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Introduction To The House of Carr
Introduction To The House of Carr

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Apply Peer Pressure Here

One little request for you faithful readers: I've described the process by which I was converted to the Myspace cult. I now think it's time for someone else to succumb to the will of popular culture.

My wife Kelly is a way better writer than I've ever been and she has yet to start a blog. It's sad, indeed. With so many people using cyberspace as their personal sounding board, there's no yin to my yang [not a sexual remark] on the world wide web. Yes, it's time for Kelly to start blogging.

Am I right? Yes. Yet, like many other ideas that I have, she sometimes tunes me out. But if the masses speak, she will be forced to respond. We need to move to action.

Force Kelly into blogging.

Leave a comment on this post and let her know you feel this way too.

Quick Hits

  • Last night we attended the CEF Banquet. This is the group granting us funds to do our fall marketing campaign for Echo. Dick Alexander, from Lifespring Christian Church here in Cincinnati, spoke and did an excellent job. His message alone was worth the trip.
  • We had seven people come with us to the banquet, by far the youngest demographic in attendance. Case in point: the main course was hamloaf. What is hamloaf? Do a Google of it and find out. I'll give you a hint: Spam is the main ingredient. You don't serve hamloaf to people under sixty-five. It's just not right. Rhonda, who attended with us, emailed me a recipe for it today. And that's yet one more thing to put on my "never make this" list. The food in Jordan was less scary.
  • I had to get a background police check done on me today. I really want to let you know why, but it'll take a week before I can say publicly . But if you're really curious, watch America's Most Wanted tonight for details.
  • I have to wake up really early next Sunday for the Flying Pig Marathon. Am I running? Yeah, right; like I have the desire to beat up my body like that. If I want the marathon experience, I'll go play in traffic in front of the condo and wait to get hit by a Metro bus. No, I'm going to be doing a devotion for all the interested runners about half an hour before things get started. If you're going to be down there, it'll be in a parking lot near the starting line, off Mehring Way, between 5:30 and 5:45. Yes, that's AM. We'll see how it works out, but I'm going to have to start training to wake up that early.
  • Getting ready to wrap up our series on Genesis at Echo. Looks like we'll wrap it up with a little more than seven months of messages. I might write more on this later, but I'm glad that we're doing it this way. It might seem like a long series, but I think our people have benefited from seeing the entire book within its context. After this, we're moving onto Romans and will most likely hit one of the four gospels this fall.
  • Added a few new recommended links to the side of the page. I now have a separate Echo line-up, in addition to a new section I call "Tracking Cincy." It's critical that I stay up-to-date on Cincinnati issues and these are sites I frequent to help me do so. I'll warn you that I don't defend all the ideas [or language] found in these sites, but I do find them helpful for doing ministry in our context.
  • I know this is internet 101, but I've been meaning to post this tip for awhile. If you frequent a lot of blogs and websites that post new content and aren't using an RSS reader, you're wasting your time. On most sites [and almost all blogs] you can subscribe to an RSS feed [stands for "Really Simple Syndication"] so you only have to go to one place to do your reading. I use Google Reader, where I get all the updated content I'm subscribed to. It's Really Simple, Stupid [just keeping with the acronym, people]. I'm able to scan the content from 50 sites in minutes as opposed to having to click bookmarks or enter in url's. I know this is really basic for some of you, but many of you are missing out. Let me know if that tip was helpful.
  • Tomorrow it's off to Lexington for yet another baby shower. Who doesn't like this kid?

All for now.

Raining Babies

Kaelyn had a doctor's appointment this morning that turned out to be meaningless. They were going to give her a final RSV shot to help with her lungs, but [after 40 minutes, mind you] they said it wasn't necessary because it's the spring. Which, by the way, they told us a few months ago but changed their mind . . . only to change it again today.

No, I'm not bitter.

The one interesting thing was that they weighed Kaelyn in at 9 pounds, 15.5 ounces, just half an ounce shy of ten pounds. If she hadn't spit up part of that last bottle this morning, it might have pushed her over the edge.

And FYI, my sister is pregnant again [congrats, Becky!], due in October. So by the end of the year, that'll put all my siblings at three kids each, leaving us two behind.

Are we jealous?

With the sleep we're [not] getting? Nope.

Me And The Kid

This is the first day that Kelly had to go back into the office, so it's the first day of extended dad and daughter time. She was quieter this morning, but has been wired all afternoon. Yes, Michael Keaton, I am Mr. Mom.

But since it's "Take Your Daughter To Work Day" and I'm working out of the house, I guess I was just doing my duty as a good father. Everyone in the office seems to like her.

