The Boy Goes to the Prom

Mark went to the South Pasadena High School Junior Prom tonight. He took Jessica, a beautiful girl, and a good friend. She is dating a friend of Mark's, who is now in college in the Bay Area, so this date has little of the confusing romantic entanglements usually attached to such occasions.

Mark and Jessica and 22 other friends went in this, (picture below), a stretch Hummer. It looked a bit crowded inside, but lots of energy from these adolescents trying to be adults for an evening.

They grow up fast, don't they? Seems like only yesterday that I was calling my dad at 5:15 a.m. Pacific time to tell him that he had a grandson. Then, only a moment later, I was walking him through the back gate of our rental house to Calvary Preschool. He was a big kid when he was promoted to middle school from Arroyo Vista Elementary, and a bigger kid when he was promoted to high school.Of course, many of the parents were there to see their "children" safely off to the prom. And there were the obligatory cameras to capture the moment. Not a single film camera among them. Someone asked for a "Kodak Moment", and the kids just stared at the strange phrase. The parents did well, though, no tears were shed, at least publicly. Many commented about how handsome or beautiful their young sons and daughters had become, seemingly overnight. So that's how it's gonna be, huh?

Hope they have fun, and stay safe, and remember the evening their whole lives.

An Ode to Chick

An ode to Chick Hearn, late announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers, is here. Along with a pertinent comment on the use of Scripture. I like it.

Silence

Now, as a counterpoint to my last post, is a word on silence. From Doug Groothius:

Incivility abounds unabated in postmodern America. Having gone to our public library to grade some of my mountain of papers on an uncluttered desk, I was greeted by a noisy group who just got out of a meeting in a small room. They opened the door, talked loudly for some time, then even talked loudly outside the room on the way out. I used the once universal "Shhhhhhh!"--but to no avail. They may have never heard me. Pointless banter prevailed.

Americans simply cannot shut up in public, even in libraries. They abominate silence and have no respect for it. The concept of a public library, a place for reading to be done in quietude, is beyond (or beneath) them.

Now for something constructive--a shock to some of you, I know. Insert silence into your life. If you teach or preach, take a few moments of silence at the beginning, middle, or end of your presentation. Do not fear it; listen for it; listen to it; listen in it. Spend time reading, thinking, and praying with no sound track, no visual wallpaper, no unnecessary noise. When someone pauses to find the right word in a conversation, let them find it; do not insert your own word to break up the their contemplative search.

The Book of Revelation rather inexplicably says that at one point in John the Revelators vision, "There was silence in heaven for about a half an hour." That is part of what makes it heaven. Why not try to bring some of it to earth?

This is a good and timely word. Now, I am off to turn off my iTunes version of Mark Knopfler and Emmy Lou Harris!

Mark Knopfler and Emmy Lou Harris

Just bought tickets for the Mark Knopfler-Emmy Lou Harris concert at the Gibson Amphitheater on June 28th. I have been a fan of Mark Knopfler since the early 1980's with his stint with Dire Straits. It is music I never tire of listening to, although the family tires of it as soon as I take the CD out of its case. I have not hear the new Knopfler-Harris album yet, but have hear that it is excellent. Scott Johnson from Powerline has written many posts about Emmy Lou Harris, especially in connection with Gram Parsons. He will become a fan of Mark Knopfler, now, it appears.

It is hard to say why I like Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits. It could be the fabulous guitar playing. It could be the catchy tunes. It could be the stories told through the lyrics. There is a playfulness in some of the lyrics, like "Money for Nothin'", to the more recent "Song for Sonny Liston" or the biting "Boom, Like That", which is an ode to Ray Kroc, founder of McDonalds. There is even an ode to Elvis, and a little bit of history concerning the Mason-Dixon Line. Eclectic. Unpredictable. Somehow, for me, it all works together for good, and I enjoy the music.

I have painted many a house to the Alchemy album of Dire Straits. And while I like all of Knopfler's stuff, the Neck and Neck album is incredible. Paired with country guitarist Chet Atkins, this album seems like it was produced with a lot of fun, enjoyment, and mutual admiration. Clearly, Knoplfer admires Atkins' work, and the feelings are mutual.

