Heidi and I just finished watching an amazing Ron Howard documentary called “In the Shadow of the Moon,” which tells the story of the men who flew the six Apollo moon missions between 1969 and 1972.
I was surprised to learn just how fragile these missions were. President Kennedy’s call for America to land a man on the moon by the end of the 60′s was not merely something he said when NASA was all ready to go; it was a huge, visionary leap into the unknown realms of science and technology — and America’s best and brightest answered that call.
These men, in the face of extreme pressure and relative uncertainty, flew their missions flawlessly. Their experiences punctuated a very tense chapter in American history (Kennedy assassination, Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination, rising racial tensions, and the Vietnam War) with a feeling of patriotism and accomplishment that has not been rivaled since.
Hearing these remarkable astronauts tell the story of their training and missions is inspiring.
What an amazing generation of men.
As a new father, its important for me to read books and articles that help me to become the best dad I can be for my son. I want to learn from the wisdom of those who have traveled the road of fatherhood before me, and I want to impart that wisdom to others.
Fortunately, I have found some foundational tips for new parents and I am able to present them to the world without requiring any reading for those who wish to learn (lets face it, new parents don’t typically have the energy to burn through a book without falling asleep between chapters anyway).
This week’s topic:
Nutrition and Your Baby: Feeding Tips for New Parents
Long post, but it’s an important issue:
A popular trend in modern American churches is to buck religious traditions in an effort to open new doors for people to hear the gospel. While I can certainly understand and agree with that end goal, I occasionally grow uneasy with the lengths that some churches go in the effort to distance themselves from religious practices of the past. The effort to remove “churchy” language from church is one that keeps me going back and forth.
One of the greatest historical examples of challenging religious tradition and churchy language is when Reformer John Wycliffe pushed to have the traditional Latin translation of the Bible translated into the “common tongue” of English. Wycliffe’s reason for the language change was because “it helpeth Christian men to study the Gospel in that tongue in which they know best Christ’s sentence.“[1] Before that time, the Roman Catholic Church demanded that all religious instruction and observances be carried out in Latin, which was considered the language worthy of the majesty of God. Unfortunately, only the wealthy and well-educated of the 14th century were able to read or understand Latin; the common people were left in the dark.
Nowadays, some churches work very hard to keep religious language on the same level with the modern culture, many by trying to remove any language that sounds churchy. Though I am all for making the gospel accessible to all people, I sometimes wonder if these churches are washing away some of the most important characteristics that distinguish Christianity from popular culture.
One of our pastors, Paul Wilson, made a comment a few weeks ago that made me rethink the wisdom of removing religious language from our daily conversations. We think that asking people to operate within the realms of our culture is somehow a barrier to them being able to connect with Christ. Paul pointed out that, if you look at the Starbucks Coffee chain, their language and environment unapologetically requires that you assimilate into their unique culture.
They call their drink sizes tall, grande, and venti. You can come in and order a medium [insert drink here] and they’ll kindly respond by saying, “OK, that’s a grande [insert drink here]?” They do not apologize that they have their own language at Starbucks — in fact that’s a characteristic that helps them stand out from other coffee shops. Their thousands of customers create a rather solid confirmation that using language unfamiliar to the average person does not turn most people away. In fact, most customers eventually begin to learn the Starbucks lingo and make it a part of their vocabulary.
What if, instead of filtering every word of our church language through the lens of pop lingo, we retained some mystery to our vastly unique culture and asked others to take part in learning it for themselves? Would that make Christianity more or less appealing?
I’m not sure I know the answer to that. What do you think?
[1] Paul D. Wegner, The Journey from Texts to Translation (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999)
Today is Heidi’s 29th birthday. I have covertly set up a post on her blog where people can go to send her a quick happy birthday message. Please take a moment to let Heidi know that you are glad that God put her on this earth. I know I am.
In a world that has become so insanely hysterical about global warming, it’s refreshing to hear someone — especially a celebrity — talk about caring for the environment without predicting the end of the world or defending the moral necessity of investing in carbon credits (don’t even get me started).
This interview with Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe, appeared in this month’s issue of Men’s Health magazine and I wanted to share part of it here. With Rowe as our spokesman, real men can care about the environment again without looking like a bunch of wacko greenie pansies.
Was that a bit too harsh?
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There’s a rumor going around that Dirty Jobs is the greenest show on television. Does that surprise you? Not really. I’m the one spreading it.
Any truth to it? Plenty. More than half of the 200 jobs we’ve profiled in the past 3 years benefit the environment in a direct way.
Why do you think people have been slow to notice? Because Dirty Jobs has no environmental agenda. We’re not trying to save the planet or call attention to the latest crisis. We’re just profiling real people who work hard and get dirty in the course of putting bread on the table.
You’re talking about garbage haulers and sewage workers? Yeah, but I’m also talking about entrepreneurs. Like the guys in Florida who scuba dive for golf balls in alligator-infested water hazards and resell them online. Or the dairy farmer in New England who markets biodegradable flowerpots made from cow poop. Or the pig rancher in Las Vegas who collects leftovers from casino buffets and feeds the slop to his swine. These people are greener than Al Gore in a cabbage patch.
Is that what you meant when you told Larry King “brown is the new green?” Actually, what I said was Brown before Green. Like in the dictionary.
So your position on the issue is alphabetical? That’s funny. Very few people who want to talk about the environment these days have a sense of humor.
Why do you think that is? Because the “Greens” have been busy scaring the crap out of us. Haven’t you heard? “Your SUV is melting Greenland. Your hairspray put a hole in the ozone. Your kids are going to inherit a charcoal briquette.”
