Chuy's Mexican: Just SoSo

For Mother’s Day I gave Ceil the Land of a Thousand Hills coffee mug she wanted. Anna painted her a card. I told the kids we would take her to eat after Matthew’s youth group let out at 5 pm, but just after I dropped him off Ceil called, wanting to go ahead and eat. She had told Will she wanted to eat at Chuy’s, the Mexican place next to Perimeter Mall. W told her that that’s where I said we’d eat. Anna had to get ready and had just eaten lunch, so she just drank Coke.

Chuy’s was good and bad. The décor was great, but the tables and chairs were small and uncomfortable. The service wasn’t anything to write home about – our server could not answer all of our questions. The food was great: Ceil had a large chalupa, Will had the house special chicken enchiladas, and I had the large burrito – just to see if it was really as big as advertised. It was, so I didn’t eat the rice or as many chips.   We didn’t need supper. BTW: the salsa was terrible, and the chips greasy.

The overall Chuy’s experience wasn’t as good as Nuevo Laredo Cantina. When diners arrive wearing low-riding pants and looking like they just rolled out of bed (or Wal-Mart) it makes for a place I’d rather not go. The clientele is much nicer at our local Mexican restaurant, El Porton.      

One other interesting thing about Chuy’s: the silverware came wrapped in a little package marked “Sanitized for your protection”. And on the back of the package was printed three prayers: Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish. Wait til the atheists find out.

Friday night I wanted to rent Mr. Banks or Walter Mitty, but they’d already been rented. Instead I rented The Book Thief, which Ceil had wanted to watch. It was very good. Ceil cooked turkey sausage meatballs. Usually her meatballs are good, but these were too spicy. Even Matthew didn’t like them. Of course, I’ll be the one to eat the leftovers. Anna went to graduation parties both Friday and Saturday night.

Saturday Matthew and Sarah went to see The Monuments Men at the dollar movie. We were able to get Will home Saturday afternoon, and got him unpacked by early evening. Anna even helped. He had traded his tiny dorm fridge for a larger, nicer one – but doesn’t need it next year. So we’ve got to find a place to store it. Later I picked M and S up from the movies and drove Sarah up to Birmingham to meet her mom. On the way we listened to the Prairie Home Companion broadcast from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Didn’t get back home until 8:30. Ceil baked chicken burritos for dinner. Ceil, Will, and I watched 24.

Sunday Will left with Ceil early. At the last minute he tossed his clubs in the car and played 18 holes at the North Fulton Golf Course. Playing by himself, he recorded his first ever eagle, shipping in on a par five. He got back to Passion City Church late for the 12:30 service, but in time for the sermon. After putting away all the winter clothes last weekend, this Sunday I packed away a bunch of Will’s winter clothes. Also did a bunch of his laundry.

Did you hear any comments about Charles Marsh speaking next door yesterday, at Christ the King? His new book on Bonhoeffer is supposed to be the cat’s meow.

Oldest Hurt daughter Haley is in Europe right now. This summer she is working down near Seaside Florida. We hardly ever see the Hurts any more. Lila Toholskey is spending her junior year of college studying in Europe. Youngest daughter of Mark and Leah Stephens graduated from Auburn this weekend.

Top Ten All-Time NBA Teams

Trying to come up with the Top Ten teams in NBA history. I only know enough about the subject to get me in trouble. 

Some possibilities:

Lakers with Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Cooper, Rambis

Bulls with MJ, Pippen, Phil Jackson, Cartwright

Celtics with Bird, McHale, Parrish, Dennis Johnson, Ainge

Lakers with Chamberlain, Goodrich, Jerry West

Celtics with Heinson, Havilcek, Russell, Cousey

Heat with Lebron, Bosh, and Wade

Spurs with David Robinson and Tim Duncan

Sixers with Erving, Barkley, Andrew Tony, Moses Malone, Bobby Jones 

Knicks with Willis Reed, Dave DeBusshire, Phil Jackson, & Bill Bradley

Were the Bucks any good when they had Oscar Robertson and Kareem?

The internet is full of “all-time” lists, like on bleacherreport.com, written by 20 year olds, with the top ten all-time this or that, and nothing from before 1990 is ever included.   

APRIL 4: Took my time driving home Friday. Stopped by Kroger. C and A eventually went out shopping for a prom dress. They didn’t leave home until almost eight.

APRIL 5: Saturday I made two trips down to the Atlanta Community Ministries recycling event in the lower SPdL parking lot. We had over twenty years of old paint cans we needed to get rid of. On the way back I stopped by the Dollar Tree and some thrift stores. On the second trip Matthew rode with me. When I go to a thrift store I usually take my time making my way to the back of the store where the bobbleheads are. Saturday the Perimeter Mall store was packed. When I got to the back of the store this guy had just picked up three Thrashers bobbleheads. Later he found a Larry Johnson bobble head that I hadn’t seen. Probably for the best.

Ceil spent Saturday putting out pine straw. I finished cleaning out the utility room, which really needed it. That night we were both tired. We watched the Braves game and Kentucky / Wisconsin.

APRIL 6: Sunday morning Ceil drove over to Athens to spend the day with Will. They attended the church where Will was baptized on April 27. I drove M down to PCC, did laundry, ironed shirts, and watched the Braves and House of Cards. Also watched the movie The Bucket List, which I’d wanted to watch for a long time. Better than I had expected.   

APRIL 7: Rained hard all the way to work. I may have to be gone three hours today for a doctor’s appointment. And my elbow seems to be infected. It hurts to bend it. Might need to go to another doctor about that.

APRIL 9: Santana was dominant again, and the league-leading starter’s ERA dropped even lower. Looked like Kimbrel was mixing his pitches too much instead of relying on his fastball.

