Teen Gun give-a-way at Church Cancelled

Here's the text:

OKLAHOMA CITY -- An Oklahoma church canceled a controversial gun giveaway for teenagers at a weekend youth conference.

Windsor Hills Baptist had planned to give away a semiautomatic assault rifle until one of the event's organizers was unable to attend.

The church’s youth pastor, Bob Ross, said it’s a way of trying to encourage young people to attend the event. The church expected hundreds of teenagers from as far away as Canada.

“We have 21 hours of preaching and teaching throughout the week,” Ross said.

A video on the church Web site shows the shooting competition from last year’s conference. A gun giveaway was part of the event last year. This year, organizers included it in their marketing.

“I don’t want people thinking ‘My goodness, we’re putting a weapon in the hand of somebody that doesn’t respect it who are then going to go out and kill,'” said Ross. “That’s not at all what we’re trying to do.”

Ross said the conference isn’t all about guns, but rather about teens finding faith.

“You make a lot of new friends down here,” said Vikki Goncharenko, who attended the conference. “You get to meet new people. There's a bunch of things that are going on. It's just, you have a wonderful time.”

Friday evening, Ross said the gun giveaway had been canceled. Pastor emeritus Jim Vineyard, who ran the event, injured his foot and wouldn’t be able to attend. The gun giveaway was also removed from the church Web site.

Ross said the church would give the gun away next year instead. He said the church spent $800 buying the gun for the promotion.

Cancelled? Come on! How could someone get upset with this? I mean don't semi-automatic assault rifles and Jesus go hand in hand?

Link

Still more thoughts on T Boone's idea

I'm a bit intrigued by something over the past few days.

Very few people are talking about it. T. Boone is talking about it. a lot. the guy is everywhere. on all the stations. but i haven't heard any commentary, real commentary on it. obama, mccain, and all the other politicians are all silent.

crickets.

even the radio folks seem to be silent.
it may be that i just haven't been listening well.

but the most interesting thing about this, aside from a business man fronting the money, time, resources into almost single handedly turning the us toward a new energy in a significant way, is that it is as if no one knows what to do about it.

no one really knows if T Boone is right. or wrong. or how right and how wrong.

am i missing something?

Isn't this the kind of thing environmentalists have been talking about?
Isn't this an answer to both the right and the left?

I'm guessing the "wind lobby" isn't too strong, (again i could be wrong) so the presidential candidates may be left wondering if they should support it or not.

i'm certain that people will find holes in it soon. probably in the next couple days.
we'll see the people really interested in getting us off foreign oil, and those intrested in oil. there will be naysayers etc.

but right now, it's as if the world doesn't know what it should believe about this idea....

to me... that's fascinating.

Dobson and Obama

You knew this was coming right? Dobson blasting Obama. The problem for Dobson is that America has changed and he hasn't. I'll go further. The church has changed and he hasn't. Before Dubbya's 8 years in office, Dobson, Falwell and Pat Robertson all decided they would speak for everyone in America who follows Jesus. It worked. Just ask John McCain. It was his justified words against these guys that cost him the bid that election year. (Dobson has said he won't vote for McCain either... even thought the straight talk express snuggled up to Falwell 8-10 months ago for this new election.)

Dobson and the like, have lost their grip on the power they once held. I think this is a good thing. Dobson doesn't speak for me. I don't know what Obama said, or the context of what he said, and chances are I won't fully agree with him, but I do know that I don't agree with Dobson and his blast against Obama is nothing more than fear mongering, something most of my friends are ready to leave behind. This is the same kind of rhetoric that talks about Obama being a closet muslim and such. It's actually hate, smearing and ugliness. But this is par for many of Dobson's ilk isn't it. Fear mongering, slandering others, saying they don't believe the bible, calling them liberal, saying that they are relativist or pluralist or some other thing. Again, I don't know what Obama believes about anything, but I know smoke when i see it blowing.

So while we knew it was coming, and has now come, it's still not much fun. Watch over the next few days and see what happens.

