Oprah and Other Thoughts

I wrote an incredible blog about Oprah and the show she did today on world atrocities, but I decided not to publish it. It was just too mean.

I'm so mixed on Oprah. I think she does a lot of good for the world, especially in raising attention to overlooked issues. But at the same time, I feel that she is often a pseudo-intellectual, condescending, self-important wind-bag. Anyway, part of what God is doing in me is re-shaping the way I conceive of people, showing me to look for the good and beauty in people. I'm teaching next week at the Pepperdine Lectures about race and the church. One of the things I plan on saying is for us not to look at people, but to look inside people.

I suppose I should take my own advice.
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Speaking of Pepperdine: I will be speaking there next week. I'll stand behind a mic three separate times. My first class is entitled, "In Search of a 'Beloved Community:' Where We Are and Where We Ain't on Race and the Church" later that day I will speak to a gathering of Youth Workers, and later in the week I'll be speaking to a group of teenagers at what's called, "Pepperdine View."

I'm very excited about the week. The entire family is coming with me, which rarely happens when I am speaking somewhere. The Pepperdine Lectures always provide a wonderful opportunity to re-connect with old friends, make new ones, and hear some insightful, Godly women and men.

Top Ten Things I'm Looking Forward to at Pepperdine:
1. Playing on the beach with my two-year old daughter and wading in the vast, blue Pacific Ocean.
2. Watching my wife's eyes come alive as she encounters God through worshipping with The Zoe Group.
3. Having a long conversation with Russ Debenport over pie and coffee at 10:00 at night.
4. Seeing my friend, Chad Higgins, lead the Highland Oaks Praise Team.
5. 70-degree temperatures.
6. Having dinner with Jeff and Ronda Brooks...hopefully.
7. Teasing Dr. Jeff Childers about giving me a 91.4% in a class once. That's .1% from an "A". I mean, come on, man!
8. Looking for celebrities in nearby Malibu restaurants.
9. Talking with--hopefully over lunch--Drs. Dennis Lowe and Emily Scott-Lowe.
10. Spending way too much money on books that will have to wait a year to be read.