Howard Family Christmas Letter

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The following is the letter that we sent out to our friends and family (if we have your address) over the holiday season:


Season’s Greetings!

I hope this letter finds you doing well. Melissa has, once again, instructed me to write our family Christmas letter. So, I will try to recap all that has happened in our lives this past year.

Emily Grace continues to delight and amaze me on so many different levels! She practically runs everywhere she goes. She has two speed settings: Very fast and lightspeed. She loves to sing. Her current favorite songs are: Jingle Bells, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and (you are going to love this one) Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Recently, she has really gotten into ‘pretend’ playing. She has a little dish set that she will use to play ‘home-maker.’ She will come up to one of us and ask if we want anything to drink. We’ll say yes, of course, and she’ll go back to her ‘counter’ and pour us something to drink. She has such a maternal instinct already. She loves to ‘mother’ her baby dolls, making sure that they are properly fed and put to bed. She makes sure they each doll is tucked in with a blanky and says: ‘Night night!’ It’s pretty funny.

Last year at this time, Emily would always want to play with Sherlock and Sherlock would never really want anything to do with her. Now, the situation has shifted a little bit: Sherlock is always wanting to play with Emily, but Emily gets much more frustrated at Sherlock than ever before; especially with food issues. They still do well together, but it’s been interesting to see their relationship evolve.

Emily has really enjoyed the Christmas season this year. She was so ‘helpful’ when we put up all of our Christmas stuff. Our Christmas village is probably her favorite thing, and that tends to be a problem when you want everything to look perfect. She basically thinks the village is her personal ‘play’ village. So, needless to say, our perfect Christmas village from years past now looks like it has been hit by a blizzard, mixed with a tornado, and finished off with an earthquake. Last week, Emily came running in to us very excited about something. Turns out that she had picked a present from under the tree and opened it up. It wasn’t even her present, but she was as excited as can be about it. Later, she asked Melissa for ‘More Christmas.’ So the next few weeks should be fun!

Melissa continues to teach at DuBray Junior High School. She teaches eighth grade special education math classes. Like any job, some days are better than others, but this has been a great position for Melissa. She has a very supportive principle, has made some good friends among her co-workers, and loves the school. Melissa has agreed to help manage the nursery here. (She is a glutton for pain, I guess) She has done a really good job of making some much needed improvements. As she has gotten involved in more ministries, she has built some very good friendships with a few ladies at church. She is starting to feel more and more comfortable here; to the point where it feels like home to her now. I continually thank God for her. She is such a great mother, wife, and ministry help-mate! It’s such a beautiful thing to be married to your best friend! That’s what I have in her. She’s the best and I love her very much!

Ministry has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me this year. Our church experienced what I can only call ‘the great exodus.’ About 35 people left the church in six months time. (Long story) It was very discouraging. On top of that, the senior pastor was stranded in Oklahoma for six weeks waiting for his pregnant wife to give birth. (Longer story) So, I received a small taste of what it might be like to assume the role of a senior pastor. My job description has shifted and changed over the past couple of months and it has really made this job much more fulfilling for me. One of the things that I have been put in charge of is our new children’s midweek program. It has been very successful. This past Wednesday night, we had 39 kids attend our program. For a church that is running about 150, that isn’t too bad at all.

On a personal level, this year has been a blast! With the Cards going to the World Series, you can imagine how fun my summer was. I was able to fulfill two life-long dreams by being at Busch Stadium both on opening day and during a playoff game. (Actually, I was lucky enough to be at two playoff games… one of which was game seven of the National League Championship Series, in which the Cardinals won to go to the World series. It was pretty awesome!) We spent a week at Disneyworld, we finished our basement, and Melissa’s brother, Kevin, came to live with us over the summer. It’s been a busy (yet fun) year for us!

We hope all of you have a blessed holiday season. Our prayer for each of you is that God would reveal Himself to you in a very powerful way this Christmas season. May His love shine brightly in your home. Praise the Lord! He has given His Son to be the Savior of the world! Merry Christmas!

Josh, Melissa, and Emily Howard

Winds of Change

I’ve been kind of sad lately (sad might be too strong of a word). It doesn’t have to do with getting older, because I know that I am still young in the grand scheme of things. I guess it has more to do with seeing things end that I don’t want to see end. These things might seem silly to most of you who read it… but hey, I’ve always admitted that I am a different breed.

In May, I will take in my last Star Wars movie. This series has been a part of my life since I was three or four. There’s a certain element of sadness for me knowing that this will be the last new Star Wars movie that I’ll see. I have so many fond memories of this series from when I was a kid… I guess the end of this series finally symbolizes the end of a special part of my childhood.

U2 just put out a new album… but most of the band members are around 45 years old. I just don’t know how many more albums they are going to put out before they hang it all up. Their music is pretty much the only music that I’ve listened to for the past seven or eight years. It’s sad to know that there will be a day when I will have listened to my last new U2 album.

On Sunday night I attended a concert in downtown St. Louis. I was able to drive right next to Busch stadium. (It was weird seeing it empty and dark.) Part of me is sad that this will be the last year that I will be able to see games in that stadium. I’ve also had a hard time NOT hearing Jack Buck call games on the radio the past several years.

My daughter Emily is two years and eight months old. Why can’t she stay this age forever? She is so much fun… and she is still so loving and willing to cuddle… and she is the absolute joy of my life. I get sad when I think that in about ten years, she’ll probably want to avoid me as much as possible. I don’t like to think about young adult Emily… she is so adorable as the small, petite, and curious little girl that I know her as right now.

Christmas is right around the corner. This past week in church, we had a family light the advent candle and share that they used to have Christmas traditions, but as their kids grew up… most of their traditions disappeared. Thinking about changing Christmas traditions is really sad to me. I like the way I celebrate Christmas now… but I know a day is coming when how I celebrate Christmas will change.

