Minutes to Memories

It is hard NOT to be inspired by people like Jim & Dimple McVeay. I stopped by their place of business to snap this picture today, and I couldn't help but think that I hope I'm running a business when I'm Jim's age (75 years old; I am not at liberty to reveal Dimple's age!).

Jim is the definition of the word "go-getter." Born in the Depression in the middle of 11 children, he came out fighting. He left Biloxi for a career in the military, and after two tours in Vietnam among other dramatic stops, he emerged as one of the most decorated soliders in the history of his state (four Purple Hearts, a Silver Star, among many others). He attended Command & General Staff College with people like Arnold Schwarzkopf and Colin Powell, and Jim even served as the TAC officer for former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General John Shalikashvili. Jim was on his way to such lofty positions himself before his abrupt decision to retire while stationed at the Pentagon in the mid-1970s.

Jim didn't know how to retire, though. After returning to his native Mississippi Gulf Coast, he found himself busy with all sorts of things, not the least of which was a race against Trent Lott for Congress! But in 1989, he started having the nightmares. Unbelievably, nearly twenty years after leaving Vietnam, he developed a clear case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. And he's been fighting it ever since.

But nothing stops him.

I had the honor a few years ago now of spending Thursday afternoons with Jim to write his life's story. His life is amazing, and my writing is not, but when all was said and done we made a book together with, if nothing else, the perfect title: The Fighting Never Stops (linked to the side).

So there they were today, Jim and Dimple, side by side for a very long time (if my memory serves me, I believe they've been married for 56 years now), and at an age when most people are watching "Wheel of Fortune," they are wheeling and dealing in the business world. Inspiring people like me...

Today has been a really good day for lots of reasons...

* Early this morning I watched a video on my friend, Ric's, blog about his life in the Coast Guard while stationed in Hawaii. You all ought to watch it & give Ric a shout HERE. I can say that the Coast Guard was heroic after Katrina, and this video shows the life of the brave people (like my friend, Ric) on "routine" duty in Hawaii.

* We had our first real meeting of our new "Neighborhood Watch" program at church, and it got off to a GREAT start! There were six of us there, with another 3-4 folks still to come, and I simply couldn't be more pleased with how it began. No, this is not a McGruff the Crime Dog kind of Neighborhood Watch. Instead, it is simply a way to get together each week and be on the lookout for new folks in our church assemblies and keep a watchful eye on those who are missing. We've tried various things along these lines in the past, all without long-term success, but this morning left me with a great feeling that this just might be the time something works.

* As you can see in the picture above, I continued my Ocean Springs photography project by meeting the superintendent of the public school system, Mr. Robert Hirsch. Mr. Hirsch was my daughter's principal from 6th grade all the way through the 12th grade (he moved from the middle school to the high school when her class did!). It was an amazing thing to be able to tell him that the Community Service class at the high school - something he helped create - led to her major in elementary education. He insisted that she come see him when she was back in town.

* After meeting with Mr. Hirsch, I went back to WOSM Radio (The Gospel Giant) to be on the "Looking Around" show with Margaret Cooper, and I had a blast! I met a sweet widow from Mobile who comes every month to read her poetry (it turned out that she attends the University Church of Christ there!). I met a wonderful guitar-playing man who is here directing hurricane relief efforts for the Nazarene Church (this man was born blind, and by the grace of God has overcome that and many more life challenges). And I met a gospel version of the Partridge Family, the Riddells, who travel in their bus around the country singing & preaching (check out their website HERE). To top it all off, I got a chocolate cookie homemade by the sweet poet from Mobile!

What a great day! Hope yours was just as good, and if possible, even better!

I'm still reading War and Peace, and I really think I'll stick with it to the end. It's still a bit intimidating to say things like 250 pages down, 1205 pages to go! But that is where I stand, and Tolstoy has captured me in his story.

* I'm a bit concerned for Nikolai Rostov after his war injury at such a young age. He is having to grow up quickly, and so far he hasn't handled it all too well.

* I'm impressed with Andrei Bolkonsky. He was heroic in battle, but I wonder about his future on the homefront with his pregnant wife, Lisa. I'm not sure how Andrei will be changed by his dangerous encounters with the army of his enemy (and hero), Bonaparte.

* I don't know what to expect from Pierre. To become so wealthy at such a young age is dangerous for anyone, especially for someone as clueless and impetuous as he.

* And, of course, there's trouble brewing with Pierre's fortune anyway, what with Prince Vasily and the trio of Pierre's cousins (not to mention Anna Mikhailovna) all upset about being left out of the inheritance by Count Bezukhov.

And this is just the beginning...

I've barely been introduced to Prince Vasily's spoiled sons and gorgeous daughter, Prince Andrei's wacky father and naive sister, and all the budding romances from young Boris & Natasha to the little Sonya/Julie competition over Nikolai (and snitty Vera with her vicious comments).

I'll have to keep you updated as things develop.

This month, Time Magazine published an article ranking the Top 10 books of all-time. War and Peace came in third, with Tolstoy garnering the honor of holding both 1st and 3rd place on the list. If you are interested in some light reading, here's the list:

#1: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
#2: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
#3: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
#4: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
#5: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
#6: Hamlet by William Shakespeare
#7: The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald
#8: In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
#9: The Stories of Anton Chekhov by Anton Chekhov
#10: Middlemarch by George Eliot

(Before attempting War and Peace, I've read one of these books. I bet you can guess which one!)

