Have you ever gone to the bathroom in the wrong bathroom?!?

I did. Yesterday. At a rest stop off the 5 near Camp Pendleton. I recorded my inner monologue. It went like this:

"Soooo great to finally be going to the bathroom. Lots to drink hours ago at the Burger King in Delano"
"Wait, what's missing in this place? Oh, no urinals. Weird."
"What was that? Someone glancing in at me through the door. Should have closed it all the way. Hold on! Was that a woman?!? What's she doing in here? What a freak...in the wrong bathroom!"
"Hmm, as I look over the stalls there is a small gaggle of women. And what's that one saying? Something about how they all need to wait until 'that man' is finished. Who's she talking about?"
"Oh crap. SHE'S TALKING ABOUT ME!!! @$&#!"
"You can do this. Walk quickly. Head down. No eye contact. Go straight to car. You fool."

Off to San Diego at noon...

Dinner with old CP alumni, some meetings with staff about Fall Conference, dinner with Amy's family and a coaching visit with the staff and students at Mesa College.

But you don't care about any of that...here's what you come to the blog for:

Dodge Charger
$177.05 for 4 days
Dollar Rent a Car

"You can never win a war against terror as long as there are conditions in the world that make people desperate"

That's Archbishop Desmond Tutu linking poverty and terrorism. Short article here.

"At age 30, the human body's major organs begin to decline"

Damn, I'm on the decline already?!?

Remind me of this...

It's far better to have a awkward conversation on the front end of a situation than a difficult conversation on the back end.

Thus saith the Rob...

This year, I dominate

For those of you following closely my personal quest to become InterVarsity's all time rental car champion, I've installed a tally on the sidebar to the right. It's all right there for you. No more needing to track me in your quiet time journals, or on your office white boards, or, like the Ekmekji's, on a post it on your fridge...

Multi-tripping

In this role I've been learning the art of dovetailing the travel. What I mean is that if I'm going to be out of town anyway, I may as well accomplish as many purposes as possible. So...tomorrow I'm off first to Northridge to get some time with the IV staff worker at CSUN, then down to the Cal Poly Chapter Camp at GPC, then over on Friday to the Regional Ignite Evangelism training days. Home Saturday night late.

And--wait for it--today it's a JEEP Liberty. $145 for the 5 days (week long rental price). Once again, Dollar doin' me right...

Right now, at 7:16pm, it is 102 degrees in Fresno

I'm just saying...

The war close to home

It was a bit weird to wake up this morning to our city of Clovis in the news. Today on NBC ran a piece on our "Saving Private Ryan" story of a local family who has tragically lost two of three brothers in the Iraq war. The third one, present on the ground in Iraq when the second one died last week, is being reassigned into a non-combat role. The Today show story is here. The story also headlined on cnn.com midday today and it's here.

Bovine Intervention

Early yesterday morning, Grace and I loaded up in the van and drove to the store for what is rapidly becoming a part of the morning routine...the milk run. We drove over to our local Savemart, picked out two gallons of 1% and plunked down $6.29 on the debit card. Milk comes from "happy cows," and makes for happy kids...

...but not so happy checking accounts. Amy and I have been paying attention, and let's just say we go through a lot of milk. A lot. To the tune of about 1 gallon a day when we're all home. And milk prices are going up. Heck, at $3.15 a gallon, I'm starting to wonder if we could train the kids to drink 87 unleaded. Just for the fun of it, I started to do the math:

I'm thinking that we go through, on average, 25 gallons of milk a month, taking into account people traveling, being sick, etc. At current prices, that translates to $78.75 a month, or $945 a year. Which means that if I managed to cajole my children into drinking, say, tap water, I could play another 47 rounds of golf this year! Sounds like a deal to me.

And so I'm wondering about buying a cow. Or a goat? But after reading this, that is clearly not an option. We can barely keep our plants alive. So what are we left with?!? A cool grand a year, until they all get bigger, and then up it goes until we're forced to start taking it out of their college funds...

Happy Birthday!!!

Everyone's favorite mischief maker turns 3 today. We had a princess party last weekend and below is my favorite shot. To get your full Lucy birthday photo fix, go here.

Book Review: Moneyball by Michael Lewis

I've blogged before about what a sports addict I am, and that baseball was my first love, so it will come as no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed Moneyball by Michael Lewis when I read it earlier this summer. Moneyball seeks to answer the baseball question of disparity; that is, why is it that a team like the Oakland A's with a payroll of $71 million can compete against, and even triumph over, a team like the New York Yankees with their bloated payroll of some $207 million. Good question, though, for the record, it looks like Oakland is going to come up short this year as we head toward September (sorry, Seth!).

And so l liked it for the baseball, but I loved it for the system. Because Moneyball is really about a process, created and nurtured by A's management, by which an outspent team triumphs over the "big boys". Put succinctly, the A's system is less concerned with the "feel" a scout would have after watching a prospective player than about, well, numbers and statistics, particularly those related to plate discipline. Fascinating. And revolutionary. Here's a quote that sums it up: "scoring runs was, in the new view, less an art or a talent than a process. If you made the process a routine--if you got every player doing his part on the production line--you could pay a lot less for runs than the going rate."

This is a new season for me in ministry. For the first Fall since 1995, I'm technically off campus; that is, I am purely supervising staff this year for the first time. And it's a bit freaky to be honest (I'm calling it "ministry menopause," or is it "minipause?"). And yet the thing that not staffing an outreach table, or making fliers, or filling out forms, has allowed me to do is a whole lot of systematizing. And I love it. If I am an artist at all, it's in the area of creating and articulating systems that help make life and ministry work for myself and others. My sorta joke lately has been that I'm on a mission to "make the intuitive intentional." Kinda like Billy Beane and the rest of the A's front office.

Bottom line: if you are interested in a look inside the major league front office, or if, like me, you want to see what systematizing looks like, I highly recommend Moneyball. And, by the way, for a review of another Michael Lewis book, The Blind Side, check out what Jeremy has to say here.

Conflicted

Having spent a lot of time enjoying corporate worship over the years (as a participant and as a leader), there's at least one thing that has always left me somewhat conflicted: singing about Satan in the context of worship. You know what I mean?!?

On one hand, I get all Harry Potter about it and Satan becomes "he who must not be named." I think, let's just not talk about him, because names have power and somehow naming him gives him honor. Toss in the context and I'm thinking that I certainly don't want to in any way honor the enemy in the midst of communal praise and worship!