Update: McKnight says it better than I do.

Oklahoma and the price of oil

Oklahoma's not ready for the oil prices according to Money Magazine.

Not too important..

I think this speaks for itself.

Bill Mallonee in Tulsa

one of my favorite songwriters will be performing in tulsa on June 29th. Eikon meets this night. I don't know how this will work out.
I wonder what eikon folks would think of Bill....

Link

Homeless Running club

For some reason this story came to my mind driving home from my workout today so I thought I'd post a link and part of the piece here. Maybe one day when I'm in better shape , and can actually run more than around the block something like this will materialize.

Anne Mahlum is a 27-year-old marathoner. And on her predawn runs in Philadelphia, she kept passing a group of homeless men.

An ex-football player is walking cross-country to raise money for 9/11 heroes.

"They would say, 'Hi' or they would say 'Hi Anne' or 'There's the crazy runner.' 'How many miles are you doing?'" Mahlum recalled. "And they would smile and sort of applaud and cheer for me, while I would start my day."

But one day in May, Mahlum said, "I looked back, and I was like, 'I am cheating these guys. Why am I just running past them and leaving them there?'"

"Running is so simple you know. You really only need a pair of shoes. You don't need a lot of equipment. You need heart and dedication," Mahlum said.

Anne thought to herself, "Maybe running could make these guys feel as good as it makes me feel."

So she decided to start a running club for the homeless and started asking businesses for help.

"I sent out an e-mail to a bunch of people, and I just said, 'I'm starting Philadelphia's first homeless running club. I need your shoes. I need your clothes,'" Mahlum said. "And the support that I received back is so astonishing."

Nine homeless men signed up right away.

"The guys had so many questions. They were so curious," Mahlum said.

The men didn't know what to expect, and they asked questions about how to stretch and what to do. But they were willing to give it a shot.

Mahlum was not intimidated by the men.

"I wasn't scared. People are people. And I feel like if you treat them the way you want to be treated, that's the best you can do."

"If anything would happen," she joked, "I figure, you know, they can't catch me anyway."

Mahlum's group, called Back on My Feet, has grown since then. They were out on the Philadelphia streets this morning at 5 a.m.

"People started showing up in the morning," Mahlum said. "This circle that we had just kept growing and growing, and the smiles got bigger, the hugs got tighter, and we started to develop this team, this family."

This story makes sense to me on so many levels. My hope for Tulsa is that people will take their passions and make a difference in peoples lives like this. It doesn't need to be a running club. But religion that is institutional and controling in nature must be abandoned for more life giving experiences like this.

Beauty in Action...

Jolting the Brain: Sorta cool... sorta creepy

This is amazing stuff. It blurs the between humanity and machine in interesting ways. We really are redefining what it means to be human on some level. It's the word "normal" that gives me the creeps a bit. This feels a bit different than a pace maker to me... but I'm not sure why.

Imagine what a pacemaker does to your heart -- its electrical impulses regulate a heartbeat that's out of whack.

In deep brain stimulation for depression, tiny electrodes are implanted into a specific node of the cerebral cortex.

Now picture a pacemaker-type device that jolts the brain and regulates mood circuits -- potentially easing deep depression no other treatments can touch.

In what some are hailing as a brave new use of existing technology, researchers presented evidence this week at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons' annual scientific meeting that deep brain stimulation (DBS) does just that -- improving both severe depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, a frequent companion disorder.

"Depression is a physiological disorder, and basically we are regulating the abnormal signals to brain causing the depression," says Dr. Ali Rezai, director of the Center for Neurological Restoration at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Rezai conducted the research along with scientists from Butler Hospital/Brown Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Researchers used deep brain stimulation on 17 severely depressed patients. Those treated with DBS had a 50 percent decrease in depressive symptoms after 12 months. Patients also reported a better ability to function, improved short-term memory and improved quality of life.

Link

A Story of sportsmanship

Saw this story today. It's worth reading. Here's the beginning.