One thing that I have really tried to do is take advantage of the ‘now.’ Will I enjoy U2 and Star Wars any chance I get until they are gone? You bet. Will I try to get to Busch stadium as many times as I can this next summer? Absolutely. Will I enjoy each and every Christmas that God allows me to celebrate? Yep. Will I try my best to ‘soak in’ Emily now while she is actually WANTING to spend time with me? Every chance I get.

I guess the one thing that I cling to in all of this is that God never changes. I don’t have to worry about his feelings and preferences shifting on me. I don’t have to wonder if there will ever be a time when He won’t be present or available. I don’t have to ever worry about being completely alone. Though He has changed methods and avenues of communication throughout history… His love for humanity, His holiness, His sovereignty HAS never and WILL never change.

Just because certain periods of life, that have brought me great joy, will fade into the past; that doesn’t mean that there won’t be more seasons of life that can bring me just as much joy in the future. Time is elusive and life is changing all the time; but thankfully, God is neither elusive or changing. And that is something that nothing or no one on this earth can offer me.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” -Revelation 22:13

Musings: College Football Postseason

Can I be honest for a moment? NCAA football should be embarrassed. Every season, the BCS manages to screw at least one team from a high profile bowl game. This year, in no particular order, these are the teams that have, at least, a small gripe: Auburn, Utah, Boise State, California, Louisville. Those are all teams that were either undefeated or had one loss and none of them will be in a bowl game that they deserve.

It is very possible, that this football season could end with four undefeated teams and three teams with one only one loss. The bowl system is so screwy… there will only be two match-ups between undefeated or one loss teams: USC and Oklahoma / Boise St and Louisville. Why not pair up Auburn and Utah? Why the heck is Pittsburgh in the BSC? (I know it’s because they won the Big East). It just seems like Boise State, California, or even Louisville deserved to be there over Pittsburgh.

I am annoyed that the Coach’s or AP poll help decide who goes to the BCS. I’ve never liked the polls. I’ve never understood why there are preseason polls. The teams that start high have an unfair advantage over the teams that do not start high. It is inevitable that at some point during the year, a top 10 team plays another top 10 team. (Try to follow me here, this might get complicated) If the team that is ranked higher wins, the lower team drops out of the top 10. Why? Didn’t the previous poll already predict that what happened would happen? Why would the team that lost to the team they were supposed to lose to drop in the polls? Why? WHY!?! Because it is an objective, non-intelligent method of ranking teams.

Here is a novel concept: What about a National Championship playoff system? I have heard many ‘officials’ in college football say that it would be terrible for their sport to have a playoff. Just like it has been terrible to have March Madness in college basketball. Just like it has been terrible to have the college world series in college baseball. Those have just been downright damaging to college sports, haven’t they? I mean, March Madness might be the least watched tournament in the history of sports. (Of course, I’m being sarcastic) March Madness is the only reason I even pay attention to college basketball.

You know what? I’ve got a better idea. If the bowl system is so revolutionary… why doesn’t the NFL adopt it? Forget the playoffs and Superbowl. (Nobody watches the Superbowl anyway.) Every team that finishes over .500 will be bowl eligible. We could have the Madden bowl. We could have the Marino bowl. We could have the Monday Night Football bowl. We could have the Fantasy Football bowl. We could have the Rose Pedal bowl. (This bowl would feature the winner of the NFC West with the AFC Central every year, no matter what.) Actually, let’s disband all the leagues and conferences. Let’s just do a writer’s poll to decide which two teams are the best and most deserving of the best bowl bid: Which of course should be called the Super-Orange Sugar-Cane bowl.

I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why the NFL has not done this yet. Ummm, well, maybe it’s because the playoff system actually works. Maybe it's because the playoff system generates excitement for the sport. Maybe it's because the playoff system produces huge amounts of revenue. Maybe it's because people actually like to seeing ONE team indisputably crowned the champion. (It’s called closure... most people like closure.) Maybe it's because the Superbowl brings in more TV viewers than any other television event of the year. Maybe it's because a playoff in the post-season makes sense!

Okay, I’ve complained enough. Here’s my proposal. Let’s have a 16 team playoff system. Let’s take some of the existing bowls and incorporate them in the system. There are eleven Class 1-A conferences. Give each conference champion an automatic berth and then give 5 'at large' bids. I counted… there are 28 existing bowls. Take 15 of them to do the playoffs and use the other 13 bowls for the 26 best teams that didn’t get into national tournament.

There is almost NO college football played during the month of December. Have the first round games be played during the second weekend of December. Have the quarterfinals played during the third weekend of December. Have the ‘final four’ play their games on New Year’s Day. Then have the championship game be played on a Friday or Saturday night, with at least a week’s time between the semi’s and the finals. With this schedule, you could still have the lesser bowls sprinkled throughout the last week of December, just like you do now.

I know that there are a lot of small details that would need to get worked out that I don’t really want to get into here. How to rotate the bowls so that they all get a turn at the bigger games; how to choose the 'at large' teams; how to ‘seed’ the teams; how to make sure that all the conferences choose their champions in the same way; travel details, scheduling details; TV and network details; and so the list goes on and on.

Let me give you an example of how this might work based on this year’s finish:

#1 USC vs. #16 North Texas
#8 Louisville vs. #9 Virginia Tech

#4 Utah vs. #13 LSU*
#5 Boise State vs. #12 Iowa*

#3 Auburn vs. #14 Pittsburgh
#6 Texas* vs. #11 Georgia*

#2 Oklahoma vs. #15 Toledo
#7 California* vs. #10 Michigan

*Means that they were one of my five at large choices.