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (from Ephesians 2, NIV)

Today was a big day for our church family, one I tauted as a day where we'd reveal our theme for 2007 (yes, I know I'm a few weeks slow, but I have my reasons). This year, the Ocean Springs Church of Christ is going to focus efforts on being CONNECTED to one another.

I took a big chance this morning in combining ALL of our classes for a special class after the morning worship assembly (the big chance was with all the kids who LOVE to go to class as well as with all the parents who LOVE for their kids to go off to class). Both my sermon and the special class focused on the text above from Ephesians, but during the class we actually built a church from these verses!

We began with Jesus as the cornerstone (box), and next to Jesus we formed a foundation of the apostles and prophets. Then, everyone who is a part of our church community, from the youngest to the oldest, built on this foundation by adding his or her box. On our individual boxes, we wrote our name and the gift we bring to our church community (for example, I put "teaching" as my gift to offer). After everyone had labeled & decorated their boxes, everyone came up one at a time, spoke their name & gift into the microphone, and then placed their box on to our "building" (which you can see in the picture above behind Rebekah & Brynn).

I tried to establish the point that every brick is important in a building; thus, every person and his/her gift is vital to our church community's well-being. And I hope that this lesson - and the fact that it will continually stand before us this year - will be a memorable way of reminding us of this particular vision.

I wish I could say this was an original idea. Instead, I read about the idea in one of Marva Dawn's lectures, but I immediately fell in love with it's match to our church family's needs in 2007. We desperately need to be CONNECTED.

It is interesting to consider what lies before us in 2007: There are members of our family that weren't here this morning - we need to add them to our building. There are new folks who will become a part of our church family this year - they will be added to our building. There are babies yet to be born that will be added to our church community this year - they will be added to our building. On the other hand, there will be those of us who will move away this year - their boxes will be removed, autographed by all of us, along with our sad good-byes. There will probably be others who, for whatever reason will choose to distance themselves from our church community - sadly, their boxes will need to be removed, too. And given the track record from the eight years I have been a part of this family, I suspect there will be a few who will not live to see 2008 - I will most probably be carrying a box or two to a eulogy this year.

2007 will be an interesting year, I'm sure. But I fervently hope it will be a year where the Ocean Springs Church of Christ will see itself more "connected" to one another than ever before.

On the bad side of things this Saturday: my wife is sick, and the weather is downright ugly.

On the good side of things today: I took Hillary and her friend, Sidney, to the Gulf Coast Science Exploreum with our friends from church, the Lawlers and the Martins, where we enjoyed an IMAX movie on Greece, a traveling exhibit on Pompeii, and the cool standing exhibits of the Exploreum (one pictured above).

But on the very best side of life today was a chance encounter with Clint at the Exploreum.

Clint has the kind of heart I hope to have most of the time. He has been in love with following Jesus for a long time now, even though he is still a young man, and I've marveled at his idealistic devotion - the kind one should never lose. Just talking with him today made my life better.

Clint is nearly finished with his college degree, and if he's accepted, he plans to spend next year in Americorps. He doesn't know exactly where life will lead from there (he wonders if two years in the Peace Corps might follow), but in his continual quest to truly follow Jesus, he has come to learn - with little help from organized religion mind you - that it must involve caring for the oppressed of the world somehow.

I was ecstatic to hear him talk. I've thought & talked - and even acted - far more about this than he has so far. But I hope he makes a lot more progress than I have.

I think my favorite part of photography expeditions is the quest for the perfect picture. I know absolutely nothing about Photoshop or other editing software, and I kind of like it that way because I can't clean up any of my shots. Either I get the perfect shot, or I don't.

I don't know much about lighting either, other than knowing that I want the sunshine behind me when possible. And I know that when I'm under fluorescent lights that I'm going to have a really hard time capturing the perfect picture.

The one thing I'm pretty good at is putting myself in a good position to get a good picture, so I guess that's my speciality if there is such a thing, and I really enjoy doing what I can to get in the perfect photo-opportune spot.

I went to Mobile, Alabama, today on a photography expedition. I went to the final walk-through practice for both North and South squads on the day before the Senior Bowl. I ended up with some really good pics (which you can check out on my Webshots page), but I was most proud of the "perfect picture" I landed above.

I went today with the first priority being Heisman winner, Troy Smith, second priority, Coach Jon Gruden, and third priority, national champion Florida's quarterback, Chris Leak. During the South practice, Leak ended up on the sideline, and I captured several really good shots. I was standing next to a couple of Florida Gator fans who kept trying to get pictures of their hero, too.

At one point, San Francisco 49ers running backs coach, Bishop Harris, decided to have some fun and make Chris Leak turn around and pose for a picture for the Gator fans. When he did, he made a funny face while outstanding running backs, Kenny Irons (#23 from Auburn), Lorenzo Booker (#28 from Florida State), and Ken Darby (in the background from Alabama) jumped into the picture, too.

The Gator fans' camera didn't work.

But mine did.

And I captured my perfect picture.