I worked until six and stopped by Kroger on the way home. Dinner was chicken tenders, a low-cal cole slaw, and steamed broccoli. Watched highlights of the par three contest and the Braves game. Good thing I didn’t pick Ryan Moore after all – he won the par three, and no one has ever won the par three contest and the Masters in the same year. Ceil worked on her art and M practiced guitar.

Villanelle, by Matthew

For years the boy dreamed of a car.

A dream he carried deep in his soul.

His mind was determined. He traveled far.

Four black tires to make it roll.

Watch out for the coppers out on patrol.

For years the boy dreamed of a car.

He saved for his car. He could see his goal.

His very own Peach Pass to skip past the toll.

His mind was determined. He traveled far.

When he turned 16 he was “gettin’ real ‘ol.”

He’d saved five thousand dollars in his secret hole.

For years the boy dreamed of a car.

And he finally bought his beloved Kia Soul.

Then he blasted his favorite rock and roll.

His mind was determined. He traveled far.

When one day did the tragic bell toll.

He drove his car straight into a hole.

For years the boy dreamed of a car.

His mind was determined. He traveled far.

Panthersville?

That Georgia State University Stadium plan looks great – and expensive. Where will all that money come from? Not sure why they’d need to cut off the east end of Turner Field. Might as well leave it alone and let it wrap around the south end zone. A small baseball stadium using that huge concrete wall would be cool. They could plant ivy or something, or at least paint it. Much bigger than the Green Monster. That wall wasn’t the outfield wall in Atlanta Stadium, of course, but rather an interior wall from the old stadium. And the Hank Aaron marker could remain. I hear that when they tore down old Forbes Field in Pittsburgh they left part of the old brick outfield wall as part of a building, and you can still see it.

The small baseball stadium would be right where the old Atlanta Stadium diamond was – using that big blue wall as the outfield fence. Turner Field would become the football stadium, using the existing third base side for the west stands and the first base stands as the south end zone stands. A smaller east stands would be built for the visiting team. Looks like they’d build a parking deck just north of the baseball field, on the blue lot where we parked last week. Lots of other new buildings in the plan as well. Looks real expensive. My accountant friend doesn’t think they have the athletic revenue to pull it off.

TUESDAY: Took my time getting home. Ceil cooked spaghetti with meat sauce, spinach, and pasta salad. Helped Matthew get started writing a poem. Weird rhyming format – two lines had to be repeated several times throughout the 19 line poem. Once he got started he whizzed through it by himself. Both Anna and Matthew had a lot of studying to do, so the TV stayed off. I cleaned the kitchen.

Braves win! The Braves added another new pitcher, who only gave up one run. Several hits by the offense, but few were strung together in the same inning. It’s not the Braves that strike out a lot – almost every other team has the same problem. The Cardinals are one of the few small ball teams, and maybe the Giants. If you try to play small ball with a team comprised of free swingers, it’s not going to work. Most teams have problems on offense when they face Wainwright. There is talk of bring up LaStella from Gwinnett in early June, where he is tearing up AAA pitching. Still, his stats aren’t as great as Tyler Pastornicky’s were.

The murdered/kidnapped elderly couple in Putman County don’t live far from George O’Leary on the lake. Then yesterday someone docked a boat at their dock (they probably ran out of gas). Ben Rothlisberger’s house is nearby as well. Today we learned that Mandi, one of our young sales reps, was in the bar in Milledgeville when Big Ben got into trouble. Ben had asked Mandi and her friend to come back to his private party room, but they turned him down. Mandi’s boyfriend had been playing in the Cardinals organization. The Cardinals don’t strike out a lot. It all ties together - Yadier Molina is the killer. 

  

WEDNESDAY: Ceil and Anna went to art, so I stopped by Kroger for frozen pizza for Matthew. I watched the Braves and a few other shows. Actually got up and ran this morning. Thursday I’m going to a focus group about politics. If I do well they’ll film me for a commercial. Perhaps my acting career will finally kick off.

THURSDAY: Ceil cooked burgers before leaving for a play. Matthew’s longtime friend Daniel was playing the lead in Willie Wonka. Oglethorpe basketball player Connor Smith’s younger brother played Charlie.

Acting career back on hold. Went to a focus group about political issues. After a short discussion I was picked for the next phase – a clip of me talking might be part of a nationwide commercial. They said I was the type person they were looking for: They would call me about what time to report back Friday or Saturday for filming. I would be paid more money. Then they never called. Probably a good thing. They never said who or what candidate or political party they represent. My words could have been twisted and made me look foolish. I might’ve sold my soul.

This weekend I go to Athens to help Will move out. Could take all day. He gets to leave some of his stuff at his new rented house.

TBT: GLAAD vs. Phil Robertson

NOTE: I wrote this late last year during the Phil Robertson fiasco. The length grew and grew as the controversy grew. I finally had to stop, but never published it until now. People have moved on, but the principles remain true. 

The only thing I hate worse than arguments are when people resort to name-calling and untruths in their argument. I tend to avoid such “discussions” since my words are so often twisted and ignored. Disrespect, slander, and hatred have no place in a civilized, intelligent discussion.

I am a sinner, far from perfect – but forgiven by God’s grace and saved by the blood of Jesus. I am no better than anyone else. In fact, I should offer myself in love as a servant to those around me. More often than not I fail at this, though God forgives me. 

For some reason I feel the need to be understood. Most could care less. Even when I shouldn’t, I want to explain things. This can get me into trouble, since my writing and other communication skills are far from clear and concise. Even if I dot every i and cross every T, I expose myself for debate, hatred, or worse. What takes someone a lifetime to build can be torn down in a second by a simple vile comment. Love is so much harder, but it is so superior.

Despite what you may see on social media, I am not the most outgoing person. I do have friends, co-workers, and family members of many different races, religions, and sexual orientations. I may not agree with them, but I do my best to love them as people. I know that large organizations, be it the Southern Baptist Convention or the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), may not represent the views and opinions of every seemingly affiliated individual.