With this model, there will be a few 9-2 and 9-3 teams upset… but, who cares? You lose two or three games in college football… and you run that risk. Two or three losses usually means you are out of the race for the championship. That’s the way it’s always been in college football. Here's the cool thing about this system: Conference championships become hugely important. Conference games take on a whole new life… especially in the smaller conferences. I seeded the above teams based on win/loss record… but there are several ways you could do this. I think this would generate huge amounts of money and interest. The smaller conferences would have to put up or shut up. Boise State would have to prove it in the first round against a tough Iowa team. Can you imagine how good the semi-finals would be if the top four seeds made it? All those teams are undefeated: #1 USC vs. #4 Utah and #2 Oklahoma vs. #3 Auburn. I would watch both of those games!

Here’s the possible schedule based on this year’s calendar:

First round: Saturday, December 11th
Quarterfinals: Saturday, December 18th
Semifinals: Saturday, January 1st
Championship: Saturday, January 8th

Anyhoo… I know college football will still be screwed up with their progressive, revolutionary bowl system (oh crap, there's my sarcasm again!) long after I’m gone from God’s green earth… but a guy can dream, can’t he?

U2 Album Review

I should probably preface this by saying that U2 is my favorite band. Hands down, without a doubt, not even a second thought: I prefer them to any other band I have ever heard. Their music has become such a huge part of my life. And, believe it or not, I have learned a little about how to better lead worship by watching them perform. (That is a whole other article I will write someday.) They may be the only band that I would blog an album review for. Just setting the context for this review…

The new album’s name is How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. At first glance, you may wonder about the title… but I recently heard Michael W. Smith describe a conversation he had with U2’s lead singer: Bono. Evidently, Bono asked Michael if he knew how to dismantle an atomic bomb. Michael had no idea and told Bono so. Bono responded by saying… “With love… you dismantle it with love.” Cheesy? Yes. True? Yes. Much of the album is about love: In fact, in several songs, Bono explores the idea that he would rather have true, lasting love… than a hot romance. Pretty insightful for a silly rock star. Another one of the big themes of the album seems to be an awareness of aging and the desire to prepare the soul to meet God. There are several references to this.

I first heard the album a few weeks ago when it was being streamed live from a radio station in Chicago. At first, I didn’t care for it at all. But, I felt that way about the last album too. It takes me about four or five listens to really understand how the songs are structured and what the lyrics mean. Each time I have listened to the album, I have warmed more and more to most of the songs. It is a solid album... however, that said, my favorite U2 album continues to be Achtung Baby. Anyway… here is a song by song review of the album.

1) Vertigo: One of my favorite tunes on the album. It is catchy and very singable. No doubt that if you’ve watched any amount of TV this fall you’ve heard this on the I-Pod commercial. This really sounds like some of their earlier stuff. A very fun song!

2) Miracle Drug: This is another epic from U2. The chorus just rings: “The songs are in your eyes, I can see them when you smile.” My take on the song is that the Miracle Drug is love, and that they won't be giving up on love anytime soon. The Edge (U2's guitar player) absolutely shines throughout the duration of the song. Another one of my favorites on the album.

3) Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own: This song seems to deal with two things: Bono dealing with the death of his dad… and Bono dealing with the type of relationship he had with his dad. The guitar just rings… and the chorus in falsetto drips with emotion: “It’s you when I look in the mirror, it’s you when I don’t pick up the phone… sometimes you can’t make it on your own.” U2 deals with heartache and hurt in the same vein as the song “With or Without You.” One word for this song: Authenticity. Let's see Britney Spears actually sing something like this. My vote for the best song on the album. (At least, right now)

4) Love and Peace Or Else: Honestly… one of my least favorite tracks on the album. It’s a ‘rockin’ song that just sounds old and tired. Almost like they stole a chord progression from seventies rock… and just went with it. Don’t have much else to say about this song.

5) City of Blinding Lights: One of the things that I have liked about U2 in the past is that they stay away from blatant love songs. If they do a love song, it is disguised as something else. This might be one of their more blatant love songs… but it is tastefully done. Once again… the guitars just soar, along with the keyboard melody line. This is a classic example of how U2 is able to come up with music that is timeless. This is a song that you’ll be able to play ten years from now and it will still sound as fresh as it does now.

6) All Because of You: This is the closest song to Vertigo on the album… with better lyrics, but not near as singable. Or, I should say… the chorus just isn’t as interesting to sing as Vertigo… but the rest of the song is pretty well written. Here’s my personal take on the song: Bono is singing to God saying: “All because of you, I am… you heard me in my tune, when I just heard confusion.”

7) A Man and a Woman: When I first heard this song… I really didn’t care for it at all. It has since grown on me. I would never put it on any ‘best of’ U2 CD’s… but I love the lyrics of the chorus: “I could never take a chance of losing love to find romance.” It’s kind of a mysterious sounding song… much different than some of bigger soaring songs that U2 is so good at putting out. But sometimes a change of pace is good.

8) Crumbs from Your Table: Here’s the chorus: “You speak of signs and wonders, but I need something other. I would believe if I was able, but I’m waiting for the crumbs from your table.” I’m wondering if it’s Bono dialoguing with God… inferring that he’s not interested in big miracles… he’s just wants something small like a crumb from God’s table. Bono is great at writing songs that King David might have sang: Imploring God to show Himself in a world that sometimes appears to be devoid of His presence. I appreciate the honesty. That is what separates U2 from mainstream Christian bands.

***Quick comment on 12-6-04: While I think the above is one legitimate take on this song... another take is that the 'Crumbs' are referring to America and other weathy countries and Bono is telling us that even our Crumbs would help some of the poorer nations of the world. (He is a huge activist for the AIDS epidemic in Africa and the drop the dept campaign.) Anyway... I just wanted to throw that in.

9) One Step Closer: This is kind of a sad song to me. Seems like Bono is realizing that he is getting older… and that his consolation is that he is getting closer to knowing if what he believed his whole life is true. It is a sobering song… like he’s starting to think about wrapping up his life.

