groundwork

Video Friday: Happy Father's Day

I noticed that this Sunday is Father's Day here in the United States.  The day is usually set aside by families to honor their Dad.  For some, Father's Day is an excuse to grill a steak (which is a worthy exercise).  There are others who go for a more elaborate celebration. 

I find myself alone for this Father's Day.  My wife and daughters have traveled to Allentown, PA for some grandparent time with Tina's parents.  I really don't mind because I believe that it is important to keep those strong family bonds between the generations.  Our schedule was tight as the result of school, work, a move to  new home, and plans for summer camps.  This week was the only time that the ladies could make the trip.  On the other hand, I will be feeling the loss of spending some time with my family - and 'Daddy' time with my girls.

I came across this simple but beautiful video from Steven Curtis Chapman.  The video, while not an elaborate production, contains a powerful message those of us who are Fathers.  All I can say is that as a Daddy to two daughters.....I can't wait for my princesses to return home.   I plan on  sharing a few more dances with them before the clock strikes midnight.

And to all of our Dads out there......Happy Father's Day!

Interview with Captain Donovan Campbell

I spend a lot of time in the car driving from here and there.  As a result, I have the chance to listen to a lot of talk radio.  During the past couple of months, I have found that much of talk radio has grown tiresome and downright irritating.

The exception for me is Bill Bennett's Morning in America program.  The only drawback is the early hours the show airs here in the Eastern Standard time period.  I guess that is why pod-casting exists!

Bennett had an excellent interview with Captain Donovan Campbell of the US Marines.  Captain Campbell is the author of a new book entitled Joker One.  From the contents of this interview, I am going to add this to my reading list.

The entire interview is available on Bill Bennett's website.  I recommend it highly.

Football was just a career path...

I was personally sad to read about the recent retirement of Coach Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts.  He has always impressed me with his calm demeanor, skilled leadership, and his seemingly decent character.

The fact is there are few sport figures or leaders who could be considered excellent role models. Coach Dungy seemed to be one attempted to set a fine example on and off the field.

In yesterday's article on his retirement, I found addition information that supported my impressions of him.  Dungy is one of those exceptional individuals who seems to possess a keen moral compass to keep his life priorities in line. 

A few key quotes from the article Dungy steps down:

Tony Dungy always considered football just a career path.

Not his life's mission.

Yesterday, Dungy began the transition from coach to full-time dad and devoted volunteer by announcing his retirement after seven years leading the Indianapolis Colts.

I admire a person who understands the present reality.  Dungy looked at his work as just a career path which was not his purpose or mission of his life.  The Coach is quoted later in the text of the article concerning his genuine interest in his family and in the needs of others.

What's next for Dungy is unclear. He has been involved for years in prison ministries, with Family First and as part of All-Pro Dads.

"Where my heart is, is really with our young men right now," Dungy said. "We have so many guys that didn't grow up like me, didn't have their dad there and that's something I'm very, very interested in."

In a world seemingly devoid of positive examples, Tony Dungy sets a standard that I find to be encouraging and enlightening.  The NFL will miss his solid example of character on the sidelines. On the other hand, he seems to break out of our normal selfish mindset in order to focus on the needs of others.

I, for one, can respect and admire Dungy for aiming for a higher purpose in life than football.

The Politics of the Crowds

I, for one, am relieved that the long running US election season will come to an end tomorrow.  The tiring campaign commercials on the airwaves will hopefully disappear for a while.

Unfortunately, I have already heard rumblings that 2012 race will begin on the morning of November 5, 2008. 

I read a fascinating article this morning entitled Obama and the Politics of Crowds on the Wall Street Journal website. The article provides a perspective on the elections that few have at this time.  I thought I would share it here for your consideration.

The author's last paragraph is masterful. and though provoking. It is reminder that no candidate can ultimately deliver on all of the promises made during an election season. 

The morning after the election, the disappointment will begin to settle upon the Obama crowd. Defeat -- by now unthinkable to the devotees -- will bring heartbreak. Victory will steadily deliver the sobering verdict that our troubles won't be solved by a leader's magic.

More on Halloween...

I posted a link yesterday to an article describing the decisions that some Jewish families between Halloween and the Sabbath.  The Columbus Dispatch had a 'companion' article this morning.  There is a similar struggle between Halloween and (of all things) football. 

The Dispatch included another article in their Religion section outlining the challenge Halloween presents to  many Christian homes.  A growing number of families are opting to back away from the overt dark overtones of the holiday.  I thought it was an interesting look at how the Christian community wrestles with this holiday.

I thought the following quote was interesting from the article Hallowed Halls:

Halloween can be a scary time for the grown-ups who run Christian schools.

They have to decide whether to celebrate the holiday of ghosts and ghouls as they're trying to teach about Christianity and God's love.

For some, that poses a contradiction. Others don't see a problem.