Which is one more thing that impresses me about Mark Knopfler. He enjoys music. Although his genre is "rock", he easily writes in other genres. I was surprised to hear Knoplfer's "The Bug" on a Country station! Originally done in 1991 on the "On Every Street" album.

Gas Prices

Gas prices, for those of you living in caves, have skyrocketed in the last few weeks. Charges of gas gouging have been thrown around. Suppliers counter that supplies are short, and refining capacity is not at full strength.

Part of the "problem" is the taxes we pay per gallon. In California, we pay 60 cents of federal and state taxes on every gallon. My last fill-up was $55.00, and about 18 gallons, meaning I paid around $10.80 in taxes.

New York is the highest at 62.9 cents, and Alaska is the lowest at 26.4 cents. See the table here.


I remember when I began driving, and gas went up to 50 cents per gallon. I thought it was highway robbery. And then there was the "Odd-Even" days of the first Energy Crisis. I had a little yellow Datsun pickup truck at the time, and evidently trucks were exempt at the time.

Still, it is not as bad as Europe. But I still like this photo from a few years ago. Man, $2.279 for regular unleaded. Sure brings you back doesn't it? Yikes!

The last picture is someone who may well be ahead of the curve.

The Dentist

This was my week at the dentist. I am ashamed to say that I had not been to the dentist in years. Years. The longer I waited, the harder it became to go. I have taken the kids religiously, and my wife has gone regularly, having spent a small fortune on crowns and root canals a few years ago. But ol' dad waited until the right moment.

Actually, the experience was quite pleasant, if that term can be used of a dentist. My teeth were cleaned by a charming and engaging guy named Phil on Monday. He had never heard of Bill Cosby's bit on going to the dentist. The audio is here. Funniest thing I have ever heard, aside from the gorilla joke told by Pete Hammond to Tom Johnston and me driving him to SFO from Santa Cruz one rainy night. But I digress. So I made a copy of it on CD and gave it to Phil when I went in on Wednesday. Phil did exactly what Cosby's dentist did. As soon as he began working in my mouth, he would ask me questions! Why do dentists do that? I know as a preacher, I would love a captive audience like that.

This picture is of Bill Cosby who is revealing his t-shirt, which says, University of the Pacific , Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. Ha!

On Wednesday, I had three fillings replaced by Dr. Chen, who was fabulous. He worked fast, but thoroughly, and explained everything he was doing along the way. I appreciated it, as I am always curious about these things.

Back on Thursday to get a new filling, and one replaced (on the left side, the right side was done Wednesday.) This time, I saw, I kid you not, Dr. Fang. What a great name for a dentist! A nice Asian woman, who was not quite as good as Dr. Chen, but still plenty good.

So, I survived my week at the dentist. I now have a clean mouth with new fillings. Now I gotta keep it this way. Hello, Rotodent.

My childhood dentist in Minnesota was Dr. Dols, and he was brutal. A kind man, it was painful to see him. I do not think he believed in pain free dentistry. I think his philosophy was, if you get a cavity, it is gonna cost you. Perhaps this was intentional, to motivate us to brush and floss regularly. I looked up and found a Dr. William Dols practicing in Duluth, MN. I wonder if they are related.

My orthodontist as a kid in California was Dr. Ciccone, I am not sure of the spelling. He was a huge guy, and had played football at Cal back in the day. He was great.

When Beth and I got married, we had no health or dental insurance. There was a dental clinic a few miles from our house, so we frequented it. I was OK, until one day I had a five hour teeth cleaning from hell. The clinic was for dental students to practice their technique. The upside was practice for them, and free for us. Well, it was worth every penny I paid that day. I learned that there is nothing "free" about it. At the end of this bumbling, long, teeth cleaning, I would have rather paid money, if I had had any. So, my fear of dentists greatly increased.