10) Original of the Species: This is a great song. Soaring chorus. Great lyrics. It’s so easy to just get wrapped up in the emotion of the song. It’s almost like Bono is singing to one of his kids: “Baby slow down… the end is not as fun as the start… please stay a child somewhere in your heart.” Then he goes on to sing: “You are the first one of your kind.” A song of encouragement and hope to whoever he happens to be singing to.

11) Yahweh: Another thing that U2 is known for… singing a song to God or about God at the end of their album: They have done it on their last two albums… and this one is no different. This reminds me of a contemporary version of “I Surrender All.” Bono sings: “Take these hands and teach them what to carry… take this heart and make it break.” And chorus rings out: “Yahweh…still I’m waiting for the dawn.”


Coming up next week: I have no idea yet. Sorry.

Disney World Trip: Day 7, 8, & 9

DAY SEVEN: Wednesday - June 16th, 2004

We started day seven at Epcot, again wasting our time by going to the Extra Magic Hour: Test Track and Mission Space both had waiting times of 30 minutes almost within 10 minutes of the park opening. We were able to take in Ellen’s Energy Adventure… but that is the only attraction we were able to see during the first hour in the park.

I was sorely disappointed in the Living Seas attraction. They throw you in this waiting room (waste of time) that counts down when the next movie will be shown… and you can choose to skip the movie if you want. We skipped it because we’ve already seen it and I really wanted to ride underneath the large aquarium. So we are loaded into the Hydrolators (waste of time) and the next thing I know we are in the exhibit hall (In my opinion, waste of time). I don’t know if they are revamping the part of the attraction that takes you through the water ‘scenes’… but without that running… this whole land is just worthless to me.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t particularly enjoy Mission: Space. The ride was very short… very cartoonish… and I REALLY found it hard for my eyes to focus on anything. Many people have said that they deal with bouts of nausea from this ride… I didn’t struggle with that at all. I just did not think that the ride was as good as it has been advertised. In fact, it’s not even in my top five favorites at Epcot. It’s too bad.

My favorite three rides at Epcot: Test Track, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, and the American Adventure. My least favorite attraction: Living Seas (one of the biggest wastes of time in all of WDW).

We had decided before we left that we wanted to experience a couple of different Disney resorts… so we decided to stay at a moderate resort for our last two nights. We checked into the Caribbean Beach Resort around 3:00PM, but our room wasn’t ready until 4:00PM. I’ll write more about this resort later.

We spent our evening at Magic Kingdom. We made priority seating arrangements at Cinderella’s Royal Table. I had never eaten here before… in fact, I had never even seen this restaurant before this particular trip. We walked in and the hostess led us directly to a table next to a window that gave us a fantastic overview of fantasy land. As I looked around the restaurant, I really thought it would be cool to take a tour of all the nooks and crannies of Cinderella’s Castle. The thing is huge. Our experience at the Royal Table was amazing. I was glad we were able to go. Cinderella’s Royal Table was our most romantic meal… but in a more enchanted fairy tale way. It was a blast!

We also saw the WISHES fireworks show from the ground for the first time. It was excellent! We got a good place on a bridge from the hub to Tomorrowland. Tinkerbell ‘flew’ right over us. It was pretty neat.

DAY EIGHT: Thursday - June 17th, 2004

We started our last full day at WDW in my favorite all around park: The Magic Kingdom. I am always so impressed with the scope and creativity of this theme park. This was the only time that we went to an Extra Magic Hour that we thought was worth it. I think the difference has to do with how many attractions the Magic Kingdom has open for their Extra Magic Hour… many more than the other parks. We were able to get about four attractions done before the hour was up.

I have always loved Space Mountain, but this was the first time I had ever been able to ride in the front row. With everything so dark and all the metal supports looking so close… it was a little bit more thrilling. I am a bigger guy… so I kept thinking that those supports would smack me on the real tight turns.

We were able to experience Micky’s Philharmagic for the first time. What a creative and nostalgic show! Melissa said that is her new favorite 3D attraction. I’m not sure if it was my favorite 3D show… BUT it is definitely one of my very favorite attractions at Magic Kingdom. This is a great addition to fantasyland. Another ride that I experienced for the first time was the Liberty Square Riverboat. Loved it! Reminded me of the Mark Twain books I read as a kid.

My favorite three rides at Magic Kingdom: Splash Mountain, Micky’s Philharmagic, Haunted Mansion. Honorable mentions: Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear ride, Pirates of the Caribbean. Least favorite attraction: Snow White ride.

In the afternoon, we went back to our resort for some rest. Here are my impressions of the Caribbean Beach Resort. We loved our room. It was very spacious and the colors were much ‘warmer’ than at All-Star Music. We were in a room that looked overlooked the lake in the middle of the resort. We were able to snag a king sized bed, which made it much more comfortable than the smaller All-Star bed. The resort itself is nice… but very big. We decided that we were glad we were only there for two nights. Walking to get anywhere useful was terrible. (Of course, by this time in our trip, we were sick of walking ANYWHERE!) Our bus stop was close by, but we were half a resort away from the food court. We were not all that happy with the service. Checking in and out was a mess. I think Melissa agrees with me: We prefer Dixie Landings (Riverside) to the Caribbean Beach Resort.

We finished our trip by visiting MGM studios one last time. We tried getting fastpasses for Tower of Terror or Rock ‘N Roller Coaster, but nothing was available. We took in Beauty and the Beast… and we tried getting into The Little Mermaid… but we missed the last show of the night by about 50 people.

We ended up going and getting some ice cream and sat down to rest our feet. I had about four blisters that were just killing me at this point, so we ended up leaving pretty quickly after we got there.

DAY NINE: Friday - June 18th, 2004

We checked out of our hotel and drove to the airport. In all my reading about Orlando International… nobody warned me about how early I needed to arrive. It was a Friday morning… we got into the ticketing line for Southwest exactly an hour before our flight. Without exaggerating, there were about 350 people in front of us… and even with 20 Southwest people handling the counter… it took about 35 minutes to get through the line. Once we got through security, caught the shuttle to our terminal, and ran to our gate… we walked on our plane exactly two minutes before we took off. It was a close call. The moral of the story: Arrive at Orlando International about two hours early.

