TOO MUCH MARCH MADNESS?

I'm a huge fan of the NCAA Tournament. I enjoy few things more than crashing at my friend Neil's basement for four days straight and watching all the games with the guys during the first weekend. However, there may be some limit to how much I could watch. Read the following.

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The men's basketball tournament committee is expected to address expansion when it meets June 26-30 in Orlando, Fla. And the idea is being supported by coaches at every level and of every degree of success.

A specific proposal has not been discussed. Talk has ranged from the addition of play-in games for each region to a jump to 80 teams.

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80 teams sounds like a little much. The last thing I want is the tournament to become like the Bowl Games have in football where mediocre teams are getting in. Plus at some point Neil (or Kim) will kick us all out anyway.

Read more about this here.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"If the crucifixion of Jesus . . . is in some way, as Christians have believed, the dying of God himself, then . . . we can understand what God is like."
S.C. Neil Christian Faith Today

MAHANEY MADNESS!

For me, it doesn't get much better than this! Paul Schaefer of the Reforming My Mind blog lists a ton of CJ Mahaney sermons available for download. Click here.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Jehovah lifted up his rod;
O Christ, it fell on thee!
Thou wast sore stricken of thy God;
There's not one stroke for me.

O Christ, What Burdens Bowed Thy Head
Anne R. Cousin

BONDS

I had to post something on Barry Bonds hitting home run number 715. Carol Slezak of the Chicago Sun Times summed it up as well as anyone I've read.


Even before he passed Ruth, ESPN had announced the cancellation of its "Bonds on Bonds'' show. It won't be missed. The San Francisco resident who ended up with home-run ball No. 715 chose to stand in a concessions line rather than watch Bonds bat. Commissioner Bud Selig has decided not to recognize No. 715. And those believing in karma will be happy to know that the Giants' radio broadcast went dead just as the ball was clearing the center-field fence. It's as if someone up there was saying, "I've heard enough.'' Haven't we all.

Read her entire article here.

Seriously, does anyone still like this guy?

CHEAP RESOURCE

Sovereign Grace Ministries recently held their 2006 New Attitude Conference. They are making all the talks from the conference available for just $7.00, a true bargain. The speakers included CJ Mahaney, Josh Harris, Albert Mohler and Mark Dever. To purchase the MP3's, click here.

NEW BLOG

My friend Josh has a new blog that I would recommend checking out every day. Josh shares my love for CJ Mahaney, Bill Simmons, conservative talk radio and Sioux county. As far as I know his only major character flaw is his passion for the Chicago Bears. The link to his blog is
http://vaporinthewind.blogspot.com/

BUDGET TIPS

Here is a helpful and practical article on MSN Money entitled 50 Ways to Trim Your Budget.

# 51 -- Stop wasting so much time posting on your blog that nobody reads and get a 2nd job.

INFLUENTIAL CHURCHES

The Church Report recently compiled their list of The 50 Most Influential Churches.

INTERESTING STATS

Two of my interests collide.... Sports and numbers. I've got to get
a job with Elias Sports Bureau, Inc.

MUTANTS OR HERESY?

Apparently Americans prefer mutants. See here.

SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER

What is the top grossing film of the summer going to be? The Da Vinci Code? Yeah right. X-Men? No way. MI3? Think again. The answer is here.

CONSERVATIVE ROCK SONGS

National Review recently compiled their list of the 50 greatest conservative rock songs. Their definition of conservative: The lyrics must convey a conservative idea or sentiment, such as skepticism of government or support for traditional values.

BOOKS ON MILITARY

If you enjoy reading books on the military, former Secretary of the Navy James Webb, recomends these five.

1. "Once an Eagle" by Anton Myrer (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1968).
2. "Hell In a Very Small Place" by Bernard Fall (Lippincott, 1966).
3. "History of the Second World War" by B.H. Liddell Hart (Putnam, 1970).
4. "The Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer (Harper & Row, 1971).
5. "The Guns of August" by Barbara W. Tuchman (Macmillan, 1962).

To read his comments, click here.

FAMILY DINNERS

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Suzanne Ontiveros with some interesting observations about family dinners. Michelle and I have discussed the importance of making this a priority as our kids get older and more involved in sports.