I was late to the Duck Dynasty phenomenon, but quickly immersed myself into all things Robertson. I’ve watched most of the episodes multiple times, checked out Robertson Twitter accounts, read articles in numerous publications. Read Willie and Korie’s book about the family, and Phil’s autobiography “Happy Happy Happy”. I’d like to think I’ve developed a general working knowledge of the family and the Duck Commander company.

For those who don’t know him, father Phil earned a masters degree in education but wasted away most of his twenties drinking. He eventually returned to the family he had abandoned and soon thereafter began a relationship with Jesus Christ. He quickly became a voracious studier of the Bible, a practice he has continued to this day. While Phil created the most realistic duck call on the market, only later did his son Willie turn the company into the tremendous success it became.

When Willie and Korie developed the show with A&E, Phil was surprised with its success. Like the other family members, Phil knew the show would not last forever. Phil’s focus has never been the show. He’d much rather be out in the woods hunting. To regular viewers of the show Phil’s views on the Bible and sex are quite clear. Meanwhile, A&E cut “in Jesus’ name” from family prayers (until the Robertson’s protested) and inserted bleeps to infer Robertson men cussing (they weren’t).

Phil’s comments published in the GQ interview were in line with what he has said on the show. The words may have been coarse, but they were clearly a paraphrase of Colossians 2: 9-10.

In a statement GLAAD objected, saying “Phil’s lies (paraphrasing the Bible verse) about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe.” So GLAAD purports that true Christians do not believe the Bible. Strong words. In the days since this statement many in the media took GLAAD to task for their unyielding stance. GLAAD demanded that Phil should sit down with gay families to learn about the values they share, GLAAD had no intention of meeting with the Christians they persecute.

A&N suspended Phil from the show, saying his comments were not shared by the Duck Dynasty show. Perhaps A&E meant the producers and staff, as quite obviously the Robertson family shared his views. The Robertsons quickly confirmed this publicly, standing with Phil even if it meant ending the show. Later A&E reversed its stance, without mentioning that 11 of the 12 new shows are already complete – and include Phil.

The controversy saturated social media. Friends weighed in on both sides, sharing many blogs and articles. I read many, but eventually grew weary and stopped. A participant in one Facebook discussion complimented the posters on the civil discussion, and then blasted the poster of the following link a scant 11 minutes after it was posted. Was that enough time to notice, read, and comprehend the article? http://www.patheos.com/blogs/getreligion/2013/12/that-oh-so-predictable-cnn-article-on-ducks-and-doctrine/

The Patheos article asks questions of the “best/fair” CNN editorial, saying it’s not only Evangelicals (25% of the US population) who tend to take the verse at face value, but also Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Pentecostals, Eastern Orthodox – and most traditional Christians around the world. Not to mention other religions like Islam (but no one mentions what Islam thinks about homosexuals).    

One CNN belief blog set up the battle between a redneck duck hunter and one Bible scholar, failing to mention that the Bible scholar represented one of the most liberal dominations. Yet the CNN Belief desk proclaimed the post to be the “best/fairest”: https://twitter.com/EricCNNBelief/status/414408460152098817

Charles Clymer, a social equality advocate, wrote an open letter for Huff Post Politics to Duck Dynasty and Supporters, seemingly blaming Christians for the treatment of a girl band by the Russian government. 

Later it was revealed that A&E knew of the contents of the CQ interview before it was published. The network could have pulled the plug but chose not to. For higher ratings for the highest rated reality show ever? Or an unsuccessful effort to silence to Phil Robertson?

I am not condemning anyone for not believing or following every verse in the Bible. That is not what God put me on earth to do. He wants me to love and serve others, to spread His Word and make His Name great. Deep down, perhaps these verses make people feel guilty, and this guilt may make them lash out in anger at those who claim Christ as Savior.

Mercury/Gemini/Apollo

As a boy growing up in the 60’s I was transfixed by the space program. On the mornings of launches I remember sitting in front of the TV for hours staring at the distant launch pad while the countdown ticked down and Walter Cronkite or Chet Huntley filled the time with various reports and updates. I would read the few articles and picture books available to me back then.

Like most Americans, after the first moon landing by Apollo 11 in July 1969 my interest waned. After a while the launch of the space shuttle was only broadcast on CNN. Space flight became just one of numerous news stories of the day. I remember being at work at Sepco the day the Challenger exploded on liftoff. Later in the day I met Michael Lee at Bennigans near Lenox and we went to the Hawks game. Years later Will and I were at the Buckhead McDonalds on Saturday morning February 1, 2003, headed downtown for the NBA All-Star rookie/sophomore game when radio personality Mike Bell told us about the Columbia reentry disaster.   

Reading The Astronaut Wives, the book about the wives of the Mercury astronauts, has rekindled those times. Now so many years later the numerous spaceflights run together, so compiling a list of all the flights, dates, and astronauts helps me remember better. Below are all the missions flown by the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space capsules (plus the space shuttle flight when Mercury astronaut John Glenn became the oldest man to fly in space). Any listing of the 140 Space Shuttle missions flown between 1977 and 2011 would have to be posted separately. I did add info on the six shuttles.

  

Before the first manned spaceflight there were 17 unmanned test flights between August 1959 and April 1961, including seven with the Mercury capsule and three with primate passengers. Five tests failed and a sixth was aborted.

