Pet Peeving

Judas and the Gospel of Jesus

2008-08-08T07:54:00.005-05:00

A friend of mine gave me a copy of N.T. Wright's Judas and the Gospel of Jesus. Wright is a an extraordinary historian and writer. He is also Bishop of Durham for the Church of England. I enjoy his writings, because he gets to the point or points I should say. Unlike a lot of scholars, he doesn't drag you through the mud and mire of how he gets to his conclusions, but rather gives you enough information to make his point valid. He by far is one of the sharpest theologians of our day.

Regarding this particular book, Wright discusses the value or lack there of, Christians can take from the discovery of an old manuscript entitled The Gospel of Judas. It was brought to the modern world's attention a few years ago and authors like Bart D. Ehrman led the way in portraying it as a significant work that discredits Christianity. Essentially, Wright provides a counter argument and goes on to say that the work attempts to not only to insult Christianity but Judaism as well. This new gospel is one written by Gnostics in an attempt to make Judas the hero, rather than the villain.

Have you read it? What did you think? If you'll read this book (less than 150 pages) you'll learn some interesting facts and appreciate more the work of historians.

Pet Peeve: Slow Fast Food

2008-08-07T08:49:00.004-05:00

Recently, I have really enjoyed the new BK shots (mini burgers) at Burger King. When I think fast food, I think Burger King first as a result. That's what happened last night when we were thinking of getting a quick bite to eat.

As we went inside Burger King, we placed our order. The restaurant wasn't crowded and only one man was in front of us. He placed his order then we placed ours; 2 BK shot meals. After getting our receipt we stood their patiently waiting. We noticed there was just as much "standing around" on the kitchen side of the counter as there was on dining room side. Two more orders were placed after us. One of those orders were for BK shots. Both of those orders placed after us received their food before us. After 10 minutes of waiting, we finally got our food.

The lady passed the tray across the counter to me and I simply asked, "Would it be okay if we had a Hershey Pie for waiting like we did?" She looked it me like I was the most ungrateful customer she had ever seen. She revealed a smug on her face, opened up the fridge, grabbed a pie, tossed it out on the counter, and walked away without saying a word.

I suppose I got what I asked for and should have been content, but what I was really fishing for was an apology or some kind of acknowledgment for the lack of service. Recently, I have noticed service at this particular Burger King on the decline and my experience last night has bumped Burger King from the top of my fast food four square game.

This all made me think about customer service. When your customers are upset and want something in return, ask yourself "What do they really want?" Then provide it with a smile and say you're sorry. And if you are really good at customer service, you won't wait for the customer to say something before you react.

Why should your company buy a Wii?

2008-08-06T07:45:00.003-05:00

Johnny Lee is a researcher in California. He has gotten a lot of attention on You Tube with his Wii Remote hacks. The following video is him speaking at TED, showing off a few of the hacks.

Not only could it be useful for business, but your teams could have some team building time on their lunch hour too!

Financial Peace Plaza is a lighthouse

2008-08-05T08:56:00.004-05:00

So, yesterday Google released their street view option for Google Maps. I was playing around with it a little bit and decided to check out the street view of Dave Ramsey's office building, Financial Peace Plaza. As you may well know his company operates under the name "Lampo" (Greek for light). Through out the offices you can find various lighthouses on desks and walls symbolizing the name.

Imagine my surprise when I checked out "Lampo" from the street view and could not actually see it because appearing from the building was a beaming light as bright as the sun. How ironic?

You can see it below. (If you are using RSS and it doesn't work, you'll just have to visit my blog - sorry.

View Larger Map

Hey Dorothy, rainbows may be toxic!

2008-08-05T08:08:00.003-05:00

Pet Peeve: Boys and Sandals

2008-08-04T09:31:00.004-05:00

I'm not a fan of foot thongs, flip flops or sandals that reveal most of a man's foot. Maybe this is more of a phobia than a peeve, but nonetheless I just don't like it. Girls do a better job with keeping their feet primped and colorful, so it's not bothersome at all for me to see girls showing off their pedicures.

However, for guys I much rather look at some crappy looking ball cap than your disgusting crooked toes. Men, if you have nice looking feet I question your manhood, but don't feel compelled to prove your manhood by showing off your feet - unless you are at a pool, lake, or beach. When you wear shoes, I'll just assume you have ugly feet like mine.

Jesus Calms a Storm

2008-08-02T08:39:00.001-05:00

I've been meditating on Mark 4:35-41 this week in preparation for a speaking engagement. The passage is about Jesus being woken from sleep on a boat by his disciples during the midst of a windstorm. It's an interesting story that seems to have a short and sweet application; if you trust God then you can experience peace throughout various "storms" in life.

