Los Angeles and My Marriage-Up In Flames

Today marks 15 years since the Los Angeles (aka the Rodney King) Riots. My wife was then working in Inglewood; where scenes like this were common*. We had just gotten married in February of that year. One time, pre-riot, I had visited her at work and we'd gone out for burgers. Half jokingly she told me to 'duck and cover' if I heard loud shots or whistles while we were eating.
Today, 15 years later, much of Inglewood has been rebuilt, stronger and better. My marriage, on the other hand....up in flames.

While the riots showed us the worst of mankind, they also provided a backdrop in which the best of mankind was illuminated.

(HT Hot Air/ Photo taken by Jose Ivey and used by permision: *Urban Voyeur.com)

Mitt Romney's Mormonism- IT IS A PROBLEM!

The danger of hiring such a man had not previously run across my mind. It was the interview that sealed it for me. Up to that point, I was focusing on him as ‘the one’, the choice, the hope. But as I was listening to the interview, I heard another sound….the sound of waves shattering moorings.*
The interview? Hugh Hewitt interviews former religion editor and NY Times Op Ed contributor Kenneth Woodward. SO WHAT? Yeah, I never heard of him either. But he wrote this article about Mormons; and included a bunch of vague generalities….Hugh accused him of religious bigotry. Blah, blah, blah; but the point is this: If Mitt Romney is the key choice for republican presidential candidacy; then Mormons get a lot of (mostly) positive exposure. Even hearing Hugh speak, it sounded as though he was equating Mormonism with other equal Christian denominations. It did not sound as though he had any concerns about it being a cult.
Anyway, I started writing this early in April. Since then, I see that Pastore’s got an article up saying the same thing…..Definite food for thought in the midst of such an important election.
*Okay, it's way over-dramatic. But that's the fun of the writing process.....face it; you'd get way way bored if I wrote differently!

God?

What do you represent?

Stopping To Smell The Roses

I've been fighting the last three weeks to reestablish periods of stillness and contemplation into my life. In that light, here's an amazing (true) story about folks that missed out on great beauty...while running to their other commitments.

I'm Up Late on Good Friday So......

I'm in a kind of funky, mellow mood today. On the way home Dobson was playing a sermon by Dr. Tony Evans. Good stuff. It put me in the mood to hear some more good preaching. So I went home and listened to some "classics" on the internet. Sooo, if you're in the mood, (I realize that not everyone's wired into listening to sermons as I am) I'm linking to two really good sermons that have touched my life. The first, is the late Dr. E.V. Hill preaching at his wife's funeral. If you're having trouble trusting God, this sermon may help.
The other is kind of a Good Friday message; but it's a bit heavy. If you're feeling content in lukewarm Christianity and your middle class lifestyle, this message won't help....but it'll get you thinking.
There you have it. Food for thought on a late Good Friday night. Now I probably should go to bed. I've got a men's ministry breakfast on the plate for 7:00 a.m.
Good night!

Passover: Shoulda Shipped Out the Yeast AND the Beast

On Monday I drove up to my Dad’s house for Passover. Hailey is on vacation visiting the cousins not far from dad’s. So they dropped her off there as well. Strange mish-mash of folks there for the holiday as always. Dad and grandma Ethel, Ethel’s daughter and husband, Ethel’s son-in-law (longer story there), Jeannie, Felicia (a friend of the family..., “Her mother and I knew each otha since the first Exodus”), the kids, and myself.
The guys put on their Yamukahs. We sit down to read the Haggadah.
We get to the plagues, then stop. Time for dinner. What? Where’s that Moses fella? I thought he figured in here somewhere? Like in that movie with the guy from Soylent Green. You know the one. BUT NOOO, the Jews never get out of Egypt. Later on I remind Hailey that the Jews really do get out of Egypt (which oddly enough is the reason for the holiday celebration). I also assure Hailey that, “Yes, we can eat normal bread for the next week at my house.”

So, dad and Ethel have this dog, I think it’s called a ‘Mahjong Freejew’. Anyhow, it has a number of issues. One is that when the mail is dropped through the front door mail slot, the dog grabs the mail, flicks its little head and flings the mail across the room. So, all night long the adults and the kids were dropping catalogs and envelopes into the slot to see the dog go ballistic.

The dogs’ second issue is that, sometimes, on occasion, he attacks the legs of men. Attack with teeth, not attack like your thinking.

So, my brother-in-law Duane, and his wife Denise come over to pick up Hailey. They come on in to chat a while and be social. Grab some desert. Then, outta nowhere, the dog attacks. Draws blood. Duane has numerous marks on his legs. None too bad. But still.

And that’s how I spent my Passover this year.