Mercury Dec 59 Little Joe 2 rhesus macaque Sam

Mercury Jan 60 Little Joe 1B rhesus macaque Miss Sam

Mercury Jan 61 Redstone 2 chimpanzee Ham

Mercury May 61 Freedom 7 Alan Shepard   

Mercury July 61 Liberty Bell 7 Gus Grissom  

Mercury Feb 62 Friendship 7 John Glenn  

Mercury May 62 Aurora 7 Scott Carpenter  

Mercury Oct 62 Sigma 7 Wally Schirra  

Mercury May 63 Faith 7 Gordo Cooper  

Gemini 1 April 64 unmanned

Gemini 2 Jan 65 unmanned

Gemini 3 March 65 Gus Grissom, John Young

Gemini 4 June 65 James McDivitt, Ed White

Gemini 5 Aug 65 Gordo Cooper, Pete Conrad

Gemini 7 Dec 65 Frank Borman, Jim Lovell

Gemini 6 Dec 65 Wally Schirra, Thomas Stafford

Apollo 2 Feb 66 unmanned

Gemini 8 March 66 Neil Armstrong, David Scott

Gemini 9 June 66 Thomas Stafford, Gene Cernan

Gemini 10 July 66 John Young, Michael Collins

Apollo 3 Aug 66 unmanned

Gemini 11 Sept 66 Pete Conrad, Richard Gordon

Gemini 12 Nov 66 Jim Lovell, Buzz Aldrin

Apollo 1 Jan 67 Gus Grissom, Ed White, Roger Chaffee

Apollo 4 Nov 67 unmanned

Apollo 5 Jan 68 unmanned

Apollo 6 April 68 unmanned

Apollo 7 Oct 68 Wally Schirra, Walt Cunningham, Donn Eisele

Apollo 8 Dec 68 Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, William Anders

Apollo 9 March 69 Jim McDivitt, David Scott, Russ Schweickart

Apollo 10 May 69 Tom Stafford, John Young, Gene Cernan

Apollo 11 July 69 Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins

Apollo 12 Nov 69 Pete Conrad, Richard Gordon, Alan Bean

Apollo 13 April 70 Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, Fred Haise

Apollo 14 Jan-Feb 71 Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, Ed Mitchell

Apollo 15 July-Aug 71 David Scott, Alfred Worden, Jim Irwin

Apollo 16 April 72 John Young, Ken Mattingly, Charles Duke

Apollo 17 Dec 72 Gene Cernan, Ron Evans, Harrison Schmidt

Skylab 1 May 73 unmanned

Skylab 2/Apollo May 73 Pete Conrad, Paul Weitz, Joe Kerwin

Skylab 3/Apollo July 73 Alan Bean, Jack Lousma, Owen Garriott

Skylab 4/Apollo Nov 73 Gerald Carr, William Pogue, Ed Gibson

Apollo/Soyuz July 75 Tom Stafford, Vance Brand, Deke Slayton

STS 95 Discovery/Spacelab Oct 98 John Glenn

Space Shuttles

Enterprise 8/77–10/77 5 test flights, now on carrier Intrepid in NYC

Columbia 4/81–1/03 28 flights, lost on reentry

Challenger 4/83–1/86 10 flights, lost on takeoff

Discovery 8/84–2/11 39 flights, now in Smithsonian at Dulles Airport

Atlantis 10/85–7/11 33 flights, now at Kennedy Space Center

Endeavour 5/92–5/11 25 flights, now at LA’s California Science Center

I liked Gravity better than I thought I would. Had you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. Before we had kids Ceil and I spend a long weekend at Lake Guntersville, and toured the Huntsville Space Center then. Toured Kennedy Space Center a few years ago on one of Will’s Living Science trips. Perhaps I will watch that movie “The Right Stuff” again. Also need to watch Mr. Banks and Walter Mitty.

Monday night Ceil met with ladies from Johnson Ferry to read the Bible through in 90 days. Big crowd, at the home of some people we know. Heather Swilley was supposed to be there, but wasn’t. Ceil cooked chicken enchiladas. Anna and I watched 24…pretty good.

The Rest of the Story

Saw the following Facebook post from a college baseball player I know: “Pitched in the semi final of the conference tournament, threw 4 innings and had 8 strikeouts…championship game tomorrow! All the glory to God”. Sounded interesting, so I looked up the details on the college’s athletics website.

After the starting pitcher allowed a hit and two walks while only getting one out in the bottom of the first, the friend came on in relief. All three runners scored. After pitching a scoreless second inning he allowed four more runs in the third, giving the opposition the lead. He was taken out in the fifth inning after allowing another run. Fortunately his team went on to score six runs in the last four innings to retake the lead and win the game.

He did strike out eight in 4.1 innings, but also allowed five runs, five hits, a walk – plus the three runners he inherited all scored. Now you know the rest of the story.

Perry, another of Will’s former teammates, made the All USA South Conference team this spring. Playing third base for Covenant College, he hit .324 with 3 homers and 30 RBIs. Braeden only played in four games, going 1-8 at the plate.

While on the subject of baseball, here is one more photo of those wonderful Black Crackers uniforms.

Progress

FRIDAY: had a really good time at Bonefish. The food was great and the service was lightning quick...though it didn’t seem to me that they were trying to rush us through so they could clear the table for the next diners. After we left we swung by JoAnn Fabrics. Loved all those military stories – I hadn’t heard them before!

SATURDAY: got so much done this weekend, yet it seems like I barely scratched the surface. First I cleaned (put things away) upstairs. Ceil brought me a toasted bacon, egg, & cheese English muffin for breakfast. Then we dragged all the plastic clothes containers out of the attic. Several were already empty, so I put away the two huge piles of winter clothes and blankets I had removed from the closets and drawers. As I went I made a pile to give away and another pile to sell – also a pile of wool sweaters for Ceil’s sewing. When I was done I only had six full containers to put back into the attic, plus 12 empty containers. I filled the back of my Civic with giveaway clothes, and I have a bunch to sell. I took breaks to eat lunch and wash loads of laundry.

By the end of the day I was exhausted. My upper back was hurting from leaning over folding clothes, plus I was wheezing from the dust. Ceil cooked wings for dinner, so I ate mixed vegetables and broccoli. Followed the Hawks and Braves on my phone. Anna and Ceil started watching LOST, so I went to bed early.

