Random thoughts on a Friday morning

Just a few things that have been going through my mind in the last couple weeks that I thought I'd post on the blog. You may find them interesting, humourous, strange or any/all of the above.

*Why do people, especially Christians, seem to put common sense and basic civility aside when they log in to Facebook?
*I care about news in my "friends" lives (eg. baby's birth) and am glad to see these kind of updates on Facebook. But I don't care that you went to the grocery store, made xyz for lunch, etc. Get off your computer and do something. Do nothing except enjoy silence!

*Professor Stephen Hawking has been in the news recently as he is taking a research chair position at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, ON. Much of the discussion has focused on "how can Hawking not believe in God when his writings & lectures about the origin of the universe consistently point to the need for 'something' to have started the process"? Dear friends, do you really think Stephen Hawking's issue with God has to do with the origin of the universe? I would humbly suggest his issue with God has to do with something a lot deeper and more personal (than cosmic). If I need to spell it out further: How can a good, all-powerful God allow a brilliant person like him to suffer from a life-sucking, body-wretching, disease like ALS?

Why do I love living in Three Hills?
*Cruise Night - our son Caleb can be entertained for hours just sitting at the side of the road.
*The town garage sale which includes a free pancake breakfast.
*Where else can you get great deals like 2-for-$1 Coke/Pepsi (1L)? Three Hills IGA 25th Anniversary!

Hope you have a good weekend and
Happy Father's Day to my dad and my father-in-law,
both who are out of town for the weekend!

Review of Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

Review of Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

A chance to review a book my Max Lucado is a gift opportunity… so I took it! And I am not disappointed. Outlive Your Life is a wonderfully written, easy-to-read, yet challenging text of 16 nice-sized chapters.

As the title would indicate, Lucado help a Christian to make a difference with their life that lasts beyond their earthly existence. With his skillful mix of wants to provide stories and examples to illustrate Biblical principles, the book is both compelling and enjoyable.

The “outline” of the book follows select passages from Acts, showing how the early church lived out a principle and thus, the foundational practices that made the Christian community a perpetual impact to all parts of the globe.

Two significant features of the book help the individual challenged by the text to personally apply the message. First, a closing prayer at the end of each chapter directly connects to the theme. Additionally, a “Questions for Discussion” and “Ideas for Action” section is included for each chapter at the end of the book, that could be useful for a small group study or digging deeper into the Scripture personally.

I strongly recommend this book for both personal edification and possible small group study.

Book has been provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available now at your favourite bookseller.

Remembering the Fear, Thankful for great medical personnel

I went to the Three Hills Health Care Unit today for some regular bloodwork. Just ahead of me in the line was a mom with her young son, I would guess about 4-5 years old. I was reading a book when the lab technician called him in and fairly quickly I could hear him beginning to cry. Suddenly a rush of memories and emotions flooded my heart, mind and tear ducts as I remembered the many times I had to get poked and prodded by medical personnel. After just a few seconds his mom and the ladies taking the blood were able to relax him and soon it was all over. Yet I "felt" the fear again, not just of the pain of the needle but of the unknown and how much it could/would hurt. Yet I'm also grateful that these people did their job kindly yet carefully and properly to help me "get better." A few minutes later it was my turn and I got my bloodwork done, and remembered as had been drilled into me by my mom, "Always say thank you to the nurses & doctors for taking care of you."

In leadership, sometimes one must battle fear and recognize there's going to be pain before things get better. Yet when healing takes place, you'd never want to go back to the place you were in before the pain. And always say "thank you" to those who help you get through the pain to a position of health.

Sports Collectibles... gone crazy

I enjoy collecting hockey cards... and I also enjoy the investment opportunity they can present too. I am hoping to build a decent collection for my son and daughter so that they can "cash in" at some point in the young adult years for college (or something beneficial). Nonetheless, these two stories from Tuff Stuff show that collecting hockey (or baseball) cards and other memorabilia has gone and can go *c*r*a*z*y.


Strasburg Card Sells For $16,403
On eBay sales Stephen Strasburg's baseball card is living up to the hype. Strasburg's one-of-a-kind 2010 Bowman Chrome SuperFractor rookie card sold on Ebay Inc's auction website, sold for $16,403 after opening at 99 cents. Strasburg, the No. 1 pick in Major League Baseball's 2009 first-year player draft by the Washington Nationals, is in Triple-A and is scheduled to make his major-league debut during a series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 8. Since joining Triple-A Syracuse on May 4, Strasburg has gone 3-0 with a 0.39 earned run average in four starts, striking out 27 batters while walking just four.
The equivalent card for Nationals rookie pitcher Drew Storen, who has a 1.69 ERA after being picked nine places behind Strasburg, is being sold on eBay with a "Buy It Now" asking price of $4,999.

From Scott Fragile's 7th Inning Sketch at TuffStuff.com
Although my share of watching sports history unfold live is modest at best compared to some of the more seasoned sports fans I know, I've never been tempted to add to my list unnaturally. I appreciate having been at the various events because of the thrill and excitement they provided at the time and because of the great memories they provide all these years later. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for many other collectors. In fact, the list of "fake attendees" of a recent game is growing by the thousands as I write this. The reason behind the increase is because the Florida Marlins are currently selling the 11,000 or so unused tickets from the Marlins-Phillies game on May 29. That was the day Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay tossed MLB's 20th Perfect Game. The reason the tickets are now on sale more than 48 hours after the 27th out was recorded is because the Marlins are hoping to cash in on the speculative nature of fans and collectors. The team is selling the remaining tickets at face value and my guess is they will sell at a much quicker rate than the attendance-challenged Marlins typically see them leave their box office. So, for under $20 you can purchase a piece of history and tell your grandchildren you were in attendance the day Halladay made history. While some will cherish the tickets and add them to their respective collections, others will undoubtedly look to flip them on eBay and make a quick buck. The White Sox and Athletics did something similar for the perfect games pitched by Mark Buehrle and Dallas Braden, respectively. Collectors looking to make a quick buck after Braden's gem earlier this year shelled out anywhere from $15-$75 for after-the-fact ticket purchases on eBay, but considering Halladay's resume is far better than Braden's, collectors looking to scoop up a piece of history can expect to pay more than that if they go the eBay route. I guess I don't have a problem with the premise of making the unused (used, whatever you call them) tickets available, but I know I'd be bumming if I was one of the original 25,000 in attendance and my limited-edition collectible just morphed into a 1-of-36,000. To me, buying a ticket after the fact is like saying you were at the game because you saw the highlights on Sportscenter. The bandwagon-jumping "fans" who purchase the tickets in the next few days will have to live with themselves and the rest of the 250,000 people who will claim to have been at the game 30 years from now. For me, I'll just keeping attending sporting events for all the right reasons and hoping history evolves right before my eyes.

Leaders Who Micromanage

Interesting article by Perry Noble on the truth that good leaders do micromanagement... on occasion!