Podcast problem resolved

OK. We've got the problem resolved with the podcast. Those of you on the campus of Oklahoma Christian and Memorial Road should be able to hear it now. Let me know if you can't.

Listen to it here.

In case you can't hear the podcast ...

For those of you on the campus of Oklahoma Christian University or the Memorial Road Church of Christ, the links I've created to the Kent Allen podcast are being blocked by OC's filtering software. (Evidently OC considers my content to be inappropriate for the young minds on this campus! Ha!)

I've got an e-mail in to the administrators to lift the ban on the podcast. Meanwhile, the second link to the material (Flash version) seems to be working, but I can't get it to play on my computer here at the office. I'll work on an alternative and post it as soon as I can.

Sorry for the inconvenience!

Podcast: An interview with Kent Allen

(By Erik)

As many of you know, Memorial Road Church of Christ is saying goodbye to our minister of 25 years — Kent Allen. We just had a farewell dinner for Kent and his wife, Phyllis. I prepared a podcast interview with Kent for the program. Here's an audio link to it on the Internet. Please give it a listen and let me know what you think.

Listen to it here.

If you have trouble opening the file, try accessing the Flash version or look for a variety of formats here.

More snow pictures

The storm has moved east, but the snow is going to stick around for a bit.

Brrrrrr!

We measured about four and a half inches of snow and ice. (Our unscientific method involved opening the garage door and holding a ruler against the edge of the white stuff).

Ho ho ho! It's snow snow snow!

(By Erik)

We're in the middle of our first winter storm of the season. It started yesterday when temperatures dropped like a rock and clouds moved in. We've had a night of freezing rain followed (finally) by some Christmasy-looking snow. Now we're getting a mix — and some thunder. It's pretty cool.

Jeanie was on call last night and had to drive back in the stuff at 7 a.m. She made it safely and is sleeping now. I'm here enjoying our warm and comfy den. The power's still on and Oklahoma Christian is closed for the day. (I brought some work home with me just in case.)

I'll go get a photo of it a little bit later.

Time for some coffee!

Some thoughts on Thanksgiving from the original George W.

(By Erik)

Jeanie and I were at the mall yesterday and saw Christmas decorations, gifts and trimmings aplenty. And yes, we saw Santa, too (from a distance. I didn’t go get in line to see him or anything. Jeanie wouldn’t let me. I promised her I wouldn’t cry when I got up there to him, but she didn’t believe me).

These days it seems like we skip Thanksgiving and go straight from Halloween to Christmas. There are tons of Christmas commercials on TV already — and none of them are very Christmasy, either! For some reason Target and Old Navy, two stores we frequently frequent, have released Christmas commercials that I find especially cold and sterile.

There’s no red and green — just blue and white (evidently, the new Christmas colors). And instead of Santa and stockings, there’s a white-haired, Warhol-looking European designer saying, “I have created for you a winter wonderland.” Where’s the love?

Anyway, back to Thanksgiving.

Have we lost the true meaning of Thanksgiving? Have we demoted it to “Practice Christmas Turkey Day?”

To jog our memory, I present this excerpt from George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation. It’s rich with faith language — and it really made me stop and think.

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

We talked about this a bit in our Bible class this morning at Memorial Road. We were in Matthew 26, talking about the Lord’s Supper and how it took place during Passover. We talked about what the Passover means to Jewish people and what the Lord’s Supper means to us. Have we lost sight of that as well?

I think that George Washington would have made a great preacher.

If he wanted to write for the Chronicle, though, we’d have to have a little chat about run-on sentences!

Vive Quebec!

(By Erik)

I'm back from a trip for The Christian Chronicle up north. I spent a few days visiting churches and missionaries in the Canadian province of Quebec. It was a bit on the cold side at times, but it was a great trip. Imagine a rainy, snowy land full of good-natured, French-speaking Midwesterners and you've pretty much got the idea. And its cities look a lot like Europe.

I'm including a few photos I took in Montreal. These aren't my best, but they're the only ones I have access to here at the house.

Here's a shot from downtown Montreal. It was raining, as you can tell. The older sections of the town look very much like Europe.

Here's a shot from the top of the "mountain" near the middle of Montreal. Mike Mazzalongo, a missionary and minister for the Verdun Church of Christ, was our tour guide.

Mike told me that Montreal was the site of the world's first hockey game. Here's a poster advertising the play The Canadiens, which shares its name with the city's celebrated NHL team.

Here's a shot of my rental car. Turns out Quebecers do drive on the same side of the road as us. Boy, is my face red! (But it's healing. The doctor said I could be eating solids again by the end of the week!)