On the other hand, since invariably Satan is mentioned in the context of his ultimate and utter defeat at the hands of Jesus, I really enjoy singing about him and it seems completely appropriate to do so. In fact, this past Sunday we sang the song "Sing to the King" (lyrics here), and when we got to the "Satan is vanquished" part, you'd better believe I was all up and standing with my hands raised!

I'm not sure what to do with it, but there you go. I suppose the bottom line is that in my view songwriters ought to use the name Satan only sparingly and judiciously. Now don't get me started about gender inclusion, songs that focus more on us than on God and how we need more multi-ethnic worship in the church...

My small screen debut...

It's time for school to start and what better way to kick off another year of InterVarsity at Fresno State than cutting up a bunch of watermelons and feeding them to excited, sweaty dormies?!?

This year channel 30 cruised by and filmed us. Here. And while we only make a few seconds in the report, there's a special treat six seconds in...don't blink or you may miss it.

Off to Bako this morning...

Ah, Bakersfield. It's a beautiful place. For those of you scoring at home, put me down for a 2 day rental from Dollar. Like $95 bucks. Dodge Avenger. Back Wednesday night.

And here's a question...when did we pick up a Kindergarten kid in our house?!?

Images

There are lots of images of motherhood out there.

There's the new mom serenely feeding her newborn by an open window in the morning light.

There's the "sack lunch" mom standing on the porch waving goodbye as her kids walk down to the bus.

And there's the mother of the groom, weeping quietly yet smiling proudly as her son stands at the altar awaiting his bride.

And then there's the one where the mom is on her hands and knees up in the police car module of a McDonald's Play Place with a half empty pack of Wet Wipes scrubbing furiously in an effort to clean up her 3 year old's feces...

Music and Lyrics

Don't judge me, but I kinda like Hugh Grant. I know, he plays the same character each time out, but there's something about his English, self-deprecating everyman thing that's vaguely endearing. In Music and Lyrics, Hugh's at his Notting Hill best, and toss in Drew Barrymore and you've got something pretty entertaining. We rented it last night from Redbox and loved it. Good call Jess!

The clincher?!? This video. Get in touch with your inner Flock of Seagulls and enjoy!

"Our records indicate that you are among the 30 staff who rent cars most frequently."

That quote is from a recent email asking me for information about my car rental practices. Keep in mind there are thousands of staff in InterVarsity. Do I get an award perhaps? A bonus maybe? Possible acceptance speech: "I'd like to thank the Cabinet and President Alec Hill, my Regional and Divisional Directors, for sending me on all these trips. And I'd like to dedicate this award to my family and friends. You know who you are; thanks for having my back. And, most of all, thanks to God for giving me the strength and talent to rent well and drive straight..." Nah.

But I'm going to keep track of the car renting this year. Starting today. I'm leaving for SLO in an hour in a 2007 Buick Lucerne. Enterprise on Shaw, 2 day rental. Total bill: $95.65.

The Number 10

I love the number 10. I use it whenever I can. In sharpie on the back of an old shirt for an Intramural Basketball "jersey." On my old Cal Poly roller-hockey gear. As a part of old email address or two. 10 has been my number ever since I was little playing AYSO soccer and I was boxed out from using it by the coach's son (freakin' Ross, I'm still bitter). But I digress...

Last week, on August 9, Amy and I officially celebrated 10 years of wedded bliss. 10 years! Amazing. And so in honor of the day, here are 10 things I appreciate about Amy:

10. She is a hard worker. Unbelievable that everyone gets diapered AND the bills get paid.
9. She sacrifices so I can do my job on Staff. Generally it's true that travel days for me become torture days (and nights) for her!
8. She's given birth three times (and counting?). Glad it was her and not me...
7. She's hot. Really hot. I'm just saying...
6. She's stable and grounded. She's anchored our lives emotionally for a solid decade...and put up with a husband who can be, oh, a bit erratic at times!
5. She loves (and can teach) the Bible. I've been attracted to that about Amy since day 1.
4. She's a phenomenal Mom. Our kids are in great shape. I think maybe she's almost good enough to make up for their whacked out father...
3. She's strong. Here's what I mean.
2. She's hot. Still. More than ever.
1. She loves me. Awesome. Quick, nominate her for sainthood!

Since Optimus Prime is weak sauce...

...instead, give me VOLTRON!

I read somewhere that a Voltron movie is in the works. And just to get the word out there..."I'LL FORM THE HEAD!"

Simple Pleasures

We're just back from staff meetings in San Luis Obispo. A good time, and the best thing about it?

A NEW ACRONYM. Wahoo! One more for the lexicon. "ALT," or "Area Leadership Team." Or perhaps we should through a "Fresno" on the front and go with "FALT." Or maybe to get a properly placed "U" in there we could go "Fresno Area United Leadership Team." Hmm.

In related news, tomorrow I'm taking the day off...

New Promo Video

Our Fresno State staff Intern Greg has produced a promo video for his would-be donors. Check it out here.

In other news, off to San Luis Obispo for 4 days of staff meetings. Somebody come over and mow our lawn!!!

Perspective

While I really like my ministry to students, the best thing I've got going in my life right now is this:

And then there's this:

It's all about the context

I watched just a portion of the Democratic/youtube debate the other night and I liked what I saw. What I mean is that unlike other debates I've watched, in this one the questions came with context. Not the context that has Wolf Blitzer or Brian Williams or Judy Woodruff asking a question this way: "Bev and Al So and So, from Peoria, Illinois are middle class parents with 3 kids, and they're struggling to find affordable, quality health care. If you became President, how would you address their concerns?" In this debate, Bev and Al were asking the questions, and you could see a picture of their kids on the frig in the background, and Bev was holding her latest medical bill in her hand, and you could see Al's pinched face when we talked about how they were treated badly, etc.

I like bringing the personal into the political, because then I think it makes it tougher to offer answers full of cliches or empty rhetoric. It injects emotion and subjectivity into a process that is too often impersonal and calculated.

In other news, the Dixon Summer tour continues tomorrow with a nice 350 mile jaunt to San Diego. Back on Tuesday...

Loss of innocence

I am an absolute sports addict. It's 10:57pm and I'm watching the Giants and Braves battle it out in the bottom of the 13th, and I don't even like either of these teams. In fact, as a Dodger fan, I am morally bound to loathe the Giants.