SUNDAY: got back to work. Took pictures of about twenty shirts to sell, and posted several of them on Ebay. Did more laundry and fixed oatmeal for breakfast and turkey quesadillas for lunch. Drove M down to PCC and went back and cut the grass, raked, and blew the driveway. About time, considering the weeds were a foot tall. Supper was salad and macaroni and cheese. Watched Leverage, and went to bed early again.

MONDAY: mailed an Ebay package. Got two more to mail tonight. Co-worker is out sick again, so it will be a busy day. But 24 comes on tonight! Also need to fold laundry, mail more Ebay packages, post more on Ebay, exercise, and stop by the cleaners.

The Braves may have never lost a series in the Marlins new park until now, but it seems like they always struggled down in the old park. They still have the second best record in the majors. Saw an article about the Marlins calling for a replay while up nine runs. Batter tried for the extra base with two out in the 5th and was clearly safe. Teams have come back from larger deficits to win. I’m all for hustling and have no problem with Redmond asking for a replay, but perhaps the guy shouldn’t have been stretching a single into a double while up nine runs. Saturday night they broke out the sweet Atlanta Black Crackers uniforms.

Million Dollar Arm was filmed in Atlanta, making it even more interesting. When the Pirates signed the two Indian cricket players Sports Illustrated ran an article, the followed up a year of two later. Hadn’t heard anything since then – the two were still in the minors, with one faring better than the other.

I love egg mcmuffins, though it’s so small. Similar to the sandwich Ceil fixed for me Saturday morning. The sausage mcmuffin is ok, as is the mcgriddles that are presently two for $3.00.

Did Phil Mickelson do something dumb yesterday? Sometimes fans scream as players on TV, when in fact the player was doing everything correctly, and the shot just wasn’t executed properly. Nobody is perfect.

View From the Pew

Still thinking about my worship experience in Athens at Cleveland Road Baptist Church this past Sunday. Located north of Athens Mall out in the country/suburbs. Small, decent-looking building. I spoke at length with the personable young associate pastor, who certainly appeals to college students. Wonder how he landed in such a church. Southern Seminary grad, full beard, has a young child, originally from Nashville where he met his wife in high school. Senior Pastor also not too old, with a long goatee. Neither seems afraid to preach the gospel.

They are quite different than many in the ministry who seemingly want to “move up” in Baptist circles to larger (higher paying) churches, who dress and speak a certain way. These professional pastors are careful to toe the line and watch what they say about controversial issues like evolution and gay marriage, lest they be ostracized by their professional peers and miss out on future employment opportunities. Sometimes I wonder if these constantly networking pastors are doing a disservice to their flock by not addressing some of the more controversial issues of the day. Lay people may then interpret God’s position on these issues incorrectly – taking a stand on the wrong side, with no spiritual leader stepping in to guide them.

This may be a reason so few ministers are taking a public stand against all the groups attacking Christianity. One of the reasons non-Christians so dislike Christians is their laissez-faire attitude, not wanting to offend potential converts or potential job prospects. Too many non-Christians argue “why would a loving God allow something like that to happen?” – clearing not understanding how we live on a fallen earth, in need of being saved from this world of sin. They have no desire to understand. Many are angry at the church for bad or boring experiences they had earlier in life. It could take something completely different to bring them back to God – a life-changing event or a caring, loving friend willing to listen are two situations that God could use. Probably not the same old church service with the same old hymns that are such a comfort to so many long-time Christians.  

My view from the pew.

Spring Reading List

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, by Jon Meacham.

The Long Ball: The Summer of ’75 – Spaceman, Catfish, Charlie Hustle, and the Greatest World Series Ever Played, by Tom Adelman. Interesting account of the 1975 baseball season, which culminated in the World Series battle between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine.

The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway. My first Hemingway book. Guess I didn’t get it.

JFK’s Last Hundred Days: The Transformation of a Man and the Emergence of a Great President, by Thurston Clarke. Great detail, with plenty of backstory. The death of Kennedy’s infant son steeled his determination to be remembered among the greatest to hold the office.

Supreme Power: Franklyn Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court, by Jeff Shesol.

The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story, by Lily Koppel. About the wives of the seven Mercury astonauts.

How Full is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life, by Tom Rath and Donald O Clifton.

Atlas Shrugged: Part Two, by Ann Rand

The Day I Died: One Man’s Successful Battle Back From the Dead, by Jay Barbee. Not what I expected, but still interesting because the author covered NASA and Civil Rights in the 60’s. No descriptions of heaven or hell.

Now and Forever: Somewhere a Band is Playing & Leviathan ‘99, by Ray Brabury.

Hawks Bandwagon

Question of the day: When was the last time the NBA playoffs started without either the Celtics, Lakers, or Knicks? Answer below.

Can the Hawks win Saturday? A team that lives by the three will die by the three. Will the new commissioner suspend the Pacer? (no) If he only went two feet off onto the court it seems like that is still in the vicinity of the bench. Thursday night the Hawks unveiled their new alternate logo (above) - a variation on the popular "Pac Man" logo from the 1980's. I am partial to the green and blue logo from the early 70's.

On 680 this morning Christopher Rude blamed Perry L for the loss, since he had guaranteed a win. When Perry said he had hoped Santana could've stopped the Braves losing streak, Chris Dimino jumped on Perry as well, saying you can't expect even the best pitchers to win every game. Dimino said that like many Atlanta transplants, Perry enjoys it when an Atlanta team loses in the playoffs so he can bring up the Looserville comment again and again.

I think guys like Perry and John Kincaide pick Atlanta teams to win, even when the other team is favored, while actually hoping that they'll lose, so the next day they can ask what happened, crying out that the team should have won. Then listeners start thinking and talking that way – all negative and no positive. Then everyone wonders why no one goes to games – more negative. Why should anyone go if they're going to lose? Then guys like Perry say then fans are no good, when it was Perry that made them that way.