Who do I look like to you?

(By Erik)

Here's something Ann's blog pointed me to. It's pretty cool, but it's being WAY too kind! Great to know that I look a little bit like Abdullah Gul? Does anybody know who he is?

(I've had to move the image off the site since it was messing up the rail on the right. If you want to see it, click here.)

A few more memories from the Classic City

(By Erik)
During our recent trip to Georgia I was able to swing by Athens (the "Classic City") and reconnect with Connie and Terry Norwood. Terry is an elder of the Campus View Church of Christ, and he and Connie have been adopted parents for hundreds of students in their decade of ministry. (That's Connie in the photo, talking to one of the new graduate student at UGA just outside Sanford Stadium.)

I wrote a story about the Norwoods for our latest issue of the Chronicle. If you have a minute, please give it a look and let me know what you think.

I can't say enough good things about the Norwoods or the Campus View church. I feel like I grew more as a Christian in my three years in Athens than I did in my four years at a Christian university. I'm glad I went to both schools (I wouldn't have gotten my job at the Chronicle — or met Jeanie — without my connections in Nashville) but I'm especially glad I had the opportunity to be a part of the Campus View family for a while.

Here's a photo that relates to the story about the Norwoods. I love the sign. (Sorry the photo turned out kind of dark).

Here are the Cosgroves, a Campus View couple that served as my "Adopt-A-Dawg" parents during my first year at UGA. They live on a big piece of property out in Oglethorpe County and regularly have the gang over for bonfires and horse riding. Great folks.

Last but not least, here are some current members of the Georgia Christian Student Center, ready for the game. There hasn't been all that much to cheer about in Georgia football this year, but at least we pulled out a win over Mississippi State this past weekend. The guy on the far left is the son of Harold Shank, one of our new Bible professors here at Oklahoma Christian University.

Click on any of these photos to see larger versions.

PHOTO: Jesus 'tween the hedges

(By Erik)

Here's a photo I took outside of Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., just before the start of the Georgia Bulldogs' game against the University of Tennessee. Just a few feet away are the stadium's historic hedges.

It was a heartbreaking loss for us Dawg fans, but not nearly as heartbreaking as the at-home loss to Vanderbilt one week later. For those of you who don't follow Southeastern Conference football, I'm trying to think of an apt analogy. But the only analogy I can think of is, "That's as bad as losing to Vandy!"

What can I say? It's a rebuilding year!

We'll post some more information about our Georgia trip soon.

ALBUM REVIEW: Freddy Mercury is back from the dead — and he's praising Jesus!

(By Erik)

A couple of days ago I bought Wide-eyed and Mystified, the latest album from Downhere, on iTunes.

The band’s song, “A Better Way,” has been getting a lot of play on a local Christian station. Another song from the album, “The More,” is in heavy rotation on the Christian alternative station. The rest of the album is equally great.

“A Better Way” begins with Jason Germain’s vocals on the verses. The first time I heard the song I thought, “eh, this is nice.”

Then came the chorus, and the high-tenor voice of Marc Martel kicked in.

“Whoa, this guy sounds a little bit like Freddy Mercury,” I said, and the thought of the late, flamboyant frontman of Queen singing spiritual songs gave me a giddy thrill. I kept waiting for a Brian May guitar solo.

(Most of the hair-metal bands I loved in the 1980s, including Def Leppard, were heavily influenced by Queen, by the way. A lot of them, including Leppard, performed at a tribute concerns after Freddy died of AIDS in 1991.)

“A Better Way” reminds me a lot of “Under Pressure,” a duet by Queen featuring Freddy and David Bowie. (The famous bass line from that song was sampled without permission by Vanilla Ice for the infamous hip-hop hit “Ice, Ice, Baby.”)

Even if you’re not a Queen fan or even vaguely familiar with the band (if you’re my wife, for example) you’ll still love this album. Most Christian music fans will be more comfortable with comparisons between Marc and Kevin Max of DC Talk. He has that kind of a voice, and it’s a great counterpoint to Jason’s vocals on the album.

I was concerned that Wide-eyed would be lyrically thin after hearing “A Better Way,” a beautiful, but simple, expression of Christ’s love for us. But the album has some exceedingly clever lyrics. My favorite song is “The Real Jesus.” Here’s a sampling:

Jesus on the radio, Jesus on a late night show
Jesus in a dream, looking all serene
Jesus on a steeple, Jesus in the Gallup poll
Jesus has His very own brand of rock and roll …

Jesus started something new
Jesus coined a phrase or two
Jesus split the line at the turning point of time
Jesus sparked a controversy
Jesus, known for His mercy, gave a man his sight
Jesus isn't white

Jesus loves the children, holds the lambs
Jesus prays a lot
Jesus has distinguishing marks on His hands

I don't care if they got it off a Christian-bookstore bumper sticker, that last line gives me chills.