And so as someone who really cares about this stuff, you can imagine my chagrin, no, my horror, over these last days as I've absorbed the headlines in the world of sports. Consider:

1. An NBA referee is caught taking money, betting on basketball and very likely manipulating the outcome of games in an effort to cover the spread.
2. Barry Bonds, admitted steroid user, is closing in on Hank Aaron's hallowed home run record.
3. Michael Vick, the face of the Atlanta Falcons and one of the top 5 stars in the NFL, gets indicted for dogfighting.
4. And the Tour de France has morphed into an absolute farce (Tour de Farce?!?). Last years champion stands accused of doping, this year's race leader rides under a cloud of suspicion, and, today, Alexandre Vinokourov, winner of 2 of the last 3 stages, is kicked out (along with his team) after being caught injecting someone else's blood into his own body (story here).

Pardon me, but WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!?

As I think about it, the thing about sports that has captured me for all of these years is the thrill of seeing men and women do the improbable, the impossible and the miraculous (or at least go out trying to do these things). There's a joy to watching athletes overcome their opponents, the course, the watch, themselves. It's Kirk Gibson's home run in '88. Lemond's time trial to beat Fignon. Horry hitting the buzzer beater to beat the Kings (again).

Which is why it's tragic to see sports as an institution lose its innocence like this. Indeed, when it becomes impossible to tell if it's a mix of sheer will, inborn talent and a commitment to the weight room, or the latest undetectable designer steroid that makes a running back escape a linebacker, what are we left with?

If it wasn't so freakin' hot out...

...I'd be doing a whole lot more of this:

In honor of the WSOP*

With the 2007 World Series of Poker ending tomorrow (final table starts at noon in Vegas), let me update us all on my first venture into a real poker tournament, during our time up in Tahoe. The Montbleu, the hotel/casino that we stayed in, has these weekly daytime tournaments. I played in the 2pm one last Monday. Buy in is $40 for 1200 chips, and with another $6 you get another 600 chips and so most of the 20 or so of us started out with 1800 in chips. Blinds go up every 15 minutes and the top 3 end up in the money.

I finished 5th, busted out when my pocket 10's got beat on the turn by a dude holding King/Queen offsuit. Criminal!!! Still, it was a fascinating experience. Some things that stand out:

1. The brasher they are, the louder they fall. This one guy sits down and I could tell immediately he was a player, with Full Tilt Poker hat on backwards and shuffling his chips like Johnny Chan. And he started to bully us all; he was really the first one to start raising and check-raising. But then in two successive hands his aces got cracked and then someone sucked out on him on the river for a straight and he was out. Wow did he leave mad, grumbling the whole way out about people getting lucky and not knowing what they were doing. Reminded me of a whining Phil Hellmuth...

2. It's all about patience. It takes major discipline to play tournament poker. A friend of mine had counseled me to open up really tight and so in the first level I folded Ace/nine and King/Queen. I even managed to avoid my top two poker pitfalls: "flop-itis" and "suited connector-itis." In fact, the first hand I won was on a full house after my pocket deuces hit on the flop, and I was only in that hand because I was the big blind.

3. The blinds make it move quickly! You just don't get this in the home game. 15 minutes goes by and you are moving up a level. When I busted out, the blinds were at 500 and 1000. So it's this weird mix of patience and urgency at the table.

4. You'd rather be lucky than good. I totally sucked out one time. About midway through, I went all in with Ace/Jack and dude called me with Ace/King. I was dominated. I was losing through the flop, then the turn, and then the river came up with a Jack. Beautiful! I doubled up and that guy was gone after the next hand.

5. If you are going to gamble, playing a poker tournament is a pretty good way to lose your money. Way better, for instance, than losing $46 at the slots. Or freakin' roulette. I don't even have time to tell you about the old lady with her crab card protector, or the guy who went all in like 6 hands in succession, or the old guy who kept swearing his way through one bad deal after another ("f@ckin' rags..."). Good times.

By the way, if you want to follow the final table tomorrow, you can order ESPN pay-per-view for like $20. Me, I'm going to check in from time to time at cardplayer.com...

* if you missed any terms in this post (Mom and Dad), you can check out a poker glossary here.

Tahoe Recap

Amy and I had a GREAT time last week at Lake Tahoe celebrating our 10 year Anniversary. While our actual day is August 9, we'll take the child care when we can get it (a big shout out to Grandma/pa Sexton!). Top activities included: sleeping in, Oceans 13 (two thumbs up!), eating out (Chart House anyone?!?), disc golf, a few table games at Harrah's and enjoying the hospitality (and sales pitch) of Mr. Marriott and his Timber Lodge.

And it just so happened that there were a ton of celebrities and current/former athletes in town for a golf tournament, and we went to see it on Thursday. We quickly realized that such a thing is perfect for us: celebrities for Amy and athletes (and golf) for Rob. It was great to stand thisclose to Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong, Don Cheadle, Jerry Rice, Joe Sakic and many others. Good stuff.

Here are some shots from the trip, of Amy and I at Emerald Bay, of my 10 year bride with Stone, er, Schtone Philips, and then one of my buddy MJ:

HE is coming...

He is a global phenomenon, and millions await the next chapter in his story.
He's a multi-million dollar franchise, and together with his partners he'll try to vanquish the enemy.
Are you ready? He'll be here July 21st.

HE is...David Beckham. Galaxy vs. Chelsea from England. July 21. 6pm. ESPN2.

Who'd you think I was talking about, Harry Potter?!?

10 things about airports that are universally true

1. Too many of them in one day is not good (put me down for 4 yesterday!)
2. God made airports so that you can do some nice people watching
3. Could there be any more white male pilots?!?
4. Really bad seats in the gate areas
5. If you look out the window there are some cool cars and vehicles down there
6. Lots of screens and monitors, kind of like Best Buy on crack
7. Moving walkways are cool!
8. One day I will get my shoes shined, a nice shoulder rub and I'll exchange some money
9. Since when did a Big Mac cost $5.79...without the combo?
10. Weird art. Usually involving neon.

Survey Evangelism

We took the planters out yesterday afternoon to the University of Wisconsin to do surveys, trying to gauge the spiritual temperature of the campus. We asked students the following questions:

1. Major and involvement in school
2. What are your religious beliefs and how often do you practice them?
3. What adjectives would you use to describe Christians?
4. What adjectives would you use to describe Jesus?

Over the course of about an hour I had 16 great conversations! Very fun. The best one was with a woman who called herself a Shaman. Here's a shot of me in action talking to a Muslim woman by the fountain:

Two rules about email

I was just in a session yesterday where the leader, InterVarsity's V.P. of Collegiate Ministries, gave these two key points for those of us who deal with a lot of email:

1. The most important part of the email is the subject line, since it governs how quickly or thoroughly someone will read it.

2. If you don't get to the point in the first paragraph, you've lost the reader.

Good stuff. I think they're both totally right on. And of course it goes without saying that you don't do conflict on email.