So its Perry's fault that Atlanta teams don't win championships. Fans don't buy tickets, and owners don't have the money to buy championship caliber players. I've often considered writing 680 and telling them I don't listen when Perry and Kincaide are on the air. In fact they're not worth writing about.

Fans don't think about all the other teams and cities with losing playoff records – or no playoff records. The Hawks played the entire season without their best player. Not only did they still make the playoffs, they have taken the number one seed to game seven. Had Al Horford been playing they would have already advanced. Wasn't this supposed to be a rebuilding year?

Thursday Ceil took Anna to the doctor to check on her headaches. It's mostly stress over school and homework, and lack of sleep. The doctor prescribed Alieve. M and C and I ate dinner at Willys.

ANSWER: Never. Either the Celtics, Lakers, or Knicks have been in the playoffs every year in NBA history.

Memorable Weekend

Survived the crazy busy weekend. Friday Ceil, Anna, and Matthew spent most of the afternoon and evening at the Edman's barn in Milton, decorating for the prom. I worked past 5:30 and made a few stops on the way home. Turned on the Braves and popped some corn, worked on the computer, and started on my weekend chores. Washed my car.

Saturday morning Ceil left out early for the prom. Anna ran to the Avenue for some last minute items. I cleaned upstairs and did laundry, and iron Anna's prom dress and Matthew's shirt and pants. Ceil came home to get ready, so I washed her car as well. Drove Matthew up to meet his date Sarah at the Hargreaves, just up the road from the prom (and around the corner from the Hurts). A beautiful day for pictures. Then I drove Matthew and Sarah to PF Chang near North Point Mall. There were lots of other prom goers there as well. While they ate I went to Kroger and two thrift stores in Roswell. Made it back just in time to pick them up without even turning off the car. There wouldn't have been much for me to do at the prom, so I went home after dropping M & S off. Watched the Braves, House of Cards, Eagle Eye, and did the dishes and more laundry. Tried to stay up, but finally went to bed. C and M got in at 1:30 am.

Anna got back to the Hargreaves at 2:30, then came back home at 8 am. At nine we left for Athens. Arrived at Cleveland Road Baptist Church just ahead of Mary-Clayton's family, the Gilberts. It is a small church with a few college students, a few older people, and a few young couples. When the service started they showed a video of Will talking about his Christian faith. You could tell the video was edited because in every clip his hair went from disheveled to neat. Then he was baptized. It was the music minister's last Sunday after 19 years at the church. After the service there was a pot luck dinner. At first I may have been apprehensive, being the visitor, but we had a great time. The food was great, Will's friends and the two ministers went out of their way to welcome us, and we had a great time catching up with the Gilberts. We mostly talked about how great the food was, and how we missed the old-fashioned feel of the small church pot luck dinner. There were at least 40 different covered dishes – fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, lots of casseroles, ham, sweet tea, and lots of desserts. After the meal different church members got up and spoke about the minister of music. Seemed to take forever, but it was really only 25 minutes.

Drove back to Atlanta and dropped M off at Passion. Back home Ceil crashed on the couch and I took a nap upstairs. Anna was posting prom pictures. Later it started to thunder, and Barney came upstairs and jumped in bed. Ceil had gone to Trader Joes. Later I drove down to get Matthew. Back home I popped more corn, and folded more laundry.

FedEx Shooting

On Facebook you can ask people to be your friend, or people ask you to be their friend. Once you accept them as a friend you see what they post. Whenever I log onto Facebook I can scan down the various posts to see what’s happening in different people’s life (or view the endless cartoons and pictures of kittens people post). Through the years I’ve accumulated friends from various parts of my life. When Will was in school playing sports, often times his friends would ask to be my friends so they could read the various game and trip recaps that I’d post on Facebook. Some of these friends are familiar to me, and others not so much.

One of these young men has been posting how he has become closer to God in the past few months. Shane was also happy to report that he had started a new job. I think he even made employee of the month. Things were going well in his life.

Yesterday I read in horror about the shooting at the FedEx facility in Kennesaw. This is where Shane works. Throughout the day and evening I scanned Facebook posts, looking for an update from Shane. Had he been one of the victims? I prayed for his safety. Finally he posted – the shooting had taken place on a different shift, when he was not there. Still, he was shaken.

Today three metro Atlanta schools were on lockdown. And so it continues.

Scandal Du Jour

TV and radio hosts everywhere love what 680's Christopher Rude called the "scandal of the week" – Donald Starling's racist comments. That's all 680 and 99.7 were talking about this morning, all I heard on the radio yesterday and Saturday (except the Braves games). Seems like a talk show host would want to talk about something different, especially since everyone is on the same side.

While Magic Johnson addressed the controversy with tact, other entertainers used the opportunity to hurl profane epitaphs Sterling's way. Had a white celebrity made those same comments about a black public figure they would be castigated by the media. Obama was quick to call out Starling, though he never mentioned similarly racist comments by Spike Lee or other entertainers, rappers, musicians, comedians, and athletes - just like he did nothing about the Ukraine, Benghazi, or Christians imprisoned and tortured overseas.

Evidently the tape of Sterling was edited to highlight his worst comments and leave out comments that would exonerate him. His "girlfriend" may have grown tired of the way he views the world, but as a much younger woman clearly more interested in his money and fame, she should've realized that a much older married man of a different race would look at life differently than she. Just because his view of the world may not have been right, did she have to call him out so publicly? It is a shame that after so many years of losing records, all this happens when the Clippers are in the playoffs.

