Scott Freeman

Michael Brown blames the Governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans.
The Governor and Mayor blame the federal government.
Flight attendants blame Jodie Foster for disparaging flight attendants.
Did William Bennett just tie the crime rate to the lack of abortions among blacks?
George Bush is responsible for the 1918 Influenza pandemic.
The disgraced Army reservist blames her ex-boyfriend for her complicity in the Abu Ghraib scandal.

The oldest profession is not what we generally consider it to be.
The oldest profession is casting blame.
It is surely as in vogue today as much as it was in the Garden.
As much as it was among the Israelites during their Exodus and their wilderness wanderings.

“It was this woman that made me eat”
“The Devil made me do it”
“If only you had never led us out of Egypt”

Why is it that we are so quick to place blame on others?
Why is it that we are so slow to say, “I was wrong”?
“Forgive me”
To take ownership for our own failures, our own mistakes.
To say unequivocally, “The buck stops here”

But don’t we all do it?
How many of us seek to diminish our partnership with transgression and iniquity?
How many of us blame our spouses for our own bad mood?
How many of us blame our children for acting like we have taught them to act through our own examples?
How many of us blame our parents for our poor decisions?

But, to me, here it the interesting thing: not many people buy it.
Most of us are astute enough to recognize when someone is being dishonest with their sins.
When they are being coy with their contraventions.

Why do we do it?
When it would be so much easier to say, “I’m sorry. I messed up.”
To stop the blame game and seek to be conciliatory with our lives.
The Jews were required to offer both sin and guilt offerings in Leviticus.
The sin offering was a required act to seek atonement for unintentional sins against God or others.
The guilt offering was also required in order to seek atonement for intentional sins.

It seems that God knows all about our seemingly eager proclivity to place blame on others for our own action.
May we seek His Spirit to humble us and acknowledge our own failures. To take responsibility for our own actions. To refuse to place on others what belongs rightfully in our camp.
To say, “I was wrong and I am sorry.”

I found this idea over at cadmusings and thought I would give it a try. The idea is this:

1. Go to musicoutfitters.com and, in the search box provided, enter the year you graduated high school.

2. From the search results, click the link for the top 100 songs of that year.

3. With the resulting list:
1. bold the songs you like
2. strike through the ones you hate
3. underline your favorite
4. and ignore the ones you don’t remember/don’t care about.

I want to comment on so many of these, but I will remain awash in my own personal nostalgia? Share your thoughts with me on these nuggets from yesteryear.

1986

1. That’s What Friends Are For, Dionne
Warwick, Elton John, and Gladys Knight
2. Say You, Say Me, Lionel Richie
3. I Miss You, Klymaxx
4. On My Own , Patti Labelle and Michael McDonald
5. Broken Wings, Mr. Mister
6. How Will I Know, Whitney Houston
7. Party All The Time, Eddie Murphy
8. Burning Heart, Survivor
9. Kyrie, Mr. Mister
10. Addicted To Love, Robert Palmer
11. Greatest Love Of All, Whitney Houston
12. Secret Lovers, Atlantic Starr
13. Friends And Lovers, Carl Anderson and Gloria Loring
14. Glory Of Love, Peter Cetera
15. West End Girls, Pet Shop Boys
16. There’ll Be Sad Songs, Billy Ocean
17. Alive And Kicking, Simple Minds
18. Never, Heart
19. Kiss, Prince and The Revolution
20. Higher Love, Steve Winwood
21. Stuck With You, Huey Lewis and The News
22. Holding Back The Years, Simply Red
23. Sledgehammer, Peter Gabriel
24. Sara, Starship
25. Human, Human League
26. I Can’t Wait, Nu Shooz
27. Take My Breath Away, Berlin
28. Rock Me Amadeus, Falco
29. Papa Don’t Preach, Madonna
30. You Give Love A Bad Name, Bon Jovi
31. When The Going Gets Tough, Billy Ocean
32. When I Think Of You, Janet Jackson
33. These Dreams, Heart
34. Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone), Glass Tiger
35. Live To Tell, Madonna
36. Mad About You, Belinda Carlisle
37. Something About You, Level 42
38. Venus, Bananarama
39. Dancing On The Ceiling, Lionel Richie
40. Conga, Miami Sound Machine
41. True Colors, Cyndi Lauper
42. Danger Zone, Kenny Loggins
43. What Have You Done For Me Lately, Janet Jackson
44. No One Is To Blame, Howard Jones
45. Let’s Go All The Way, Sly Fox
46. I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On, Robert Palmer
47. Words Get In The Way, Miami Sound Machine
48. Manic Monday, Bangles
49. Walk Of Life, Dire Straits
50. Amanda, Boston
51. Two Of Hearts, Stacey Q
52. Crush On You, Jets
53. If You Leave, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
54. Invisible Touch, Genesis
55. The Sweetest Taboo, Sade
56. What You Need, INXS
57. Talk To Me, Stevie Nicks
58. Nasty, Janet Jackson
59. Take Me Home Tonight, Eddie Money
60. We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off, Jermaine Stewart
61. All Cried Out, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam With Full Force
62. Your Love, Outfield
63. I’m Your Man, Wham!
64. Perfect Way, Scritti Politti
65. Living In America, James Brown
66. R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A., John Cougar Mellencamp
67. Who’s Johnny, El Debarge
68. Word Up, Cameo
69. Why Can’t This Be Love, Van Halen
70. Silent Running, Mike and The Mechanics
71. Typical Male, Tina Turner
72. Small Town, John Cougar Mellencamp
73. Tarzan Boy, Baltimora
74. All I Need Is A Miracle, Mike and The Mechanics
75. Sweet Freedom, Michael McDonald
76. True Blue, Madonna
77. Rumors, Timex Social Club
78. Life In A Northern Town, Dream Academy
79. Bad Boy, Miami Sound Machine
80. Sleeping Bag, ZZ Top
81. Tonight She Comes, Cars
82. Love Touch, Rod Stewart
83. A Love Bizarre, Sheila E.
84. Throwing It All Away, Genesis
85. Baby Love, Regina
86. Election Day, Arcadia
87. Nikita, Elton John
88. Take Me Home, Phil Collins
89. Walk This Way, Run-D.M.C.
90. Sweet Love, Anita Baker
91. Your Wildest Dreams, Moody Blues
92. Spies Like Us, Paul McCartney
93. Object Of My Desire, Starpoint
94. Dreamtime, Daryl Hall
95. Tender Love, Force M.D.’s
96. King For A Day, Thompson Twins
97. Love Will Conquer All, Lionel Richie
98. A Different Corner, George Michael
99. I’ll Be Over You, Toto
100. Go Home, Stevie Wonder