Speaking of email, do you hear that sound?!? That's the heavens rejoicing that, with a mere 23 messages in the inbox, it all fits on one page!!! Hallelujah!

On Planting

So like I said, I'm here in Madison for 8 daze learning about how to plant an InterVarsity Chapter on campus (It's Sunday night and I'm ready to go home, but I digress...). As a part of this group, I'll be coaching two young Staff next year down in San Diego. It's been a wild experience so far, with lots of input and concepts. But through it all, one thing keeps coming to mind...

I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M HERE. Or, more precisely, what the $@%# am I doing here?!? Here's what I mean: I think I am the most unlikely planter in the history of InterVarsity. That's because I "grew up in" and hale from one of the most established ministries in InterVarsity on the West Coast, at Cal Poly. We called it "the machine." Built in the mid-80's, what the machine did was create, over the course of 4, 5, 6 or more years, leaders. Just add freshmen! And as Staff, too often (in hindsight) it felt like we were simply mechanics. Change out a part here, oil the machine there. Sure, at times we felt like we made drastic changes, but as I look back they were in reality subtle modifications to the ages-old machine. Don't get me wrong; the machine was amazing. But a machine it was.

And so it's at some level dissonant for me to be here leading/coaching a brand-new Chapter Plant this coming year. No machines. Nothing at all really. But here's what I'm beginning to love about the notion of planting:

1. It's an opportunity to create. I'm learning about myself that I enjoy the process of creation. What fires me up about the idea of planting is the thought of creating a machine, not maintaining it.

2. It asks us new questions. This week we've been taught a planting model that is generally what we will all employ, but this one model has raised countless questions of contextualization. What is our vision for our campus? What is our strategy? How will this general model work where we are? Chasing answers to these (and other) questions invigorate me, inspire me and remind me why I love campus ministry.

3. It takes us new places. As I've moved to Fresno and been involved in a re-plant at Fresno State and now a new plant at Fresno City, I find my heart increasingly burdened for both individuals who are lost and campuses that are without witness. As I think about the future of the Area under my leadership, I am toying with a vision that reads: "a new campus every year." How crazy is that?!? Now we'll see if that sticks, but at it's heart--in my heart--is the concept of all students in our Area having an opportunity to meet Jesus or know him better.

So next year brings lots of planting. Fresno State enters a new phase in the re-plant with new leadership. Fresno City launches. We will "spy out the land" at Alan Hancock in Santa Maria with an eye to a plant in 08-09, and we're praying about what God might do at Fresno Pacific that same year. I'll be coaching Serene and Alan at Mesa College, and, we'll see, but we may just have to start dreaming about InterVarsity chapters at Reedley College and College of the Sequoias in Visalia. More to come later as I and we keep learning...

Melissa in Bosnia

I have a friend and former Staff from Fresno spending the summer in Bosnia with her students. If you want to follow along you can find her here!

Update!!! For those of you scoring at home, the inbox is--gloriously--down to 50. Now I've got to keep it there...

How I'm Surviving

Greetings from Madison, Wisconsin, where I'm in an 8 day long class on how to plant an InterVarsity Chapter (more on that in some other post). After much consideration and careful debate, here are my top 5 tips for surviving such a situation:

1. Work out at the gym everyday (thankfully, we are given passes to a nearby facility)
2. Make it your goal, no, your relentless quest, to take your email inbox from 200 at arrival to 50 when you leave (I'm at 89 tonight)
3. Never take the elevator to anything
4. If you make it to breakfast, fine, but try to skip as many dinners as possible (you need a break from people and, really, how many ways can you cook chicken anyhow?!?)
5. Call home as much as possible

I'll be home on the 4th at 7pm!!!

My psycho son

So I don't like turbulence. Check that. I loathe it. Disregard my tongue-in-cheek comments from March. Turbulence universally sucks.

And tubulence loathers like me consistently have to suffer on the flight into Denver. Over the Rockies, the plane bucks and shakes like some whacked out bull in the ring. I'm looking around for the rodeo clown and a barrel. This past Tuesday, we were in full bounce mode. The girls are screaming. Amy has her eyes closed. I'm about to soil myself, when after one particularly nasty bump, next to me Josh yells out:

"Oh yeah, baby. Wahoo! Ka-chow!"

Guess the apple not only falls far from the tree, it's in another orchard...

A Father's Day Tradition at Fly in the Soup

We all know that Father's Day is all about sports on TV, so here's your Father's Day TV schedule. It looks a bit different than last year. No global soccer tournament and a weak NBA finals this time around...

10am U.S. Open Golf until mid afternoon (NBC)
11am NASCAR from Michigan (TNT)
5pm Yankess/Mets (ESPN)

And if none of that appeals, there is always American Flyers at 5:30 on ESPN Classic. Great movie! Beware Barry "the Cannibal" Muzzin!

Yeah, but it's such a drag to not have one on my block!

I got up this morning thinking about Starbucks. As in, "man, after that night, a black and white hot chocolate would be good." (I know, I'm a wimp...)

And so the difficult, gut-wrenching question we always face when we're craving Starbucks is..."which one?" Because there are tons of stores in the Fresno/Clovis area. But just how many you ask? I went to the Starbucks website and entered my address, and they kindly tell me that:

There are 6 stores within 2 miles of my house.
There are 16 stores within 5 miles of my house.
There are 42 stores within 10 miles of my house (that's about the Fresno metro area).
There are 49 stores within 20 miles of my house.
And there are 70 stores with 50 miles of my house (now we're bringing in Madera and Visalia).

And those numbers are just for today. In fact, for my money, that new building they are putting up at Shaw and Clovis by the Big 5?!? Another Starbucks...which means, more choices!

"Have a nice trip, Mr. Dixon"

The travel season cranks up for June and July. Here's a preview:

Catalina's Campus by the Sea today through next Tuesday (whole fam!)
Denver, CO June 19-24
Madison, WI June 26-July 4
Sacramento/Tahoe July 8-14
San Diego July 26-31

For those interested, here's the latest update on CBS. I'm excited to see it all for myself.

Can I get a discount, you think?

So we went to Joshua's pre-school graduation today (really, a graduation...with diplomas, caps and Martinelli's! Don't I have a couple of years before this stuff gets started?!?). But as a part of the festivities, each kid came up and received his/her diploma and the teacher said for each one what they said they wanted to be when they grew up.

And it was really sweet. "Austin would like to be race car driver, like his Dad." "Isabella wants to be a dancer." "PJ wants to grow up to fly airplanes or be a firefighter." Things like that.
So I was eager to hear what Josh had said. Would it be "a soccer player," "a policeman," or even "a pizza man?" And while I figured that "middle manager for a faith-based non-profit like my Daddy" wouldn't make the list, I sure wasn't prepared for what came out...