This morning, should you have come around the office area at the Ocean Springs Church of Christ, you would have seen a group of people up to their eyeballs in boxes!!! We issued a clarion call for help assembling boxes this morning for a very special Sunday I have planned this weekend, and in addition to the three staff members paid to be there, three wonderful volunteers - Charlene, Linda, and Eileen - arrived to help us assemble & label 250 boxes!!!

I am not the master of creative church experiences. I believe that title goes to my good friend, Troy, who is senior pastor for the Flamingo Road Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He has the gift of coming up with ideas that produce unforgettable messages. I do not have that gift.

But periodically, I run across something, however, that leads to an idea that I hope is unforgettable. And that was why we were assembling 250 boxes this morning.

I typically begin each calendar year with a themed message for our church family to consider for the coming year, but this time around I purposely postponed it for three weeks. And I can't wait for Sunday!!!

I have to admit that the arrival of Charlene, Linda, and Eileen this morning to work hard for reasons they didn't know made me think of two things: (1) I know some wonderful people, and (2) there are already signs that what I will talk about Sunday has potential!

I just don't watch a ton of television. I'm not on official protest or anything, it's just a fact. I watch sports when I can, and because of my youngest daughter I've become quite proficient in naming the stars of the Disney Channel. But outside of that, any time I've seen a popular show has simply been a case of hit and miss.

I do know American Idol is aptly named, given the talk I hear about it, but case in point I've never actually watched the show. Until last night, that is.

It was a good night to watch for me, I guess, since the show had rolled in to Memphis, Tennessee. For me, that was practically home, so I enjoyed the cut-aways to all things Memphis.

But I think it was a bad night for me to watch because it was make fun of the dorks night on the show, and it just didn't set very well with me. I wouldn't have been able to put it into words, though. But...

My friend, John Dobbs, posted a link on his blog this morning to another blog by a young man named, Justin, who put into words quite well what I guess I was feeling. Hopefully, Justin won't mind my excerpting his excellent words below:

...American Idol. If anyone watched last night (and I’m assuming you did, Something like 25 million people watch that wretched show) you witnessed some of the meanest things I’ve ever seen on television. Not just Simon, but Paula and Randy as well. Several socially awkward guys tried out and were absolutely demolished by the judges. Not neccesarily because they were bad singers (they were) but because they were fat, or ugly, or just plain socially slow. This show is supposed to be (mostly) about singing. I understand that an “American Idol” probably needs to be somewhat attractive, which means in our culture, probably not obese and definitely some sort of proportional facial features, but the first couple episodes are purely about making fun of people. And I can’t handle it.

In the interest of full disclosure, I do make fun of people a lot. Its wrong. Its something I am trying to fix, and its difficult. But there’s a key difference in my making fun of someone in my head and American Idol specifically bringing in non talented, awkward people to Simon, Randy, and Paula.

“They’re not specifically brought in Justin, you idiot,” you might say. You would be wrong. Have you thought about how long it would take for those three to audition all 10,000 people that show up at each audition city?

They can’t. They pick these bad people out of the crowd to humiliate them. Sure they signed contracts, relinquishing their rights, but I think its only a matter of time before someone kills themself and the Idol train flies off the tracks.

It's been a good day at the Sturgeon house, but more than that, it has been a great day for the scientific community. At the elementary school Science Fair Awards Ceremony we attended tonight, our little scientist took home the red ribbon for 2nd place in the 4th grade division of the "Mathematics & Computers" category, earning her a spot in the regional fair. Never mind the fact that there were only two entries in the "Mathematics & Computers" category; science doesn't take such subjectivity into account. It was a small step for our family, but a GIANT LEAP for chocolate chip cookie projects for all mankind.

The "Chocolate Chip Challenge" took on the age-old question of which brand of chocolate chip cookies has the most chocolate chips per cookie. Hillary's hypothesis was a good one - Chips Ahoy bills itself as such - but in the end, the scientific community was shocked to learn that Chips Ahoy came in LAST PLACE!!! Keebler actually came in first, while even the generic Great Value defeated pre-experiment favorite, Chips Ahoy.

Becoming completely serious, you don't know how proud I am that Hillary brought home a science fair ribbon tonight. She was amazing to me after Katrina - how does a little girl lose everything she owned and be so strong? She seemed to be a rock to me for so long, but the day she and I went to say good-bye to our old house for the last time, she wanted to take one last look at the ditch where many of our belongings lay ground into the mud.

That's when she saw her 2nd grade science fair project. That's when she was reminded that we couldn't find her 3rd place ribbon from that year, a year when LOTS of projects were entered in the "Physics & Engineering" category in the first year she ever tried a science fair. And when she was reminded, she cried a lot, her Katrina emotions rising to the surface.

If I had a choice between saving our furniture and finding that 3rd place ribbon, I would have taken the ribbon hands down. That cheap little white ribbon served as a microcosm, teaching my little girl about loss. And I hated that lesson. But she learned it heroically. And I loved her even more for it.

So I love the picture from tonight. I love that ribbon. And I love that smile that's survived the trials of life at such a young age.

I don’t hate Mondays. Some people do, and I understand why, but my life works a little different I guess. I set my alarm clock for the same time on Mondays that I do on Sundays (5:30am), so Monday isn’t really the start of my work week. It is the beginning of my wife’s work week, and my daughter’s school days, so I get part of the vibe, but I just don’t get the full effect.