Anyway, I thought I'd use this opportunity to tell a story I've been holding onto for a couple of days. It's a little gross, so you might not be interested.

I always wondered how I'd do with the diaper changing. I have a pretty strong stomach, but I'm not a big feces person. I heard an interesting quote on Seinfeld that summed up how I've been able to deal with it. Elaine is hanging out with a bunch of her friends who have babies and, as the scene opens, one mother remarked, " . . . but when it's your own baby's poop, it's not that bad." I've actually found this to be true. I have no problem dealing with our baby's poo, and have gotten the diaper change down to a science. It's no big deal.

Last week I woke up early in the morning to feed the little girl. In the middle of feeding her, we usually go for the diaper change because it's when she's the least resistant. It was a beautiful, quiet morning and Kaelyn was subdued. As I laid her on the changing table, she looked at me with her big [currently] blue eyes. I took off the dirty diaper and, before I could fasten on her new one, she proceeded to relieve herself. Number 2, mind you. And it was a well placed projectile.

Before I could blink, I had baby poo all the way up my arm. Fortunately, I was wearing a t-shirt.

All I could do was stare at her. I just wish someone had been around to witness it. I almost had the urge to pull out the camera so I could have proof, but decided to let it be a father/daughter moment.

Yep, I'm living the good life.

Going Pro

We're now a two computer home. Kelly officially heads back to work tomorrow. The blessing is she'll be working from home; she'll have to go in for about four hours each week, but beyond that it's me, her, and the kid working at the condo [not sure how much work Kaelyn gets done beyond her diaper]. Standard requires that you supply your own computer when working from home, and sharing one just wasn't a possibility.

We knew we were going to get a decent tax return back so we planned on using the-money-we-loaned-interest-free-to-the-United-States-government to pay for it. And I was able to finagle a discount so I went for the new MacBook Pro. It's sleek. It's silver. And it's freaking awesome.

I purchased a firewire and was able to transfer all the contents from the iBook to this laptop in half an hour. Now we don't have to wrestle over who gets to use the computer, leaving us ample opportunity to wrestle about other things [7+ years of marriage and still the fire burns].

I guess we're now officially a Mac family since we now have two Apple computers. Yeah, I guess we're yuppie scum, but we're getting things done.

Filler Post

I have a lot of pots in the fire right now. Too much to update tonight, especially considering that I'm one-handed typing right now. Kaelyn's sleeping on my chest so the laptop is lying on the couch beside me as I hunt-n-peck with my right hand, working up a good case of carpal tunnel. I'm actually getting good at it.

More tomorrow.

I Love To Teach

With Aaron vacationing in Hilton Head, he needed a replacement to teach his CCU class. I had the chance to take his place and I have to admit: I love to teach.

It's rather fascinating because I was never a big fan of school. I was and still am, however, passionate about learning. I think it's because I enjoy telling people about the things I have learned. There's so much information out there that it's tough for some people to assimilate what's important. That's what I try to do in the pulpit or in the classroom: give people intimidating material in digestible amounts. And getting to use the Bible as a primary source just makes it that much more enjoyable.

There's always something encouraging when you see the light come on in a person, and even more when you flip the switch. Maybe that's why I feel like I'm running on all cylinders with Echo. I'm getting to do what I love.

Just thought you should know.

Bad-Am-I

We had a visit today from the Badami's. Jason and Dalea were the best man/maid of honor in our wedding. We all met while in college. They sorta got me and Kelly together; yep, if it wasn't for them, we might not have gotten together. We've been able to maintain our friendship throughout the years and enjoy the times we can all get together. They were in town for a family get-together and stopped in briefly with their three kids. ***Quick note: scary that we have friends our age with three kids. Even scarier that one of those kids is eight years old.

In addition to helping me find the love of my life, Jason also introduced me to another great love: soccer. If he hadn't asked me to play indoor soccer with him our freshman year, I'm not sure I ever would've played. I can't imagine not playing soccer.

We became close friends at the end of our sophomore year. I'm not sure what brought it on, but it's been a great friendship. Some of the best stories I know involve Jason. I don't have enough time to share them all now, but if I share a few, you might understand why we click.