"When he grows up, Joshua wants to...work at Costco!" What?!? Anyway, here's a shot of your future Costco employee after graduation:

Cracking myself up...

...with this.

Score another one for Pastor Steve

Last week at church our Pastor Steve took on the book and DVD called The Secret. Here is a wiki article on it, but to sum it up this big "secret" is expressed in the law of attraction; in other words, like attracts like, so when you think a thought, you are also attracting similar thoughts to you. I don't buy it, but just imagine if it was true...heck, I've got thoughts of a pool in my backyard, kids sleeping through the night, time travel and the Lakers winning again. But I digress...

So I expected Pastor Steve to, pardon the expression, "rip The Secret a new one." And while he did indeed critique the book's premise and expose some obvious faults, he also took it a step further, and I totally respected him for it. I'll paraphrase him here:

If millions of Americans are picking up and experiencing The Secret, that ought to tell us something about our societal thirst for something greater. Indeed, the whole phenomenon of The Secret is tapping into a "heart hunger," the same heart hunger, in fact, that Jesus himself tapped (and taps) into. And so we as followers of Jesus, as the church, need to rephrase the question. It's not "what is it about The Secret that is so compelling?" It's "what is it about our version of Christianity that is lacking, and therefore is unappealing or unconvincing for our culture?"

I think that is a fantastic question, because it implies that if we in the church were, in the words of Pastor Steve, "living well enough that they might want what we have," The Secret would arrive and find no audience. We're clearly not there yet, and it's been an indicting thought for me all week long...

Junkmail

I/we get so much bulk or junk mail every morning. At least it seems like a lot to me, like 15-20 messages, sometimes more. I thought this morning that I would share the joy! Here are the sender and subject lines of most of the bulkmail messages in my inbox, with a wee bit o' commentary thrown in for fun...

1. Someone named Josephine Harvey tells me that "no doctor appointment is necessary." I say, thanks for caring. Josephine, you could be a good friend...IF YOU WERE A REAL PERSON!!!

2. Sanand Fong is letting me know that he can get me "ADOBE SOFT ware for less." Umm, Sanand, "software" is one word...

3. Jack Isenberg dropped me a note with the helpful information that a "Canadian pharmacy will satisfy all you pharmaceutical needs." Yeah, if you can get there through the snow...and is their no "your" in Canadian?!?

4. "Exquisite Replica" has some "replica pens" and "Handbags" will sell me some "replica watches." Ironic coming from a "replica" email...

5. Friedrich Shaw wants to--wait for it--help me have a "turbo orgasm." Thanks for that, Fred.

6. Lastly, Ticketmaster warns: "don't miss Crowded House." Crowded House?!? Really? Are we still in the '80s? Are they playing with A-Ha? The Talking Heads? Wham? Flock of Seagulls? The Buggles?

Really, the only missing bulkmails this morning would seem to be my cheap Viagra offers, ebay items that I didn't bid on and the invitation to singles in my area. Something to look forward to tomorrow I guess...

I'm all for "transparent" government...

...but this seems a bit much...

Also, HAPPY 300th POST!!! Whoot!

Motivation...

June 1 is a key day on my calendar...it's the official start of golf season. Time to get out the clubs and find some form! Golf season runs from June 1 through the Golf Odyssey in mid-December, and then I'm dormant again until the next June. The closer it gets, the more excited I become, and I'm starting to look forward to reclaiming the title (for the first time in several years) at the GO in December.

Which is why Amy's comment the other day in the car stopped me cold. We were talking about the beginning of golf season and she said: "like you're ever gonna win it again, babe. It's over."

So in pro sports, you hear athletes talk about "bulletin board material;" that is, someone says something inflammatory about the opposition, and it goes up on the locker room bulletin board. Come into my garage right now, and you'll see Amy's quote up on the fridge (though I should say in her defense that she went on to explain that for her it's an issue of resources...time and money to improve--or not). Anyway, time for me to clear off room on the wall for the Champion's plaque...

Sad Day for Cycling

With Floyd Landis' 2006 Tour de France doping arbitration hearing still ongoing (and generating plenty of salacious press), today comes news that for the second straight day, another former professional cyclist has admitting to doping. And, this time, it's a big fish. Bjarne Riis won the Tour de France in 1996 and today came clean to doping from 1993-1998. Here's the story.

And I'll just say it...with every new guilty admission from other riders from the era, in my mind the chances that Lance and Greg didn't dope take another hit. Sad.

Did you know...

...that John Mayer has a blog?!?

Yeah, it's a wonderland...

"In this age of social disconnectivity and lack of human contact, the effects of the Free Hugs campaign became phenomenal."

A couple weeks back Pastor Steve used the story of Juan Mann (really?!?) to illustrate our need to open up to God's love. Here's the video. Here's the site. Whatever you think of that dude and his campaign, it is pretty wild to watch the process of initial skepticism to phenomenon to opposition to affirmation.

Perhaps our next evangelism outreach at Fresno State?!?

Book Review: Next by Michael Crichton

First off, a shout out to Jeremy, the King of Book Reviews...I love joining you in what you are reading!

There are at least three things I consistently love about Michael Crichton. First, he is flat out a great writer. I love the way he progressively builds tension, and I appreciate how he somehow manages to make technical jargon interesting and understandable. Next, he does a good job creating identifiable characters; what I mean is, nine times out of ten, in any given situation, Crichton's characters act the way I think I would. Unlike, say, Dan Brown's Robert Langdon, a Crichton book is full of normal people who do (mostly) average things--for good or for ill--in the face of unusual situations.

But the thing I love most about a Crichton yarn is that I feel like he is using the format of a novel as a way to work out his own questions on some issue, and I like joining him in that journey. In Disclosure, for instance, he's trying to figure out what he thinks about sexual harassment (and reverse sexual harassment). In Congo, it's what happens when humans invade what previously was a closed system. And in Sphere, my favorite, it's what becomes of a perfectly assembled team in the face of unexplainable (and malicious) chaos.

In Next, his most recent outing, Crichton takes on the science of genetics, examining the moral, ethical and legal implications of this new field. Reading along, you feel like you are reading his blog or journal, in story form, as he wrestles with issues such as the patenting of individual genes, the ethics of altering the genetic code of turtles in the name of advertising (yes, that's right), and the complicated choices the legal community is facing as the science of genetics raises all kinds of new and bizarre questions. As almost a bonus, Crichton gives several pages at the end to spell out his conclusions on the topic. If you would like a taste of the book's content, go here. It's a parody site...or is it?

