Lexie added a new creature to her friend list and she wanted to introduce the two of you…
Monthly Archives: February 2012
Colossal failure?
Pastor Steve DeWitt preached two powerful messages on failure recently that I found very helpful and encouraging. He detailed Peter’s denial of Jesus and Jesus’ subsequent restoration of Peter.
Two quotes from the sermons:
“There has never been, nor will there ever be in all of human history, a greater personal failure against Jesus AND a greater complete restoration than Simon Peter.”
“The point is not that we should be like Jesus in the house and not like Peter in the courtyard, but that we are by nature like Peter. This realization ought to cause us to look at the One in the house and realize that he is utterly worthy of adoration. We see Jesus’ story continue from the house to Pilate’s judgment to the flogging and ultimately to the cross. The courage Jesus displayed and his willing obedience to the Father’s will – even to death – shows in stark contrast who we are and who he is.
I read this week that the actor Mark Wahlberg said that if on 9/11 he had been in one of the planes, the outcome would have been much different. He later apologized, but don’t we do that? Don’t we imagine ourselves the hero in the story? Don’t we picture ourselves as Jesus instead of Peter? This narrative is here to glorify the character of the Son of God. Peter makes Jesus look good.
What does an honest assessment of ourselves reveal? We are just as flaky as Peter. As our church doctrinal statement says, We are sinners by nature and by action. But praise God there is one in the house who is faithful and true, courageous and unbending, obedient unto death. We don’t die for him, he dies for us!”
Curry up!
We made it over to Taste of India [TOI] this afternoon for lunch and it was a culturally-enlightening experience. The initial sign that TOI was a full-service restaurant was the decal-plastered delivery van parked in the prime spot near the front entrance.
The lunch buffet included a wide variety of Indian cuisine that greatly challenged my sheltered palette [though both of my lunch dates managed quite well]. Among the Indian delicacies in abundant supply were chicken tandoori, chicken makhani, moong dal [yellow lentils simmered and tempered with onion, ginger, garlic & tomatoes], goat something, fried catfish, mushroom stew, two kinds of rice, gulab jamun [deep-fried milk balls in a sweet syrup], and a tempting spinach concoction pictured below.
With so many options to select from, I limited myself to 3 items I felt were safe picks: chicken tandoori, vegetable rice, and chicken makhani, with a side of some really tasty Indian bread called naan. The girls finally talked me into trying the gulab jamun for dessert [the guy told Meagan they were Indian "donuts"] and that turned out to be a good call. Really nice!
A few other oddities: 1] They had a “salad bar” but no distinguishable dressings. No ranch, blue cheese, vinegarette, etc….just 3 colorful yet suspicious liquids that created way too many questions. 2] The place wreaked of curry and we carried that friendly aroma with us the rest of the day. Potent stuff! 3] On my quick trip to the bathroom before we left, I found this helpful instruction…
Like I said, a culturally-enlightening experience!
Taste of India?
Katie has been after me for some time to try an Indian restaurant near Bethel Church. Then she lured Meagan into the fray. Together, they’ve finally convinced me [ahem...wore me down!] to give it a shot with the old “they have a lunch buffet” routine. “Surely I can find some chicken nuggets or cottage cheese” I’ve told myself half-heartedly. Then I did a little web search and found a nifty video that sealed the deal. Can’t believe I’ve procrastinated on this one…
My favorite quote from the guy who doesn’t blink: “So we look forward for you to come here and get a dining experience, for you to experience yourself.”
We’ll provide a review of our “dining experience” when we go…maybe tomorrow.
Kristy’s 40
Kristy breezes by the big 4-0 today and I’m thinking she’s come a looooooong way baby!
Awww, stop it. [lego hair optional]
Insert your favorite 70′s dig here!
Where to begin in critiquing this goldenrod ensemble?
The Princess Diana years
Billy Ray Cyrus called and he’d like his look back!
CHS hoopster!
The robust, Glamour shot, prom night photo shoot…
First-time mom!
Numero dos!
Luke in the house!
Landry completes the Bagg foursome!
Present-day Kristy and crew!
Congrats Kris! Here’s to 40 more!
Zacchaeus was a wee little man…
…a stirring duet performed by two wee little people [Meagan and Alex], circa 1999.
