Bad Taste

Not too long ago PF Chang’s ranked in my top two favorite restaurants. So PF Chang’s recently opened new location in Destin (forty-five minutes away from us) brought no small about of excitement to my taste buds. After one particularly long day of shopping in Destin, Lindsay brought home take-out from PFC. After gorging myself on my usual, sweet and sour chicken, I surprisingly became sick. A few weeks later we went to PFC and unfortunately all I could think of was my bad experience a few weeks before. Soon after eating the same meal I again felt ill. Now fast forward a few months to last week, when I tried to overcome my bad experience for the second time. We stopped at PFC on our way to the airport, but yet again the bad experience was still stuck in my head and soon after it was stuck in my stomach. One bad experience seems to have destroyed my whole relationships with PF Chang’s.

That seems to be the same situation with many people who are not apart of a community of faith in America. Those who are outside a community of faith in America have heard of Jesus. They know about the cross, Heaven and God, but they aren’t coming back.

From Unchristian-

“The vast majority of outsiders within the Mosaic and Buster generations (age 18-41) have been to churches before; most have attended at least one church for several months; and nearly nine out of every ten say they know Christians personally, having about five friends who are believers.”

One reason for why they outsiders and not insiders, is the images Christians have earned and have been given.

“One outsider put it this way; ‘Most people I meet assume that Christian means very conservative, entrenched in their thinking, antigay, anti-choice, angry, violent, illogical, empire builders; they want to convert everyone, and they generally cannot live peacefully with anyone who doesn’t believe what they believe.’”

Here is the question- How can I get the bad taste of PF Chang’s out of my head so I can enjoy my sweet and sour chicken again and how do we get the bad taste of Christianity out of the heads of outsiders so they can taste and see that the Lord is good?

Love

Is the phrase "unconditional love" redundant? If anything is conditional doesn't that mean it isn't love?

Can love come with any conditions on it?

Dilatory Dad’s Day Thoughts

We got back into Florida late last night from a great weekend in Fort Worth (add a ditto from us to this effusive praise of our kind hosts). Along with a great time with some wonderful friends and new friends, the time we got to spend with my father highlighted our trip. As a dad you embody the most dominate metaphor for God, God the Father. Fathers have the privilege and responsibility to influence their children’s understanding of God. I (and Lindsay too) have been fortunate enough to have a great dad who has given love, support, and encouragement in ways that have honored God. I hope to be able to do the same with our child.

In honor of my friendly Dad, here is my dad a few hours after purchasing his car making new friends.

Hindu or Hindon't

Thoughts on Hinduism from Huston Smith’s The World’s Religions. First of all the notion of grasping an entire religion in a chapter is quite overwhelming.

Like
-4 different routes to finding God- Reflection, Love (which is what Christianity is seen as to the Hindu), Work, Scientific steps
While one can incorporate all four, one is recommend to stay with one route.

-Atman- God within- A yogi trys to connect w/ the god within (Atman) by losing every trace of former separateness.


Don’t like
-The world is doomed to disappointment and the world is just “a training ground for the human spirit.”
-It is a just world in which everyone gets what is deserved and creates his or her own future. (This one is really tough to swallow, I must be seeing a different world than them)
-Bodies are not connected to the soul (jivas)- (unlike the Christian God who saves wholes not souls)-

“Worn-out garments, are shed by the body; worn-out bodies are shed by the dweller.” Bhagavad-Gita II:22

-The final stage of life wherein the goal is actually reached is the state of the sannyasin- “One who neither hates nor loves anything.” (To live without love is not really a life worth living, right?)

Big gulps ay?

Most people typically go to a Sonic or a convenience store when they are thirsty, but not us.
When Lindsay gets dehydrated, I take her to the hospital.
I guess I just have always been the romantic type.

So take this as a lesson, drink your water.

And yes, my two ladies are fine.

Faith/Sports

For Cowboys fans like myself, one of the greatest points of frustration with the team for the last few years has been the Cowboys’ porous secondary. Dallas’ pro bowl safety Roy Williams receives the brunt of the media’s and the fan’s the criticism for the sieve like secondary. When Williams came into the league he was an intimidating force, but then two things happened and the order is debatable. Opponents started to realize that he could hit, but couldn’t cover and Williams became a Christian. Some go so far as to even connect his deteriorating performance to his Christian conversion. Williams has repeatedly responded to the criticism of his play saying that Jesus was criticized too, and so he doesn’t care. To no one’s surprise, this messianic comparison has garnered no applause from the media.

Here is a quote from CBSSports.com-

Williams' heart may be in the right place, but his brain needs work if it sees parallels between the persecution of Jesus and the persecution of a $25 million safety. Beaten by Roman soldiers, beaten by Randy Moss -- what's the difference?

Athletes turn to God, and God loses. Have you ever met someone who was turned on after watching Jon Kitna thank God for a touchdown pass? Doubt it. Have you ever met someone who was turned off? Sure you have. There's a saying: Christianity would be great if it weren't for all those, you know, Christians.

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In other Cowboys news- I hope that you all are praying for Romo and Jessica.

Coconut

I had the bright idea to purchase a coconut for use in my protein shakes. Two problems existed beyond the scope of my culinary understanding.

1. I had no clue how to open a coconut.
2. Real coconut doesn't taste nearly as a good as processed (sweetened) and dried coconut.

Bear Grylls would have been disappointed with my inability to open a coconut without the aid of a hammer and a screwdriver.

Hero

On December 4, 2006 in Baghdad, Ross McGinnis, a 19 year old army soldier, sat in the gunner’s hatch of a Humvee when he saw a grenade land in his Humvee. A fellow soldier said that McGinnis had time to jump out of the Humvee to save himself, a choice that most would have taken. But Ross was not like most. He threw his body on top of the grenade and saved the lives of four of his friends. One of the soldiers he saved says that Ross became part of his family while being stationed together. The saved soldier’s young daughter still remembers Ross nightly almost two years later. “My daughter still, every night when she says her prayers, thanks Ross for saving her daddy's life,"
In the posthumous presentation of McGinnis’ Medal of Honor (the highest award for courage in combat, the 4th given in Iraq), President Bush made an allusion to John 15:3. Often Bush’s use of Christian rhetoric makes me uncomfortable because it either intentionally or unintentionally seems to connect our nation’s activity as being equal with God’s work and the Kingdom of Heaven, but this quote seemed to be extremely fitting.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.”

Cravings

Here are the top five things (in order of importance) that I have been summoned to get so as to keep my wife and unborn daughter happy:

5. Spaghetti w/ meat sauce (lunch portion), salad w/extra tomato from Olive Garden (but this is a standard pre-pregnancy requirement)
4. Blazin Buffalo Doritos.
3. Bread (soft bread that is less than three days old)
2. Watermelon
1. Sonic Ice Pellets



Any of you have a list??