BIBLE BOBBLE-HEADS

I'm curious to hear what some of you think about this. Faith night at minor league ballparks is becoming more and more popular. The skeptic in me says that it's just a way to get more fans to the ball park. I know our church has an annual night out at the ballpark and so does a men's ministry I support. What do you think?

MEMORIAL DAY

Chuck Colson with some well timed words on "just wars" and the amazing sacrifices made by our soldiers.

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What is a just war? One that is defined as providing a proportionate response to evil, to protect non-combatants, among other considerations. Today, our military men and women around the world are fighting to resist evil. Ridding the world of Islamo-fascism—by just means—is a good and loving act.

This willingness to sacrifice on behalf of our neighbors is why military service is considered such a high calling for Christians—and part of what makes just wars just. Thomas Aquinas in the Summa Theologica puts his discussion of just war in his chapter on charity—the love of God and neighbor. John Calvin agreed; he called soldiering justly a “God-like act,” because “it imitates God’s restraining evil out of love for His creatures.”

A world in which free nations refuse to fight just wars would be a world where evil is unchecked and where the strong would be free to prey on the weak—as we are now seeing in Darfur.

Our soldiers’ willingness to defend the defenseless around the world makes me proud to be an American. Their willingness to lay down their lives is a reflection of how the Christian worldview has influenced our society, which is why American soldiers, by the way, are welcomed all over the world, as historian Stephen Ambrose wrote, while soldiers from other cultures are feared.
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To read the whole thing, click here.

LOVE BOAT

It is a proud day for Vikings fans everywhere. Read here.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

I have always been a huge Tony Kornheiser fan. From his days as a columnist, to his ESPN radio show and now on PTI, I've always enjoyed his work. I really think he will be a great addition to the Monday Night Football broadcast team. Recently he, Joe Theisman and Mike Tirico had their first rehearsal doing a game together. Some of Tony's highlights

* talking about Jeremy Shockey's "jerk factor"
* mentioning Giant Sammy Davis has "only one eye"
* asking Joe Theisman if Shaquille O'Neal would make a scary defensive lineman

To read USA Today columnist Michael Hiestand's full article, click here.

It's comments like these that are going to make viewers fall in love with him.

Somewhere Dennis Miller is questioning what went wrong!

FREE MP3'S

Justin Childers (Cross-eyed blog) is offering free MP3 CD's of sermons from some excellent preachers like John Piper, Mark Dever, CJ Mahaney, RC Sproul and many more. To find out more, click here.

(HT: Between Two Worlds)

AMERICAN IDOL

A friend of mine jokingly suggested that I comment on the American Idol finale.

Since, I didn't watch one minute of the show this season, I will only pass along something really interesting I read about it. Rt Rev Sanc T Monious on the Reformation 21 blog notes that winner Taylor Hicks received more winning votes than any President in US History.

I think this is a pretty good indicator of where we are at as a nation.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

The following is a prayer of confession shared by Philip Ryken on the Reformation 21 blog. He shared it at a conference he recently spoke it. It was originally for the church he pastors.

Father, we have sinned. We confess that we do not listen to your Word. We read it and hear it, but we do not obey it. We say, “That was a great sermon!” but it doesn’t make a difference, because we are not willing to change.

We confess that we do not worship you the way you deserve to be worshiped. We are more concerned about what we get out of it than what we put it into it. We are often distracted. Our lips keep moving, but our hearts are cold and still.

We confess that we do not love one another very much. We do not want to be bothered with other people’s problems. We think the worst about others, rather than the best.

We confess that we do not always fulfill our responsibilities to one another. We are harsh when we should be gentle, and when we need to be firm, we lack the courage to say or do what is right.

We confess that we are not willing to pay the high cost of discipleship. We try to be as worldly as we think we can get away with. We prefer to squeeze our faith in around the edges of life, rather than to let you stand at the center to control everything we are and have.

We confess that we lack passion for evangelism. We think of missions as something someone else does, somewhere else, rather than something you have called us to do right here and now. We lack the courage to proclaim the gospel. We are afraid to talk about spiritual things, for fear of what others will think.