Although that may indeed be the moral of the story, the more I think about it the more questions I raise for myself. Here are two of them. Do the requests I ask of our Father assume He is not paying attention, as if He were asleep? If so, what does it say about my faith?

Pet Peeving Update

2008-08-01T15:52:00.003-05:00

For all of those who use an RSS reader there are two things about Pet Peeving that you may not be aware of.

There is a poll I would like you to participate in.
There is a new look. It's temporary. Probably.

Busy Signals

2008-08-01T07:59:00.004-05:00

Can you remember the last time you called a friend on the phone and heard a busy signal? Yeah...for most people it's been awhile. However, my wife had the experience just the other night. She was trying to call her parents at their little lake cabin on the land line. Cell phones don't work there because the cabin sits deep in a Tennessee holler. My wife was stuck. The phone line was busy.

We then reminisced about the days when you always had to call back over and over again, until the beep-beep-beep-beep beeped no more. Waiting for a line to free up seemed like hours. As a kid, all I wanted to do is ask a friend what our homework assignment was, but I knew his sister would stay on the phone all night and I would never know if I was suppose to do the odd or even math problems. Argh!

Maybe you had some of those fancy phone features growing up, but most people I knew didn't. Now, it comes pretty standard on cell phones, and the only time we use a land-line at home is for 911. It made me think about something else. I wonder how long it will take my 2 year old son to hear his first busy tone. With technology moving the way it is today, is it possible that he will never hear it?

What happened to phone booths?

2008-07-29T07:40:00.005-05:00

Around 10 years ago when cell phones started to become increasingly popular, phone booths started disappearing. I think it is interesting that we use to love our privacy so much that when we were on the phone we felt the need to enclose ourselves inside a stuffy little box.

So, here we are today. All of us carrying cell phones and privacy is the least of our concern. Whether we are in a restaurant, walking down the hall, or sitting on the toilet of a public restroom, there seems to be no boundary for where we'll talk or text on a phone. Even though we don't use pay phones, wouldn't a phone booth still be handy to have?

So, what happen to all of the phone booths? Where did they go? Did we all just get too fat to squeeze inside of them? One day our kids will say, "What's a phone booth? Do you mean Superman's dressing room?"

The Power of Nice

2008-07-28T07:42:00.005-05:00

This weekend I wrapped up a short little book by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval, entitled The Power of Nice. It boasts being a national bestseller with the foreword written by television host Jay Leno. The authors run a huge advertising agency out of New York called The Kaplan Thaler Group. They are responsible for things like the Toys 'R Us Jingle and the Aflac duck.

I don't know about you, but I could always use some help being nicer. The basis of this book is the idea that "nice guys" don't finish last. It argues the exact opposite and gives several good tips and reminders on how being nice to others can take you a lot further in your career.

I enjoyed the book a lot up until I approached the end. You see Chapter 5 of the book is all about why you should "Help Your Enemies". Well, then I get to Chapter 8, "Shut Up and Listen". The first story is how these ladies took a CEO of a competitor out to lunch...just to talk. Their point was, if you'll be nice and take interest in others they will divulge a lot of information that you can use to better yourself. So, what did they learn from this CEO? They learned about some leads that they were not aware of and went after them. This CEO and his company were already making plans to pitch ideas when these ladies swooped in and took it away from them. Do you see the problem I have now?

Was that nice? Was that helping your enemies? It sounded more like manipulation to me. I don't know, this other CEO could have been a jerk and had it coming, but what if he wasn't such a bad guy. Didn't they just break their own rules on being nice? Anyway, I feel bad that my review is not "nicer" because most of the book is good. I just need clarification on that story. That's all.

I'd still add it to your list since it is so short.

A Husband's Gun Prank

2008-07-27T13:42:00.002-05:00

This had me in tears. It is a video of a husband getting revenge on his wife. Hilarious. You can watch it on You Tube since the poster disabled the embed feature for the clip.

MacGyver vs. A-Team: You Decide

2008-07-25T07:53:00.005-05:00

I was reading Seth Godin's post this morning, I need to build a house, what kind of hammer should I buy? He made the following statement.

"Sure, picking the wrong tools will really cripple your launch. Picking the wrong software (or the wrong hammer) is a hassle. But nothing great gets built just because you have the right tools."

He's right. It's not about the tools, but how you use the tools you have. Immediately, MacGyver and the A-Team came to mind. All of them had a way of getting out of a mess with limited resources. So here's my question.

If you were being held captive with one or the other who would you rather have to help you escape and why? McGyver or the A-Team?