"With two runners on base and a strike against her, Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon University uncorked her best swing and did something she had never done, in high school or college. Her first home run cleared the center-field fence.

But it appeared to be the shortest of dreams come true when she missed first base, started back to tag it and collapsed with a knee injury.

She crawled back to first but could do no more. The first-base coach said she would be called out if her teammates tried to help her. Or, the umpire said, a pinch runner could be called in, and the homer would count as a single.

Then, members of the Central Washington University softball team stunned spectators by carrying Tucholsky around the bases Saturday so the three-run homer would count — an act that contributed to their own elimination from the playoffs."

Link

Biblical Seminary Youth Ministry Certificate

I'm really excited about the opportunity to lead these courses. I've been impressed with Biblical Seminary for several years. John Franke is a brilliant and influential thinker on the faculty and Alan Roxburgh Has consulted them on what it looks like to become a missional seminary willing to engage a postmodern world. Word is that Tim Keel pastor here, has done a lot of work with them as well. I'm grateful to Todd Littleton for inviting me to join Biblical and Shapevine to facilitate these 5 courses. Here's the description from Biblical.

A master’s level certificate program offered by Biblical Seminary in partnership with Shapevine for the development of missional leaders around the world.

Developed by Mark Riddle
http://www.theriddlegroup.com

This fully online program lets you earn a certificate in youth ministry without leaving your current ministry context. The five-course certificate can be completed in less than two years.

Youth Certification Link

Idiocy: See Jonesville Church of God's Sign

It reads,

OBAMA OSAMA
HUMM
ARE THEY BROTHERS

Link

er...

From a pro-tibet rally in San Fran.

Either California needs to improve their history curricula or someone skipped that day.
Either way, I wish this pic showed the persons face who made it.

(ht to Andrew Sullivan)

Kansas versus Memphis

Memphis will win.
It won't really be close.
But I'm pulling for KU.

Also.
How great is it to be Bill Self today?

Quote for the Day

A NY Times article on the assassination of a priest in Baghdad and the safety of Christians there leaves me wondering few things.

Here's the quote:

The invasion had caused only harm for Iraq’s Christians, he said.

“I heartily believe that we were living better under the old regime. No one could threaten the Christians then.”

Link

A lot of Limbs

Tonight on the news they were talking about the amount of limbs removed from the little park down the street. Keep in mind, the ice storm happened in December and the limbs from my neighborhood were finally removed by the city last week. About a mile from my house is a park that was used to be open for folks who removed their own limbs to dump them. It's one of many. It's a small dumpsite that fills up quickly.

It's hard to give perspective to others who didn't experience it.
The numbers may help are impressive. According to the news, the city has removed enough limbs from the little park down the street to cover 380 football fields with mulch 3 feet deep. That' my friends is a lot of limbs.

How well does your Pastor define you?

Barack Obama's former pastor in Chicago is in the news and folks on the right side of the political spectrum are using it against Barack. The pastor has said some pretty bold, and an occassionally unbelievable things. But then what pastor hasn't said something crazy really?

It makes me wonder a few things:
first- video outside the context of the church is not as helpful as we hope it is. The video circulating youtube and the like means something really different to the people in the church in that local community than it does to you and me. We hear it differently. (Don't read this as a defense of what he said, I haven't heard it all. But this is true.)

second - As much as the average Senior Pastor hopes, wishes or believes that his/her congregation believes the same thing they do, it's simply not true. Often, the Senior Pastor is tolerated, while the real richness of the community is what engages people. this certainly isn't news to the people in the pews. But it might be to you if you are a Sr Pastor.

Can a person go to a church and regularly disagree with the preacher? abosolutely. it happens every week in your church.

1 in 4 Teen Girls has an STD

"CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- At least one in four teenage girls nationwide has a sexually transmitted disease, or more than 3 million teens, according to the first study of its kind in this age group.