Halloween was born as the ancient pagan festival of Samhain, marking the end of summer for Celtic people in what is now the United Kingdom, Ireland and northwestern France.

As Paul Harvey says - you can" wash your ears out" by considering another view of this holiday.  I would recommend the article Halloween:Treat or Trick?

Halloween or Sabbath?

I stumbled upon an article posted on a Jewish oriented website.  I was unaware that there are those in the Jewish community who observe Halloween.  Until this article, I didn't know about the plight of the Jewish families struggling to choose between the Sabbath and a secular pagan holiday.

I am amazed at the mental gymnastics that some seem to go through in order to justify their personal choices.

One key quote:

"As the day approaches, a debate between traditions is raging in many Jewish homes: challah vs. candy, the Sabbath Queen vs. the Pumpkin King, blue homes vs. orange. It's a serious give and take, with the youth vote swinging one way and the Shabbat moms and dads the other.

 

Who wins? Considering the holiday's murky Celtic origin and Christian association, wouldn't it be better to simply abstain?"

The obvious answer would be 'yes'.  But later on in the article, we are treated with this amazing quote:

"So what should you allow your children to do this Halloween night? It is a difficult and personal choice. I try not to think of it as trick or treat, much of the candy handed out is kosher and sortable. The trick here is how to treat the evening Jewishly."

I am not sure what it means to observe Halloween in a "Jewish" manner. I wonder if there is a better way to approach this question - and to simply abstain?

You can read the rest of this article here.

And now to get a bit personal...

Please excuse me today while I get a bit personal...

I was sad to read about the death of one of my favorite musicians, Dan Fogelberg .  He died yesterday after a difficult struggle with prostate cancer. 

His music provided much of the soundtrack of my life - especially during my time at college.  I remember listening to his albums Souvenirs, The Innocent Age, and Windows and Walls on my cassette player while studying late at night.  Tina and I have seen him play live a couple of times.  He was a fine songwriter, an excellent musician, and an outstanding performer.

I find it extremely sobering and shocking that he was only 56 years old.

Dan was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2004.  He posted the following note (he called it a sermon!) on his website after his diagnosis. 

I cannot encourage you strongly enough to get a DRE (Digital Rectal Exam) and a PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test EVERY YEAR.

The medical community suggests this for men over 50, but men with a family history of prostate cancer should start getting tested at age 40.

The PSA test is a simple blood test...it only takes a minute or two. The DRE, okay, every man squirms at the thought of this exam, but hey, it too takes only a minute or two, and IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE.

Prostate cancer can be very slow growing or very aggressive, but detected early while it is still confined to the prostate gland, it can usually be treated and cured successfully.

Once it spreads beyond the prostate it is called Advanced Prostate Cancer (PCa). At this point it becomes imminently more life threatening and harder to treat. Do yourself and your loved ones a huge favor and GET CHECKED REGULARLY. I promise you, you DON’T want to go through what I’m going through if you can avoid it.

Fogelberg's cancer was considered stage 3 when he was tested. The news posted on his website about his death yesterday morning mentioned that he died peacefully with his wife Jean at his side. 

I recall that I was tested after reading the note concerning his diagnosis in 2004.  And it was not a big deal but I was extremely glad that I did it.  And to the men who may be reading this - and I can't stress this point enough  - please take the time to consider his advice.

I apologize in advance to those who may find this a bit too personal.  But I thought that this was something that was important to share today.

an attitude of thanks

I would be the first to admit that I loathe the loss of daylight savings time.  The sun seems to set sometime around 2 PM leaving the rest of the day in the chilly fog of evening.  But I have found that I do look forward to a couple of bright spots during the depressing month of November.

One of the bright spots is that my wife and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary later this month. Why did we get married at the end of November?  Well that is another story to tell.  But the other bright spot for me is the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving has always been a highlight for my family.  Some of my favorite memories of my parents and brothers seem to be connected to the annual celebration of the holiday.  We would sometimes travel to a relative's house to enjoy an afternoon of dry as dirt turkey (it needed a lot of gravy), instant mashed potatoes, and football (of course). 

It was not until I was older that I thought about the purpose of Thanksgiving.  The meaning of the day was not a part of our discussions around the dinner table.  In recent years, I have attempted to add this missing dimension to our own celebration.

There is a new article posted on the Vision website on the subject of Thanksgiving.  The article takes a helpful look at the subject of genuine thankfulness.  I especially appreciated the following paragraph near the end of the article:

An attitude of thankfulness puts us in a humble frame of mind. It teaches us to whom we are in debt for all that we have. There is no room for pride when we are in the thankful mode.

I encourage you to read the article Thanks, but No Thanks during the next few days!

I wish all of you a genuine and thankful celebration of the upcoming holiday.  We do have much that we can be truly grateful for at this time.

