Mr. McBeevey's Valium

Billy Crystal / Robert DeNiro Thanksgiving commerical (2001)

2009-11-25T05:32:00.001-08:00

Another Friday Questionnaire

2009-11-13T19:05:00.000-08:00

1. The last band I saw live was U2.
2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is the meal. (if you don't celebrate thanksgiving, insert your favorite holiday)
3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is seldom successful.
4. Thoughts of CENSORED fill my head.
5. I wish I could wear that cool robotic exoskeleton like I saw in the previews for Alien.
6. Bagpipes will probably not get their own video game, but I'd probably buy it if they did.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to resting, tomorrow my plans include working and watching football and Sunday, I want to go to church and then combine the activities of Friday and Saturday!

THE ORIGINAL Scary 'Mary Poppins' Recut Trailer

2009-11-13T09:56:00.001-08:00

"Office Space" Recut

2009-11-13T09:52:00.001-08:00

These recuts totally crack me up.

2009-10-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

breakfast song

2009-10-10T13:24:00.001-07:00

To Do List:

1. Teach "Breakfast Song" to praise teams.
2. Stop taking requests.

James Bond is coming to dinner...

2009-10-09T04:37:00.001-07:00

50451 Silver Valley Rd, NEWBERRY SPRINGS, CA 92365 | MLS# 09-401249

Shared via AddThis

Piano stairs - Rolighetsteorin.se - The fun theory

2009-10-09T04:22:00.001-07:00

2009-07-03T14:44:00.000-07:00

1. She had a great knack for being right.

2. My arm is by my side, always.

3. I know this: water is quite wet.

4. Our electric meter is not even sorta still.

5. These words apply to me: flumoxed and cobbler.

6. I got a sunburn yesterday because the sun was shining.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a game, tomorrow my plans include fireworks and Sunday, I want to sleep.

2009-06-20T06:31:00.000-07:00

1. All children alarm their parents, if only because you are forever expecting them to act like talking puppies.

2. Show me a good loser and I will show you a someone who is not named Al.

3. Sometimes a stomach bug is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs at one time.

4. Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy being told how crazy they are by the press and their children.

5. I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine earrings and shoes.

6. It is impossible to think of any good meal, no matter how plain or elegant, without chewing or swallowing in it.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Up, tomorrow my plans include mowing and Sunday, I want to chill!

Lame Attempt at Blogging

2009-06-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across a blog this evening that satisfies my interest in blogging and my lack of interest, I mean ability, I mean time for actually having to think and/or tell people about it. Basically, this little blog offers a few statement-starters that people can finish to reveal random and useful things about themselves. They put these out every Friday. Maybe this will become a habit- maybe not.

And...here we go!

1. I grew up thinking but came to realize few people actually care what I'm thinking.

2. Yahoo.com was the last website I was at before coming here.

3. Why don't you reconsider "putting up?"

4. Sleeping helps me relax.

5. Thanks for the memories.

6. I find pretentious people very off-putting.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!

Ripples

2009-03-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

People have been very kind in their expressions of concern since Dad passed away a few weeks ago. Our family has benefited from many meals, cards, flowers, memorials and the like and all are appreciated. Perhaps one of the more touching things we have received, though, is the letter below. It’s especially meaningful in light of how Dad thought his attempt at teaching high school was a pathetic failure. This letter, however, shows how even when we may think our efforts are miserable or unnoticed or influence may have more impact than we ever realize. Still waters may run deep, but maybe that lets those droplets of influence travel that much further.

Dear Family of Victor Durrington:

I am writing to express my sympathy to you for the recent death of your loved one.

I knew Mr. Durrington briefly during the 1954-55 academic year when he taught in the Republic, Missouri, High School. I was a freshman in high school at that time and enrolled in a general math course taught by him. Thanks to his effort, that turned out to be a very special course for me - one of the most significant courses I took in high school. Three of us in that class benefited from special pains he took on our behalf. He recognized that the three of us - two boys and one girl - were more talented and knowledgeable in math than the rest of the general math class in which we were enrolled. He offered us the opportunity to study trigonometry book, I assume from his personal library, and let us work through those books at our own pace. We sat in the general math class, but read and did homework problems from the trigonometry texts. It must have taken considerable courage on his part to risk his teaching reputation by allowing us as very immature high school freshmen to chart our own course that year. I marvel that he did this at a very young age – I calculate he was 21 or 22 at the time – and with very little experience at teaching. The Republic position must have been his first teaching position after graduating from college.