  • Jason had a vision of the coolest dorm room ever. He went through the dorm gathering all the mattresses he could find. He emptied out all the furniture and filled the room with wall-to-wall mattresses. I wish I had a picture, but Jason was proud jumping on his 20'x16' bed.
  • Jason thought of the idea of a "good-luck squirrel" for our soccer team. He skinned a squirrel and carried it around in a cereal box to every game. And it actually worked. So the next season, while in the midst of a losing streak, he knew another squirrel was needed. He had a friend kill one and didn't have time to skin it until we were on a road trip. He chose to do it in a Days Inn parking lot. The people driving by must have been wondering what he was doing skinning a squirrel in a hotel parking lot at midnight.
  • Jason and I roomed together the last semester before he got married. We had this book shelf that spanned across the room. Jason found the perfect accessory to the shelf: a basketball rim. I thought it was funny until I came back from class one afternoon and discovered his modification. Jason used duct tape to make lines for a basketball court. He made court rules [you had to play while kneeling] and invited all the guys on the floor to play. We didn't sleep much that semester.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. From nicknames to flea markets, it's been a ton of fun. It's good to have friends like Jason.

The Day That Wouldn't End

Saturday was non-stop. I'm almost too tired to type. But for you, faithful reader, I will carry on and make it happen. You can thank me later. Woke up this morning and headed up to Walnut Hills to participate in our local extension of Clean-up Cincinnati. Dale, Jim, Larry and me joined countless others walking the area streets picking up trash. It was great to traverse sidewalks I haven't before, meeting quite a few people. A popular misconception of the city is that the city is cold- that people are unfriendly. I swear I heard, "how you doing?" from more people this morning while walking the streets than when we circled the lake in suburban Landen.

I came home briefly to change my clothes to play soccer in a recreational league. This was an outdoor league to compliment my Friday night indoor league. The team I'm playing with was put together, meaning no one knew each other. I was probably the oldest person on me team but, hey, I have the ever-youthful look. I didn't do too bad. I felt a lot better moving with the ball, and was able to create some good things. Since no one is a keeper on the team, I played the second half between the pipes. I posted a clean sheet [no goals allowed], which ain't bad for 5 feet, 9 inches. It was a beautiful day to be out playing.

Then I came home, showered and we left for Jeff Lyon and Jess Finuf's wedding. This was our second trip to Christ's Church at Mason in the same week, and we had a great time seeing some old friends again. And for those CCMers that we didn't get to see this week, I truly apologize. Who knew it would be so hard to talk to hundreds of people in a few hours? We really love you people.

Anyway, about the wedding. It was beautiful to see Jeff head over heels [literally] for his bride. Loves her so much, he just couldn't stand [for] it. And then there was the reception. Perhaps the craziest, alcohol-free wedding I've ever witnessed. I just wish the DJ had turned the music up a little more; I still have 6% of my hearing left. Highlight of the night: having Dan Blair, Jamie Johnson, and Dale Reeves sweat all over me. Yes, I feel dirty.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure all of Warren County held Kaelyn tonight. That being said, I'm trying to figure out why I was the only one who had to change her diapers. Shout-out to the Handels who made the trip from Iowa to support the happy couple. Dang, we miss them.

Tomorrow won't slow down either as we have another full day ahead. But we're young, and dumb, so bring it on.

I Feel Dirty

There's a litany of things I swore I'd never do but eventually did. And, usually, it all turned out for the better. I tried Chinese food. I wore sandals. I bought a Mac.

And the list goes on.

Today I add to the list yet another thing. After a conversation with my friends and ex-coworkers Alex and Erin yesterday, I realized it was time to give in:

I finally created a Myspace page.

I'm a web-whore.

I really hate Myspace. I think it's an ugly site. I've had lots of people in their twenties recommend it to me, but after listening to Alex [who is no longer in his twenties to say the least] I decided it was now time.

So you can find me at www.myspace.com/beitcarr. Add me as a friend. Send me emoticons. Blah, blah, blah.

God help me.

What's In A Shem?

We struggled long and hard about naming Kaelyn. We knew the name would stick with her for her entire life [unless she goes Prince on us and replaces it with a symbol], so it's something we didn't want to screw up. I've already noticed that Kaelyn's a name that you have to repeat to a few times to people who have never heard it. True, the first day of school will be difficult, but it it's not too common. It's a beautiful, unique name that should serve her well. So I wonder how long and hard TomKat thought about the name of their little girl Suri. In an effort to be creative, they sought out a Hebrew name they thought meant, "princess." It's actually, most likely, a derivative of the name Sarah meaning, "Lord." In modern Hebrew, it means "Cabinet Minister." And you thought Kaelyn was bad [by the way, it's Gaelic for "meadow"].

Here's an article about it. My favorite quote in this article is from an Israeli television reporter commenting on the confusion taking place there about the name: "We seem to have learned a new Hebrew word — and from Tom Cruise, no less."

This whole incident reminded me of this article an Old Testament professor wrote about Hebrew tattoos. When you start messing around with another language, especially one that has so many little nuances, just make sure to double check the original meaning.