We confess that we lack compassion. We think it is important to help the poor, provided that someone else actually does the helping.

In the name of Jesus, we ask forgiveness for these and all our sins.

SIR ALBERT

Jay Mariotti with nice comparison between Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols.

STEM CELLS

U.S. News and World Report columnist John Leo with a helpful
distinction between the debate over stem cell research and other
controversial science topics such as evolution and global warming.

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It's a debate about ethics in science and medicine. Is it moral to use human
entities, even infinitesimal ones, for experimental purposes, and will this lead
us down the slippery slope to clearly grotesque practices, such as growing
babies in labs for their usable parts?
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Read the whole thing here.

ABC/ESPN CHANGES

USA Today's Michael Hiestand summarizes several changes being made to ESPN's broadcasting booth. Read them here.

The more Lou Holtz, the better!!!!

TICKETMASTER

It looks like Ticketmaster has learned some lessons from eBay. USA Today is reporting that some of the best seats at concerts will now be auctioned off. Read the article here.

The over/under on front row Matthew West tickets is $250/pair.

UNCONVERTED FAMILY

Pastor Mike Hess of the blog Extreme Fundamental Makeover with an excellent post on How to Live with an Unconverted Family.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

J.I. Packer on penal substitution in his book What Did the Cross Achieve?

".... that Jesus Christ our Lord, moved by a love that was determined to do everything necessary to save us, endured and exhausted the destructive divine judgment for which we were otherwise inescapably destined, and so won us forgiveness, adoption and glory. To affirm penal substitution is to say that believers are in debt to Christ specifically for this, and that this is the mainspring of all their joy, peace and praise both now and for eternity"

THE SPORTS GUY

More excellent material from Bill Simmons. Check this out.

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I think Marv Albert was put on God's green earth to incredulously
scream the words "DeSagana ... Diop!"

If you're teaching a class in broadcast journalism, would you invite
Craig Sager to speak for a lecture called "How to carve out a career
as a sideline reporter that's based solely on wearing weird outfits?"

It was nice of Baron Davis to loan his teeth and mouthpiece to Dirk
Nowitzki for the playoffs

A.J. Pierzynski getting inexplicably punched in the face was my
favorite TiVo moment since the Artest Melee. They should run it
on a continuous loop on ESPN Classic.

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Click here to read the entire article.

PARENTING & AUTHORITY

Tedd Tripp writes an excellent and very helpful article for parents entitled Embracing God's Plan for Authority. Here is a sample.

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A major portion of your task in parenting is giving your children a distinctively Christian culture. Cultures are always built upon the answers to the most fundamental questions: What is real? What is true? Where did I come from? The answers to these fundamental questions shape a culture’s ideas of morality, purpose, etc. Because our culture today is badly off the tracks with regard to these fundamental questions, it presents a distorted picture of the world. We need to provide our children with a coherent and accurate model of reality, a model of how God has made things and how they are all supposed to function. Our goal must be greater than simply forcing or persuading our children to obey God’s commands. Our goal must be to help our children understand and embrace the world God has made.


If you are going to get beyond merely teaching your children to obey, you must provide a more thorough picture of God’s world than "Obey or you’ll get in trouble." Or "Obey and I’ll give you. . . ." You must give them a vision for how obedience reflects an understanding of the world God has made. You are not looking, ultimately, for children who can be threatened or persuaded to follow your commands. You are looking for children who live self-consciously and joyfully in God’s world as people who submit to God and to the authorities whom God has ordained. The best place for children to learn to live that way is in the home, under the authority of Mom and Dad. To live joyfully in the world, as God has ordained, is the most glorious and dignified way for creatures to live. It is, indeed, sweet and seemly.
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To read the whole thing, click here.

(HT: marriedlife)

THESE SPORTS STINK

Barker Davis of The Washington Times with an entertaining article entitled 12 sporting events that stink.

I believe he forgot to mention professional bowling, NASCAR, and any sporting event involving Iowa State or the University of Michigan.

ROLLER COASTER

Here is a crazy story about a roller coaster at Valleyfair amusement park in Minneapolis. I have ridden this rode many many times.

