Scott Freeman

In this on-going series of getting to know the preacher, I thought I would share some more minute information about yours truly:

1. My first name is Leslie.  No, I don’t know what my parents were thinking.
2. My dad founded a Christian school in Little Rock.  I graduated from that school, Central Arkansas Christian, in 1986.
3. I had a scholarship to go to Freed-Hardeman and major in Bible.
4. I had multiple fears as a child: dark, germ, storms, and Alice Cooper.
5. My parents were both 40 when I was born.
6. I’m the youngest of 5 children. 4 boys and 1 girl.  There is a 7 year difference between me and my sister, my closest sibling.
7. I largely taught myself how to swim and ride a bike.  I still don’t swim very well.
8. My mom was heavily involved in Market Research and opinion polling while I was growing up.
9. I’m a huge Barry Manilow fan.  I blame my sister for this.
10. My favorite meal as a kid was Mustard and Ketchup sandwiches.  I was an extremely picky eater and fight that to this day.
11. I was not a great student growing up.  I loved to read and learn.  I just hated being told what to read and learn.
12. I went to, and eventually graduated from, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
13. I had several majors including English, Journalism, Psychology and Education before I settled on Philosophy.
14. I squeezed 4 years of college into 6.
15. Surprisingly, I was not very smooth with the ladies growing up.
16. I can name every best picture and best actor Oscar winner and have seen every one.
17. I lived in the same house the first 24 years of my life.
18. I’ve lived in 12 houses or apartments over the last 14 years.
19. My first job was at Wendy’s. I lasted a couple of months.
20. I never pictured myself as a preacher.
21. I’m still not sure how that happened.
22. I someday hope to write a book.
23. My favorite Bible story is Hosea and Gomer.
24. I miss having the time to play video games.
25. Any stories I tell about athletic exploits are probably greatly exaggerated.
26. I do everything in order.  From checking my websites to taking a shower.  There is a systematic way to do it.
27. I once sold Rainbow Vacuum cleaners. I didn’t actually sell any of them, though.
28. My favorite color is purple.
29. I can be extremely difficult to live with.
30. I hate going anywhere that you need an appointment.
31. My favorite movie is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
32. I’ve lived in 5 states (Arkansas, Tennessee, New Mexico, Michigan, and Texas), but I’ll always be an Arkansan.
33. I have a Master’s Degree in Expository Preaching.
34. I don’t like leftovers.
35. My favorite food is a good burger or pizza.
36. I’m extremely hard on myself.
37. I used to work at Kroger in the meat department.
38. I’m overwhelmingly blessed.  But you already knew that one,didn’t you?

One of the usually trotted out arguments for refusing to have a greater heart for the poor is that so many are there by choice or laziness.

That if they really wanted to get ahead in this free country where “all your dreams can come true,” then they could.

These types of arguments are largely presumptive.  It presupposes knowledge of individuals that we don’t have.

And it vastly underestimates the chronic ferocity of poverty. Once it has you in its clutches it does not let go easily. Those of us who do make more the federal poverty level have experienced our own financial setbacks.

Those setbacks can be devastating.  Try it when you have no safety net and it can be cataclysmic.

And 6-7 bucks an hour for any entry level job will not provide any source of long-term security.

About 5 years ago Barbara Ehrenreich wrote the classic Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.  As research for the book she held several entry level jobs to see how unskilled laborers lived their lives.  It is a highly informative and eye-opening read.  I highly encourage it.

In her most recent blog entry Ms. Ehrenreich asks the question “Can you afford to be poor?” She writes:

…(I)t’s expensive to be poor. In fact, you, the reader of middling income, could probably not afford it.

A new study from the Brookings Institute documents the “ghetto tax,” or higher cost of living in low-income urban neighborhoods. It comes at you from every direction, from food prices to auto insurance. A few examples from this study, by Matt Fellowes, that covered 12 American cities:

• Poor people are less likely to have bank accounts, which can be expensive for those with low balances, and so they tend to cash their pay checks at check-cashing businesses, which in the cities surveyed, charged $5 to $50 for a $500 check.
• Nationwide, low-income car buyers, defined as people earning less than $30,000 a year, pay two percentage points more for a car loan than more affluent buyers.
• Low-income drivers pay more for car insurance. In New York, Baltimore and Hartford, they pay an average $400 more a year to insure the exact same car and driver risk than wealthier drivers.
• Poorer people pay an average of one percentage point more in mortgage interest.
• They are more likely to buy their furniture and appliances through pricey rent-to-own businesses. In Wisconsin, the study reports, a $200 rent-to-own TV set can cost $700 with the interest included.
• They are less likely to have access to large supermarkets and hence to rely on the far more expensive, and lower quality offerings, of small grocery and convenience stores.

