Bruxy Cavey

No, I had never heard of him either............until Jerry Morgan turned me on to him. Cavey has written a book with the title "The End of Religion: Encountering the Subversive Spirituality of Jesus". Jerry was reading it while we were at the Pepperdine Bible lectures, and suggested that I check it out. I'm always going to pick up anything Jerry advocates, so I ordered it off of Amazon. And I am SO glad that I did! WOW! If you get a chance, go to Amazon or your favorite bookstore like Mardells and get you a copy. He verbalized some things that I have been feeling for several years now. Let me know what you think!

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I was in Tulsa all week, hence the no posting. I really love Tulsa, especially because of all the HU alums and friends of HU that we have up there. I was able to spend some time with Greg Taylor, and he told me some wonderful stories of how God is moving in their community and how the body of believers at Garnett is growing in the Lord. If you get a chance to check out their web page, please visit it. I love the way they are reaching out to the folks in their area of Tulsa......and beyond. Love you Greg and Jill!!!

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Ahhh........Memorial Day! What do you think of when you reflect on past Memorial Days? I think of chasing a greased pig out at Underwood ball field with Corky Berry and Robert Burch on that day in 1975. I think of cookouts, and baseball games. I remember family get-togethers. I see it as the start of summer, although it was already above 90 degrees one day this past week in Tulsa! YUCK! But most Memorial Days are nice because it HASN'T gotten so HOT yet. Finally, I think of my relatives who have served in the military. THANKS TO ALL OUR VETERANS!!!!!

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This is going to come across as bragging, but ask Jan.............I said 6 weeks or so ago that David Cook was going to win American Idol!!!! I didn't get to see all of last night's finale, but I really enjoyed what I did get to see. I think Cook will be a great ambassador for Idol, and I think Archuleta has a wonderful future in front of him. I loved most of the last 10 or so contestants, and I thought Michael Johns got let go too early. I would have had him in the top 3 or 4. I thought Simon was a stand-up guy last night for apologizing for being so hard on David Cook. That took some character. I'm already looking forward to January 2009!


Have a great Holiday Weekend!!

California Judges

The ruling that came down today from the California Supreme Court probably is no shocker to anybody. Here was the opening lines of the AP article:

"In a monumental victory for the gay rights movement, the California Supreme Court overturned a voter-approved ban on gay marriage Thursday in a ruling that would allow same-sex couples in the nation's biggest state to tie the knot."


My prediction is that this ruling, which in essence has the judicial branch saying it will ignore the will of the people, will not help the cause of Senator Obama in his efforts to become the next president of the United States. It will be interesting to hear his take on these events.

I SELDOM post about political things, and will probably continue to stay away from such discussions, as they usually lead to the pig sty rather quickly........but this ruling motivated me to make a prediction.

Sportsmanship

Since I am on a sports theme kick, please watch this VERY MOVING video. We need a little reminder from time to time that there still ARE folks like this in the world!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKUaLlK776s

Even on the playing field, it's ok to live out the golden rule!

We Need More Coaches Like This One

Check out this powerful witness by a big-time college football coach:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1137883230?bctid=1435437082

Last Week

Last week passed WAY too quickly! I always come back emotionally spent and physically worn out. This year was no exception. I have had several days now to rest and reflect on the blessings of attending the Pepperdine lectures again, and here are some of the hightlights:

The singing each time we gathered in the Firestone Fieldhouse for a key-note talk. I really believe it's the closest thing to what heaven is going to sound like that I have ever heard. I could stay there for HOURS singing with those brothers and sisters of mine.

Listening to the key-note lessons each day. Don McLaughlin started us out Tuesday night with a POWERFUL lesson, and it never slowed down. I know I am prejudice, but I thought the Harding guys delivered the best lessons, with Randy Harris leading the way. The guy never ceases to amaze me.

Mike Cope with Zoe every day in the Smothers Theatre. Every day a lot of people had to be turned away because there is just not enough seats to hold everybody that wants to be there! This year may have been the best classes I have ever heard Mike do......the topic being "Grace". Each time I hear him I am reminded of how MUCH he impacted my life the years he was here in Searcy......and THOUSANDS of other lives also. If you can only order CD's from one class, I would suggest you order this one.
Sheryl Thomas sang "Redeemer" for the first time in about 4 years, and just like the last time she did it, I don't think there was a dry eye in the place! UNBELIEVABLE!

Our reception went REALLY great, with LOTS of people coming out to reconnect with old friends and classmates from their time in Searcy. Jerry gives us the biggest room on campus, and we fill it up! If you come next year please plan on stopping by and saying hello to everybody. I want to thank the four Harding Board members who took the time to come and visit with everybody........Jerry Morgan, Jimmy Cone, Bill Chism, and Mark Wallis. From what they tell me, they plan on being there EVERY year!