You have to look hard for any media support for Christianity these days. Several groups make it their business to attack Christianity. It's hard for the defenders of the faith to be heard. Are we living in the last days? Meanwhile radical Islamists, who torture and kill homosexuals, are rarely called out. Seems like the media and Washington are scared of Muslims. All the while the Muslim population in the United States continues to quietly grow and grow. Like in France and other parts of Europe they slowly continued to immigrate and immigrate until they were the majority race. Then they began to take over the political process. The world is turning into a different place.

Veritas Prom

Two pictures taken Saturday at the Hargreaves' barn, before the Veritas prom.

Anna, Emily, Brittany, and Caroline

Matthew and Sarah horse around.

Top 12 Braves Games

Twelve Most Memorable Braves Games I've Attended:

Braves/Twins 1991 World Series. Longest game in series history. Extra innings. Had more players enter the game than any other World Series game.

Braves/Yankees 1996 World Series. Last game ever played at Atlanta Stadium. Yankees come from behind to win on Jim Leyrich home run off Mark Wohlers.

Braves/Marlins 2014. ROY Jose Fernandez/Alex Wood combine for 25 strikeouts/zero walks/one run. Marlins win 1-0.

Braves/Astros NLDS – Braves beat Roger Clemens.

Braves/Marlins NLCS

Braves/Pirates (1970) Saturday NBC game of the week / my Braves birthday party. Set record for most home runs by both teams in one inning. Included homers by Aaron, Stargell, and Clemente.

Braves/Mets September 1999 pennant race. Pregame home school day parade around field with Anna, holding Matthew. Will plays tee ball in the outfield, spots Chipper, and throws him the ball. In the game Chipper slugs two home runs. Braves win to increase their division lead.

Gwinnett Braves (2013) Joey Terdoslovich walk off home run.

Braves/Dodgers 1982 doubleheader during pennant race

Myrtle Beach Pelicans / Wilmington Blue Rocks 13 inning game in 2011.

Braves game the day after McGriff trade/press box fire.

Braves game the day after Pascual Perez misses start while lost on 285.

The Week

MONDAY: On the way home I listened to a good chunk of the pregame, as well as the top of the first. Stayed up, but was planning on going to bed after the Braves batted in the tenth. Kimbrel seemed to get back on track with his three straight strikeouts to end the inning. You could tell he wasn’t happy as he walked off the field even after the third strikeout. I was worried when Gattis came into home and jumped up and landed on the plate. When Angels all-star first baseman Kendry Morales did that he broke his leg. Gattis’ play has been encouraging, and hopefully his good hitting will continue.

Glad I watched til the end. Nice that Floyd doesn’t have to rush back to fill a need.

Here at work they raffled off Monday’s tickets, and a deserving guy in traffic got to go. Turns out he is a huge fan who played in high school. He and his wife stayed til the end. The new guy I’m answering a lot of questions for also went with his wife and baby, but they left around ten pm.

Took off last Friday and we picked up Will in Athens at noon and dropped him back off Sunday night. He studied all day Saturday. This week will be a killer for him – four tests (two finals) and a project due. Monday night Ceil cooked Mexican for burritos and salad. Ground beef for me, her, and Matthew and also fish for her and Anna. Ate the leftovers on Tuesday and Wednesday.

WEDNESDAY: Rough day at work. Was brain dead by the end of the day. I did get a lot done. Left at 5:40 and listened to Chuck and Chernoff on the way home. Knew Ceil would be at art, so I would have to forage for supper. Got home and was pleased to find BBQ in the crock pot. Shouldn’t have, but I slammed down two BBQ sandwiches. They were great. Caught up on some computer work with the Braves replay on in the background. Anna came home from art to work on homework, so I had to go pick up Ceil. Went to bed when we got home (9:50). Slept through the night and didn’t head Ceil and barney come to bed. Usually everyone makes a racket when they come upstairs, but I heard nothing.

Got plenty of work to do both here at work and at home.  

THURSDAY: Worked til six. Didn’t feel like making any stops on the way home, then decided at the last minute to get my hair cut. Ceil is arranging the flowers for Saturday night’s prom, so the house was full of flowers and she ran to run out and get more. I ate leftover pot roast. Worked on the computer and packaged eBay items, and didn’t go to bed until eleven.

FRIDAY: Drove a coworker down to get his car from the shop at lunch. We stopped at Jimmy Johns on the way back.

SATURDAY: C, A, and M are busy decorating for prom tonight, so I'll get a jump on the chores I won't have time for on Saturday. Lots of cleaning and laundry and cars to wash. Then Ceil goes to set up for prom. Anna goes out with friends. I’ll be Matthew’s chauffer for the evening: driving to Canton to pick up Sarah, taking them to their restaurant of choice and then to prom. Then I’ll hang out at the prom, then take Sarah home. Hopefully they won’t want to go out to eat afterwards, but they might. A long Saturday, then we’ll get up early and drive to Athens for Will’s baptism. The church is having a pot luck lunch afterwards. I’ll have to come back to work on Monday so I can get some rest.

Historic Game

Tuesday's Braves game was one of the best I have ever attended – top five perhaps, and surely in the top ten. The 28 strikeouts combined by the Braves and Marlins without a single walk is the most in a game since 1914. The game only took two hours and eight minutes to finish, and ended at 9:19 pm.

Jose Fernandez matched his career high with 14 strikeouts. After Jason Heyward led off the bottom of the first with a single, Fernandez did not allow a hit to the next 22 batters. In the first seven innings he only faced one batter over the minimum.

After surrendering a single to the leadoff hitter, Alex Wood retired ten in a row, surrendered two straight hits, retired four in a row, another infield single, then retired the last ten batters he faced. He struck out a career high eleven. In the ninth David Carpenter struck out two more Marlins. There were no walks in the game. Wood lost his second straight 1-0 game.

