Don Imus ...

I've been extremely busy that last few weeks, so a lot of my thoughts have gone unblogged. But if you're interested in what I think about the Don Imus fiasco, click here.

I think Whitlock is on to something. What's more, Whitlock is a smart, thoughtful columnists, who had previously been berated by Imus over another issue.

To Oklahoma and Back

You’ve probably noticed that the blogs have dried up lately – nothing new in a while. Well, there are several reasons for that. First, I spent an extraordinary amount of time studying for a mid-term in Systematic Theology. I’ve probably never studied that long for a test – approximately 10 hours. Historically I don’t do well on test. I’m better at writing papers, I think. Memory is not one of my gifts, so I try to stay away from things that require it. After the 10 hours studying, I took the test, and feel as though I did pretty good. By “pretty good” I mean that I understood all the words.

Second, I’m trying to be more intentional about how I spend my time at home. Honestly, I’ve always been intentional about my time at home, I was just intentionally working on different stuff – sometimes even the blog. With the addition of our second daughter, I realized that I am even more needed. More than that though really; the need for me to be present at home pales in comparison to the joy I experience by being with our girls. With every piece of research I read and with every story I hear, I become more convinced that there is a fathering crisis in this country. Too many Dads don’t spend time with their kids, they don’t know how to connect with them, and many of them are say horrible things to their kids when they do spend time with them. I could tell you endless stories of absentee fathers and dads who call their kids fat, stupid, lazy and unlovable. I never want to be that guy. So, if it means that it takes me longer to get my writing projects done or I have to read at midnight, then so be it.

Speaking of spending time with the family, the third reason I haven’t blogged much lately is because I spent this past weekend at an event in Lawton, OK speaking to a group of teenagers. (Remind me sometime tell you the story of meeting a very cool C-list actress, having to toss out my contact lenses and speak without really being able to see anything, and how I realized that my life was indeed crazy when I was changing my clothes in a church nursery.) The best part of the Lawton trip was meeting and spending time with some very cool emerging Christian artists: Shades of Green, comedian Hoss Ridgeway, and Watershed Worship. I’ve very pumped about the generation of artists – true artists – that are coming up in the church in general and churches of Christ, in particular. Not only did they bust me out some free t-shirts, my two new free Shades of Green CD’s will soon be dropped in my iPod.

Well that's enough blogging for now. Catch you later.

Life Convergence

Noted profound thinker and pugilist, Mike Tyson, once said, "Everybody has a plan until they get hit." Surprisingly keen from someone who seemingly can't keep any part of his life in order, don't you think? But Tyson is right. Dead right!

As I sat with my old prayer group from college this weekend, I began to think about life, plans and joking around. In school we would laugh and make fun of just about anything. That's not so much the case now. Though our censor buttons are still typically turned to the "off" position when we're together, there are some things that aren't so funny anymore. Since we walked the campus of Abilene Christian University our plans have taken some hits. There have been some truly wonderful moments -- marriages, children, career advancement, goals met. There have also been terribly distressing moments -- divorces and marital strife, beautiful children born with birth defects and infertility, career frustration and jobs deserved and not offered, and goals that may never be met or have been abandoned all together.

In an odd life convergence, when I arrived home from the weekend I had a mass e-mail from Classmates.com asking me to update my profile. I -- like you, I suppose -- receive these pretty frequently and never pay attention, but this time I did. As I was looking at the questionnaire, one question jumped off the page to me: "Where are you in life?"

Classmates has several options listed to answer that question, but most folks in my high school graduating class answered: "About where I thought I'd be?"

I thought, "Are any of us where we thought we'd be?" In some way "yes," but in more ways "no," I would guess. Who could predict the ups and downs, the loves and loads that have befallen us all since high school or college? My prayer group from college couldn't. Living means encountering and embracing the unexpected and recalibrating "where we thought we'd be."

And I think that's a good thing!

As I flip the pages of the New Testament, I see again and again that the people who miss Life with Jesus miss Him because He doesn't fit what they thought He'd be. I've learned that it is the truly spiritual person who sees God in the "terribly distressing moments," knowing that our plans need to take some hits so that we might step into God's plan.

I'm not saying that I've got this all figured out. I want God to sign off on my five-year strategy, trust me. I am saying that the next time I log on to Classmates.com, I want them to have another option listed to answer the question, "Where are you in life."

The option I want: "Right where God wants it to be, and I'm happy with that."

Where I've Been

Faithful readers might be wondering where I've been since the last post. Indeed, it's been a while, but the time away from the keyboard has been well spent. Here what's been going on...

1. Last weekend I was at Men's gathering where Dr. Mark Love, professor and director of Ministry Events at Abilene Christian University, was the speaker. I was blown away with the thinking and writing Mark's been doing concerning penal substitutionary atonement and salvation. It's groundbreaking! I can't wait for his upcoming book this September. I'm clearing out my reading so it can go to the front of the list. In addition, I deeply enjoyed the time driving and talking with Mark. I was struck by how frank, honest, and transparent he is.

2. After the weekend, I spent three days at my mother-in-law's home. It was spring break, so both she and our family were on break. While there, I finished my final revisions for The Voice (at least I think they're final). The Psalms won't be out anytime soon, but check out the site to stay up to date.

I was planning to get more writing and reading done, but Rochelle's car broke down (dead battery), and finding a tow truck in central Texas is pretty tough. Plus, come to find out, our car warranty company has gone bankrupt. I'm sure we'll soon get a letter asking us to be a part of a class action.

3. Next I spent two days with the guys from my college prayer group. What a group! There is something special about having people in your life who know everything about you -- AND I MEAN EVERYTHING -- and love you anyway. I feel sad for people who have no place to go to be completely open. It is truly a blessing.

My good friend, Kraig, was nearly killed in a car accident on the way home. Originally, I was supposed to ride home with him. Glad I didn't!