Facebook makes people tired

2008-07-24T09:39:00.001-05:00

Several of us have discussed the following phenomenon at work. Have you ever looked at the friend status updates of all your Facebook friends from a single day and count how many of them are tired, exhausted, sleepy, or need a nap? I just looked at all of mine and counted 6 of you.

How many of your Facebook friends are tired, right now?

Environmentalists and their message

2008-07-23T07:30:00.002-05:00

This may have already occurred to you, but it recently occurred to me. It seems as though environmentalists are not well liked. I realize this is a stereotype and should not be applied to everyone, but often environmentalists are portrayed as unforgiving zealots. They are aggressive, outspoken, and take their cause to extremes. They don't seem intent on listening to other views. Their way seems to be the only way and even then they seem to be living hypocritically according to portions of their message.

It turns people off from their message. I think they are fighting for a good cause but is the message lost because of the methods of delivery? I know I want to be better at saving our environment but I don't want to be the stereotypical environmentalist.

That's when I thought, Christians are guilty of the same thing when it comes to delivering the message of Christ. Being passionate for a cause is good. Being patient on others to develop their own passion for that cause might be even better.

How ironic that the Apostle Paul tells the church in Corinth to "plant".

10 tips for reading non-fiction

2008-07-22T07:41:00.006-05:00

I know a lot of people are not readers but I also know a lot of people wish they were. That use to be my story. A lot of people I talk with have a hard time reading non-fiction. Anyway, here is a small list of tips I've picked up from some of the books I've read. Hopefully they will help you get and stay motivated to read.

Start with small books. Don't start off with a 300 page book. Go with something that is between 100-150 pages. This way you won't be overwhelmed.
Keep notes. Use a page in the front or the back of the book to jot down little notes of things you want to remember. Be sure to record the page number as well. You'll find that you keep returning to a good book for reference time and time again.
Set a daily reading goal. You can do this in anyway you want but for example, if a book has 120 pages and you want to read it in 6 days you need to read 20 pages a day. You might even break it down by chapter. Whatever the goal is, make it obtainable.
Carry the book with you everywhere you go. You have to learn to read wherever you are at. A page here, a page there, it all adds up toward your reading goal for the day. If you arrive somewhere early, read a page. Let the book sit on your desk at work where you'll be reminded of it all day.
Read hardbacks. If you are going to carry this book around with you, you'll want something durable. It will also be easier to keep notes.
Choose a book by it's cover. Yeah, I know, you've always heard not to do that, but if you are trying to become a better reader, a cool looking cover will help you stay interested in the book.
Read what you like. Read on a subject that interests you or read on a subject that inspires you to be better at what you do.
Go somewhere that makes you feel smart while reading. Whether it's the library, a coffee shop or park bench, every now and then you need to find a nice place to read where you feel smart or sophisticated. It usually means you'll dress a little nicer and you'll feel confident and good about yourself. That will make reading more enjoyable for you.
Take away at least one idea. Some books will be bad. You won't learn a thing. However, if you can pick up just one useful idea by reading a book it will justify the cost of the book.
Think about others. While you are reading, you might come across something that would be useful for a friend or someone you work with to know. Instead of just telling them about it, buy them a copy of the book. You'll feel good about giving something away and they will appreciate the thought. This feeling will motivate you to read more.

Do you have other ideas that help you?

Lottery Tickets & Cigarettes

2008-07-21T10:26:00.006-05:00

I've heard a lot of stories from people who get in line at the convenience store, only to get behind someone who is buying a stack of lottery tickets and cigarettes. Have you heard this story from someone before?

Usually, the story tellers just wants to pay for their gas or buy a drink, and go on about their day. Only someone in front of them is holding up the line and their story turns into a big drama. It shouldn't take them more than 30 seconds to make their purchase, and their trip to the convenient store has suddenly turned into a huge inconvenience. Instead, they waste like 10 minutes because the person can't decide on how many tickets and which pack of cigarettes to purchase.

I always thought people who told these stories, embellished them a little. I found out first hand this morning that they don't. It really does happen the way they tell it.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

2008-07-18T10:57:00.003-05:00

I learned about Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog for the first time yesterday (Thanks Phil). Here's the plan: They are only going to release each one of the three acts on certain dates. Two of those dates have already passed. The last date is tomorrow (Saturday, July 19, 2008). The only place you can watch this is on the Web. All three acts will only be available for free viewing through midnight on Sunday, July 20. It stars Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, & Felicia Day. It is a Joss Whedon film.

Well, I got a kick out of it. I really like the storyline, I like the music, I like the quality. In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing this run a lot longer. I was entertained.

Watch it soon - or you'll have to pay.