Well, the stakes are a little scary. Should we really be laughing about global warming? No. But relying on fear and guilt to modify behavior usually leads to comedy. Like in the hardware store, where they tell me the plastic rake in aisle 4 is “environmentally friendly” because it doesn’t use wood. Then, further down the same aisle, they promote a steel rake with a wooden handle as “environmentally friendly” because it uses a “renewable resource.” What a crock. I still don’t know the right answer to “plastic or paper?” Does anybody?
You seem a little agitated. I am. Look around this hotel room. Nice, right? Well there’s a sign on the back of my toilet that says, “It’s Your Planet—Keep It Green!” The sign is covered with little raindrops with sad faces drawn into them. What do you think they’re trying to tell me? You think they’re trying to save water by asking me to not flush my pee?
So you have a problem with saving water? Not at all. Hell, I’d pee in the shower if it’d save me money. The thing is, who enjoys the savings? Do you think I’ll be seeing a discount when I check out? Some sort of urine rebate?
Uh . . . probably not. Hotels are saving millions of dollars by guilting their customers into forgoing fresh towels and linens in the name of environmental responsibility. Those same hotels are happy to sell me a bottle of water for $5—a plastic bottle, no less! You have to laugh.
So you’re sympathetic to the cause, but critical of what exactly – the execution? If we’re talking about the importance of cleaning up after ourselves and leaving a light footprint, I’m all for it. But really, I’m tired of being lectured by people who care more for the planet than the people on it. There’s a lot of “inconvenient truth” in the environmental movement, and a ton of manipulation. That leads to hypocrisy and opportunism.
You’ve put some thought into this. I’m not done. The people I meet on Dirty Jobs would never describe themselves as “green,” yet they do more to clean up our environment in the course of making a living than any celebrity ever will. If you were looking to launch an environmental awareness campaign that real people can relate to, I’d say “Get Down with Brown,” and hire a plumber to act as spokesman.
So you’re not impressed with the efforts of people like Al Gore and Leo DiCaprio? I’m not going to question anyone’s agenda or motive. But I strongly suspect that millions of responsible Americans who see themselves as environmentally conscious have been turned off by the marketing of green, and might feel uneasy about falling in line behind movie stars and politicians. Celebrities might generate awareness, but flying around in private jets and being famous doesn’t help our environment. Picking up other people’s garbage does.
Updated Monday, July 21
Let the record show that the largest percentage of readers polled (42%) agree with me that toilet seat assessment is the way to go when considering the use of paper seat covers. In a close second, 35.5% of people opt never to tempt fate and would cover the seat every time, even at Martha Stewart’s house. And bringing up the rear (no pun intended) is the 22.5% of people who were raised by monkeys and think that personal hygiene is merely a fad.
Let the record also show that this post garnered more comments than the one celebrating the birth of my son. I have a very peculiar reader base.
Thanks everyone; this was fun!
Do you always use the provided toilet seat covers in restrooms?
I discussed this with Cameron today and we have somewhat differing views. He says that he would never think of not using a seat cover and I am all for assessing the restroom’s cleanliness level before making a decision either way. If the restroom appears clean, then I have no issues. If I am at the airport in Reno, however, I will always opt for protection.
So what about you? Please take a moment to respond to my official, scientific poll on the right-hand column. If you decide to participate, you are required to be 100% honest — don’t worry, you will remain anonymous.
The poll closes a week from today, so weigh in now
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If you simply want to make fun of me and tell me how disgusting I am for selectively using the seat protectors, the comment link is below. Try to be kind.
HOUSTON, TX – A local couple who thought were going in for a routine C-section delivery of their first child were surprised to discover that their little bundle of joy came out to be an unusually big bundle of joy. Brayden Brooks Gray, newborn son of Jonathan and Michelle Gray of Kingwood, birthed in at 10 lbs. 10 oz. and just short of 23 in. long.
While the delivery was routine by all medical standards, doctors were baffled at what they saw as Brayden was removed from his mother’s uterus. “I couldn’t believe my eyes,” said the on-call obstetrician. “I have never delivered a baby with a football helmet already strapped to his head.”
Along with the helmet, baby Gray was reportedly also born with a full set of shoulder pads, cleats, and what appeared to be an NFL contract postdated for 2026.
“I was amazed,” said new father Jonathan. “Not only did I witness the birth of my first child, but I also got to meet the youngest-ever NFL draft pick — all from the comfort of a sterile maternity ward operating room.” New mother Michelle only commented by saying, “Cleats?! Thank God for epidurals!”
By press time, the team logo on the helmet could not be confirmed. Some medical staff insist that it was the Houston Texans, while others bitterly contend that they saw the tell-tale Dallas Cowboys star. One orderly made the suggestion that he believes that it may have been a Denver Broncos helmet. Police are still on scene investigating his murder.
For now, the Grays seem content with their new baby and insist that they’re not going to give him any special treatment just because he is already favored to lead his team to a decisive victory in the 2028 Super Bowl.
“We are just glad he’s healthy,” said Jonathan, “and that we can pay down our medical bills through the sponsorship we just signed making him the spokesman for Gatorade’s new Breast Milk Mountain Blast energy drink.”
It turns out that the link to the debate I posted below is no longer on iTunes. I have included it here in mp3 format so that you can listen directly from this page:
If you enjoy this episode of the Dennis Prager Show, I strongly recommend that you subscribe to the free podcasts of his show. It’s not all politics — he covers a wider range of interesting topics than any talk show host I have ever heard. Even my wife loves listening to him — and she hates talk radio.
I specifically recommend that you check out his weekly Male/Female hour. His insights on marriage and male sexuality are spot-on and he holds nothing back. If you are married (man or woman), your thinking will definitely be challenged.