'Go ahead, lead all four verses'

We stole this from Bobby and Tamie's blog, but it's too good to keep to ourselves!

Here's what all the 728b kids will be asking for this Christmas — Song Leader Revolution!

Learn more about the video and it's creator here: www.songleaderrevolution.com

Trying out a new mapping program for our blog

(By Erik and Jeanie)

We haven't been updating this blog very regularly. Apologies for that. But we've just added this cool program that will show us where people are who are looking at our blog (assuming anyone's looking)!

Two guys named Erik

(By one guy named Erik)

Imagine how confusing it was to be named Erik and to have a roommate named Erik (also spelled with a ‘k’).

That was my life 10 years ago when I was a graduate student at the University of Georgia. My roommate (through three apartments, I might add) was Erik Benson, a doctoral student in the history department who grew up in Michigan.

Dr. Benson and his wife, Dawn, live in Grand Rapids, Mich., where Erik is a history professor at Cornerstone University (that’s him in the center of the photo if you click on the link). Dawn, who has a master's in journalism from UGA, works on the university's publications.

Benson (as I call him to avoid confusion) was in Oklahoma this weekend for a history conference at Oklahoma Baptist University. Jeanie and I met him for lunch in Bricktown. It was his first trip to Oklahoma since our wedding.

It was halftime during the Georgia-Colorado game, and Colorado (complete with its 114th-ranked offense) was up 10-0. Benson could see the TV in Chelino’s, so he gave us score updates. (Georgia just barely pulled it out at the last second and won 14-13. Whew!)

It was great having another Georgia fan around for the afternoon, and it was great hearing about Benson and Dawn’s adventures (including burning their feet at the Taj Mahal in India).

A classic case of 'man bites panda'

Here's a snippet of a story that appeared on the BBC's Web site today:

*****************

Man bites panda after zoo attack

A drunken Chinese tourist says he bit a panda who attacked him after he jumped into a zoo enclosure to "hug" the bear.

Zhang Xinyan, 35, had drunk four draught beers before deciding to enter the Beijing Zoo pen belonging to six-year-old male panda Gu Gu.

The startled Gu Gu bit both legs of his intruder, who responded by biting "the panda on its back", Mr Zhang was quoted by state media as saying.

Mr Zhang said he had not realised pandas could be violent.

He told the Beijing Morning Post that he had come to the Chinese capital "only to see the pandas".

"The seven-hour train ride was exhausting, and I drank bottles of beer when I arrived then had a nap," he added.

*****************

When asked to describe how the panda tasted, Mr. Xinyan said, "It was finger Ling-Ling good."

(I stole that joke from The Simpsons, of course — ET)

A giant casket on the side of the highway ...

(By Erik)

Yesterday I filled in for a minister in Minco, a small town about 30 minutes north of Chickasha in western Oklahoma. I taught the Sunday morning Bible class and did the sermon. I had a great time.

In case you're interested, I'm including a few of my sermon notes. I started things off by telling a little bit about the trip Jeanie and I took to Austin, Texas, recently. Click here to read a blog piece I wrote on that. The intro and conclusion of the sermon were basically the intro and conclusion of the blog piece.

A lot of these notes are sentence fragments. Apologies.

***************

A few weeks ago I got an e-mail from a missionary in Africa who told me about a ministry for children with autism and other special needs at the Brentwood Oaks Church of Christ in Austin.

The ministry had just baptized a 15-year-old autistic boy, Alex, who had learned to communicate by pointing at the letters on a printed page. This kid was amazing. After he learned how to communicate, his mom found out how intelligent he really is.

• Didn’t realize the role this ministry played in giving the parents of these children a sense of hope, and much-needed time to worship the Lord — and time together.

• Also didn’t realize what an outreach it was, how kids from outside the church — outside Christianity even — came to be a part of the ministry.

• What struck me the most, though, was Alex’s mother and her reaction to her son’s condition. She explained that Alex had taught her that she can’t do everything for herself. God put Alex in her life so that she would start to get a glimpse of her own dependence on God.

Now, those who don’t believe in God would consider kids like Alex to be unfortunate, scientific anomalies. Genetic mistakes that we should learn to correct. But God uses kids like Alex to enrich the life of Brentwood Oaks and Alex himself teaches us about God’s love for us and our need for him. It’s amazing how God works through us to change the very meaning of the things around us.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

6Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.

27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him.