You’re singing the song aren’t you?
Float me a buck or two?
In the immortal words of Rick Perry, “Oops!”
Lexie made a $2 miscue while shopping the other day and was quick enough with the Ipod to snap a picture [the girl has a bright future!]. And according to eyewitness accounts, the lady who entered the stall next didn’t find Lou’s gift all that funny. Killjoy!
Just glad Lexie doesn’t carry larger bills.
All I Have is Christ
A powerful, hopeful song we sang last night at church.
King’s Cross
Katie and I have joined a small group at Bethel and we are reading through Tim Keller’s King’s Cross together. Keller works through the gospel of Mark as he develops his premise that “through his [Jesus'] words and actions, how beautifully his life makes sense of ours.”
Read the introduction to the book or Chapter 1 here.
I plan to post some excerpts as we work through the study.
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You’re glorifying something when you find it beautiful for what it is in itself. Its beauty compels you to adore it, to have your imagination captured by it. This happened to me with Mozart. I listened to Mozart to get an A in music appreciation in college.
I had to get good grades to get a good job, so in other words, I listened to Mozart to make money. But today I am quite willing to spend money just to listen to Mozart, not because it’s useful to me anymore but because it’s beautiful in itself. It’s no longer a means to an end.
And when it’s a person you find beautiful in that way, you want to serve them unconditionally. When you say, “I’ll serve, as long as I’m getting benefits from it,” that’s not actually serving people; it’s serving yourself through them. That’s not circling them, orbiting around them; it’s using them, getting them to orbit around you.
Of course there are many of us who look unselfish and dutiful, simply because we can’t say no: We say yes to everything, and people are always using us. Everybody says, “Oh, you’re so self- less, so giving of yourself; you need to think more about taking care of yourself.” But think about those of us who don’t have boundaries and who let people walk all over us and use us and can’t say no—do you think we’re doing that out of love for other people? Of course not, we’re doing it out of need—we say yes to everything out of fear and cowardice. That’s far from glorifying others. To glorify others means to unconditionally serve them, not because we’re getting anything out of it, just because of our love and appreciation for who they truly are.
♦ Keller, Timothy. (2011) King’s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus (pp. 6-7). Hodder & Stoughton.
Leading the Pack…
These words are included in the title of a study released this past Wednesday by the University of Illinois at Chicago. The subject? Deep-dish pizza? Windshear warnings? Snowplows per capita? Nope.
Corruption.
The study, Chicago and Illinois, Leading the Pack in Corruption, details the city of Chicago’s notorious history of public scandal and the ugly track record of the state of Illinois’ highest ranking government officials The opening paragraphs of the report go straight to the issues at the state capitol:
“Since 1970, four Illinois governors have been convicted of corruption. Yet only seven men have held this office in this time, meaning more than half of the state’s governors have been convicted in the past forty-two years. Otto Kerner, who served from 1961 until his resignation in 1968 to accept a federal judgeship, was convicted in 1973 of mail fraud, bribery, perjury, and income tax evasion while governor. Dan Walker, who served from 1973 – 1977, was convicted in 1987 of obtaining fraudulent loans for the business he operated after he left office.
George Ryan, who served from 1999 – 2003, was found guilty in 2006 of racketeering, conspiracy and numerous other charges. Many of the charges were part of a huge scandal, later called “Licenses for Bribes,” which resulted in the conviction of more than 40 state workers and private citizens. The scandal involved unqualified truck drivers receiving licenses in exchange for bribes that would ultimately end up in Ryan’s campaign fund. The scandal came to light when a recipient of one of these licenses crashed in to a van and killed six children. But perhaps the most famous of all Illinois corrupt officials is Rod Blagojevich, who served from 2003 until his impeachment in 2009. Blagojevich was ultimately convicted in 2011 of trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. Other charges included his attempting to shake down Children’s Memorial Hospital for a campaign contribution in return for funding and his trying to extort a racetrack owner.”
If you have an extra week or two, read the full report here.
So what’s the point?
Meagan was studying for a Civics test this past Wednesday and she had to memorize this quote: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
I just found the timing of the UIC study and Meagan’s studying to be interesting.