I finally saw the movie Crash the other night and was overwhelmed with the poignancy in which it deals with the subject of race in America.
As the most developed society in history, you would think that we would be more progressive than we are.
That we would judge people based upon their character and not their color.
That we would not instinctively categorize people upon superficial impressions.
That we would not stereotype people because they fail to match up with our race, religion, or socio-economic group.

I’ve been so guilty of this in my life. I have told jokes of a racial bent and justified it because I was “just kidding.”
I’ve stayed away from certain neighborhoods because of the “element” that lives there.
I have begrudged people the liberties of this nation because they have failed to “assimilate” to the degree that I expect.
I have sought out friends and acquaintances who look like me, act like me, and believe like me.
I have used words and ephitets that disparage children of God.
I have been guilty of overt racism.
And I have harbored the covert signs of prejudice and bigotry.
I have justified this for years.
I have blamed the problem of race in America on those who want hand-outs.
I have shifted the blame to minorities who “complain too much”
Yet, I have been guilty of the very behavior that I denied.

There is a problem with racism in America.
That problem is me.
And I repent.
No more, will the jokes be accepted by me or around me.
I will strive to move away from the split-second categorization.

I will work and pray that people will be loved and embraced regardless of race.
For there is a problem with race in America.

We need look no further than our worship assemblies to see that.

God, join us together. Allow us to embrace one another in love, despite our appearances.
And in spite of our prejudices allow us to see one another for who we truly are, your children.

I’ve talked it over with the missus. Beginning today, I will train for my first marathon.
Here is the training plan that I am going to be using (modified from Runner’s World)

I ask my running cronies (Jeff, Chris, George) for any insight, advice or pointers you want to share.

My goal marathon is here. What better place than Little Rock for my first attempt?
March 5, 2006. Who is with me?

We are working on a new logo for our church. Here is what has been proposed for us so far. Any suggestions or thoughts? Let me know which one you like.

Looking out my office window right now I see several people who have found refuge from hurricane Rita and the snarl of traffic at our church building.
Our fellowship center is being used by about 50 people as a shelter from the storm, a haven from the hurricane.
In the last few weeks, the harsh reality of nature has become all too palpable and real for many people.
Life can be harsh and the elements can be merciless.
Outside, now, things look calm and peaceful. The sun is shining and warm. Life rolls on at its usual pace.
Yet disaster, heartache and loss loom off the coast. Again, so soon after Katrina, the specter of destruction draws ever nearer to the homes and lives of so many.
For some it may not be a hurricane, but disease, debt or loss.

In the midst of so much pain and hardship, it is easy to ask “Where is God?”
When a bus-load of senior citizens seeking to escape the rain catches fire and 24 people perish it is easy to question the availability of the Creator.
When reports that global warming may lead to greater diseases in the future it is easy to ask if we must face the future alone.
When war abounds, poverty cripples, and AIDS feasts on an entire continent, questions of God’s involvement are commonplace.