I have been pondering this in relation to church. I know I should brush and floss regularly, but do not. (Still, my teeth are very good, after really not seeing a dentist for over ten years, I only had one little new cavity!) I know I should go see the dentist, as they really want me to keep my teeth in good shape, but I do not go. In the same way, many people know they need to go to church, but they feel about church the same way I feel about the dentist.

My last checkup was 2001, five years ago, and I did not go back for a followup. Like I said, the more I waited, procrastinated, the harder it was. When I got to the dentist, they knew that I had not been there in five years. I was expecting a long lecture, some scolding, and large helpings of shame and guilt. And yet, I got none of that. They just treated me as another patient, and encouraged me to do what I already knew I should be doing.

Perhaps people feel that way about church. They fear that if they go to church, some celestial being will produce a report card.

"Yes, Mr. Smith. I see here that you last attended church in the Carter administration, and at that service you promised to come back soon. Sir, that was over 30 years ago! Where have you been hiding? What have you been doing? Drop down and give me a thousand confessions!"

Perhaps that is not the church's attitude towards folks who have not attended in a while. But I think that may be what the folks who have not attended in a while THINK the church's attitude will be. And who needs more shame and guilt in their lives? So, one more week, one more month, one more decade of avoiding church, and the good news that dwells therein.

Anyway, I am glad this weeek at the dentist is over.

DaVinci Code, Gospel of Judas, Budget Earmarks, etc.

It has been a while since my last blog. We were in Seattle for a friend's wedding, which was great fun. My son has decided his goal now is to marry a beautiful Italian woman who can cook! Saw our friends Bob and Martha Savage in Spokane as well. He works for Partners International, she works for Gonzaga University. The folks around Gonzaga were in deep mourning over the Zags' unexpected loss to UCLA in the Elite Eight. I assume they took some small comfort in Florida's demolition of UCLA for the national championship.

Some recent articles that caught my eye:

• Nine Art Bloopers in the DaVinci Code
I re-read "The DaVinci Code" on the plane ride back from Seattle. I am preparing a class on it at church, so was struck by this. My favorite is this from #5: Speaking of the movie, the letters of Madonna of the Rocks can be re-arranged to whisper the cryptic message, TOM HANKS FED RACCOON!!! A word to the wise is sufficient…


• A great web site for information and discussion of the Davinci Code is here. I am especially behind Dr. Mouw's reasons for why Christians should read "The Davinci Code." If the culture is going to be discussing Jesus, we want in on that conversation.
  
  
• I also noticed this this morning, that the lawsuit against Daniel Brown has been dismissed. I guess the movie is a go!
  
  
• As a charter member of the Concord Coalition, which purports for fiscal restraint in government spending, there was this. A bus tour to several of the largest and most egregious earmarks in the country.
  

  The number of earmarks has skyrocketed from 958 in 1996 to 15,877 last year, tallying up to $47.4 billion in the 2005 budget, according to the Congressional Research Service. The Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s goal is to educate taxpayers about the problem of earmarks and mobilize them in support of more transparency and accountability in the appropriations process. Phillips said these reforms would also build momentum for the group’s larger goal of reining in all forms of wasteful spending in the federal budget.

  
  One of the best/worst ones is this: a $500,000 earmark for a program at the University of Akron, in which students study ways for the federal government to spend less! (HT: MKH)
  
  
• The National Geographic has produced a TV special on "The Gospel of Judas." Just in time for Palm Sunday and Easter! Another swipe at traditional Christian beliefs. I am shocked at the timing! Actually, there are several good critiques of the Gospel of Judas, here. This is really much ado about nothing, but for a biblically illiterate culture, this may cause some to be upset.
  
  Update: Mark D. Roberts just posted a fine critique of the Gospel of Judas. Check it out. Mark does first rate work, for a Harvard guy! A Harvard guy who knows his stuff, unlike the imaginary Robert Langdon.
  
  Update: John Mark Reynolds, also has an interesting look at the Gospel of Judas. His conclusion is that there really is nothing to see here of any consequence.

That's about it for today. Lot's of good stuff.