In some ways Mondays are nice for me. It is usually quiet around the office on Mondays. The phone doesn’t ring that much, and there usually aren’t many visitors. I’m typically a bit hyped up after Sunday, and motivated to get going, so I usually get a whole lot done on Mondays given the solitude. I relish the quiet after a noisy weekend, and I like the feeling of progress. Monday is normally a day I find myself ahead of the curve.

Today wasn’t one of those days.

Nothing bad to report, just much more hectic than normal. Instead of a steady, quiet day, it was a herky-jerky, noisy day, and it left me emotionally disheveled I guess. There were times today that I felt as if my call to ministry was blessed with such great potential, while there were other times – on the same day – that it felt like my call was a wrong number.

No, I’m not standing on a bridge. I’m just saying it wasn’t a typical, quiet Monday.

I noticed late this afternoon that Bill Parcells retired from coaching football.

“Tuna” (as he’s popularly known) has coached the Dallas Cowboys, my favorite football team, for the past few seasons, but today he called it quits. This isn’t the first time he has retired. He is considered one of the great coaches of all-time, and he has retired as a success before, but for some reason he kept coming back. This time, with no Cowboy playoff wins to report, his last tour of duty goes down as a bust. When the Cowboys muffed their final game this season, Parcells was quoted as saying something along the lines, “I did my best, but it wasn’t good enough.”

I respect his honesty, and at times I know how he feels. Today, I admired his ability to be okay with his best, even if it isn’t considered “good enough.”

I went to college to be a coach, but I had no idea that this career choice would lead me down the path I’ve traveled. I’m up front in telling people that I still see myself as a coach, but as a preacher my team is much different than I expected! When you think about it, the two positions aren’t really all that different: you’re expected to bring together a diverse group of individuals to accomplish something. Expectations are about the same, too, not to mention job security.

So I think I know why Bill Parcells has had an on-again, off-again love affair with coaching professional football. It’s in his blood, and the highs are the best feelings in the world, and the lows just suck. Sometimes he just can’t stay away from the game, and sometimes he has to go away. Like today.

Oddly enough, on the same day he walked away, I felt on a much smaller scale his full range of emotions.

Well, it was a sad day for all the Saints fans around the world. Actually, that game was so ugly that it was a sad day for all football fans - unless you happen to like Da Bears. But what a great year, and what a great run, and what a great story those Saints were for the Gulf South region. So I hope they'll hold their heads high & get ready for another run next year.

But tonight's game - WOW, what a game!!!

I'm usually an NFC fan, but not always. And not this year. I've liked the Patriots for several years now, and my mom's a big Peyton Manning fan (and I like him, too), so I'm for whomever wins this game in the Super Bowl.

As I type, the Patriots have a three point lead & the ball with 3:22 left to play. So I gotta run...

Have a great week!

My Ocean Springs photography project continues to introduce me to interesting folks. No rendering of Ocean Springs would be complete without including our local Elks Lodge's efforts to celebrate Mardi Gras, so tonight, since I knew their Ball was being held at the Civic Center, I took a chance and showed up early to see if I could snap a couple of pictures.

When I introduced myself, I met Jocelyn, a very nice lady who recognized me from a speaking engagement I once fulfilled, and we had a short but wonderful conversation. She told me a bit about what would happen at the Ball tonight: the royalty would march in just after 7pm (King Donnie is pictured above, with his wife, Marge, on their way to the Ball), followed by a skit put on by members of the Krewe, followed by a band and general merriment for the rest of the evening.

Jocelyn attends the Lutheran church in Ocean Springs, and we talked about Pastor Gordy, who moved away a few years back (and who is one of the most interesting and engaging people I've ever met). At one point, Jocelyn turned serious and asked me if I was "alright with" Mardi Gras. She's been accosted on occasion it seems due to the religious heritage of the celebration, to which she doesn't subscribe, so she wanted to make sure I wasn't going to blast her for her choice to enjoy its cultural aspects.

I've been around here long enough to know that people have lots of different approaches to the local holiday, ranging from those who condemn it in every shape and form to those who use it to engage in all sorts of debauchery. In between are a whole lot of folks, so it has been my general practice (extended to all areas of life) not to judge someone without even knowing them.

That approach, all by itself, made it possible for me to meet someone new tonight.

Today was a very nice "day off" (two Fridays in a row now!).

I had the chance to go with my friend, John Dobbs, to visit our mutual friend, Les Ferguson, at his new house in Gulfport. We're all three preachers, but today John & I got to play the part of the pastoral visitors while Les, with his broken ankle, got to be the visit-ee (a little putting the Christmas decorations back in the attic accident). Since we are all friends, John & I didn't have to be nice, so we were well-prepared to make fun of him. But instead, we just had a really nice visit, talking about a little bit of everything under the sun.

Afterwards, John & I ate lunch at Cracker Barrell, which is ALWAYS a good thing in my estimation. I had the chicken 'n dumplings, with fried okra & fried apples. Are you hungry yet?