Friends in Cyberspace

During my travels this past week, I was thumbing through the recent Time magazine.  The last column in the latest issue involves the ubiquitous nature of social networking websites like myspace and facebook.  Time's Joel Stein comments how one of these websites (myspace) features into the campaigns of the contenders for President of the United States in 2008. 

Stein's article would be a reasonable place to begin for those who are unfamiliar with the myspace revolution (Friends in High Places). I have only become better acquainted with social networking websites in the past few months.  I have learned that these sites have become 'the place' to be for the younger generations.

My  initiation began when one of my daughters mentioned something that she read on a friend's myspace page in a conversation.  I was a little alarmed because I really didn't know anything about the website.  I began to do my own research - and was surprised to find that many of the young people attending our local congregation had their own myspace pages.  On a whim, I signed for my own myspace page and began to learn all about this social networking thing.

I have learned a lot from interacting with the young people on these sites.  You can learn about their interests, hopes, fears, and their feeling concerning a number of topics.  I know that I surprised a number of them by actually establishing my own myspace page.  I would loved to know what was going on in their minds when they saw my 'friend request' in their inbox.  And then again - maybe I would not want to know! 

There are things on these websites that would alarm many of you - and it is not for the faint of heart.  There are sometimes comments that are made between individuals that would raise your eyebrows - and it may not be good for your blood pressure.  However, I have valued the on-line education that I have had these past few months.  It has helped me to prepare material for discussions during the upcoming Summer Camps for our youth.

It is my observation that myspace appeals to the teenagers - while facebook is oriented towards the college-age young adults.  These are places where they are connecting and networking with one another. It is almost like a large electronic 'Study Hall' or a gigantic version of the detention room from 80's film The Breakfast Club.  It is revealing, raw, enlightening, aggravating, encouraging, discouraging, wonderful, and frightening - all at the same time.  While my time on-line has been a roller coaster ride, I hope that I can help and encourage my on-line friends in some small manner.

Overall, I have learned how to pray for them. 

But I have to say that I have learned a great deal from this experience.  I don't know if I will remain active on these sites or not in the future.  But the education has been invaluable in peering into the minds of the youth of our local congregations at this present time.

Free Time

  "It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste."  — Henry Ford

I know that we generally don't have a lot of free time today.  What I mean by free time is those 5-10 minute chunks of the day that we all experience from time to time.  It is the time when nothing happens. 

I have found a recent list of 20 Productive Ways to Use Your Free Time.  There are a couple of suggestions on the list that I find to be helpful.  I like (and attempt to incorporate into my schedule) the following ideas:

• Reading file. Clip magazine articles or print out good articles or reports for reading later, and keep them in a folder marked “Reading File”. Take this wherever you go, and any time you have a little chunk of time, you can knock off items in your Reading File. Keep a reading file on your computer (or in your bookmarks), for quick reading while at your desk (or on the road if you’ve got a laptop).
• Network. Only have 2 minutes? Shoot off a quick email to a colleague. Even just a “touching bases” or follow-up email can do wonders for your working relationship. Or shoot off a quick question, and put it on your follow-up list for later.
• Goal time. Take 10 minutes to think about your goals, personal and professional. If you don’t have a list of goals, start on one. If you’ve got a list of goals, review them. Write down a list of action steps you can take over the next couple of weeks to make these goals a reality. What action step can you do today? The more you focus on these goals, and review them, the more likely they will come true.

One idea would be to write down a scripture, historical quote, or encouraging thought on a 3x5 card.  One could carry the card with them during the day.  Whenever there was a few minutes of free time, the card could provide food for thought or meditation while waiting in line at a store, sitting at you desk, or during some downtime at home.  It could also help in memorizing a favorite passage.

Do you have any suggestions to add to the list?  I would enjoying hearing about those things that work for you.

  "It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste."  — Henry Ford

I know that we generally don't have a lot of free time today.  What I mean by free time is those 5-10 minute chunks of the day that we all experience from time to time.  It is the time when nothing happens. 

I have found a recent list of 20 Productive Ways to Use Your Free Time.  There are a couple of suggestions on the list that I find to be helpful.  I like (and attempt to incorporate into my schedule) the following ideas:

• Reading file. Clip magazine articles or print out good articles or reports for reading later, and keep them in a folder marked “Reading File”. Take this wherever you go, and any time you have a little chunk of time, you can knock off items in your Reading File. Keep a reading file on your computer (or in your bookmarks), for quick reading while at your desk (or on the road if you’ve got a laptop).
• Network. Only have 2 minutes? Shoot off a quick email to a colleague. Even just a “touching bases” or follow-up email can do wonders for your working relationship. Or shoot off a quick question, and put it on your follow-up list for later.
• Goal time. Take 10 minutes to think about your goals, personal and professional. If you don’t have a list of goals, start on one. If you’ve got a list of goals, review them. Write down a list of action steps you can take over the next couple of weeks to make these goals a reality. What action step can you do today? The more you focus on these goals, and review them, the more likely they will come true.