Take Your Dog’s Picture with Santa at Willow Bend mall

We went shopping at an area mall tonight, an experience which I normally find as exciting as raking leaves.  This evening was different, however.  Janet found something neither of us had seen–a hooded sweatshirt with iPod earphones built into the drawstrings.  I still remember my first cassette recorder, an innovation our sons have no idea ever existed.  The technological world is clearly passing me by.

But the highlight of the evening was visiting the Santa display (pictured next to this blog), where we witnessed a procession of dogs on leashes waiting patiently beside their owners.  It was “Take Your Dog’s Picture with Santa” night.  Janet noted that she wouldn’t want to be the first child on Santa’s lap tomorrow. Read the rest of this entry »

original story from: CNN

“You KNOW it’s a Myth.  This season, celebrate reason!”  So says “American Atheists – Reasonable since 1963.”  The billboard is visible to those entering Manhattan through the Lincoln Tunnel, and is just one of several being planned by the atheists’ group.

I am reminded of this statement on a church marquee: “Since I don’t believe in atheists, atheists don’t exist.”  Jesus called us to love God “with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).  Our Father invites us to “reason together” (Isaiah 1:18).  We “celebrate reason” best when we know the One who is the Truth (John 14:6).

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (credit: photo by Espen Moe via Flickr)

WikiLeaks is dominating the morning news.  Today’s Wall Street Journal quotes White House spokesman Robert Gibbs: the people who released the cables were “criminals, first and foremost.”  The people quoted in these private conversations and those who released them share a trait with you and me: we are fallen creatures.

I’m glad this is the Advent “week of hope.”  Churches around the world lit the Prophet’s Candle on their Advent wreaths last Sunday, as we claim the hope that Messiah has come as our Savior and King. Read the rest of this entry »

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Dallas Mavericks game, November 29, 2010

I took the photo beside this blog at last night’s Dallas Mavericks basketball game.  To you it is probably a blur of humanity.  What makes it blog-worthy?  The man on the basketball court in the red shirt riding a 15-foot tall unicycle.

The game ended well for the home team, but the half time entertainment was even more memorable.  A daredevil rode a unicycle while twirling a woman above his head.  Then he climbed a ladder to sit atop the tallest unicycle I’ve ever seen.  He rode it around the court, juggling bowling pins.  He finally returned to the ladder, climbed back down, and lived to ride another day. Read the rest of this entry »

Credit: Reuters/Multnomah County Sheriff's Office/Handout

“We just can’t get them all.”  So admits a terrorism expert in the wake of last Friday’s attempt to bomb a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon.  This morning’s USA Today tells us that “Americans should expect more homegrown terrorist plots” in the future.  I’m glad this is the Advent “week of hope.”

“Advent” translates the Latin adventus, celebrating Jesus’ arrival on Christmas.  In Western Christianity, Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day.  Eastern Orthodox churches begin Advent on November 15 and observe the season for 40 days.

The Advent wreath has been in Christian use since the Middle Ages.  Made of evergreens, the wreath symbolizes eternal life.  Its holly leaves remind us of Jesus’ crown of thorns.  The circle of the wreath symbolizes the eternality of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life found in Jesus.  Pine cones symbolize life and resurrection. Read the rest of this entry »

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Dallas Cowboys vs New Orleans Saints at Cowboys Stadium, Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 2010

I took the picture beside this blog at the Cowboys’ game last Thursday, where Janet and I were invited by some very gracious friends to join them for Thanksgiving.  We witnessed personally the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” as the saying goes.  When Roy Williams fumbled the ball on the Saints’ 11 yard line with the Cowboys leading by four points, I was among the 90,000 or so people who blamed him for the team’s eventual defeat.  I am writing tonight to repent.
Read the rest of this entry »

The aircraft carrier USS George Washington departs Busan, ahead of planned war games that have sparked retaliation threats from North Korea. (US Navy: Adam K Thomas)

The hostilities between North and South Korea are being called the most serious since the Korean War was halted in 1953.  Today’s New York Times reports that the U.S. will respond to North Korea’s shelling of a South Korean island by staging joint military exercises with our ally.  The aircraft carrier George Washington and other ships are headed for the region as we seek to prevent this conflict from escalating into war. Read the rest of this entry »

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courtesy of user: de:Benutzer:Ralf Roletschek at en.wikipedia.org

Have you been through one of the new airport screeners?  I passed through one last week.  If you are flying this Thanksgiving week, you may have the experience as well.

Nearly 400 scanners have been installed in 68 U.S. airports, including all of the 25 busiest airports.  They cost $150,000 to $180,000 apiece.  The government expects to install 1,000 scanners by the end of next year.  This morning’s Los Angeles Times tells us that most passengers will continue only passing  through metal detectors.  A smaller group will be asked to submit to a body scan.  Those who refuse will be asked to undergo a pat-down which is more invasive than in previous years. Read the rest of this entry »

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Dr Wright Lassiter

Dr. Wright Lassiter is one of the wisest, most godly men I have ever known.  Chancellor of the Dallas County Community College District, he leads an organization which serves more than 100,000 students.  An elder and volunteer staff member at his church, he is known throughout our city for his character, brilliance, and servant leadership.

It was my privilege to attend Dallas Baptist University’s Russell Perry Free Enterprise Award Dinner this evening, where Dr. Lassiter was the award recipient.  After we heard remarkably glowing testimonials to his achievements and stature, the honoree was invited to the platform.  He thanked the University with his typical humility, then explained his philosophy of servant leadership by quoting his father: “Service is the rent you pay for your space here on Earth.”

His father was right.

The night he was betrayed, Jesus took a towel and water basin in hand.  He then proceeded to wash the feet of his disciples.  This was the lowliest, most humiliating service conceivable in their culture.  It was such a demeaning task that no Jewish person could be made to do it.  We picture him washing the feet of Peter, the man who would deny him three times, and Judas, the man who would betray him.  Then he told us, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:14-15).

When we stand before our Lord, he will measure our success not by our title but by our towel.

South Korean firefighters preparing for terror attack (Reuters/Choi Bu-Seok)

Germany is preparing for terrorist attacks this morning.  Today’s Wall Street Journal states the obvious: “the warnings have put a damper on planned holiday festivities.”  According to today’s New York Times, a Boeing 767 was forced to return to Kennedy International Airport yesterday after reports of a fire on board.  Closer to home, Reuters reports this morning that economists are worried about inflation as the Federal Reserve takes steps to pump more money into the U.S. economy. Read the rest of this entry »

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:42 — 1.2MB)