Ketchup Packets

2008-07-18T08:31:00.004-05:00

So with everything "going green¹", why do ketchup packets still exist in their current size? Does anyone really only use one ketchup packet on french fries? Does anyone really only use two ketchup packets with their tater tots? Why not save everyone some time and foil and make a ketchup packet that has the same fl. oz as three packets combined?

C'mon Al Gore, surely you can help me out with the frustrations of eating fast food.

¹ I don't want to discuss any other environmental issue. Just stick to ketchup packets for the time being please.

Super Mario Brothers

2008-07-17T07:33:00.002-05:00

I downloaded the old Super Mario Brothers from the original Nintendo to our Nintendo Wii a few weeks ago. I thought it might be fun to have an old game to remind me of how far video games have evolved. My brother who was six years ahead of me started our family out with the Atari 2600. So, my first plea for a gaming system was the Nintendo when it came out. Anyway, I enjoyed this viral video below. I think it has made a trip around the WWW a time or two.

The Book of Micah

2008-07-16T07:30:00.000-05:00

I just finished up a study on the book of Micah. As my main resource I used Volume 32 of the Word Biblical Commentary by Ralph L. Smith. I had started buying this series of commentaries several years ago when I was a minister by profession, but I rarely get my money's worth out of them anymore. I have decided to change that.

So, why did I return to commentaries by starting with Micah? Good question. I'm glad I am asking myself that. I think it started with the fact that several years ago, I sat in on a class at a conference that focused on Micah and there was one verse that has stuck with me from that study ever since.

MICAH 7:7
But as for me, I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.

As was the case with Micah, I was tired and frustrated with seeing people who were doing "evil" prosper, while those who were faithful to Father, often endured suffering and oppression. Micah delivers a "judgment" but he doesn't do it without offering hope at the end. I have to admit that in my life I've not always done what is right. Sometimes it was taking advantage of others for personal gain, something Micah spoke out against. There's no question that judgment on my life would result in a guilty verdict. Repentance can be difficult. For the people Micah prophesied against, I imagine it was even more difficult for them to repent. How could it be easy to walk away from wealth when you worked so hard to take it from others?

Anyway, I was reminded to trust Father. I was reminded that he has saved me - no one else has and I can't save myself. I was reminded that he hears me. Therefore, I gladly wait on Father's timing in everything.

Review of Primal Leadership

2008-07-15T15:18:00.002-05:00

One of the books Tim Sanders refers to several times in his book The Likeability Factor is a book written by Daniel Goleman entitled Primal Leadership. As Sanders recommends, you should review books that you've read every now and then.

Here's my review from last year.

Tim Sanders and Dave Ramsey + Dan Miller

2008-07-15T10:14:00.006-05:00

Today is the day that Tim Sanders will be interviewed on The Dave Ramsey Show. As an added benefit we all had the privilege of of hearing Tim speak in our weekly devotional here at Lampo. Tim is an an exceptional author and speaker. I am a big fan of his and enjoyed his talk immensely.

Anyway, as you may already know, Dave Ramsey and Dan Miller are friends. So, this morning Dan came to join us for our weekly devotional. Afterward, I wanted to shake Tim's hand and tell him "thanks" for the information he shares in his books and gripping videos he puts on the Web. As I walked up, there stood all three authors (Dave, Dan, & Tim) having a discussion. It was a sobering moment. In front of me stood three icons of "success". I just stood back for a moment and observed.

I saw three men, who were just that...men. Men who work hard, who are passionate about what they do and teach. I saw integrity. I saw humility. I saw greatness. I saw wisdom.

I was reminded that Father has blessed me. I really do work in an extraordinary place. Today, I am especially grateful for my "workplace". Today also marks the beginning of my fifth year with Lampo. What a way to begin this work year, huh?

Tim Sanders and Dave Ramsey

2008-07-14T16:01:00.011-05:00

I did not have to wait for Tim Sanders to make the announcement, but I am looking forward to tomorrow. Tim Sanders will be on The Dave Ramsey Show. Tune in.

Great Resource for Mac Users

2008-07-14T07:50:00.003-05:00

I'm not going to add this to my reading list, but I thought I would take a minute to mention a thing or two about the Maran Illustrated, book series. I've used a Book for Dummies and an occasional Idiot's Guide and have found them all to be rather helpful. But, a friend of mine let me borrow Maran's book on Mac OS X v.10.4 Tiger a few months back, and I have perused it ever since.

I really like charts and illustrations which is why I like the Maran Illustrated series so much. I bought my first Mac last year and found there was a lot that I had to get accustomed to from switching from windows. This book helped me pick up on some tips and tricks that might have otherwise taken me awhile to figure out on my own.

I know Tiger is not the latest operating system, but if you are a new apple user and this is what you have, it might be worth checking out.