A virus that causes cervical cancer is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection in teen girls aged 14 to 19, while the highest overall prevalence is among black girls -- nearly half the blacks studied had at least one STD. That rate compared with 20 percent among both whites and Mexican-American teens, the study from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

About half of the girls acknowledged having sex; among them, the rate was 40 percent. While some teens define sex as only intercourse, other types of intimate behavior including oral sex can spread some infections.

For many, the numbers most likely seem "overwhelming because you're talking about nearly half of the sexually experienced teens at any one time having evidence of an STD," said Dr. Margaret Blythe, an adolescent medicine specialist at Indiana University School of Medicine and head of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on adolescence."

Link

My Mom - Front Page News

"Teachers are making sure kids do their own homework by knowing CliffsNotes, SparkNotes and other resources as well as their students do.


Teachers either love them or hate them, but free, online study guides such as SparkNotes are rapidly becoming a primary student resource for everything from "The Scarlet Letter" to Shakespeare.

With the click of a mouse, students have access to a plot overview, chapter summaries, character analyses, and explanations of important quotations, themes, motifs, and symbols for hundreds of titles.

Memorial High School's Garnell Riddle and Owasso High School's Beverly Arnold represent opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to English teachers' views about SparkNotes.

Riddle, chairwoman of the English Department at Memorial, encourages her students to use them as a supplement, but not a substitute, for their class reading assignments, while Arnold categorically forbids the use of study guides. "

Way to go mom! Way to evolve your teaching to meet kids where they are!

Link

Reguarding my previous post on Cell phones

So a couple weeks ago I did a post on Cell phone porn. Pretty much just a link, with a small quote.

This week I've received 26 hits of people looking for cell phone porn.

I'm not sure what to think about that.

The State of the Union

Last night I had a moment while watching the State of the Union when it showed Dick Cheney sitting behind the president and I actually thought, "Dang, is he still around..."

I'm a registered Republican and I voted for Bush/Cheney. But I can't wait to see them both gone at this point. and I surprised myself with my disappointment that Cheney was still in office. My disappointment was not some kind of demonized portrayal of him, I think he's a really smart guy, but I'm ready for him to be gone.

I guess I need to live with the consequences of my decision a little longer.

Cell Phone Porn

Think kind of thing is more common than we think. It's not always photo's of people in the same school, but churches and parents who write this off as something that can't happen to their kids are making a mistake.

ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania - Police tried to stop the spread of pornographic video and photos of two U.S. high school girls, images that were transmitted by cell phone to dozens of the girls' classmates and then to the wider world.

At least 40 Parkland High School students believed to have received the images must show their phones to police by Tuesday to ensure the images have been erased, or they could be prosecuted in juvenile court for possession of child pornography, District Attorney James B. Martin said Thursday.

But students at the Pennsylvania school said the distribution was far more widespread.

Link

A lecture I'd love to hear

Pete Rollins will be delivering a lecture in Belfast Feb. 13th.
I wish I could hear it. Maybe he'll record it.

The title: On the Supreme Difficulty of Atheism and why only the Religious can attain it.

In Case you missed it

Barack Obama's sermon/speech at Dr. King's church Sunday.

Random Links

-Brant "Quit Going to Church" a year ago.

-Tony thinks this is how church should start. Evidently I'm out of the loop on such things. This seems to have been passed around a bit. I think this is how you start a show. The lights are pretty, and artistically it's fun and creative. I hope we can find places in our communities for folks like those performing and who design such things. But it's a show. Just watch the crowd, especially the last half of the song. It reminded me of this. and this. No judgment for me. Just not my cup of tea. I really like the creativity. I wonder if there is a better use for it, than a church service. It seems such a waste to me.

Scot has started a series of the Kingdom of God.

Todd is a remarkable thinker. Who is one of those emerging Southern Baptist you keep hearing about.

Moron drives his truck into a house.
(ht dave barry)

A matter of perspective I suppose. Link

Young Life is learning something about leading change. Marko has come good links on this. Read the articles and blog posts. Then tell me we don't live in a chronically anxious culture.