I'll admit that when I moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, venturing into the world of life as a preacher, I suspected someone like me wouldn't hit it off with "preachers" in general. I don't know if John and Les will take this as a compliment or not, but I instantly felt a connection with both of these great guys, and I'm proud to count them as my friends.

(I received this terrific forwarded email from my friend, Brenda - whom we affectionately called Mrs. G - and I thought it was very well said!)
:-)

I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the one about rat poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing. Also, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason. I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time. I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish. I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers. I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day. Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes. Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains. I no longer can buy gasoline without taking a man along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas. I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put "Under God" on their cans. I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer. And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face...disfiguring me for life. I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me. I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise. I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army. I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda , Singapore , and Uzbekistan . I no longer have any sneakers -- but that will change once I receive my free replacement pair from Nike. I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe. Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt. Thank you too for all the endless advice Andy Rooney has given us. I can live a better life now because he's told us how to fix everything. And thanks to your great advice, I can't ever pick up $5.00 I dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

Oh, and don't forget this one either! I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies! If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 PM this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump.

I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician...

Have a wonderful day....

It must have been two or three days after Hurricane Katrina, when life was still off-the-chart NUTS. No electricity. Tanks driving up and down the street. Choppers constantly overhead. Although we had seen amazing things, the concerted relief efforts all over the country were still being organized. It was a very, very weird time.

I decided to drop by State Farm agent Phil Harvey's office that day to let him know that, though we were in no relative hurry, the church building had withstood lots of damage and that we would be filing a claim. Mr. Harvey was sitting in his office, sweating, without air conditioning of course, in a Mississippi August with lots of clients stopping in to see him.

On the way over, I felt silly that I had not remembered that my car had satellite radio! With a real interest, I turned it to CNN Radio to hear what the nation was saying about our little bout with history. I was humbled to hear that much of the talk revolved around a "missing persons" hotline CNN had set up where people could call in and try to locate their loved ones displaced by Katrina.

Was I ever surprised when one of the callers said that her daughter was the mayor of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and that she hadn't heard from her after the storm! She provided a picture for the national audience in case anyone knew anything; she just wanted to hear that the mayor was alright.

I laughed, not at the situation, but at the realization that the little town I was driving my car in was so isolated from the rest of the world that CNN couldn't locate our mayor. Which was a weird feeling I must say.

So I drove to City Hall...

I walked in the front door with my baseball cap on backwards and several days of a developing beard, and walked directly into Mayor Connie Moran's office where she was talking on one of the few working telephones in town. Mayor Moran had just been elected in June (before Katrina's August), so I had not had the pleasure of meeting her yet. I realized that my appearance probably didn't make the best first impression, but she seemed unfazed. When she hung up the telephone, I introduced myself and told her I just wanted to drop by and tell her that she was just on CNN.

This piqued her interest!

After I explained to her what I had heard, she smiled and simply said, "I hope she used a good picture."

I've had a chance to do several things today: prepare my class for Sunday morning, teach an introductory ladies' class on Hebrews, prepare for a meeting tonight, spend some time visiting a family from our congregation, and read chapter four from The Divine Conspiracy.

But early this morning, before I normally know life exists, my Ocean Springs photography project afforded me the neat opportunity to go behind-the-scenes at the legendary TatoNut Shop in downtown Ocean Springs.

All you Krispy Kreme fans will just have to face the facts: there is no better donut in the world than a TatoNut. Can I get a witness? I'm not sure what the secret is (and no, my behind-the-scenes opportunity today didn't let me in on any secrets), but somehow from its potato flour beginning to its glorious glazed finish, the TatoNut is the perfect pastry.

My oldest daughter had the chance to work at The TatoNut Shop this past summer, and she was honored to be asked to work when she was home from college, too. With my 2007 Ocean Springs photography project underway, I asked her before she left to check with the Mohler family and see if they cared if I came by to take a picture or two. They told her that today would be best (the day after a holiday is usually slow they said), between 5am and 6am. So I arrived at 5:15am and had the neat chance to go back where the donuts are prepared and snap a couple of pictures. (Go to my Ocean Springs photo-blog and see the picture of the owners together.)

I'm off to a bit of a slow start, but my 2007 photo project is something I'm glad I'm doing. I have an appointment lined up tomorrow - I'm sure I'll be keeping you updated along the way!

alsturgeon

I grew up in a city so white we had to put sunblock on the population sign, yet this lack of racial diversity had curious effects.

On the one hand, I was very familiar with lots of sayings that utilized the "n-word" in a variety of creative ways. That horribly racist word preceded "toes" to describe a tasty, chocolate snack. It preceded "rig" to describe a primitive way to make something work. It was whom you would "catch by the toe" in the deciding song, Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Mo. And these, I'm ashamed to say, are the nice, complimentary ways in which I regularly heard the term.

But on the other hand, the complete dominance of the Caucasian race in my hometown meant that the subject of race relations didn't come up very much at all. So, in an odd twist of fate, in spite of the vocabulary with which I was quite familiar, I really wasn't raised with feelings one way or the other toward race relations.

Which worked out good in the end, especially considering how things could have gone.

I was not alive when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lived his life, so I speak only in retrospect. I am well aware of his moral failings exposed after his death, but I am not shy in proclaiming that he has become a personal hero of mine. His life amazes me.