30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

There are plenty of examples of God using the weak — or apparently weak — to shame the strong. Most of us know the story of David and Goliath, how a 9-foot giant was slain by a boy with a sling.

Most of us also know the story of Gideon, from the book of Judges. God chose Gideon to fight the Midianites, but just before the battle he reduced the size of Gideon’s army.

Judges 7: 1-7

1 Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.

2 The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, 3 announce now to the people, 'Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.' " So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

4 But the LORD said to Gideon, "There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go; but if I say, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go."

5 So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, "Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink." 6 Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

7 The LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place."

God uses small things. Here we have a specific case of God saying, “This is why I’m doing this — so no man can boast.”

The fact that we all rely on God for our being is emphasized throughout Scripture, including the book of Romans.

Romans 9:20-21

20But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' "[h] 21Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

I used to think that these verses meant that God meant some of us for greatness and some of us for common things — some of us to be ministers for churches with thousands of members and others of us to be the people who show up every Sunday and unlock the building and fill the communion cups. (My father-in-law does that, by the way).

But if you look at the context, that’s not really the point Paul is making in his letter to the Romans. Right after verse 21 he talks about “the objects of his wrath” that are “prepared for destruction.” So the “common” objects here may refer to those who don’t follow God. I don’t think that God considers any of his followers to be “common” people — even if the world does. There is no “common purpose” in the church.

Look at the life of Stephen if you want proof of this. Stephen is described as a great man of faith, but when we first hear about him in Acts he’s chosen for what seems like a very “common” purpose

Acts 6: 1-6

1In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

2So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

5This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

The next time we hear from Stephen, he’s arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin. He makes a stirring speech about Jesus, and it costs him his life.

Acts 7:54-60

54When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56"Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.

I’ve always imagined the Sanhedrin talking amongst themselves while Stephen is telling them about Jesus so boldly and asking, “Who is this guy, anyway? Is he the leader of this sect of Christ followers?”

“No, I think he runs the church’s food pantry for the widows.”

Sometimes God transforms the very roles and labels that we give each other.

The reason Stephen was willing to die was that he realized the transforming power of God — and how through his Son, God transformed the very meaning of death itself.

A friend recently told me about a conversation he had while riding in a car with a coworker on I-35. They passed the giant cross next to Life Church. The coworker, who isn't a Christian, said (trying to irritate my friend, no doubt) "What would people think if I built a giant casket right next to it?"

That’s what that is! Way to go! You got the point!

The Romans never intended for the cross to be sold in every Wal-Mart in America. It was never intended to be a symbol of hope. It was a symbol of cruel torture. But Jesus transformed the meaning of the Cross.

He transformed the meaning of death itself.

1 Corinthians 15: 54-57

54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."[g] _ 55"Where, O death, is your victory? _ Where, O death, is your sting?"[h] 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

It constantly amazes me how God can change the meaning of our lives.

• A weak boy with rocks and sling becomes king of great empire.

• A tiny army beats the odds and defeats a huge foe while barely firing a shot.

• The administrator of a church pantry becomes a martyr whose death ignites a wave of persecution. That martyr becomes a symbol of faith, and is the spark that ignites a worldwide phenomenon.

• A Roman instrument of torture becomes a worldwide symbol of hope

• A small church in Minco, Oklahoma, becomes a beacon of hope for an entire community.

• And a boy who science considers a genetic miscalculation teaches an entire congregation about overcoming adversity and the power of belief.

1 Corinthians 15:58

58Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Another Saturday, another shutout

(By Erik)

How ‘bout them Dawgs!

The Georgia Bulldogs rolled to an easy 34-0 rout of the University of Alabama, Birmingham, Blazers just a few minutes ago. It was the Dawgs second-straight shutout. They beat the accursed Steve Spurrier and the Gamcocks 18-0 at South Carolina last week. (Steve subsequently made himself all the more accursed by using profanity to insult his own team in the press conference after the game. The man has absolutely no class.)

It’s the first two-game shutout since our 1980 national championship season. (Not that I’m making a prediction or anything. We’ve got a freshman quarterback and a LOT of tough opponents to play!)

GO DAWGS!

This takes me back!

1978 Kenner toys Star Wars commercial

(By Erik)

As you can guess, I had most of these. (The radio-controlled R2-D2 went off the market quickly, if memory serves. It didn't work very well.)

Dawgs done good

(By Erik)

My Georgia Bulldogs shut our Steve Spurrier and his South Carolina Gamecocks 18-0 tonight. Not a pretty game — we threw three interceptions — but we got the job done.

How bout them Dawgs! We're 2-0 in a rebuilding year.