The seeds he planted in that course surely were significant in pushing us toward our eventual education and careers. The two boys in that group each went on to earn PhDs in physics: mine from the University of Missouri at Rolla and the other boy earned his PhD in physics at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The girl in that group earned her degree from Indiana State University in Terre Haute (I think, although I am not certain) and went on to marry a gentleman who became president of a small college. I recently retired from a 39 year career teaching physics at what is now Missouri State University. The three of us acquired a strong interest in mathematics and a head start on our mathematics education thanks to Mr. Durrington’s insight and daring. I think the results of his teaching are pretty remarkable, considering we were members of a freshman class of less than 40 students in a small high school in a somewhat isolated farming community in Southwest Missouri during the mid-1950s, well before the population and technology explosions that have occurred in the Springfield area in the last 40 years.

It is somewhat ironic that last Wednesday (March 4), I think the day before Mr. Durrington passed away, I had visited the other boy in the group who studied trigonometry, and in the course of our discussion we reminisced about the trigonometry we learned in that freshman math class. I have not seen Mr. Durrington since that freshman year, and I regret that I never got to thank him in person for the contribution he made to my life.

Sincerely,
Bob Thurman
Emeritus Professor of Physics
Missouri State University

3/9/2009

2008-10-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

Fearless

2008-10-03T21:33:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again. When the hint of fall lingers a bit longer in days that are getting shorter. When our calendar adds a digit as we enter October. When ghastly images of a pagan holiday fight for shelf space among the already-appearing images of holidays focused on giving thanks and accepting the birth of Jesus. And when on the first weekend of October Nashville hosts the Zoe conference. This year, the theme is:

FEARLESS

Tonight's speaker asked us to consider what we are afraid of. In this climate of world events the list could be pretty long- including the economy, terrorism, our own government, asparagus, parenting, clowns and much, much more. A video even included images from movies with scary characters. Honestly though, I have to admit that there might be one more thing that was more frightening than the images in the video. I cannot really describe it, so I'll just reveal it here. If you have small children, you might want to ask them to leave the room before you scroll down. Don't say you weren't warned.

Bailout

2008-09-23T22:11:00.001-07:00

Not that any of you asked, but I want to go on record as saying I think the bailout is probably a bad idea. I am not for doing nothing, but the sad reality is that there are more waves of trouble in the financial sector right behind this one centered in the mortgage crisis. Automotive and other big-ticket item financing and credit cards or other revolving credit are those gathering storms making your joints ache.

There simply is not enough money to bail out all of the problems on the horizon. Well, the fact that we're once again raising the debt ceiling pretty much proves that there isn't enough money now. Not only that, a flood of foreclosures that would almost have to result from government servicing or enforcement of substandard mortgages will create a disastrous real estate market with a glut of homes but very few who can qualify to buy them. It will be great for landlords like myself, but homebuilders and building material suppliers will be sucking wind and asking for their own bailout.

If the the government is spoiling to get into the fray, I would suggest they pass legislation wherein all loans in default are brought to current status. In this scenario, the amounts in arears along with any interest, penalties and fees would not be forgiven but would be added to the end of the note with interest. Doing this would allow many to regain their footing and enable them to continue to manage their mortgages. Some would still eventually default on their notes, but to a lesser degree than if all the notes were demanded and over a more spread out impact than all at once. The fact is, for most people living close to the margin, owing 6 months of payments is akin to having to pay off the entire balance- out of reach- so they give up. Having a clean slate from which to pick up (a'la the Year of Jubilee) would give them an opportunity to keep their homes. They would be more likely to meet this obligation given the new stricter underwriting standards already being implemented.

Lenders could still service the loans but all lenders would be responsible for the nonsensical underwriting procedures they used rather than passing that burden to the government and would hopefully apply improved procedures to future lending. Now the one area where the government might be somewhat heavily involved would be in the investigation of how loans pools have been assembled and distributed. Fraud is bound to have been rampant and sooner or later such opportunities must be blocked. The best part, the burden of default would still ultimately lie with those who caused the problem in the first place.

This is not to say that some problems will completely go away, but I think to try this and let capitalism (even if it is capitalism on training wheels) would still have a chance. At least until the next crisis comes along- and it will- in the form of automotive credit. And I have something to say about that, too. If I feel like it I may spew more of my ideas of ridiculous auto financing that not only encourages but creates a total lack of equity for the buyer, of flaws in the securities markets and of glaring issues in consumer credit. Regardless of whether the $700 billion buyout plan gets passed, it is going to be a very bumpy ride.

Again, so much of this would never have been reality if we had term-limits. Forcing those elected to govern rather than perpetually run for office would have meant that legislators would never have bowed to the pressure to allow such shenanigans to take place.

Okay, rant over...at least for now.

