Osama, Wordsworth, and Poe

Osama is Back
An audio tape has surfaced in which Osama threatens the US with more acts of terrorism. The CIA confirms it is the voice of bin Laden. How unsettling is it to know he’s still out there?

My Rant on Terrorists
Among the string of thoughts that crossed my mind after the news was this: If there is any doubt in anyone’s mind that bringing Saddam to justice is necessary, this should clinch it. McArthur said something like old soldiers don’t die, they just fade away. Well I say terrorist leaders don’t quit, they just find a deeper hole and keep plotting. If Saddam was reinstated today, what do you think he would do? My guess does not involve him teaching Bible studies and playing board games with small children. Maybe it’s not fair to compare Osama and Saddam, but the bottom line is that neither respect Western concepts of human rights. I’ll go a step farther and say that don’t respect universal concepts of human rights. There’s nothing ethnocentric about saying genocide is wrong. And if terrorists are not captured and stopped in some way, the Mideast will never escape its reign of torture and annihilation.

My Rave on Christians
Meanwhile, news of the reporter held hostage in Iraq just adds to the darkness that rests upon foreign affairs. It’s hard not to let all the dismal news become frightening. I guess as Christians it’s even more real because of our knowledge of how the Mideast is tied into end time prophecy. But then again, as Christians, we also have hope. I just can’t imagine what it’s like to live without the assurance of a merciful God and a glorious eternity.

A Poem for the Occasion
With all the negative world news today, I’m put in mind of an English verse. I’ll skip my usual commentary and literary breakdown and just let the poem speak for itself:

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.
--William Wordsworth, 1888; as posted on Bartleby

Mystery Around Poe Continues
In other literary news, today is Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday. In keeping with a 57 year tradition, a mystery visitor left a tribute at Poe’s grave. It turned into a spectacle with onlookers breaking into the cemetery and running around trying to catch a glimpse of the visitor. And who says literature isn’t exciting?

Jerry Bailey Retires

Top News
Okay, so you may not consider it top news. You may not have even noticed it. In fact, you may not even know who Jerry Bailey is. But he and Pat Day (recently retired) happen to be perhaps the greatest jockeys in the history of horse racing in the last hundred years. And after 31 years in the winner’s circle, Jerry Bailey is retiring. It makes me feel strangely sad and old. I will always remember the day Bailey stole Funny Cide’s Triple Crown win with Empire Maker. Bailey always knew how to get more out of a horse than anyone thought it even had. Even though jockeys have a professional relationship with horses, I think Bailey must have believed in every horse he climbed on. In an age where rodeo and racing have become so commercialized and there’s very little love for the sport left, I find myself hoping there are still some more Jerry Baileys out there.

Idol Gossip Continued
So… my sources report no A/P on American Idol yet again tonight. However, I’m learning more about the process. Turns out the first few shows are compilations of the auditions on a city-by-city basis. So our A/P may be coming in a soon-to-be-auditioned city. In an Apostolic twist of the “Where’s Waldo?” game, write me if you spot the A/P on Idol!

American Idol Season Premier

Reality Check
Time for the trick question: who watched American Idol last night? Translation: how many of you out there have a TV? No, that’s not my point. I’ll leave that to someone else to debate. What I am curious about is our previous intel that a well-known A/P was a contestant this year. So far my sources have not spotted the A/P, but I’m determined to get to the bottom of this.

The Hunt Begins
It’s midnight and I’m still not home. I’m currently at the church “borrowing” a little wireless connectivity. (I think I should add $50 a month to my tithes since the church also acts as my personal ISP.) Anyway, the point is that I did not watch the season premiere of American Idol. In fact, I had a very culturally irrelevant week and didn't even realize tonight was the premiere. I tried to have technology do my bidding for me, and checked on having a friend tivo it for me so I could get the full scoop and blog it with painstaking detail. No luck.

The Plot Thickens
So I summoned 3 deputy reporters to watch the show for me. They report no sightings of an A/P. Of course, this could be like last season when a friend who was at our church for a stint made it to the semi(?)finals of Idol. We didn't notice him until about 3 weeks into the show. This could be the case here, and my understanding is that tonight’s show included only half of the contestants. But tomorrow is midweek service, and I will be involved in a little music action all our own. My hope is that somewhere on the web a list of contestants will be posted. One of my deputy reporters happens to attend a church with midweek service on Thursday, so I will have that firsthand report to rely on as well.

Initial Thoughts
The contest intrigues me. The whole “idol” word being thrown around makes me a little nervous. But I think one of the reasons the show’s so popular is that it capitalizes on a sense of an unknown rising through the ranks to prove their talent and rise to stardom—the celebrity twist on the American dream. That combined with plain old competition is irresistible, as proven by the ratings. Why not have an A/P belting it out with the best of them?

Rick Warren and the Blessings of Giving

Warren Interview
Rick Warren, famous author of the popular Purpose Driven Life was recently interviewed by Newsweek. I post below an excerpt of that article:

What else did you do with the money you earned from the book sales?
We set up three different foundations. Then we became reverse tithers.... We give away 90 percent and live on 10 percent. It’s fun to give it away. The harder part was not what to do with the affluence, but with the influence….

I was reading the Bible one day and I came to Psalm 72, Solomon’s prayer for more influence. He asked God to make him famous; he said, bless me and give me power. It sounds like the most egotistical prayer until you read his reasons. It was so that as king he could defend the defenseless, speak up for the poor, the disabled, the marginalized. I realized the purpose of influence is to speak up for those who have no influence. That was a turning point.

This is not a new concept, but I’m glad, nonetheless, that someone with mass appeal and a very public platform is making the point. Fortunately I encountered these teachings from wonderful people around me in my formative years, not the least of whom is our very own Shirley McDonald. Among the many significant lessons she shared, I remember the one on giving (told on Ninetyandnine) as much as any.

Do you ever think about how blessed we are to be receive good Christian teaching? It is so engrained in many of us, that we don’t even realize it is there. It’s just an intrinsic part of who we are. It’s not until I see Newsweek mention it in an article as if this is a new discovery that I realize how blessed I am to receive this great teaching on a daily basis from good parents and good church leaders. And because of the broken fiber of the family, I’m reminded of the urgency for good church leaders who must, in so many cases, fill the role of the family. To borrow the old “have you hugged your ___ today” line, let me ask: Have you thanked God for your church today?

Martin Luther King Day

Congratulations!
There's a new kid in town. My friends The Benchwarmer(s) have much to celebrate. Dawson Bunch was born Saturday. He is welcomed into the world by a happy host of friends and family.

Happy Holidays
Today the world remembers the life and cause of Martin Luther King, Jr. Some of you out there should feel guilty that I am at work today while you revel in your leisurely breakfast, pjs at 2 pm, and an opportunity to actually read the entire paper. For the rest of you at work like me, tell yourself it will somehow be okay and sneak a peek at the comics section on your lunch break.

I would like to console you with thoughts that a holiday looms near, but we're in that long stretch of post-Christmas. For you Louisiana homefolk, did you notice like me that the grocery had King cakes out the week after Christmas? This is because Mardi Gras is huge in Louisiana. While I don't recognize the holiday as part of my religious observances, I would gladly accept the time off work. Alas, I will be making another post like this while my friends sit home in pjs on Fat Tuesday.