Hearing the folks from Africa tell their stories. Ida Bazoonona from Uganda just about stole the show Wednesday night, and that is according to Randy Harris who had to try and follow her! Hearing her and her husband Richard, Sarah Ageno, and Chi Ekwenye made me feel like I was back home.......home in Africa. If I had to pick one highlight of the whole week to hold on to, it would be that Chi and I got to sing "Send the Light" together in Igbo. I had not sang that with another Nigerian since 1966. If you don't know about Chi and the orphanage she runs in Nigeria, please contact me so I can tell you more about it. She is an amazing servant for the Lord!

Reconnecting with people that I have loved a LONG LONG time and don't get to see very often.......folks like Tommy Drinnen, Lynn Anderson, Marty Farrar, Doug Foster, Steve Cloer, Bruce Morgan, Charles and Nanette Roberts, Ken and Ann Cope,
Gary Selby, James Wiser, Greg Brown, Tom Olbricht, Curt Sparks, Clayton Tuggle, Bud and Jamie Wilson, Mike Bucchi, and many others I know I am leaving out. I so much appreciate the common love and bond we have as Christians!

Thanks again to Jerry Rushford and his staff for the blessing you give us EVERY year!

Steve Forbes and Pepperdine

Our final speaker this year involving our "American Studies Institute" program was Steve Forbes. My expectations weren't all that high, but I have to say I was very impressed with what he had to say. No, he's not the most charismatic speaker I have ever heard, but he's very easy to listen to. I am no economist, but I like it when people talk to you in a simple, personal, down to earth way. Forbes does that. I know he is a zillionaire........but he comes across as a guy you would have a conversation with in the barber shop. I like the guy. Some of you might find it shocking that he had some negative things to say about President Bush's policies, and he praised some of Bill Clinton's economic policies! He also had NOTHING positive to say about our present Internal Revenue Service or the current tax codes.
As you probably know, he's a "flat tax" guy......and he sold me on it in about 5 minutes last night. Kudos to the ASI folks for bringing in Forbes. Someday maybe I will be able to afford to subscribe to his magazine!

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It's that time of year again........Pepperdine Bible Lectures. It's been a blessing to me for several years now, and I am sure it will be again! Harding is well represented amongst the Key-note speakers, as Don McLaughlin, Randy Harris, and Gary Selby are all doing presentations. There are only 7 total key-notes, so I think that is pretty telling. Out of the 4 or 5 thousand people there, we will have several hundred there with Harding connections, and most of them will show up for our HU Reception on Thursday evening. If you are attending for the first time, join us in the Hahn Fireside room after Gary Selby's key-note! You'll love reconnecting with old friends and classmates, and the pie ain't too bad either.
See you there!

Book Review

I just wanted to share with you some books that I have read within the last few months. Please share with me any that you might want to suggest for me to read. I like to keep 2 or 3 in the wings.

A) "The Shack" by William P Young: This book was all the rage when I got it a month or so back. I am not a big fan of fiction spiritual books, but enough people that I respect had told me about it that I decided to go ahead and read it. I'm glad that I did! I sure appreciate Young's perspective of God, Christ, and the Spirit. I won't give the book away, but it's for sure a tear jerker. If you are a fan of spiritual fiction books, then I for sure recommend this one. For what it's worth, it's not a long book to read.

B) "Jesus For President" by Shane Claiborne: I can't envision a more appropriate book (outside of the Bible of course) considering we are in the throws of a Presidential race. VERY VERY timely book. I appreciate Shane's heart SO SO very much. He's an inspiration to me, and I know many of you also. I very much consider him a modern day prophet. I already felt that way, but hearing him in person sealed the deal for me. I don't agree with all of his perspectives in this book, and that is ok. I for SURE agree with most of them. I question a few of the stats he gives concerning the war in Iraq, but those can be verified......and I plan to try and do that. Still, I think EVERY Christian should read "Jesus For President" during this election season.

C) "Pagan Christianity" by George Barna and Frank Viola: I had not read a Viola book before this, but Barna impacted me so much with "Revolution" that I will always try to read ANY book he is involved with. Ok, this book should be required reading for............EVERY Christian!! Instead, it will probably be banned by a lot of the institutional religious folks. This is one of those "I am going to have to read this a second time just to make sure I get what they are saying" kind of books. Most people don't like hearing facts that point out that a lot of their practices are closer tied to paganism than the Bible and early Christianity. Yeah....tough stuff to read, and even more to accept. One thing I like is that at the end of every chapter they answer some really pointed, specific, hard questions. Get this book!

Isn't reading great? Movies are wonderful, but they just can't do what books can.
I saw "the Kite Runner" this weekend, and it was a SUPER movie........but it just can't measure up to the book. That's my opinion, anyway.

God is seen very vividly this time of year on our campus! The Dogwoods and Azaleas are almost indescribable. What a blessing.

Thank you Father, for letting us see a small glimpse of your beauty!