The bottom line: Next was more than worth the fifteen person wait I endured on the library hold list. In fact, I'll give it a thirty!

Music Review

Truth be told, I'm not a huge music person, but I came across a CD recently (thanks, Lovie!) that I loved. In his album Songs for Silverman, Ben Folds sounds to me like some great-great-grandson of Paul Simon, what with his socially provocative lyrics and eclectic musical stylings (believe it or not, Cal Poly alum Weird Al sings backup on one of the songs...).

For me the best song on the album is "Jesusland" with its devastating and indicting lyrics ("crosses flying high above the malls"). You'd also recognize "Landed" from the radio.

But in the end my favorite song, for obvious reasons, is "Gracie," Ben Folds' song honoring his daughter "Gracie girl." Here are the lyrics.

Saying Goodbye

Last week I did my last ministry as a Fresno State Team Leader. Lord willing, Noemi takes that role next year and I kick back and do what all Area Directors do; namely, sit around, drink mai tais and screen calls...but I digress.

What's funny about this departure is that it feels categorically different than my previous one, from Cal Poly in Spring '04. That one was dominated by the twin feelings of grief and appreciation. This one is marked mainly by relief. Why? A couple of thoughts...

1. In my three years doing both roles (TL and AD), I've been craving the chance to just do one well. It's tough to feel like you are doing a good job when you are trying to fulfill two of them. And not feeling like I am in a situation where I can do ministry with excellence has been frustrating. So I've been eager to hand off leadership and, with that in sight, it feels like a breath of fresh air.

2. Being a caretaker wars against a feeling of ownership...and I've seen myself as a caretaker from day 1. It's hard to let yourself engage when you know your time is short; that's true on short-term missions trips and it's been true in my situation. Even while I've been pouring my heart out at CSUF, I've been hopeful for the arrival of the day when the caretaker moves on and the next leader arrives!

3. I have a strong conviction that me leaving is precisely what's needed, for everyone concerned. I need it, my family needs it, the students need it, non-believers on campus need it, the young Staff need it, etc. It's good all around, and therefore it's a relief. I'm glad for what I perceive to be the win-win-win-win-win-etc.

All of that said, I'm going to miss the week-in, week-out time with some great students. At our year-end BBQ last week, we took a picture that is proudly up on my wall. Thank God for what he's done in the past 3 years and thank God that he's going to keep working in me, Noemi (join me in praying for some funds!), the students, the vision, etc. Here's the shot:

Campus by the Sea Update

Some of you know and love InterVarsity's Campus by the Sea on Catalina Island, and maybe you've been wondering how it did during the fires this week. Here's a link to IV's official website where there is a story and two pictures posted. Let's thank God for his protection over what for many of us is our spiritual home!

Going on right now!

We just heard this morning about a shooting near Fresno State involving students. Here is the official CSUF bulletin. Here is the story on cnn.com.

How do you say "the latest sign that the apocalypse is upon us" in Spanish?!?

What the heck is this all about?!? And, why wasn't I invited?

Shout Out to Google

So we all know that Google is taking over the world...but at least on their way they are doing some cool stuff! I've recently been introduced to google docs (thanks Nalley) and it's great. It's possible to upload a document (or a spreadsheet), invite others to join you in editing it, and then when you're done you download it back to your computer. Much better than typing up a draft, attaching it to an email and then having to consolidate all the edits you get back yourself. Good on ya, Google. Remember me when you rule us all!

The Soundtrack of Our Lives

Wanna experience what it's like to be me? This is running through my head all day long...

Any chance to use the word "kerfluffle..."

I'll admit it...I love that word. Especially when Jeremy uses it. I've been looking for my reason to use it, and here it is.

Turns out England's Queen Elizabeth is coming across the pond to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement (interesting TIME article on Jamestown here). And so ahead of her visit she did what any sensible person does before leaving on a trip; she sat down for a professional, formal portrait.

But now there's this kerfluffle over it. I don't get it. I say let her highness wear and look however she wants. She is, after all, the freakin' queen of England!

Still, maybe it's just me, but I can't help but wonder what her majesty would look like posed in the ever-popular "asses-milk" bath...

Disneyland Report

So they say--and by "they" I mean someone Amy read about on the internet--that you haven't really experienced Disneyland until you see it through the eyes of your children.

And you know what?!? I think "they" are on to something. Because where I saw a slow ride through an imaginary world, they saw Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and hunny pots. And where I saw a castle that I swear looked smaller than I remembered it, they were in awe and went around looking for Sleeping Beauty (or Peach, Mario and Bowser, but I digress...). And, finally, where I waited, all sweaty and grumbling, in a small, cartoon house with 200 other sweaty grumbling parents, they were willing to pay any price just for 20 precious seconds with Mickey Mouse.

And so our trip was a smashing success. The kids did great, Aunties and Uncles were fabulous, our Disney dollars allowed them to get whatever they wanted, and we even made it back to Fresno before midnight. Here's a shot of the kids with Mr. M. Mouse:

Off to the Magic Kingdom

Birthday week at the Dixon's concludes today and tomorrow with a trip to Disneyland! We've decided that when the kids turn 5, it's Mickey time. So we'll be in the park all day tomorrow, 8am to after the Electric Light Parade. The kids are all about princesses and Pooh Corner (by the way, what's with taking out the Country Bear Jamboree?!?), but Amy and I will be looking for the new Space Mountain and the new Pirates. Full report Monday!

Turning 35...

A new blog look for a new year. I'm celebrating today by taking the day off, playing some Mario, taking a nap, watching ManU at 11:30, dinner at Chevy's and then the Lakers to cap the day. Good times.

On travel...

I just got back last night from 4 days in Santa Barbara. In this most recent concentrated travel season, I've been on the road 16 out of the last 28 days. Here are some things I'm learning about the travel part of my Staff job:

1. I really love my family. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" is a true statement. Plus, it freaks me out to know that daily Lucy is terrorizing my office...

2. I've got the maximize the time. My latest realization is that if I'm going to be on the road in meetings or at a conference, I might as well "supersize" the workload. So you'll find me slotting in extra meetings or working on things around the edges (or during the meetings...) in order to get more done. That way, less to do at home!

3. Coming back is tougher than leaving. Here's what I mean...I drag my carcass back from a trip exhausted, and all I want is a couch, the remote control and some ice cream. But Amy is also exhausted, and she wants essentially the same thing (substitute ice cream with popcorn...). So I'm learning to adjust my expectations for reentry. Yesterday on the drive up the 99, I began to pray that I would wake up today with a servant's heart, since there is much to be done with the kids and around the house.