CAREER ADVICE FOR THE UNATTRACTIVE

Here are some practical suggestions for all of us out there who aren't tall, dark and handsome. I cannot believe U.S. News and World Report seriously published this. Professional journalism at it's finest. Here is a sad sample


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Consider working alone or with the same people each day. If you've tried everything and still feel your appearance brings you down, you might be more successful in a job where you work alone or with the same group of people each day. That provides time for your personality and competence to override other negative impressions you're worried about.
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MADELYNN ANNE

Madelynne Anne was born yesterday at 3:07 p.m. and weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces.

TODAY IS THE DAY

In just over an hour we will be at the hospital. Michelle is getting
induced this morning. Please pray that all would go well.

IDIOT CUBS

As a lifelong St. Louis Cardinal fan, I've got to celebrate anything that says, "On the field, in the stands -- the Cubs are idiots every which way."

Thank you Jay Mariotti

Read the whole thing here.

DAVINCI MOVIE REVIEWS

It looks like The DaVinci Code wasn't a real big hit at The Cannes Film Festival.
Here are a couple quotes.


"A pulpy page-turner in its original incarnation as a huge international bestseller has become a stodgy, grim thing in the exceedingly literal-minded film version of The Da Vinci Code," opined Variety film critic Todd McCarthy.

"At the high point, there was laughter among the journalists. Not loud laughs, but a snicker, and I think that says it all," the Associated Foreign Press quoted Gerson Da Cunha from the Times of India.

"Tom Hanks was a zombie; thank goodness for Ian McKellen It was overplayed, there was too much music--and it was much too grandiose," the Boston Globe's Peter Brunette told Agence France-Presse.


Read more here.

HATED ATHLETES

Rick Hurd with an interesting comparison between cyclist Lance Armstrong and baseball player Barry Bonds.

Personally, I don't like either of them.

STEWARDS OF TIME

A frustration I commonly hear from people in my stage of life (newly married, young kids, starting career) for not reading their Bibles more or serving the local church more is a lack of time. Randy Alcorn with some practical advice and a useful resource.

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When we keep track of how we spend our time it makes us better stewards because we become aware of what we otherwise don't really know. For example, people normally watch far more TV than they think. Becoming aware is the first step of stewardship, which puts us in a position to decide "I want to spend more time reading some great books and talking with my wife and reading to my kids, and to steward this time I can reduce my television watching by 10 hours each week." Again, we won't do this without a clear picture of how we're currently spending our time

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Read the whole article here.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"It is altogether an error... to suppose that God acts at one time according to one of his attributes, and at another time according to another. He acts in conformity with all of them at all times."
T.J. Crawford Doctrine of Holy Scripture

MEDIA HYPOCRISY

Chris Weinkopf of The American Enterprise Online discusses the contradiction between the way Christian films like The Passion of the Christ and The Chronicles of Narnia are treated as opposed to films that undermine Christian beliefs like The Da Vinci Code.


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The discrepancy is not so much a matter of money, then, but manners. To the establishment press, plots that strongly uphold traditional Christian beliefs, whether explicitly (as in The Passion) or allegorically (as in Narnia), are regarded as dubious, rude, even dangerous. Stories that undermine Christianity, on the other hand, are "hot" and edgy, and attract A-list celebrities, big studios, powerful news outlets, and charmed-circle journalists.

Just before The Passion came out, Newsweek gave the movie a cover story of its own--a long polemic that attacked the film's history and theology. The same issue included a hand-wringing editor's note which essentially accused director Mel Gibson of anti-Semitism by "laying the blame" for JesusÍs death "on the Jews of Jerusalem, not the occupying Romans." Newsweek editor Mark Whittaker even fretted that because "the more coverage the movie gets, the better it will do at the box office," his magazine might be "contributing to the hype."
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To read the whole thing, click here

(HT: Albert Mohler)

'SURVIVOR' WINNER TO JAIL

Richard Hatch, who won the 1st season of Survivor, was sentenced to 51 months in prison for failing to pay taxes on his winnings. To read the full story, click here.