Don't taze me bro!

don't taze me bro! is the years top quote.

I personally like this quote myself.

For the best

I think this is probably for the best.

Thomas Nelson probably should wait to publish a book by Britney Spears mom on parenting.

Incredible Amount of Ice

We are under attack from ice.
I'm posting from my in-laws who are the only people I know in the Tulsa area who have power.
I'm going to spend the night at my house tonight, the fam will stay here.

To say this was an ice storm is an understatement.
Every house on my street and in my neighborhood has trees that are damaged.
A few houses. Lots of fences.

Zach and walked down to the park (3 houses down) this morning and watch the trees snap.
This is no exaggeration. Every 5-6 steps a tree was breaking. Awesome to hear and see.

People use the term war-zone on the radio multiple times today.
That might be pushing it. Though I've never been in a war-zone.

I will say that it's amazing to see the power of nature.
To see a 12 or 20 inch (diameter) tree snap is an awesome sound and sight.

I'll be dark for a few days. literally.

Creative Parenting

I'm not a a fan of this, but a dad is auctioning his son's Xmas present ( Guitar Hero 3) off on ebay after discovering his son smoking pot in the backyard. When you read the story, I'm guessing that dad needs to be a bit more involved in the kiddo's life and might use his creativity in other ways. It certainly is creative. But humiliating your son is rarely a good idea. The guy wins points for creativity, but to me comes across like an a-hole. At least that's what it looks like from the outside. Dad is teaching his son a lesson, just not the one he's intending to. Note to Parents: If you have distance between your son and yourself, don't humiliate them in front of their friends, take away xmas presents, and cause a greater division... but then i could be wrong.

Here's the link.

Middle School handing out Birth Control

Wow.

"PORTLAND, Maine - Pupils at a city middle school will be able to get birth control pills and patches at their student health center after the local school board approved the proposal Wednesday evening.

The plan, offered by city health officials, makes King Middle School the first middle school in Maine to make a full range of contraception available to students in grades 6 through 8, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services."

Link

Do you know this is happening?

Amazing. We should be paying more attention to this my friends.

(photo by a civilian journalist/Mizzima)

(photo by Myo Khin/ Mizzima)

Link

Chipotle

Tulsa is getting a Chipotle. 71st street next to the Cinemark.

Life is good.

chipotle is good too.

A close call.

Go check this out. The truck accident was almost really really bad.

Ouch! Don't mess with OU fans!

I can't resist posting about this.
OU fan (and church deacon) makes a comment about Texas fan in a pub in OKC.
Texas fan takes exception to the comment.
OU fan apologizes.
Texas fan is still upset.
OU fan defends himself by grabbing...

well read the article.

NOTE: Any article that contains the phrase, " a torn scrotal sack with partially exposed testicles." must be read carefully.

anyone offend by that phrase should go immediately to 1 Samuel 18:27... I know it's not exactly the same, but we're talking about a OU fan who is a deacon in his church. I'm guessing he's just trying to be Biblical.

Link

Facebook to share Personal info

Ok. This really really really bugs me.

NBA ref under investigation

Ok, so the NBA has taken a lot of heat over the past 3 years about it's refereeing. Lots of talk about conspiracy and refs taking money.

Turns out it might be true. At least a little.

Link

50 most Influential Churches

These are not the 50 most influential churches in America. Link

I'm trying to to be too critical, but this is rubs me the wrong way. I'm not sure why, but I'm hoping that posting this will bring clarity to myself.

- this bugs me because it makes me want to ask "Influential to who?" I suppose these are the most influential churches to people who care about big churches with leader they would depict as cool or influential. But these are not 50 most influential churches in America. In fact, it a close tie between all the churches in North america for number 1.

Every church that makes an impact in the lives of someone or some community is most influential and there are a lot of them.

- This bugs because I'm not sure influence was a way Jesus measured success. Influence as it's used today is not a biblical value. Today's influence is to directly related to power and a odd form of leadership we value today.