Life & Other Nonsense

2008-09-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

Wow! Forgive me reader for I have sinned. Almost two months have passed since my last post. Life has kind of been getting in the way. I'll try to offer a brief summary:

School has started again. The kids all seem to be enjoying it though they won't admit it. Connor is playing football with full pads for the first time. I'm not exactly sure what the learning curve is but I think he is behind it. The girls are enjoying their year so far as well with the promise of good days ahead. Actually, at least one boy has called the house this year so I think I'll retract my last statement.

Work has been absolutely wild. I am starting to get a new office set up. Long story short- I hate it. Well, maybe "hate" is a little strong. I guess it just leaves me horribly depressed and wishing I could find a job as an island hermit. Ooh.... Sorry. I drifted off to another world for a second there.

We have a new foster dog. He is hilarious. His name is Finn and he is part Great Dane and part Pit Bull. I used to tell people he had the size of the Dane and the attitude of the Pit but having gotten to know him we have realized he is a big softy. If he doesn't know you, however, he will probably use you either as a chew toy or a snack.

I am still really enjoying leading worship at Highland. It would be great to concentrate solely on worshipping- even with worship planning thrown in. But constant recruiting can be somewhat taxing. If anyone reads this and is interested in giving praise teams a try, let me know. Before you get involved in a regular commitment you are welcome to give it a try as an alternate for a while- in which case you can respond to a call for a replacement only when it suits you. If you are interested leave a comment.

Kendra and I reached a pretty cool milestone a few of you may be aware of. I can't really discuss it in such an open forum, but there are clues on my Facebook profile.

Finally, many have asked about how Dad is doing and sadly, the news is not good. Some complications resulted in a few trips to M. D. Anderson that Ike did his best to complicate. Ultimately, though, a new bone marrow biopsy showed that 90-95% of the cells in the biopsy were cancerous. Further, he was diagnosed with an additional type of cancer. Now he has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma in addition to the hybrid of leukemia and lymphoma with which he had already been diagnosed. We are not yet aware of a treatment plan or diagnosis but we are on a heightened level of concern and anxiety.

So there you go. While it may not have seemed like a brief synopsis, believe me it was. I won't guarantee that I will write with more regularity but I'll try to at least feel guilty if I don't.

2008-07-27T13:07:00.000-07:00

We had a guest preacher today. Wade Hodges did have power point for his extremely well-thought-out comments on the book I mentioned earlier, "unChristian," but this cartoon might also have been a good visual aid. The good folks at the Garnett Road Church of Christ are blessed if today was typical of what Wade has to offer.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADDISON!

2008-07-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

Addie is now 9!

If you don't know this little girl, I just have to tell you, she is an absolute hoot! If you do know her, the chances are pretty good that you are listening to her tell some incredibly long account of some event you already witnesses or know about and you are rolling your eyes right about...now.

You also know exactly where you stand with her. She wears every emotion out on her sleeve for the world to see, which is refreshing. I can say that because much more often than not those emotions are sweet. Even when they're not sweet, they can be funny. Before she learned how to talk she had words she would repeat in situations consistent with how some might use expletives. If something or someone made her mad she would point at us and say "BOTZ!" and we would know we were being cussed out in baby language. She will quite possibly be the most emotionally healthy person I know since she holds nothing in. She drew a cartoon the other day that was an absolute scream (maybe I'll post it later) and she just explained matter of factly that it was just one of the ways she gets her anger out. Well, more power to her. (I tend to hold a grudge and I know that doesn't work.)

Anyway, Addie, I am so glad you were born. You make things fun and interesting everywhere you go. We love you, stinkpot. Happy Birthday.

Hmmm...

2008-07-22T09:12:00.001-07:00

Ev'rybody's gonna have religion in glory...

Remember that song? Maybe that is another one of those songs some people would refuse to sing if it was in the worship order. I'm pretty sure we don't need to worry about that.

I'm trying to read some secular non-fiction right now, but on my not-too-distant radar is the book "Un-Christian." I suspect it will be yet another account of how Christians are getting it wrong. Certainly we are, but sometimes it starts to feel like the ones who love pointing that out feel like perhaps they are the only ones getting it right and I know that ain't happenin' either. Nobody has a monopoly on forgiveness and understanding. Maybe we should quit telling people how to achieve salvation and let Jesus do it. I dunno.

Update

2008-07-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

Here's what this week has been like so far. At least it's almost over. Wait. Crap! It's just Tuesday morning...

The news on Ed is not that good. He's been in an induced coma for several days and breathing with a respirator. They were going to take him off the respirator last night and see how he progressed.

Our A/C is on the fritz again. At least it's only supposed to be 100 degrees today. Seriously, we are blessed to have A/C at all, let alone two units in our house so we at least have a cool retreat while we wait for the other one to be fixed. That's just the kind of glass-half-full guy I am.