Why I Like Russell

1) Russell Smith is the Pastor at Covenant First Presbyterian Church downtown- one of the oldest [if not THE oldest] Protestant Church in town. Yes, he's a Presbyterian [they look just like us]. And I've never been friends with many Presbyterians. So for that, I like him. 2) He's tremendously intelligent. If you read his blog, keep the Merriam Webster website up in an adjacent window to figure out some of the words he uses. But despite this . . .

3) He doesn't think less of you for not knowing what he knows. The other day I ran into him at Panera and we started discussing our ministries. He likened his current situation to that of Athanasius. At first I nodded my head but finally gave up and admitted I had no idea what he was talking about. He stopped and explained it to me in a non-condescending manner, that I thoroughly appreciated. Now I know who Athanasius is.

4) And finally, insightful writing like this that forces us Christians to examine how we live out our faith. I was so impressed that I had to write this entire post about him.

Thanks for making us smarter, Russell!

One of Three R's

Wayne: Am I supposed to be a man, am I supposed to say it's okay, I don't mind? [splashes water in his face for tears] I don't mind? Well, I mind! I mind big-time! And you know what the worst part is? I NEVER LEARNED TO READ!Cassandra: Is that true? Wayne: Yes . . . everything except the reading part.

-Wayne's World, 1992

OK, truth is, I can read.

I actually enjoy reading. Let me restate that: I enjoy reading now. Somehow I never warmed to the assigned reading given in school. But since I wrapped up the previous phase of my academic career, I've been perusing volumes at a torrid rate [reading helps your vocabulary . . . reading a thesaurus]. I can wrap up one or two books a week, flying through pages as if it's a race.

But since we've made the move to the city, I've found it difficult to get back into books. I'm not quite sure why, but I can't bring myself to want to finish, or even start, a book. It's not that I've given up reading. I've actually been reading the Bible and Biblical commentaries much more than I ever have, yet I still can't get back into books.

I know I'm going to overcome this eventually, but I'm trying to discover what's at the root of this. Here's what I've discovered. 1) I don't read fiction. I'm not sure if I've ever admitted this here, but I just can't read fiction. I've read about four fictional books in the past five years. If I want to get wrapped up in a story, I'd prefer to rent a movie and get it over in two hours as opposed to multiple days. If I'm going to spend my time reading, I want to get some info out of it than a story. I'm a jerk like that.

2) I read online. I spend at least an hour reading online each day. I read all sorts of things, from news to theological articles to various blogs. I'm still assimilating new information, but it's not in paper form. I guess this makes me a better environmentalist because no trees die so I can read on the internet . . . except the ones I go chop down to get exercise after spending so much time online. 3) I'm listening more. The iPod and high-speed internet have increased the opportunity for my preferred learning avenue. I'm definitely a better aural learner than visual, so listening to various sermons, podcasts and seminars have allowed me a different way to get info. 4) I'm writing more. And not just here on the blog. I've been typing thoughts on various subjects as well as all my sermons. Encouraged by Aaron a few years ago, I began manuscripting my messages and it's been a great habit. Of course, reading helps you become a better writer, so maybe this isn't the best reason. 5) I'm a more selective reader. I really don't think some of the people writing popular books today should be writing. As a minister, I tend to read theological-type literature. Stopped by a Christian bookstore today and the only books I had any interest in purchasing were written by people who have been dead a long time. I struggle reading devotionals because I already have this really cool devotional called, um, the Bible. And almost all those church growth books are crap, so I'd rather not spend the money and be ticked off later.

I'm sure I'll get back into "book learnin'" soon. But, right now, I'm doing fine.

Mmmmm, Placenta!

What's happened to Tom Cruise? He used to be the coolest celebrity in the world! Now he's just creepy. I've written about him and Katie Holmes before, so I couldn't let this opportunity slip by. Tom Cruise wants to eat placenta after baby's birth.

OK, so it's already come out that Tom made the statement as a joke during a GQ interview. But if you joke about something like that and some people actually believe it, what does it say about the state of your wackiness?

In the delivery room with Kaelyn, I jokingly asked if they could pack up the placenta for me. All the nurses and doctors chuckled. None of them thought I was seriously seeking a doggie bag.

Of course I didn't demand that my wife remain silent during delivery. Nor did I refuse anesthetics for my wife. Oh, and I didn't advocate that we not bathe the baby and leave her alone that first day. But then again, I'm not a doctor [Oops! Neither was L Ron Hubbard].

Tom Cruise is now a caricature. He will never be taken seriously again.

I wouldn't imagine that A-1 would help it go down any better.