JERRY BRIDGES

The weekend of March 11th and 12th, author Jerry Bridges spoke at Cornerstone Church in Knoxville Tennesse on the topic of "Grace and Discipline". These talks are available to download from the "Sermon" section of Cornerstone Church's website.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Beneath the cross of Jesus
I fain would take my stand-
The shadow of a mighty rock
Within a weary land....

O safe and happy shelter!
O refuge tried and sweet!
O trysting-place, where heaven's love
And heaven's justice meet!

Elizabeth Clephane Beneath the Cross of Jesus

CONSERVATIVE HYPOCRISY?

US News & World Report's Mortimer Zuckerman questions how Republicans can call themselves fiscally conservative after a period of record spending.

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For Republicans to define themselves as fiscal conservatives after five years of profligacy is hypocrisy on stilts. No matter how cynical you are, it is difficult to keep up with such irresponsibility.
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Read the whole thing here.

MORE DA VINCI

Pastor John Mac Arthur with a helpful summary of Dan Brown's agenda for writing The Da Vinci Code. Read here.

SCRIPTURE MEMORY

Covenant Life Church's marriedlife blog has a helpful post on the Scripture Memory Program they will begin using in June with their youth.

BARRY BONDS

Mark Whicker with an interesting discussion of what Barry Bond's legacy would have been if he had not started taking performance enhancing drugs after the '98 season. Up to that point, Bonds had what Whicker says, and I agree, a first ballot Hall of Fame career. Consider this resume Bond had accumulated up to this point.

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Had Bonds retired after '98, he would have taken eight 100-RBI seasons and seven 100-run seasons with him. He led Pittsburgh to division titles in '90, '91 and '92. He left after '92, and they have not had a winning season since. He turned 34 on July 24, 1998, and had 411 home runs, eight Gold Gloves, three NL slugging titles, four on-base percentage titles and three Most Valuable Player awards.
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EMERGING CHURCH

Over the past week, my friend Noah has been posting a lot of useful information and resources regarding the Emerging Church at his No Other Name blog. I highly recommend checking it out.

JESUS LOVES PORN STARS

Vitamin Z with a must read on a new Bible from xxxchurch.com.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"God upholds nothing more justly than he doth the honour of his own dignity"
Anselm of Canterbury Cur Deus Homo?

MORE DA VINCI

Mark Steyn summarizes The Da Vinci Code as "bad writing for Biblical illiterates".

"It is interesting that so many non-churchgoing readers are interested in Jesus, disheartening that they're so Biblically illiterate. "

FANTASY SPORTS

I am an admitted "Roto Geek". I love participating in fantasy sports leagues. I usually have 3 fantasy football teams, 1 or 2 fantasy baseball teams and 1 fantasy basketball team. For all of you guys out there like me who's wives can't stand our fantasy sports hobby, ESPN Page 2 columnist Bill Simmons has the answer. Read here.

SHOW ME THE MONEY

American consumerism at it's worst. If you can't afford it, finance it!

I compared a 30 year fixed mortgage to a 50 year and the additional interest is $200,009 or 86% more on a $200,000 loan at 6%.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"... it is partly because sin does not provoke our own wrath, that we do not believe that sin provokes the wrath of God."
R.W. Dale Atonement

JOEL OSTEEN

Click here to watch Joel Osteen's interview with Katie Couric on The Today Show.

THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT PART 2

Hugh Hewitt comments on the Andrew Sullivan article I mentioned earlier.

MEGA-CHURCHES

Here is an interesting op-ed piece on mega-churches from the Dallas Morning News.


(HT: Mark M. Overstreet)

CJ MAHANEY

Click here to listen to a sermon by CJ Mahaney to Bethlehem Baptist Church on encouraging one another in love.

(HT: Between Two Worlds)

THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT

"Christian" columnist Andrew Sullivan with some pretty strong words about Republicans with strong religious convictions.