I saved the rest of this post to communicate several odds and ends things that I wanted to comment on that didn’t really fit anywhere else.

Lessons and Observations:

-Take supplies to help combat painful blisters. I didn’t. I was an idiot. More specifically, I was an idiot in a lot of pain.

-If you are in a hurry, try not to get behind people that have just unfolded their map…

-If you are in a hurry, try not to get behind a large family filled with cranky kids…

-Don’t be afraid to take long afternoon naps.

-Extra magic hour was only beneficial for us at Magic Kingdom. At all the other parks, there were only four attractions open and the crowds just overwhelmed them immediately. Hopefully, by the time we go again, Disney will have started their night-time extra magic hour(s). We absolutely loved the theme parks at night.

-At Universal: Islands of Adventure... be sure to check out the talking fountain by the Sinbad Stunt Show. It shoots water and makes fun of little kids. The fountain has video and audio feeds to the person controlling it... so these little kids would banter back and forth with the fountain. Very funny stuff. Just don't get too close or you'll get soaked.

-Utilize fastpass… there is nothing better than walking in the fastpass line while waving at the poor souls waiting an hour in the stand-by line.

-I loved the concept of the surprise fastpass. We received them for Primeval Whirl and Honey I Shrunk the Audience. This was a great idea by Disney.

-When you leave a small child at home, limit the number of character meals you participate in… it really makes you miss your child(ren).

-For us, nine days/eight nights was way too long.

-Take as many pictures as you can. We didn’t do as good at that this time as we have in the past.

-Keep your eyes open… you’ll never know what you are going to see. And you don’t know when you’ll have a chance to go back.

-Be willing to change your plans if something better comes up, or if you are just plain tired out. Make adjustments based on what you want.

-Have a great time!


Coming up next week: I will be reviewing the new U2 album: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. In the meantime... I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Style or Substance?

"(Experts) predict that in the next few years, we'll see local congregations closing their doors because of an unwillingness to make the necessary changes to survive, most of which have little to do with theology, but deal primarily with philosophy and style. When you think about it, the (best) reason to change is theological."

I read the above observation from Alan Nelson in Rev. magazine and was immediately struck by how 'sad but true' it is. Most churches make stylistic changes based on opinion issues rather than making theological changes based on Biblical issues.

Why is this? Could it be because the church has gotten away from teaching solid theology and doctrine? Could it be because the church has fallen short in teaching solid Biblical hermeneutic? I just recently read that more than 50% of Christians do not believe that there is a hell... nor do they believe that Satan exists. These are not some fringe-type debatable issues, these are fundamental doctrinal issues that are solidly supported by scripture! I was stunned when I read that statistic.

When there is no solid biblical / theological ground work laid in a church, it becomes easier for petty arguments to come to the forefront. People become more concerned with the color of the carpet than they are with how many people are going to hell. (Afterall, there IS no hell, right?) People become more concerned with whether or not the church yard is mowed than they are about how many people are growing in their faith. We would rather have a nice sound system than a solid (biblical) theological system.

I'm just as guilty as anyone. It is much easier for me to plan and organize a church fantasy football league than it is to make the decision to disciple another believer. I am much more comfortable putting together an informational flyer than I am at putting together a Sunday School class that would help people grow and learn about what we believe.

I was thinking about this recently: Why am I so afraid to begin discipling? One thing I struggle with is trying to convince people that they need it. Last spring, I taught a 'Christianity 101' type class for Sunday School and promoted it pretty hard. Only three people (out of a congregation of 175) responded by attending. I was one of them and my wife, Melissa, was another. So, only one person responded.

After that, I thought that maybe the best way to get people into a discipleship relationship is by personally approaching them... but, I struggle with that too, because I am a firm believer in this fact: People tend to only take things seriously when they are the ones to make the decision to start it or try it.

Anyway, all I know is that the church that I am working for now is like many churches in America: There is very little discipleship happening and most attenders are concerned with opinion issues rather than important issues. I am praying and working towards changing this. I want this church to be concerned with things of substance. I want this church to care about the things that God cares about. And it is going to have to start with me.

"And a person who is living on milk isn't very far along in the Christian life and doesn't know much about doing what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who have trained themselves to recognize the difference between right and wrong and then do what is right." (Hebrews 5:13-14)

Disney World Trip: Day 5 & 6

DAY FIVE: Monday - June 14th, 2004

We went to Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure today. I must start by saying that I was very impressed with Universal this time around. It has been four years since I had visited either Universal Park… and both Melissa and I decided on our last trip in the summer of 2000 that Universal just did not do most things as well as Disney. They were disorganized, their early entry program wasn’t as structured, their ‘Express Pass’ was just a big joke.

This time around we were impressed with the way they managed ride lines, we thought their ‘Express Pass’ was much improved… especially since we could sometimes pick between two different times to come back to the ride. One annoyance we had, however, was that Universal made their guests rent lockers (first half hour was free) whenever they went on the motion based rides. So, we not only had to wait in line to get our locker, we also had to wait in line for the ride and THEN wait in line to get our bag from the locker. Very frustrating.

A quick word about the water rides at IOA: Beware… you will get soaked! Please understand this… there are some water rides where you MIGHT get soaked… but at IOA… you WILL get soaked. All that aside: The Popeye rapid ride has my vote for the best rapid ride I’ve ever been on. It absolutely puts Kali River Rapids to shame; both in length and creativity. I can’t say that Ripsaw Falls is better all around than Splash Mountain… but it seems to have more drops and you come away with much more water to take with you as a souvenir.

My favorite three rides at Islands of Adventure: Spiderman (my vote for the best attraction in Orlando), Hulk Coaster, and Jurassic Park River Adventure. My least favorite attraction: Simbad Stunt Show: Pure cheese. (What a waste of time… but the sad part is: Simbad is STILL better than the Tarzan show at Animal Kingdom!)