I have toured the Civil Rights Museum built at the Lorraine Motel where he was assassinated (pictured above) in Memphis, and I was moved by the experience. I have traveled to Montgomery to see the church he pastored when the movement began and to examine the Civil Rights Memorial built close by, and I was moved by that experience as well. I own and have read every word in A Call to Conscience, a book full of the landmark speeches delivered by Dr. King.

I am, undoubtedly, a fan.

I am amazed by his eloquence and the moral & intellectual depth of his speeches, but I am most impressed by his commitment to the way of Jesus at a time in history when there were other options to pursue. I am amazed that, as a young pastor, he was willing and able to be the voice of nonviolence in a world turned so violently against his race. I am amazed by the positive results from his leadership, as well as his willingness to put his life on the line - and in so doing, give it up - for the cause he believed in so deeply.

I remember, here in the South, lots of scoffing at naming a federal holiday after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but I'm here to tell you that I can't think of a more appropriate reason to have a holiday.

May you have a wonderful Martin Luther King Day, and may remembering him continue to change the world we live in for the better.

I found this picture while surfing the Internet, and it communicates a little bit about what tonight's NFL playoff game means around these parts. I'm a latecomer to being a Saints fan, but for many Gulf South citizens, years of football misery simply add to the drama of the post-Katrina revival of the New Orleans Saints.

I smile imagining a Super Bowl trip for the perpetual losers from a town devastated like no other. What a story that would be!

I'm going to my friend, Herman's, tonight to watch the game.

GO SAINTS!!!

After years of ignorance to the contemporary value of sabbath, I began approaching my Fridays as an intentional break from regular life. Sundays, for most preachers, are anything but a sabbath, so Friday became my day.

And it was good.

Then came Hurricane Katrina, and my personal sabbath day changed. Oddly enough, after several weeks of non-stop action, Sunday emerged as my sabbath after all! Yet as our lives in the Gulf South region have slowly recovered our past routines, Sunday has slowly become another work day for me. And as that happened, I forgot about the contemporay value of sabbath.

And that was bad.

But today, I resumed my attempt at making Friday my sabbath again.

I took my camera along for my day to stop being productive and just taste life. I spent a little time by the Biloxi Lighthouse, then I traipsed around the woods behind my house. I stopped to watch the ducks at the entrance to my subdivision, then I went down to Front Beach and wandered around Ocean Springs Harbor.

And it was good - again.

Just a quickie tonight. It's been a long day, but a good one. I spent 4 hours in the office this morning, 4 hours with my good friend, Bruno, this afternoon, then 4 hours with my good friends, Dave and Gene, in an elders' meeting tonight. Somehow 3 X 4 adds up to about 14 hours... Huh?

Anyway, the important missing element in all the good today was my family, but that's a situation I plan to rectify over the next three days.

Good night everyone.

Well, it has officially begun.

I've done a lot of waffling over the last few weeks about some photography projects I had in mind. I was all excited, then I ditched it. All excited. Ditched it. You get the drift.

But in the end, I decided on excited, and today was my official first day on one of the two projects that I'm planning to complete in 2007.

I'm officially calling this one, "My Ocean Springs: 2007 in Pictures." I have created a blog for it (surprise!) that I've linked on the left hand column, but my grand intention is to have my good friend, David Watson, help me assemble a coffee table book out of the 100 pictures I plan to capture this year.

I could simply take pictures of all the neat places, things, and events that make Ocean Springs a unique and neat place to live, but I really felt drawn to up the ante and make sure I feature a person in each picture instead of settling for the easy way out. And that is what I intend to do.

In addition to the 100 people, I'm also planning to get my picture made with each person & see if David will use his amazing skill to assemble a collage of those pics for the cover (since, after all, the book will be titled, "MY Ocean Springs").

I'm really looking forward to all the neat people I will meet this year in my wonderful hometown. Today, I met Marjorie Anderson Ashley, whose father (Peter Anderson) is legendary around these parts. I would not have met her today if I weren't pursuing this project...

So I like the idea already.

I normally have two books going at the same time - one for personal entertainment (The Great Deluge by Douglas Brinkley right now), and one for "work."

And I'm normally not the bandwagon sort of guy. When I hear "you have to read this book" (with notable exceptions from a few close friends), I usually have a sudden desire to read something else. Or when I simply notice that everyone is raving about a particular book, I suspect that I probably wouldn't be as excited as the rest of the boys and girls.

But I'm not a completely antisocial reader. When I hear enough about a book over a long period of time, I eventually get around to reading it myself. Hopefully, with a bit of objectivity.

Such is the case with The Divine Conspiracy.

This has been "the book" for many, and as expected, I've taken my time getting around to it. But I've committed the first several weeks of 2007 to seeing what Dallas Willard has to teach us, and after just two of the ten chapters, my personal jury is still out (as it should be only 20% through a book).

On one hand, I've found myself underlining a lot of really good stuff (for instance, "To be the light of life, and to deliver God's life to women and men where they are and as they are, is the secret of the enduring relevance of Jesus."). On the other hand, I'm not terribly fond of his tone so far - the little bit of "don't you idiots see this?" that I hear in his writing. He seems to assume a lot here at the outset, and maybe it's because I'm an idiot that I don't buy everything he assumes.