Lots of changes at work. The future looks a little cloudy with a 60% chance of depressing situations.

Many of you have asked about Dad. He seems to be doing pretty well, but his vital counts are getting progressively worse. No specific word as to why, but perhaps we'll know more soon.

Carry on crazy people!

Prayer Request

2008-07-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

Somewhat pursuant to my last post, one of my favorite quotes contains the line, "God is God. I dethrone Him in my heart if I demand He act in ways that satisfy my ideas of justice."

I read The Shack a month or so ago. While the imagery was a little beyond where my mind usually dares to tread, the sentiment tracks right along with where I am. I do not pretend to comprehend the mind of God. I really think that if I did begin to think I understood why certain things happen I would (if not dethrone Him) take Him down a notch and elevate myself quite a few notches. I'm just not prepared to do that just yet. So, I'll just rely on the themes of God as revealed through scriptures, especially through those scriptures wherein He reveals Himself in earthly form. Those themes point to a God who is LOVE (I don't exactly get that, but I'm trying) and who wants His kingdom to be established through justice (again, trying) . This does not seem to be a God who revels in pulling the rug out from under us. It does, however, seem to be consistent with a God who wants to take on our struggles. But even in this case, it is not so much that he takes them away from us as He shares them with us and bears them with us.

On the other hand, if we start thinking that God takes things away from us in the sense of things we own, then we may have missed the point about who actually owns anything. If we have relenquished all we have to God (how noble of us since everything is His anyway), if we are living lives of sacrifice to God, how would we own anything He could take? And yet, things happen in our lives that make us feel like we are, in fact, facing struggles we wish He would take or losing things (people, status, belongings) we wish we could keep.

One of those things is going on in Kendra's family right now. Her step-dad, Ed, was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. Monday we went to Lubbock to hang out with the family while Ed had surgery. Sadly, while they were in surgery they found a great deal more cancer than they had originally expected. His pain coming out of surgery was also pretty severe. Pathology reports on the additional biopsies performed with the surgery are not in yet.

Kendra's mom, Marilyn, finally left the hospital to get some sleep the other night. During the night, however, someone broke into her car and took her portfolio holding all of their credit cards, social security cards, ID and several hundered dollars cash. Obviously she did not intend to leave such things in the car, but she was understandably distracted.

Anyway, it has clearly been a tough week and we fear tough days lie ahead as well. So if you have a minute, lift up Ed and the family. Depending on where you come down on the last post, you may be asking for God to take away Ed's infirminty or asking that God not take away Ed. But either way, I hope you also remember, "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord."

I Am Not A Worship Leader

2008-07-09T13:04:00.000-07:00

I am not a worship leader...

but I play one on stage where my family and I worship.

That's pretty much the truth. I love leading worship and I love worshipping, but truth is not lost on me and the truth is that I know some awesome worship leaders and I am not fit to carry their sandals. To be fair, I have never tried to pass myself off as some worship guru. I just met the opportunities that came along. With that as a backdrop, I would not say that I have had any formal preparation for worship leading beyond applied experience. Consequently, things occasionally come up that are a little more challenging than one might expect or hope. Oh, they may occasionally be musical in nature but that is to be expected. The ones that are more intriguing are the ones that involve differences in personality or opinions or things like that.

Sunday, we had one of those intriguing ones involving one of my favorite songs, "Blessed Be Your Name." I had two (maybe three) praise team members inform me they had theological issues with that song and would probably not sing for a portion of it. So, here you go. What do you think about the bridge of that song which contains the following phrase:

You give and take away.

Now this can be argued on many points. First, someone said it was not scriptural. Next someone said it was just wrong to say that God takes away. And finally, a few mentioned that the proper interpretation of that phrase has nothing to do with the first two points. I realize that failing to post regularly has rendered my blog almost readerless, (well, that and poor writing about a boring person) but I still wonder how others might react or think about this song.

How did the song go? Well, I noticed several team members glancing at each other while we sang it so I did not try to look around and see who was singing and who wasn't. Other than that, I concentrated on the parts of the song with which I was in total agreement and praised God. I won't say more than that because I don't want to influence this discussion. So, tell me what you think.

Requiem For A Day Off

2008-06-18T10:41:00.001-07:00

If you are a Ferris Bueller fan, this might make you smile. It made me laugh out loud ("lol" as the kids say). If you have not seen the movie, you probably should but this this will not seem funny at all. For those who have, this is classic.

Mad World - Gary Jules

2008-06-11T14:58:00.001-07:00

An interesting combination of mesmerizing and depressing.

Father's Day is going... and going...

2008-06-05T14:24:00.001-07:00

Still the best job in the world. I know it's early, but Happy Father's Day to all you dads.