GAMBLING

Norman Chad writes an enjoyable article in The Washington Post on sports gambling. Included in his discussion are John Daly, Charles Barkley and some great movie quotes on gambling.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

".... God's anger is absolutely pure, and uncontaminated by those elements which render human anger sinful. Human anger is usually arbitrary and uninhibited; divine anger is always principled and controlled. Our anger tends to be a spasmodic outburst, aroused by pique and seeking revenge; God's is a continuous, settled antagonism, aroused only by evil, and expressed in its condemnation. God is entirely free from personal animosity or vindictiveness; indeed, he is sustained simultaneously with undiminished love for the offender."
John Stott The Cross of Christ

MOHLER ON DAVINCI

As I mentioned a couple days ago, Dr. Albert Mohler recently spoke at Covenant Life Church on the DaVinci Code. Listen here.

FALSE GOSPEL

Mark Driscoll, who I am appreciating more and more all the time, shares an example of a misunderstanding of the gospel that is becoming all too common; focusing on the value and worth of the sinner as opposed to the good news of God's grace.

"In this false gospel, the cross is little more than an echo
of my great worth that verifies how important I am and
how wise Jesus was to pick a winner like me, which is the
antithesis of grace. "


Read the whole thing here.

BIRTH CONTROL

Can Christians use birth control? Dr. Albert Mohler helps Christians walk through this challenging issue. Read it here.

SENECA WHO?

The Des Moines Register's Sean Keeler tells the of the rebirth of former ISU QB Todd Doxzon.

Note: How God used a UNI alum to keep the ISU alum on the straight and narrow. Some things never change.

MORE DAVINCI

A leading Catholic cardinal is suggesting that Christians should respond to the book and film with legal action. Although I don't think this is probably the best way to respond, I do think his comment that a book or film like this about another major religion would have a completely different reaction is interesting. Read the whole article here.

SPORTS FANTASY

ESPN's Darren Rovell reports 3 Boston Red Sox fans paid a total of $30,000 for a game of Wiffle Ball with Red Sox DH David Ortiz. Read the whole thing here.

This raised the question for me. If money were not an option, what would my sports fantasy be? The answer.... A game of flag football on Notre Dame's field.

Any other ideas?

THE DAVINCI CODE

Joshua Harris weighs in on The DaVinci Code. I wil try to link to Dr. Mohler's talk as soon as it comes available.

FRIDAY FUNNY

Hard to beat a good "white trash" article.

IS REPENTANCE A GIFT?

Vitamin Z discusses this weighty question.

HEART CHECK

Joshua Harris, in an article in Boundless Webzine, encourages all believers to examine their hearts regarding the place media has in their lives.

PARENTING

The Covenant Life Married Life Blog discusses Parenting with the Gospel in View.

About a month ago Michelle and I started praying The Lord's Prayer with Brayden every night before bed. It has been amazing to see how many of the words he has remembered. It always amazes me what kids pick up.

TOO MUCH MONEY?

In an interview with CNBC's Donny Deutsch, Bill Gates says he wishes he wasn't so rich.


A person's life does not consist in the possessions that he has. Luke 12:15

Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmless desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. I Timothy 6:9

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. Matthew 6:20

QUOTE OF THE DAY

It is impossible for us to face Christ's cross with integrity and not to feel ashamed of ourselves. Apathy, selfishness and complacency blossom everywhere in the world except at the cross. There these noxious weeds shrivel and die..... For if there was no way by which the righteous God could righteously forgive our unrighteousness, except that he should bear it himself in Christ, it must be serious indeed.
John Stott The Cross of Christ

EARL WOODS

Earl Woods, father of golfer Tiger Woods, died Wednesday morning at the age of 74.

Although part of me always saw Earl Woods as a zealous father who pushed his son extremely hard to be a superstar, the following quotes from an ESPN article as well as some other things I have read lead me to respect the closeness between the two and believe that Earl did a lot of things right.

"My dad was my best friend and greatest role model, and I will miss him deeply," Tiger Woods said on his Web site. "I'm overwhelmed when I think of all of the great things he accomplished in his life. He was an amazing dad, coach, mentor, soldier, husband and friend. I wouldn't be where I am today without him, and I'm honored to continue his legacy of sharing and caring."

Woods gave his son freedom to develop a love for golf on his own, not letting him play unless his homework was done, making him call his father at work to ask if they could practice.

Woods was proud of saying he never left his son with a babysitter, but his goal was to eventually let Tiger run his own life.