Chapter One, "Entering the Eternal Kind of Life Now," addresses the important concept that Jesus had something to say to life in the "here and now," and not simply a recipe for the afterlife (to which I offer a hearty Amen!).

Chapter Two, "Gospels of Sin Management," continues this realm of thought by criticizing both the Right and Left approaches to gospel. It may be because I'm one of the misguided morons to which he refers, but I didn't tag along for his ride ridiculing the position of the Left.

But I'll keep reading.

After all, I've been told that I "have to read this book!"

What an amazing first half for the Florida Gators!!!!! With apologies to my friend, Bruno, I'm glad the S-E-C is looking so good tonight. In fact, if my Arkansas Razorbacks hadn't played like goobers against Wisconsin, the performances of LSU and Florida (so far) would make the end of our season look a WHOLE lot better.

Now I'm not making a prediction here or anything, but remember there's 30 minutes of football left tonight. A couple of scores by the Buckeyes and this could turn around quickly. But so far tonight, the Florida Gators look like national champions.

And looking WAY ahead here, but next year's BCS Championship Game is scheduled to be in New Orleans. You can bet your sweet sugar bowls I hope to be blogging a report from up close next year!!!!!!!

I guess it's appropriate that it's stormy outside with "tornado watch" pasted on the television screen. After all, my sermon this morning was titled, "Rising Above the Storm."

My text today was a story that probably means more to me than any other following Hurricane Katrina - the story of Jesus calming the storm in Matthew 8.

"Why are you so afraid?"

And my major illustration today was a story that probably means more to me than any other illustration following Hurricane Katrina - the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton's incredible adventure aboard the Endurance in 1914-1915.

Can you say leadership?

Of all the post-Katrina thoughts I've had, I guess I could sum up the major ones for me by saying that I've learned that fear isn't necessary in a disaster, but confident leadership is most definitely needed.

I've finally begun reading the book pictured above, and I am thoroughly enjoying it so far (if any Katrina book can truly be "enjoyed"). Brinkley is an amazing historian at Tulane University in New Orleans (so a true local), and even though I'm only one-third of the way through the book, he has done a masterful job so far of somehow combining the relaying of facts with intimate stories. Although I'm sure this is not Mayor Nagin's favorite book, it is quickly becoming one of mine.

At times I grow weary of talking about Katrina, but I'm fully aware that on some level that horrible storm will be a landmark event in my life. So if you're going to check out my blog regularly, you might expect a reference here or there.

The NFL playoffs kicked off awkwardly today as the Colts defeated the hapless Chiefs, but the important point is that the NFL playoffs kicked off today, and pro football fans smile to begin the countdown to Super Bowl 41.

In less than a hour, my longtime favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys, will try to turn around their bumbly, stumbly performance from the past few weeks in front of the LOUD CROWD at Qwest Field in Seattle. Hopefully, Tuna will have Romo and T.O. and every other kind of "O" ready to take on the Seahawks.

I never in my entire life thought I would have another favorite team than the Cowboys, but this year I've added a 2nd favorite team in those crazy New Orleans Saints. After Katrina, it seems that I've become a fan.

I've never been a big fan of jumping on bandwagons (in any area of life), so I'm careful to take a backseat to the real Saint fans who have suffered (and I mean, suffered) through many a year to appreciate a season like this one. But still, if the Cowboys don't turn it around, I'll be pulling for the Saints to pull off the most miraculous of years.

But tonight...

GO COWBOYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My family seems to have an on-again, off-again love affair with something we call "family night." If you can't deduce what a family night might be, it really isn't that complicated: it's simply a night each week set aside for our family to do something together.

We've tried this concept a few different times along the way, but for some reason we always seem to fall back into our old bad habits of flying solo. Then, for some reason, we remember what is really important in our lives and try again.

Enter New Year's Resolution #1: Tonight was our first attempt at "family night" in 2007.

Jody & Hillary went to Blockbuster and rented a movie none of us had seen before, a fairly recent Disney movie called Eight Below. The movie is based on a true story from Antarctica, and it features eight snow dogs who brave the elements to rescue lives, followed by a six-month survival test of their own when they are left behind for winter.

Yet in the end, the story turns out to be about love I guess - love in the real sense of the word. Jerry (pictured above), the man who loves these dogs deeply, embarks on a rescue journey of his own, in spite of everything else that stands in his way. Eight Below is a lesson that love will lead people to do anything to be together.

Which is an awfully good lesson for a family night, huh?

Realizing I had significant down time coming this week, I made plans to finish a project a member of my church family had asked me to do as a favor. And even though the ongoing challenge of readjusting my seating position has dominated my life over the last couple of days, I have completed this project nonetheless.

This project required me to put on my editing cap, but since I don't have enough editing skills to get a cap, I had to make one of my own. My friend has worked for years now on his novel, and he begged me to get out my red pen and grade his 141-page creation.

He asked me, I'm sure, because I have actually written three books, though the literary critics lined up to each one in unison and offered standard rejection letters. But I have written three books in spite of the reception. Along the way, I've learned the tiniest bit about English grammar. Plus, I'm a very good speler (just kidding!).

Anyway, he asked me to do this for him, and for the past two days I have been making notes throughout his part science fiction, part historical fiction, and part Christian novel. And I finished today.