4. I shouldn't complain. If you catch me complaining, smack me! Two reasons...one, it's always tougher for Amy than for me. For instance, during this last trip, while I'm hanging out with cool people playing "Up Jenkins" late night at a Denny's, Amy is home tending to Josh while he's up all night with Bronchitis (true story). Second, the travel I do I do because of our calling, and it has eternal consequences. It is a common thing for me to see students become Christians at Conferences these days, and then to realize that the decisions I/we make at meetings have a direct impact on that moment. That's a sweet understanding that makes the sacrifice worth something.

No more long work trips until May 9-12 (Vegas, baby). In the meantime, I'll enjoy the time at home...folding laundry, vacuuming, errands and, most importantly, protecting the office from Lucy...

Nightmare

For a campus minister, the Virgina Tech tragedy hits close to home. VT has an InterVarsity chapter, and our national site has this update. Join me in praying for the situation in general, and for the IV students and staff in particular.

Here's a thought

What if EVERYONE is a racist?!?

I've heard a couple of Don Imus sound bites recently where he declares something to the effect that "anyone who knows me, who has listened to the show, can tell you, 'I am not a racist.'" Mixed with the appropriate gravitas and earnestness, case closed, right?

But what if by that statement Don Imus is answering the entirely wrong question? In fact, what if the question is not "are you are racist or not?" but instead is "how are you on the road to recovery from your racialization?"

I've posted about racialization before, but to sum it up, everyone gets racialized in their life, like it or not. It's in the cultural air you breathe, and the effect of it is that you have a bias. For me, it's the bias that white is somehow better or more normal (I have a similar bias about being male, and clearly Mr. Imus has that as well).

So the key issue in my life, or, in my opinion, anyone else's, is what are you doing about your bias?!? Have you acknowledged it are you trying to grow? Where are you in admitting your racial brokenness? What does healing look like in your life? In the case of Don Imus, what if, instead of repeating the litany that goes "I'm not a racist," he (or anyone else in power who at some point let's their racialized heart break through their guarded mouth) says, "I regret very much that I said that, but at the core I've got some racial brokenness that I need to work through. Clearly, I have a ways to go, and I'm sorry."

How much more powerful (in addition to being more truthful) would a statement like that be anyway?!?

What happens when you throw a nice, new Dell toner cartridge in a bubblebath?!?

Thanks to Lucy, we get to find out!

So what does a 325mg Tylenol suppository feel like anyway?!?

Here is the follow up to Birthday-girl Gracie's procedure!

Thanks so much for your prayers and well wishes. All is fine with Grace. We went in early this morning, and the procedure was quick and successful. We had a little trouble with the "dismount;" Gracie did not like the coming out of anesthesia feeling (or maybe it was that suppository...), and spent her first 45 waking minutes crying. 3 shots of narcotics later, all was well and she's right now sleeping it off in her crib. Dr. says she should be up, around and normal later on tonight.

We're grateful for her health and for safety. And we thank God for his comfort and provision, while at the same time praying for that for our various family and friends who have children who are persevering through worse and/or chronic conditions and situations. Hang in there friends!

Thanks again for upholding us in prayer!
Rob (for all).

A Bath-time Conversation at the Dixons

This one is contributed by Amy. To set the scene, Lucy is in the tub finishing up a bath and Josh is on the potty...pray for us...

Josh: “Mom, mom, come look at this!”

Amy: “Josh, I don’t need to see your poo-poo, just flush it down.”

Josh: “You don’t have to smell it, just come see it.”

Lucy: “I want to see it.”

Josh: “You know what would be so so funny? If little kids ate their poo-poo.”

Amy: “No, that wouldn’t be funny at all! We don’t eat poo-poo.”

Lucy: “But Josh’s poo-poo looks like hot-dogs!”

Amy: “It is NOT hot dogs, it is so, so yucky...”

Josh: “It would be okay if we tried some.”

Amy: “NO!”

Lucy: “Hot dogs are yummy! I love hot dogs!”

Josh: “Water is good for your body, maybe we could just have the water from the toilet.”

Amy: “No, water from the toilet is yucky too.”

Lucy: “We could put it in a cup!”

Amy: “NO, please both of you promise me that you will never, ever, eat or drink ANYTHING from the toilet!”

Lucy: “Can we have hot dogs for dinner tomorrow?”

Praying for Grace

Below is a copy of an email I just sent out about our daughter Grace. Feel free to join us in praying!

As many of you know, I just got back from Catalina and a powerful week where as a community we saw God answer our prayers. In fact, I think I prayed more last week than I ever have before at an IV event! And it was great.

Which is why I'm writing to invite your prayers for our daughter Gracie tomorrow morning. Many of you know this, but Grace has had to endure an almost constant ear infection since Thanksgiving. She's been on like 7 or 8 antibiotic treatments (we've lost count!). And in the past several weeks, we have been trying to weigh whether or not to take her in to get drainage tubes or not. On one hand, by the Dr's estimation, the tubes should relieve up to 90% of the infections. On the other hand, putting your 1 year old under anesthesia and sending her into surgery is not something you do lightly.

In the end, we've decided to take her in for the procedure. It should be quick and the healing should be short. The tubes would then go to work and fall out naturally in a year or so. We're waiting for our final instructions for tomorrow, but it will likely be in the morning here in Fresno at our Dr's office.

Could you join us in praying...

1. For the surgery to go well and free of complications!
2. For, in particular, the anesthesia process to go well (that's our biggest fear).
3. For comfort for Amy and I was we endure the realityy of Gracie going through this.
4. For a quick recovery (tomorrow is actually her 1st birthday and her party is Saturday).

Thanks, and I'll update you on Friday!

I needed that

What doesn't make it into my regular prayer letters is how discouraging ministry can be sometimes. And that's exactly how I've felt with some regularity in the last, oh, 3 months or so with the ministry at Fresno State.

Which is why last week's Vision Seminar was exactly what I needed. Catalina island, students who were excited to be there and expectant for a profound week, lots of prayer, decisions for Jesus, baptisms, frisbee golf, manuscript study in the book of Philippians...the bottom line is that God showed up in a powerful and unmistakable way, and this crusty, old campus minister needed that!

Here's a shot of the crew up at the cross after praying up Noemi, the next Fresno State Team Leader:

Influential

We Dixons try to be influencers, and that's why we're proud to see Josh already changing the lives the people around him, in this case, his Uncle Jeremy. "Let's-a go!"

Bummer

Our friend and Staff partner Robert just had this happen to his car:


(that'll teach him to leave his car under a tree in stormy Fresno!)