So let’s have a little less talk about how the poor should learn to manage their money, and a little more attention to all the ways that money is being systematically siphoned off. Yes, certain kinds of advice would be helpful: skip the pay-day loans and rent-to-pay furniture, for example. But we need laws in more states to stop predatory practices like $50 charges for check-cashing. Also, think what some micro-credit could do to move families from motels and shelters to apartments. And did I mention a living wage?

If you’re rich, you might want to stay that way. It’s a whole lot cheaper than being poor.

Jesus said that we would always have the poor with us.  He said that because that is where the disciple of Christ is called to go and minister.  He did not say that so we could throw up our hands and say our work is done.

May we develop a greater heart for the poor and the forgotten.

(HT: Aaron Monts)

Tracy and I are looking at health insurance.  Do any of you have any experience with Medi-Share?

It’s a Christian based non-profit organization where the members share expenses.  It is not insurance.  I’d like some feedback from anybody with any knowledge of the program.

What about other methods of securing inexpensive (or not totally usurious) health insurance?

No major surprises this week other than Patrice moving downward while Ryan continues to reverse his fortunes.  The race still belongs to a toss-up between Lukas and Dilana (Lukas if Tommy gets his way) with Storm and Toby a distance behind them.

The Performances:

Lukas Rossi–Bittersweet Symphony: Johnny Rotten called.  He wants his persona back.  People love this guy, especially Tommy.  And he may be a great fit for what they are wanting to do.  But let me be the first to say it: no matter how theatrical he might be, he.can’t.sing.  Newstead is the only one who sees through the arrogant swagger. He’s a trainwreck waiting to happen.  It was a great arrangement of this song, giving it more of a rocking feel.  But the vocals stink.

Zayra Alvarez–Call Me: She has no business on this show.  The only reason she has stayed this long is because she amuses the band.  Dave’s withering comments to her will definitely put her in the bottom 3 tonight. The performance was uninspiring and flat.  She can start that solo career now. Say goodbye to Penelope Cruz.
Dana Andrews–About a Girl: Do you remember at the end of the movie, Grease, when Sandy appears all punked out? The idea is that she has made the complete transformation to bad girl in order to get the boy.  Yeah, it’s like that.  But, you don’t really buy it, do you? You still know that she’s Olivia Freaking Newton John, right? Dana brought the edge last night.  She showed she can rock.  But, still you know that she can’t continue the facade for long without completely skidding off the rails.

Patrice Pike–Remedy: Patrice has been consistently good through the whole competition.  Last night, however, was just an average performance of a second-rate song.  Lashing out at Dave because you were not at your best was not a smart move, either. Cynthia Nixon could be in the bottom three.
Toby Rand–White Wedding: Toby is talented and has a lot to offer.  This performance did not display that.  Here’s a memo to the producers: Nirvana, Black Crowes, and Billy Idol songs have been done.  We know that you got clearance to their entire catalog, but this is enough.  Do we ever need to hear White Wedding again? I didn’t think so.  So there is no adequate measure of Toby’s performance.

Magni–Heroes: He shed the Bono shades and picked up a guitar for a somewhat staid performance.  He has the chops, but is a middling showman. He could easily vault into the top 5 by listening to what the band is telling him.

Ryan Star–I Alone: He shares, along with Dana, the most improved designation.  It was obvious that he was comfortable with this song.  He’s safe for another week.

Jill Gioia–Brown Sugar: Gilby joined in on this tune and the energy immediately kicked into overdrive.  I thought Jill gave an inspired performance of a classic tune.  She has the voice but her stage presence needs a lot of work.

Phil Ritchie–One Headlight: Phil had made strides in his performance last week.  Now, after that listless performance, he is right back where he started from. It’s obvious that he won’t make it much farther in this competition.

Dilana–Time After Time: Wow. Thankfully, all three band members get a vote in the winner of this competition.  That means that Tommy can’t just hand it to Lukas, and the best performer in the lot has a shot.  Dilana is, at this point, head and shoulders above everyone else.  She’s the real deal.  I wasn’t scared during her performance.  Instead, I was touched by the emotion and pathos she brought to one of the great lyrics of the 80′s.  The fact that she can pull off “Lithium” and Cyndi Lauper shows her range. Phenomenal.