And I am honored to have been asked.

There are a few standard New Year's resolutions - stop smoking, stick to a diet, start an exercise program - and not far off the Big Three comes the resolution to "write a novel." And I think I know why: I think we all have a story to tell. The funny thing is that so few of us ever really try to tell it.

I wonder why? I would suspect that many of the people that know my friend from church would be surprised to know that he had written this novel, not that he isn't talented and intelligent, but simply because most people whose day job involves manual labor aren't expected to be writing books. But why not? I would think that the "real people" of the world would tell the most fascinating stories, wouldn't you?

So for those of you out there who haven't tried your hand at writing, I say you should give it a shot. Not because you will be showered with fame and fortune (although if you do end up in said shower, remember who inspired you to write, okay?), but simply because there's a story in you worth sharing. Order one of these EXCELLENT books to get you started (Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird or Stephen King's On Writing), and let out that story that only you can tell.

I'll want a copy if no one else does, but I do hope you have a better editor friend in mind because I am NOT having another vasectomy.

WARNING!!! Due to the graphic nature of the following post, all men are asked to read another blog to avoid wincing in pain. All women with a shred of decency about them are asked to read another blog, too, basically to keep you from laughing at all men. Likewise, children too young to read articles that use the word “testicle” should not read the entry today either.

Now, for the sadistic women still reading…

I’ve had this working theory on vasectomies up until today. I have heard lots of vasectomy veterans refer to them as “no big deal.” My theory is that these men are either (a) trying to fool the rest of us into having one since they had to do it, or (b) the type of guy who believes that they should act tough about anything that happens “down there” in spite of the truth.

Today, I feel my theory is pretty much confirmed.

Sure, on one level, it was “no big deal.” I mean, compared to brain replacement surgery, it wasn’t a big deal. Compared to torture that lasts for LONGER than twenty minutes, it was no big deal. I mean, Saddam Hussein may have said hanging wasn't such a big deal either.

But this was a big enough deal for me.

For starters, someone could have warned me that there was no anesthetic given before receiving a shot to a rather sensitive area of the body. That’s important information to know all by itself.

But the doctor was cool about it all, and this is a very important fact since I was all alone in a room with this man who was using sharp surgical equipment while I lay in a rather vulnerable position.

Plus, he was funny…

Proof #1: When I moaned at one point because of (fill in the blank using your imagination), he asked if I was alright. I replied, “Yes, it’s just the pressure.” He said, “Sort of like someone pulling on your testicle?” I said, “Yes,” to which he answered, “Well, I sort of am…”

Proof #2: Half-way through the procedure, he stopped, looked at me and said, “Well, you wanna do the other side, too, while we’re here?”

He could take this shtick on the road, but I suspect he makes more money and has more stories to tell doing things the way they are right now.

The immediate aftermath of the procedure wasn’t bad at all. My wife drove me home and fixed supper. About the time she finished cooking, the numbness started to wear off and the real recovery process began. I haven’t been moving very quickly for the past twenty-four hours now.

To all the sadistic women still reading this blog I’d like to say, “Honey, at least I followed through on my promise to do this a decade ago.”

And I’m sure glad this is a one time procedure.

Well, as the cartoon implies, since the microwave option turned out to be a false lead, today is a big day for me.

I had planned to do this a couple of weeks ago, but I came down with the flu and had to postpone the inevitable for a couple more weeks. I have been falsely accused of timing the flu just to postpone this "procedure," but that is simply not true. I may have scheduled a trip or something to just "happen" to get in the way of said procedure, but I'm afraid I would never scheduled the flu. Believe it or not, I would rather do what I'm doing today than have any sort of stomach virus.

At least that's how I feel going into this deal. I'll confirm later.

My wife had on Seinfeld last evening, and it just happened to be the episode where Elaine's boyfriend got a vasectomy just to prove to her that he didn't want kids. Then, at the end of the show, both Jerry and George are in the waiting room for their very own vasectomies when Kramer comes shuffling out of the doctor's office having beat them to the punch in trying to impress a girl by doing the same.

What timing, huh?

I've learned that a couple of items are important to secure prior to such drastic measures: frozen peas, and an athletic supporter. So I must go shopping now. And I'm really looking forward to checking out and seeing if the "check-out person" gives me a knowing smile!

Sigh...

Well, 2007 didn't get off to such a good start for Arkansas Razorback fans. The Hogs opened the season with an ugly loss, won a whole bunch of games, then closed the season with three straight losses.

The disappointing part is that those three losses (against the top teams in the country) could just have easily gone the other way, but for lots of somewhat silly mistakes. Especially today.

Oh well, as sports teaches you to say, there's always next year.

Well, except for Razorback football, we should say there's always this year. 2007, that is...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a personal note, I did quite a bit of work in my backyard today (before and after the sad football game). For some reason, I suddenly found myself motivated to begin clearing a little path to a little ditch/creek that runs behind our house. I had this sudden vision of being able to watch a little bit of nature under the cover of the woods at some point along the way.

I discovered a tiny 3-4 inch waterfall from following the sound of the gurgle. This made me even more sure of my new mission. I could stand a little quiet time in the woods listening to the gurgle of the creek every once in a while I think.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!