Why I love turbulence...

2 reasons:

1. Each bump causes me to have a conversation with Jesus.

2. With the elevated heart rate, I get a terrific workout. I spent two hours today at my anaerobic threshold.

In Denver tonight, one more flight to Madison, WI tomorrow...

They're Baaack!

One thing I love about living in Clovis are the bi-yearly community clean-up days. Twice a year the city welcomes residents to literally pile anything they like outside at the curb, and then they come through with a skip loader and some trucks and clean it all up. Genius! It's nice not to have to worry about dump runs. The one downside to the process is that for the two weeks (or more) leading up to the actual day, the neighborhood looks like one big landfill. I never like to invite anyone over during these weeks, since to do so means that they see pile after pile of yard clippings, old appliances and kids toys (the three most popular items). By the end of the two weeks, we're ready for our curbs back!

But because there are these two weeks of "landfill time," there's also this curious phenomenon of people who cruise around and pick at the piles. Last year I blogged about them as well, calling them "crap collectors," "garbage grabbers," and "leftover looters." Whatever you call them--and this year I've gone with "trash trollers"--I love watching them at work! They swing by in a minivan or maybe a massive pick-up, survey your gear, then load up the winners.

Yesterday I put out my pile. The first version of the pile looked like this (by the way, can we appreciate the order to that pile--the nicest pile of trash on my street, proud to say!).


The pile out, I began to watch and wait. What would go first? My money was on the table. But maybe the half sheet of drywall? The old tool holder? The black shelving?

They went with the shelving. In under 10 minutes, it was gone. Later, I put out an old TV and it was gone in less than 5. Upon waking this morning, it's almost all gone except for the old water heater, the bucket of old BBQ rocks and, strangely, the tool holder.

I think for next year I'm going to put out the pile and then watch for our trollers to come by. When they do, I'm going to interview them and get their picture. "Why'd you take this cinder block, sir?" "What are you going to do with that old hoola hoop, maam?" "Would you all pose next to your Chevy Suburban full of my cast-offs? Smile!"

I think it would make for a good coffee table book...or maybe a reality show?!?

Any way we can pimp Goodyear...

Watching the NCAA tourney today (Go Bruins! Save my bracket!), and it dawned on me that the most inane thing ever has to be "aerial coverage..." OF A DOMED STADIUM! I mean, really, great that we have the blimp floating around for hours giving us a live look...at the roof of an arena. How helpful to the coverage. On the flip side, next time I need tires, I'm going Goodyear...

Strange Bedfellows

Wild to read about internet porn companies and the religious crowd on the same side of an issue, and yet it sounds like that's exactly the case with the proposed .xxx domain name. Here's the article.

But as crazy as that is, here was the alarming takeaway for me from the piece: "more than a third of U.S. internet users visit [adult sites] each month, according to comScore Media Metrix." That seems high to me, and it's surely tragic if true.

Staff is for young people?

I'm beginning to think that is really true. As my years on Staff increase, what brings me more and more joy is seeing the next generation(s) develop. That I get to participate in that is even better!

One of my Staff, Robert Madrid, has a ministry blog that chronicles what God is doing in and through him. Check him out here.

Needing to pray...

8:30 to go in the second half and my Cal Poly Mustangs are down 60-53 to Long Beach State in the finals of the Big West. At stake is our first NCAA tourney bid ever. Come on Poly!

Freakin' me out

As our President gets roundly defiled on the first leg of his Latin America trip, I found myself telling a friend tonight, "the only thing that matters to me in the next election is which candidate do I think will restore our nation's standing and reputation in the world?!?"

Look at that picture. More here.

The older I get...

...the more I care about the philosophy behind the practice (as opposed to the practice itself).

Brief Update

Lot's going on around here, and the week ahead is dedicated to Fund Development. Tough to blog regularly.

Following up on last week's talk in SLO, you can listen to it here. Now go listen everyb...um, Mom.

Nod to Ferris

Josh and I traveled over to SLO last night to speak at the InterVarsity meeting, and we traveled in style...props first to Priceline for taking us up on our $24 Premium rental offer, then props to Hertz for the free upgrade to luxury and, finally, props to Cadillac for creating the DTS. I'm not much of a car guy, but I loved driving that car. And I loved making it from SLO to Fresno in 2 hours flat at the end of the night (sorry, grandmas). Quoting Ferris Bueller, "it's so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend it..."

Here's the beauty in our driveway. In other news, note that tightly edged lawn!

What the hail?!?

We had a raging hail storm pass through Clovis tonight and then move on. Here was the shot from our front lawn looking west, not that it does it justice!

Pechugitas por todos!!!

I had Pollo Campero this past Saturday for lunch--praise the Lord--at the Glendale Galleria. And while I will allow that it's not quite the same without the noises and visuals of Antigua in the background...LOVE THE COUNTRY CHICKEN!!!

The arrival of Campero in the States makes for an interesting study. Check out this piece from NPR.

The Bizarro Sovereignty of God

How is it that during a season of drama, brokenness and relational upheaval in our community, someone makes the blessed choice to come into the Kingdom?!? Wild.

Gaffe Watch

Certainly a gaffe, Sen. Obama, but maybe not fatal.

That's easy!

SportsCenter tonight is asking the question "what is the best play from the last 30 years?" Come on, that's not even worth asking. We all know it's this one.

Honestly, I pretty much agree with...

...Vladimir Putin.

A. O. Smith, 1977-2007

Rest in peace to our old water heater. Thirty years standing up for our houses' hot water needs! Well done, A. O. Smith serial number 850-F-77-76563.

Night at the SaveMart

We loaded up the Staff team and went to watch the Dogs take on #11 Nevada last night over at the SaveMart Center. Close first half, but Nevada won going away 81-68. What was the problem you ask?!? The Dogs shot just 40% from the line, 10 out of 25. Looks like somebody needs some free throw practice...

Two pictures from the night. One from our seats and the other our Staff team!

Good Sport

As the football season comes to a close this weekend, thankfully we in America get to comfort ourselves with a our unofficial national pastime: The Political Candidate Gaffe Derby (PCGD for those of you in InterVarsity). It's a great game, and, by the way, what a beautiful word "gaffe" is. The game goes like this: we line up all these presidential hopefuls (TIME this week listed like 15-20 of them) and we wait. What are we waiting for?!? We wait for the inevitable gaffe, the remark that disqualifies. And now with youtube, it is sure to be recorded and distributed.

Chalk up our first gaffe today, with Sen. Biden. You win Joe! PCGD medal for you! Who's next?!?