Josh Logan–No Rain: Josh is living on borrowed time. He’s a great vocalist but there is no way he will ever front Supernova.

Storm Large–Anything, Anything: Have I mentioned that I love Storm Large?  She turned in a raucous, rousing performance topped off by a head-long dive into the crowd.  She knows how to command the stage with naked emotion and has the vocal chops to pull off any song choice. To me, she is the only legitimate challenger to Dilana. I don’t know this song, but I’ll be looking it up.

Here’s how it shapes up to me:

Repeat performance: Storm Large (although if it was up to me, I’d head Dilana again.)

Bottom Three: Zayra, Phil and Josh (Patrice or Jill could wind up here as well)

Going home: Zayra

Earlier this year I read Taylor Branch’s masterful trilogy on the civil rights movement during the time of Martin Luther King.

For over 2500 pages I was engrossed in the tale of how America began to shed a large part of its dark history of racial hatred.  I found myself rooting for an alternative outcome for the fate of Dr. King, as if by reading these works somehow the ending would come out differently.

As if hatred would somehow be eradicated.  As if James Earl Ray’s bullet would have somehow missed the target and an aged Dr. King would still be inspiring us in person, today.

But, it was not to be.

Yesterday, I read Elie Wiesel’s equally poignant and moving account of his experience in the Nazi death camps (see sidebar).  I was immediately struck by how Wiesel was able to capture in just 115 pages the same level of pathos, heartbreak and longing that Branch had done in his much weightier tomes.

Both of these works shine the spotlight on dark chapters in the history of man.  One thing that amazed me in my reading was how little of this I was taught growing up in school.

The civil rights movement was giving passing nods as we talked about the greater issues of how this country was founded and other issues of import.

The holocaust was given short-shrift while we discussed where to find the best Arkansas Indian arrowheads.

To this day, I wonder why.  Why did we not discuss the civil rights movement more in depth at my school?

Was it too fresh?  Were my school books not current enough to provide more than a footnote.

Was it shame?

Why? 

I know a good deal of American History.  Much of it I learned in school.  But the darker days of the civil rights movement I had to learn for myself.

I know a good deal about the World Wars. (Don’t we love to talk about World War II?) But what I learned about genocide and the abject hatred of the Nazi’s was more fully grasped on my own. I learned more about the holocaust by watching Schindler’s List than I ever did in school.

This is not, in any way, an attempt to disparage my education. I went to an outstanding school growing up, and feel somewhat educated.

I just wonder if we sometimes try to minimize our hatreds.

An ugly practice that continues to this day.  Hate the sin, love the sinner, right?

I’ve hated too much in my life.  I lived through my own night of intolerance.

I don’t want to do it anymore.

• Joseph Lieberman picked the wrong time to act like a Republican.  His staunch support of the Iraqi war may cost the 3 term senator his party’s nomination in two weeks.
• Speaking of two weeks, it’s just 13 days to the first NFL exhibition game of the season.  Can you smell the Steelers in the air?  Football is what it’s all about.
• I’ve lost 7 pounds in the last five days.  I miss pizza. But I can fit into some of my “preaching” clothes again.
• There should be some sort of law severely curtailing the amount of time a governor or senator can spend campaigning for president.  Actually, it should be outlawed altogether.  Finish the job you have before you start working toward another one.
• Reading Sam Walker’s Fantasyland (see sidebar) makes me miss my old Cool Papa Bell fantasy league.  Although I typically stunk up the joint, the draft was one of my favorite days of the year.
• I’m impressed by the blogs that stay continually on topic.  I’m too scattered to do that.  Everything I write doesn’t have a deep thought or devotional thrust. No great theological insight about my trip to Wal-Mart. I like to talk about faith, music, TV, books, politics, family and sports.
• I’m fairly confident that I will not vote Republican again anytime in the near future.  This last hit was too much (more on that later)
• Whoever said home ownership was a good investment never bought a money pit without the requisite handy-man skills.
• My 3-year old is winning the battle of the wills.  Forget regularly scheduled meals and snacks.  I’m installing a buffet line that she can graze at all day long.
• Two movies I’ve started watching in the past week that were too bad to finish: The Upside of Anger and White Noise
• It’s tiring being the only minister on staff.  I’ve been the sole minister of a congregation for 4 and a half years now.  I’m spent.

What’s on your mind?

From the series “Great Themes of the Old Testament.”

If the player doesn’t work, you can find it here.

…”Emerge” already.

Carry on.