This was the least crowded park we encountered our entire trip and we were done with all the attractions by 12:30PM… so we went to the Studios and got in a couple of rides there before we called it a day. I wanted to make a quick comment on Poseidon’s Adventure: This attraction is a tad bit weird, but very creative. I love the water tunnel. Very cool.

Over at Universal, I finally got to see The Horror Make Up Show. This is another great show by Universal. It was both educational and funny. We also rode ET, which is another sentimental favorite of mine. The forest queue is cool too.

We wanted to play mini-golf that night at Fantasia Gardens… but it was raining/storming the whole night. We ended up going to the Swan Hotel to eat at Gulliver’s Grill. It was a nice restaurant, but we’d never make it a point to go back again. We felt a little pressure from our waiter because we weren’t spending the big money on the buffet and other premium dishes… but overall it was a nice experience.

DAY SIX: Tuesday - June 15th, 2004

Our day six stop was Universal Studios. I was very excited about this visit because this would be my first time to ride The Mummy. We got on pretty quickly. I loved the coaster sections of this ride, but I was disappointed with the special effects. I guess I believed too much of Universal’s promo material. I never felt threatened by the fire… the bug room was a joke… and other special effects that I was looking forward to just didn’t seem to be as good as advertised. I still think this is one of the best rides in the park. (I did like Kongfrontation and will miss that attraction)

We also took in Shrek 4-D for the first time. It really made us think of Emily. She loves Shrek for some reason. In fact, the grandparents took her to see Shrek 2 during this vacation. They said that she was glued to the movie the entire time! Anyway… I liked this attraction more than my wife did. I was blown away at how the floor of the theater moved to what was happening in the movie. I thought this attraction was well done. Before we left, we stopped by one of the gift stores so that we could buy Emily a Shrek stuffed toy (I think we got her donkey).

I was kind of annoyed: we were waiting in line to get into the Animal Show and this little kid was messing around and spilled Cherry Icee all over my white shirt. I was pretty torked off when the parents started laughing about it rather than trying to apologize. Oh well. I certainly didn’t wish anything bad on them. I certainly wasn’t hoping that the ‘Lassie’ dog in the animal show would urinate on that kid’s face… that never crossed my mind at all... seriously...

My favorite three rides at Universal Studios: The Mummy, Shrek 4D, and Men in Black. My least favorite ride: Beetlejuice Musical Revue.

Though Universal Studios does not come close, in my mind, of matching the magical atmosphere that the Disney Parks create, I found it hard to pick any attraction other than the Beetlejuice show that I didn’t care for. Universal has an amazing assortment of rides and attractions. They even got rid of two attractions that I really enjoyed: Kongfrontation and The Wild West Stunt Show. As far as judging a park based on the quality of the attractions offered… I really do think Universal Studios is my favorite. I mean, when you don’t include attractions like Back the Future, ET, Terminator 3D, or Jaws in your favorites list because there are three better attractions; you know that you are in a great theme park.

Again, we got done with Universal fairly early in the afternoon… rested until evening and spent the evening at Downtown Disney. It was a nice break from the parks. I always try to schedule a couple of hours of shopping at Downtown Disney for Melissa. She loves it there. We spent most of our time the World of Disney store. We also visited the toy store and the Team Mickey store. We thought about mini-golf again, but we decided on sleep instead. (We realized, on this trip, that our bodies can’t take what they used to take in college…)



Coming next week: The Conclusion to our Disney trip (or) An article about change in the church... just depends on if I finish the article on change or not.

Disney World Trip: Day 3 & 4

DAY THREE: Saturday - June 12, 2004

Because I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to attend MGM Studios during Star Wars weekends… we did early entry to MGM to start our third day. We began by riding the ‘biggies’… then we attended the special Star Wars millionaire show. Again, very well done. I knew all the answers… but I just wasn’t fast enough to get into the hot seat. After the show, my wife turned and asked what I was good for if I couldn’t even win a Star Wars trivia game? I think she was joking… maybe. Before the show began, several SW characters roamed the crowd; including a Gamorrean Guard and Chewbacca.

The cast members who dressed up as Star Wars characters were great. I saw a guy who wanted to get his picture taken with an Imperial Stormtrooper, so he started to put his arm around the Stormtrooper’s shoulder. The Stormtrooper knocked the guy’s arm off his shoulder and quickly turned and waved his finger ‘no’ to the guy. Then he proceeded to aim his gun at the guy’s chest at looked at the camera for the picture. It was very funny to see and added a nice touch to the experience.

I really enjoyed the ‘One Man’s Dream’ tribute attraction for Walt Disney. It was nicely done and very interesting to watch. I was, however, VERY disappointed with the ‘new’ animation tour; it was sad to not see any animators working. This attraction is only a shell of what it used to be.

My three favorite attractions at MGM Studios: Rock ‘N Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Muppetvision 4D (yes, this is getting old, but it is such a riot! I would pay money to get the preshow on DVD!) My two least favorite attractions: Great Movie Ride, Animation Tour.

After a relaxing afternoon, it was off to the Magic Kingdom for the night. Another one of our traditions at WDW is to go to the Dole Ice Cream in Adventureland to order some Pineapple Ice Cream each time we visit the Magic Kingdom. We did this in the pouring rain… then we targeted some indoor attractions like Country Bear Jamboree and my personal favorite: Haunted Mansion.

I really love Magic Kingdom at night! (Really, the same can be said of each park that remains open after nightfall.) I especially enjoy Main Street and Tomorrowland at night.

I was also reminded that there really is no good time to go to Magic Kingdom… that park seems like it is always full. We ate dinner at the Tall Tale Inn and we both ordered this chicken wrap salad type thingie. We both loved it. It was my favorite counter service meal all week.