TOP ONE: Yelich infield single. Ozuna K. Stanton F7. McGehee K.
BOTTOM ONE: Heyward single to left. BJ 6-4-3 DP. Freeman K.
TOP TWO: Salty F9. Jones K. Hechavarria 4-3.
BOTTOM TWO: Justin K. Johnson P4. Uggla K.
TOP THREE: Solano L3. Fernandez K. Yelich 4-3.
BOTTOM THREE: Gattis K. Simmons F9. Wood 4-3.
TOP FOUR: Ozuna F3 (foul). Stanton 2B. McGehee's single to center scores Stanton. Salty K. Jones K.
BOTTOM FOUR: Heyward K. BJ E5, balked to 2nd. Freeman K. Justin K.
TOP FIVE: Hechavarria K. Solano K. Fernandez infield single. Yelich 4-3.
BOTTOM FIVE: Johnson K. Uggla K. Gattis K.
TOP SIX: Ozuna 6-3. Stanton K. McGehee F8.
BOTTOM SIX: Simmons 5-3. Wood L9. Heyward K.
TOP SEVEN: Salty 5-3. Jones F7 (foul). Hechavarria K.
BOTTOM SEVEN: BJ F8. Freeman F7. Justin K.
TOP EIGHT: Solano F7. Fernandez K. Yelich 4-3.
BOTTOM EIGHT: Johnson singles to right. Pastornicky PR. Uggla K. Gattis K. Simmons infield single. PH Doumit 1U.
TOP NINE: Carpenter pitching. Pena plays 3B. Ozuna K. Stanton K. McGehee F9
BOTTOM NINE: Cishek pitching. Heyward 3U. BJ 4-3. Freeman K.

Gattis won Wednesday's game with a two-RBI pinch hit double.

Furthest From the Pin

Monday my company raffled off that evening’s Braves/Marlins tickets. I put my name in the hat, but was happy that two deserving coworkers won, went, and enjoyed the exciting game. It’s always nice to discover devoted Braves fans.

Tuesday’s tickets were raffled off as well. With rookie of the year Jose Fernandez toing the rubber for the Fish, I was happy to win the tickets. Left work at 3:15 and headed south on PIB. Traffic on 285 was crawling at 10 MPH, but 85 south was clear. Picked up Reid, who has taken me to a couple of Gwinnett games. The Downtown Connector was slow, but we made it to the Blue Lot off the Fulton Street exit by 4:35 pm. Walked through the gates ten minutes later. The rain made the day chilly, so I swapped my dress shirt and loafers for a long sleeve tee, red golf pullover, and New Balance running shoes. Since all my Braves caps were back at the house, I warmed my head with a white Adams Golf cap.

Batting practice had been cancelled due to the rain, giving us over two hours to kill. We checked out the game-used jerseys for sale and toured the Braves Museum, which Reid enjoyed. Walked past the Turner Field Waffle House, but since it only sold waffles and hash browns we opted for delicious H&F burgers instead. We were the very first in line, and ate the burgers and fries at a picnic table in the Fan Plaza. The Tomahawk Team was conducting a Braves math contest, and later a trivia contest. I spotted Johnny Pierce and introduced him to Reid. They had a fun chat about people in various Baptist circles they knew.

As we talked a member of the Tomahawk Team approached and asked if I was a golfer. “Kind of” I replied. She recruited me for the pre-game closest-to-the-pin completion on the field. Since I have embarrassed myself several times before in front of large crowds, I eagerly accepted her invite. Reid and I walked to our seats, then I made my way down to the seats near the Braves dugout. There I met legendary Braves usher Walter Banks, who has worked at Turner Field and Atlanta Stadium forever. My fellow competitors also arrived: a 40 year old Acworth man also wearing a golf pullover (he’s a country club member) and a senior at Jones County High School (golf team member, wearing a Masters cap, who knew who Randy Griffin is). Usually a Braves player participates, but not this time. Guess Craig Kimbrel was keeping a low profile.

We stepped out on the field, grabbed a 56 degree wedge, and lined up for our introductions. The jumbotron displayed the image of the same middle-aged man who just months before was on the Georgia Dome jumbotron kicking for a Kia. I snapped a photo of Acworth pitching to 38 feet. Jones County’s shot carried to the left. I stepped up and swung. My shot went high but short, a Texas Leaguer that landed in very short right-center. Not too embarrassing. My consolation prize was an adjustable Braves cap, size large Braves T-shirt, and foam tomahawk. First prize was $150 to the Palm Restaurant and $50 at Academy Sports. The rich get richer.

The game was a great pitcher’s duel. We enjoyed the between innings crowd shots, which included a Fredie Freeman variation on the Kiss Cam – the Hug Cam. After showing several replays of Freddie hugging various teammates, the camera zoomed in on couples in the stands. Most hugged (including a Braves fan and a Marlins fan), but one lady refused.

The crowd was small but enthusiastic. Fortunately the wave never broke out, but the Tomahawk Chop received over 90% participation. The lady in front of me performed more of a windmill dunk than short chop, almost whacking me with every backswing. She needed an instructional “This is How We Chop” t-shirt. I donned my new Braves cap for good luck and dutifully chopped the tomahawk, but the Braves failed to rally. Only one foul ball was hit near our section 215, but it bounded the other way. I had forgotten my glove anyway.

The game ended early, at 9:19 pm. We walked out the right field gate, completing a loop all the way around the stadium. “Know what the best part of the game was?” asked Reid. “The burger!” The small crowd made for less traffic. I was able to drive out of the Blue Lot without stopping, and made it onto the Fulton Street interstate ramp and onto the highway with no trouble at all. Had Reid home in a jiffy. From there I foolishly abandoned my usual 75 north route home, taking 400 instead. Construction blocked two lanes at my exit, and then the light at Roswell Road and Riverside was stuck.

On the way home my phone was lighting up with Ebay auctions ending. Sold three more items, so when I got home I packaged them up. Also helped Anna and Matthew on their history homework, so I didn’t get to bed until after 12:30 am. A long, but good, day.