"I had pulled back, one item at a time," Woods once told the AP. "Instead of going to several tournaments, it was a couple of tournaments, then one tournament. All of a sudden, he was running everything. I stood there and watched it happen. Because that was my job -- to prepare him to leave."

HEALTHY CHURCHES

Thank you to my good friend Noah Braymen for taking the time to list out 50 different descriptors that Ligon Duncan used to describe the doctrinal distinctions behind the Together for the Gospel conference. Click here to see all 50.

TOO MANY LISTS?

Most of the time, I find the miscellaneous lists that Forbes magazine puts out pretty interesting. I think they may be reaching a bit this time. Best Places to go to Prison?

MID-LIFE CRISIS?

All I'm going to say is jet-powered Volkswagen.

THE WAR IN IRAQ

Michael Barone, a writer for US News & World Report, recommends two interesting articles on the war on terrorism today on his blog. The first makes an interesting comparison to World War II and the second tells a few of the heroic stories from the war. To read them, click here.

USC FOOTBALL

One question.... Is USC the next "THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY"?

Read here (Than and Riddle).

BOB COSTAS AND STEROIDS

I've always been a pretty big Bob Costas fan. He's a St. Louis Cardinals fan, how can you not like him? Either I have forgotten that he was one of the first prominent talking heads to say something about steroids or I missed it. Here is an interesting article in today's Newsday discussing tonight's "Costas Now" on HBO. Part of the show will include Costas interviewing Willie Mays.

PRESIDENT BUSH

To see a hilarious clip of President Bush and one of his impersonators, check out Vitamin Z's
recent post here.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

If Christ had died only a bodily death, it would have been ineffectual.... Unless his soul shared in the punishment, he would have been the Redeemer of bodies alone..... (In consequence) he paid a greater and more excellent price in suffering in his soul the terrible torments of a condemned and forsaken man.
John Calvin Institutes

FEEDING OUR SOULS

The folks on the Covenant Life Church marriedlife blog remind us of the importance of preaching the Gospel to ourselves daily. They suggest a very practical place... the bathroom at the beginning of each day. Read here.

SUDAN

Mark Overstreet asks believers to join him in praying the following for the genocide occurring in the Sudan.

1. Pray for an end to the torture, rape, and mass murder that takes place daily in the name of Islam and ethnic cleansing.
2. Pray that god would be a refuge for those who are being sought, and seek what the Lord would have you do for the tortured generation of Darfur.

Read the whole thing here.

THE PEOPLE WHO SHAPE OUR WORLD PART 2

Tim Challies puts a little more thought than I did into Time Magazine's recent feature on The People Who Shape Our World. Though I did think my "hmmmmm" was pretty profound. Read his comments here.

DISNEYWORLD

Steven D. Levitt, author of the best seller Freakonomics, asks the question
Why do people go to Disneyworld?

Let's be honest, we'll all end up there some day with our kids.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

At the birth of the Son of God there was brightness at midnight; at the death of the Son of God there was darkness at noon.
Douglas Webster In Debt to Christ

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

The National Day of Prayer is this Thursday, May 4th. To find out more, click here.

THE END IS NEAR!

Read here.

AN ATHEIST JOINS A CHURCH

Dr. Albert Mohler's daily commentary today tells of an open atheist in Austin Texas who recently joined St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. Dr. Mohler asks three questions.

1. Why would an atheist want to join a church that identifies with Christianity?
2. How could any church justify accepting an atheist to join the church?
3. Can a church that has allowed itself to move this far from theological orthodoxy ever be recovered?

Mohler notes, "The loss of biblical vision for the local church is one of the greatest tragedies of our times, leading to a weakened Christian witness and a deadly theological confusion both within and without the church. This is not a problem limited to one denomination or to a single congregation.

Read the whole thing here.

HOW TO LISTEN TO A SERMON

For two excellent articles on how to listen to a sermon, check out this post on Between Two Worlds.

SHAPING OUR WORLD

Time Magazine lists 100 People Who Shape Our World. A list of the 100 men and women whose power, talent or moral example (hmmmm) is transforming our world.