We decided to skip the parade and fireworks and just focus on attractions this evening. So, we were able to take in Pirates of the Caribbean, (almost empty) the Tiki Show, (maybe twenty people total watching the show) and the Transit Authority (Now paging ‘T. Morrow’). The Magic Kingdom truly is a place that has something for everybody.

DAY FOUR: Sunday - June 13th, 2004

Because I am a geek, we went back to MGM Studios on Sunday morning to continue to enjoy the last day of Star Wars weekends. We saw a little documentary on the Star Wars trilogy… it definitely piqued my interest and got me excited about seeing Episode III next May.

We also stopped by the Indiana Jones Stunt Show in the morning. I know that I’ve read a few people say that the attraction is getting old and the dialogue is predictable… but I really enjoy this show. Maybe it’s just me being sentimental about the movies that I loved as a kid… but I really enjoy seeing the big sets that I am so familiar with. I love how the explosions are so big that you can feel the heat all the way in the back of the stadium! This show never gets old for me. I hope the Motor stunt show doesn’t put Indy out of business. (Unless it means them building an Indy dark ride like the one at Disneyland!)

We were able to take the Backlot Tour. I had mixed feelings about this. Is it just me, or does it seem like the studio is leaning more and more towards being a full-time theme park… and less and less towards being working movie studio? We try to visit WDW every two years or so… each time we ride this ride… the Back Lot seems to get less and less active and interesting. The canyon remains the highlight of this tour… but it is becoming the ONLY highlight. The only other interesting thing back there is seeing the construction of the Motor Stunt Show.

I have a couple other thoughts about some of the other attractions at MGM. I really enjoy Star Tours, but I really wish they could work with Lucasfilm to shoot a few more shows. Maybe a tour through the snow-walker battle on Hoth, or a different tour through another space battle. Another attraction I visited was ‘Sounds Dangerous’ (this was actually the first time I experienced this one). I thought it was pretty funny and intriguing.

We finished our day at Epcot… our vote for the best park at night. We ate dinner at the Garden Grill… a rotating restaurant that served their meal family style. All the while, Chip, Dale, and the Big Mouse himself were strolling by our tables trying to infuse our meal with a little Disney magic. It was in these awkward times that we really missed our daughter. We would have loved to see her face when Mickey Mouse came by the table for a visit. All in all, the food was pretty good and we both decided that we would be willing to visit that restaurant again.

I love the American Adventure. I forgot how much that show pulls your patriotic heart strings. We also took in Illuminations. Not enough can be said about how amazing this show is. Disney certainly knows how to put on a light and firework show! From the pyrotechnics to the big globe in the middle of the lagoon… this is such an unforgettable experience!

A Season to Remember

I’m not ready for this season to end. I’m convinced that I would not be ready for the season to end even if the Cards had somehow gotten to game seven and won it all. That is just how much I love baseball. That is just how much I love the Cardinals.

This has been a special season for me. My whole life I have lived in Northern Illinois, Central Indiana, or West Michigan. This was the first full season that I have lived in the St. Louis area. (St. Peters, about 28 miles from Busch Stadium). What a season it has been!

For the first time in my life, I have experienced the excitement of actually being there on opening day. For the first time in my life, I was actually at the ball park for a meaningful Cards-Cubs game. (The one where Rolen hit a gaper against Farnsworth to win in extra innings 1-0.) For the first time in my life, I was able to see a game from a green seat. (I have never walked DOWN to my seats and looked UP to see a fly ball before.) For the first time in my life, I was able to attend eleven ballgames in one season. (In the past, it’s been tough just getting to ONE game a season, let alone eleven!) For the first time in my life, I was able to attend a playoff game. (Game 2 of the NLDS; an 8-3 win against Los Angeles). For the first time in my life, I was able to experience a ‘clinch’ game. (Game 7 of the NLCS; a 5-2 win over the Astros – and the energy was indescribable!)

Have I mentioned that I’m not ready for the season to end? I am so proud to be a Cardinal fan. I am so proud to be a part of a fan base that appreciates moving the runner over; a suicide squeeze; scoring a run from third with less than two outs; going from first to third on a single. I love being at Busch and hearing the crowd roar because of a nice defensive play or because a reliever comes in throwing strikes. I was at Busch the day Larry Walker made his Cardinal debut. How many fans will give a player a standing ovation for striking out?

There have been so many people that have said to me this year: “Soak this season in, because you will rarely see a team play so good for so long. Cherish this season, because it might be another 20 years before you see another 105 win team.” I tried. But man, how can you remember every great moment? There were so many! I don’t ever remember a season where I sat down each night to watch or listen to the game expecting to win regardless of opponent or starting pitcher. I don’t ever remember a year where I would be MORE inclined to continue to watch a game late into the night even when they fell behind, because it wasn’t a matter of IF they would come back, it was a matter of WHEN and HOW they would come back.

I tip my cap to an organization that entertained and delighted me in so many ways this year. I love how classy this team was both on and off the field. There were a lot of reasons why this team won. Some would say talent… to which I would partially agree. But I have my own theory. This team won because they had more heart and guts then anybody else. This team won because they remained calm under pressure. (Minus Julian Tavarez) This team won because of their implicit trust in each other. This group of guys won because their team was more important than the individual.

I’ve heard fans and media say things like: “Without a World Series championship, this season will be a disappointment and a failure.” Horse crap. I know that their World Series showing was a major disappointment, but we’re talking about a team that was predicted to finish third in their division by all the ‘experts’. We’re talking about a team that was criticized in the spring for not having a second baseman, or a lead-off hitter, or a left fielder, or a deep bench, or any substantial improvement in the bullpen. This was a team that was absolutely blistered when starting pitching was the topic of conversation. Those were all reasons why the Cards could not possibly win.