Where is God?
As I ponder this question, my mind goes back to those scenes of just a few short weeks ago: people on roof-tops pleading for rescue. Precious souls left behind pleading for a deliverer to come and rescue them.

Where is God?
He is in the hearts and lives of those people, churches and communities that have opened their homes, places of worship, and community centers to those dispossessed.

He was in the Superdome ministering to the needy, the fearful while weeping for those children of His who had succumbed to the darker side of survival.

He is on I-45 in the cars, buses and caravans offering hope to those sweltering in the Texas heat.

He is found in our goodness, our love for our neighbor, our willingness to extend grace and compassion to those in need.
He hears every tear, every prayer, every cry and His heart breaks over the evil that we face.

I have a new favorite passage of Scripture. The Israelite people have fallen into slavery at the hands of the Egyptians. For centuries they are oppressed by the capricious nature of a brutal regime.
They cry out to God.
They cry for rescue.
For deliverance.
And in the midst of their pain, their cries and heartache, God hears them.
Exodus 2:25 says “God saw the people of Israel–and God knew.”
Such beauty in the simplicity–God knew.
He knew the cries of their hearts.
He knew their needs.
He knew.

And He sent a deliverer.
He sent Moses to deliver the Israelite people out of bondage.
He sent a deliverer because He knew.

And now God knows. He knows the needs of people.
He hears our cries.
And He knows.

Are we the deliverers that God is sending in the midst of today’s crisis?
Are we the ones that He longs to send to lend succor, to rescue?
If so, are we willing to be deliverers?
To offer our hands in ministry, mercy and compassion?
It is what we are called to do.
For God has rescued us.
He has sent His Deliverer to free us from bondage. From the slavery of sin.

And that Deliverer will return.
Because God knows.
Our Deliverer is coming. Let’s be ready.
And let’s help others get ready.

Because our Deliver is coming.
No more crying, no more hurt, no more hurricanes, no more disease, no more poverty.

Because our Deliverer is coming.
Because God knows.

1. Bon Jovi’s new album, Have a Nice Day. 20+ years in they are still a guilty pleasure of mine. Jon, you’ll never be Bruce in the lyric department but keep trying, OK?
2. Felicity Huffman’s Emmy win. Any time an actor from Sports Night, one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, gets some recognition it is a good thing.
3. The Principle of Reciprocity. One day, eventually, USC will lose in college football. And one day, they will lose big. It will serve them right after what they did to my Hogs on Saturday.
4. Both of my fantasy football teams are 2-0.
5. Rockstar: INXS the tour. And the possibility of a second season. Calling Van Halen. Calling Queen.
6. Orbitz Games. I’m addicted to Island Hop.
7. Old Friends Collaborating.
8. Performing the Faith: Bonhoeffer and the Practice of Nonviolence by Stanley Hauerwas. Helping me sort through my theological wrestling.
9. Sojourners. Showing me new ways to perform the faith.
10. Fall TV.

You got any?

We can be the generation that no longer accepts than an accident of latitude determines whether a child lives or dies–but will we be that generation? Will we in the West realize our potential or will we sleep in the comfort of our affluence with apathy and indifference murmuring softly in our ears? Fifteen thousand people dying needlessly every day from AIDS, TB, and malaria. Mothers, fathers, teachers, farmers, nurses, mechanics, children. This is Africa’s crisis. That it’s not on the nightly news, that we do not treat this as an emergency–that’s our crisis.
–Bono, in the forward to Jeffrey Sach’s The End of Poverty

Today we can invoke the same logic to declare that extreme poverty can be ended not in the time of our grandchildren, but in our time. The wealth of the rich world, the power of today’s vast storehouses of knowledge, and the declining fraction of the world that needs help to escape from poverty all make the end of poverty a realistic possibility by the year 2025.
–Jeffrey Sachs

This book is illuminating and encouraging. In light of Hurricane Katrina and the ambitious plans to rebuild New Orleans I hope that we do not attempt to alleviate the poverty of some by creating poverty for more.
We must resist the temptation to slash Medicare, Medicaid and educational programs to fund reconstruction. If there is no tax increases then what recourse is there but to slash current budget items? I don’t think there are any plans on slashing defense so that leaves our already paltry social programs.
Robbing Peter to pay Paul is never a good economic plan.
I’m sure to be commenting more on this as I work through this book.

When I began running back at the beginning of the year I set two goals for myself:

• Run 10 miles in one outing.
• Run 500 miles in 2005

Today, I ran 10 miles.
And I only had to stop once for a bathroom break.
Sometime in the next few weeks I will crest 500 miles.
Time to contemplate what is next on the agenda.

In the ER.
Our baby has a broken arm.
She tried to climb over the gate keeping her in her room.
Thursday she gets to pick out a cast. Odds are pointing to a pink one.
She’s fine. Broke her Radius and Ulna.
Will be in a cast about 6 weeks.

Our photo album on the right has been updated. Check it out.