- This kind of things only promotes church leaders to go to the "experts" of growing a church to help them minister in their context. Over all his model has not worked for the past 15 years with Willow and Saddleback replicating themselves around the world. It's not going to work with Mars hill, LifeChurch.tv, or Granger.

This kind of thing only further alienates the pastors who seek "the experts help" from the very people they are trying to reach. Certainly there are aspects of their ministry that might see increased attendance but I'm wondering how many people these churches are really reaching that we we would hold them up above all the others.

So church resource people, if you must right about influential churches, which I'd personally prefer you not, then I'd suggest finding churches who are making a difference that none of us have heard of, churches none of us will ever meet, church leaders who are not dynamic, cool, eloquent, popular or "leaders". I have a feeling that's what Jesus would do. I know that doesn't sell magazines, or attract blog hits, but that's not what the kingdom is about anyway I suppose.

Tomorrow I review Joe Myers new Book

I"m almost done with it...

Reminds me of My Grandfather

My grandfather Winston is an ex-WWII-Marine. He's in his 80's now. Years ago Winston was leaving a Christmas party with my grandmother and a man pulled out a gun and held them up.

The thug demanded a ring off his finger and then his watch. All the while waving a gun in his face. Then the thug demanded his wallet. Winston doesn't carry a wallet, he carries a money clip, so he responded, "I don't have wallet."
The robber didn't care much for this, and demanded it again.
Winston said, "I think you have enough."
"Give me your money!" the thug said.

Winston threw his money clip on the ground.

the robber didn't care much for this.

Winston had had enough.

He punched the man in the face.

Then the robber pistol whipped Winston across the face.

A couple days later, Christmas morning, Winston shows up with a black eye. We asked him why he would punch a robber who had a gun. His response. It was only a .22.

Marines. Here's the news video that reminded me of Winston.

Link

A message for the United Methodist Church Planting Movement

Here's a article that might help illustrate some things.

First I'm all for the UMC planting more churches. I think church planting may be the single greatest leverage the UM might have at "turning the tide" of decline.
If you are United Methodist, it's worth a read. There are a few Walls this movement to plant hundreds of churches in the US each year will engage


- WALL #1: The Rule that UM churches must be geographically spaced apart with significant distance between each of them. They each get their own territory.
---- the problem with this wall is that MOST UM churches aren't growing, reaching people or reaching new people at all. So by geographically separating themselves from each other, they are simply insuring that they are not reaching people within existing church territories.

- WALL #2: The Rule that UM churches must get land is born from the territorial issue above. If you have a territory, then you'd better get some land in that territory before it all disappears.
---- the problem with this wall is obvious. The unchurched people you are hoping to reach are generally not big givers and it's an assumption to believe that they even want a building at all.

- WALL #3: The Leadership Wall: The UM will likely plant churches with existing pastors within the UMC. If I could be so bold as to suggest that this will be a significant problem. There are some great leaders within the UMC who will make great church planters. But I'm not sure there are hundreds per year. At least not initially. Most of the church planter type folks left the UMC long ago because of the denominations assumptions about leadership and church planting from the past. Turning the Tide will mean the UMC needs to actively pursue church leaders at every level who are gifted at starting new churches. I've simply been to too many UM church plants that are as irrelevant as the um church down the street... Its just that they have a newer building.

The News Today

Pretty much sums up the day's news.

(thanks to Hugh at GapingVoid)

What does the iPhone really cost?

Apple Matter says that the total cost of owning an iPhone will be about $3,000 over the next two years.

I can't get over a couple things when it comes to the iPhone.
1. The price is crazy high
2. The network is crazy slow compared to Sprint.
3. The fact that they don't subsidize the phone, but still will charge $150 or $200 to cancel your two year contract.

Link

Elwood the 2007 World's Ugliest Dog

Today's Links while I'm at Scout Camp today

If you've never heard of the Simpl