This was a team that had built a ten game lead by mid-July and the Baseball Tonight geniuses were STILL saying that the Cubs would catch them by September. This was a team that was continually being written off by media in all parts of the country… including our own in St. Louis, in some cases. Yet, these guys kept coming to the ballpark ready to play the game hard and ready to play the game smart.

How special was this season? Ask Chris Carpenter. Ask Tony Womack. Ask Ray Lankford. Ask Rick Ankiel. Those are all guys that were coming back from serious injuries and were still able to contribute. How special was this season? Ask Danny Haren. Ask Yadier Molina. Ask So Taguchi. Ask John Mabry. Those were all guys that were called up from the farm and gave the team a lift. How special was this season? Ask Larry Walker. Ask Roger Cedeno. Ask Reggie Sanders. Ask Jason Marquis. Ask a whole crew of guys that thrived in their first season as a Redbird. How special was this season? Ask Albert Pujols. Ask Scott Rolen. Ask Jim Edmonds. All three put up incredible, almost unbelievable, numbers. All three should be considered for the league’s MVP award. Just how special WAS this season?

As the leaves fall and another winter in the midwest settles in for the long haul, I know that a small part of me is a little less alive when baseball is not being played. I will miss seeing a 12 to 6 breaking ball. I will miss second guessing the manager. I will miss watching a baserunner score from first on a gaper. I will miss watching this lineup go to work. I will miss this great game. I will miss watching this great team. I’m not ready for this season to end…

By the way, Opening Day 2005 is 160 days away.

Disney World Trip: Day 1 & 2

DAY ONE: June 10th, 2004

I should probably preface this by saying that we left our two year old daughter at home with the grandparents. We wanted to go one more time, just the two of us, before she got old enough to really enjoy it. Throughout our entire trip, we saw things that we knew she would love to see and really missed her. We are really looking forward to planning our next trip and knowing that she will be coming with!

We flew out of Chicago-Midway using Southwest as our airline. Everything went smooth at Midway and we have always been very happy with Southwest. This was the first time that we were given honey-roasted peanuts for our snack. This was a good thing for me, especially since my wife doesn’t care for honey-roasted peanuts. It was a pleasant flight.

We arrived in Orlando, picked up our bags, and got in line for a rental car. This is the third time that my wife and I have been to WDW together. We have never rented a car on any previous trip there… but we were really glad that we did this time. We were able to snag a really good rate by finding an Entertainment book coupon. In future trips, we will always be renting a car. Here are a couple of reasons why:

-We were able to stop for groceries on the way in.
-We were able to experiment with restaurants at other resorts without having to use Disney transportation.
-We were able to do things offsite without relying on Mears for transportation.

After a brief stop at Target for groceries, we were on our way to All-Star Music. We had no problem checking in. We received exactly what we asked for: A room on the first floor at Jazz Inn. We really didn’t know how we would like this particular resort… we have always stayed at Port Orleans – Riverside. We were pleasantly surprised. Our room was small, but it was just the two of us. The resort still had that Disney magic that we love so much. We went to check out the food court after we had dropped off our bags in our room… and it began to pour. We decided to ride it out by exploring the lobby. I was excited to see my favorite band was on the wall of fame: U2. (Yes, I am easily excited)

We have heard so much about the California Grill so we made reservations for dinner there around 9:00PM. Of the five sit-down restaurants we dined at while on our trip… California Grill had the best food… by a long shot. We ordered a flatbread with chicken, veggies, and a delicious sauce. My wife and I split a Pork Tenderloin and it was the best I have ever had. We finished by eating a chocolate cake type dessert and watching Wishes right below us at the Magic Kingdom. It was beautiful. It was memorable. It was the perfect way to start off our vacation.

DAY TWO: June 11th, 2004

When we arrived at Animal Kingdom to try and take advantage of Extra Magic Hour, I began to realize that this program is getting to be soooo popular that it might not be worth it anymore. Especially at the parks with just four or five attractions open.

Another honest observation: Animal Kingdom is our least favorite park (and that includes Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios). AK will be tremendously helped by Expedition Everest, but even with that… I still feel like it’s missing something… I just can’t put my finger on what exactly.

We rode Primeval Whirl for the first time. We really enjoyed it and thought it was a good addition to the park. The spinning in the middle is a nice addition to a rather tame ‘mouse’ coaster type ride.

My favorite three attractions at Animal Kingdom are: Dinosaur, Tough to be a Bug, and Flights of Wonder. My three least favorite attractions: Conservation Station, Kali River Rapids (too short!), and Tarzan Rocks (my least favorite Disney show).

We ate lunch at Rainforest Café. Melissa and I have decided to visit this restaurant each time we visit WDW. It was the first restaurant we ate at on our honeymoon, so we’ve just made it our little tradition. The food isn’t anything to write home about… but we love the creative atmosphere of the place. We almost got the VOLCANO (a huge dessert)… but we wouldn’t have been able to eat all of it!

After a nice afternoon nap for me and much sunbathing for my wife… we went out to MGM Studios to experience ‘Star Wars Weekends.’ I am a huge Star Wars fan and was excited when I realized we would be visiting during this time. It was great walking up to the admission gate to hear the great Star Wars themes written by John Williams and to see a huge poster that was a spoof of one of the first Star Wars movie posters from the late 70’s. They had Mickey and Minnie dressed up like Luke and Leia. Very cool.

We attended the Hyperspace Hoopla that night. It was a little show they put on each night to close out the Star Wars festivities. I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but it was a pretty funny show full of one liners that would be funny to any good Star Wars fan. They did a little dance using some of the signature moves from Star Wars characters… it was nicely done. We saw a few other attractions before taking in Fantasmic. As always, Fantasmic was excellent.

Quick note: We rode the Great Movie Ride. This ride needs a major retooling. The concept is good: Riding through the movies… but they need to add some new movies and they need to drop the whole live action bit. It sounds old and corny. And certain cast members just aren’t cut out for acting...

Coming Soon: Trip Report of Day 3 & 4