles with interesting points that range from keeping it in the family to Southern exceptionalism. I think the answer centers around something you learn in one’s first economics class. People usually do things because there are incentives for them to do those things. SEC fans understand that the way college football is presently set up there is an incentive for us to want to other SEC teams to win and so we pull for other SEC teams when they play against other conferences. What is the incentive? Perceived strength of schedule.

If the SEC dominates NCAA football  it lifts up the perceived strength of all the teams in th SEC and perceived strength is important in the way the BCS era has been run. It will continue to be important during the new system. SEC fans realize that they gain when their rival beats a team from another conference and thus we cheer for our in conferenc rivals. The incentive produces the conference pride that leads to the chant.

The incentive and perceived strength of schedule is also why teams from other conferences get excited when they beat a team from the SEC. The other conferences may not admit it but their excitement proves it. Getting excited about beating a weak SEC team just points out that they perceive the SEC as strong too. I mean really, people from other conferences get excited about beating Kentucky in football. The only explanation for that is the perceived strength of SEC teams. So when you mock our SEC chant we realize that it just means you wish you were us. That jealousy helps us in the standings, so I am just fine with it.

I’ve heard people compare who don’t understand this compare the situation to the NFL. I am a Packers fan and have been since the 8th grade. I would never root for the Bears to win just because they are in the NFC North. Why? Incentives again are the reason. The things that matters in the NFL is the number of wins you have overall and the number of wins you have as compared to the rest of the teams in your division. The incentive here is actually for the other teams in your division to be weak. You can still make it to the playoffs if you are the best team in a weak division. Therefore, NFL fans want the other teams in their division to lose all the time. For an example of this consider the 2010 Seattle Seahawks who made the playoffs despite having a losing record. Their division-mates losing was almost as valuable as their own wins.

This just doesn’t work in NCAA football. If you are the best team in a weak division it works against you because the perceived strength of the majority of the teams you play is weak and therefore you are perceived as not as strong. In college football you need your conference to be strong. That’s why in college I cheer for my team’s bitterest rival … because we win something if they win.

I’m not sure that fans from other conferences understand this incentive. Otherwise they would pull and chant for their own conference against other conferences. Or maybe it is just that other conferences don’t have as easy of a name to chant.

SIDE NOTE – Well crud. I guess the silver lining is that Auburn lost. I just wish it had been to Bama instead of FSU.

I’ll begin by admitting that I like Duck Dynasty and before I ever saw the show I used Duck Commander calls (they are quite good). Also, I’ll say that while I don’t agree with his wording or the possible implication in his words that he thinks homosexuality leads to bestiality, I do believe that the Bible teaches that homosexual sex is outside of God’s will for sex (this is alongside premarital, extramarital sex, and some other sexual endeavors). Most of my friends who are gay or lesbian know I think this way and I believe, and hope, that they know that I love them and want the same joys for them that I want for the rest of my friends. I’ll end my opening remarks by saying that I am more disturbed by Mr. Robertson’s apparently favorable view of the life of pre-civil rights African Americans and I don’t entirely know what to do with those remarks.

Here’s what I believe will most likely be the result of the whole kerfuffle. Many conservatives, regardless of their religious convictions and practices, will use this interview for their own agenda and many progressives, again regardless of their religious convictions and practices,  will use this interview for their own agenda, and there will be little real discussion, conversation, and understanding that actually takes place.  That’s the thing that saddens me the most. This will likely just lead to people standing behind their own barriers shouting names at the people on the other side.  It will be even worse if the church, the community of God and God’s partner in spreading the gospel of His kingdom, gets sucked in by fear to thinking there is an “us” and a “them” in this whole thing.

Instead I hope to approach all of this with humility, knowing that my sin is just as great, if not greater, than anyone else’s. If I can remember that then I will better be able to discuss with gentleness and love what I believe to be other people’s sin. Neither neglecting the truth, nor falling into the temptation to define another person, who is also created in the image of God, by what I see as their sin rather than as another person loved by God. 

If I can do this, then I think I will be focused more on Jesus’s agenda than on the agenda of the left or the right. His agenda seems to usually tick off people on both sides.