steve-o
Introduction To The House of Carr
Introduction To The House of Carr

Rounding Third . . .

Hate to use a baseball analogy on a night when the Reds sucked [but the home plate ump wasn't much better] but we're ready to head for home when it comes to the Echo relaunch. Tonight we had a gathering here at the condo with the core group. These are some great people who have joined our vision of an urban church in our area and they've embraced the call. It's not easy starting a church; you need people who can see something that isn't there but believe it will be. That's the type of people God has brought in on this. I'm so excited for them. I pray their faith can be rewarded and see Echo do well.

I can't lie to you: I'm a little nervous. Things are always easier in theory. As these months of plans converge on one date, we have to trust that God will bring it all together. This has been the biggest thing we've ever attempted. I feel as if my whole life has been leading to this one point. Um . . . no pressure.

But that's when I step back, take a deep breath, and realize that God is truly in control. The one thing we've done a lot this year is pray. I don't think I've ever prayed so much about one thing. And we've had many people lifting up our ministry before God. Too many things have happened this past year that have displayed God's involvement. He's taken care of us so far, so why should we doubt now?

This Sunday night is the culmination of our month of prayer. We're using our weekly gathering as a time of corporate prayer to lift up our community, our church, and our mission. It'll take place in the sanctuary at the Walnut Hills Christian Church at 6:30pm. If you're in town, feel free to join us.

Everyday Love

Yes, Kelly and I were married eight years ago today. And how do we celebrate such a date? Sitting in front of the television watching Rockstar: Supernova, plugging away on our laptops, all while flinging Kaelyn around to make her laugh.

Can you say romantic?

Now in my/our defense, we had the chance to go out on Saturday night as Kelly's parents watched Kaelyn. It was rather enjoyable. But no cards today. We both forgot until mid-morning that this was actually the date. A lot of people are critical of me when, on major "relationship" holidays, I don't make a big deal out of it. It's almost as if people take delight when saying, "Ooooh, you're gonna get it!"

But I don't care. They're wrong.

One of the reasons the past eight years has gone so well for us is because Kelly and I are a lot alike. We enjoy the daily moments we're able to spend together, the intelligent conversation, the loving attitude not reserved for romantic holidays. So when it comes to days like this, we can go on like it's any other day because we've banked up enough love to last. I'll admit it's not like every holiday's a free pass. I made a big deal out of Kel's first Mother's Day to make is special. And every once in awhile we get each other cards. And once a President, I buy her flowers.

And she still loves me. Cause we're cool like that. I call it our everyday love.

Thanks for making the last eight years wonderful, Kel. Let's go for eighty.

Mel, Say It Ain't So

A DUI is one thing, but this is even crazier. For the director/producer of the Passion of the Christ, a movie accused of being anti-Semitic, to fire off these blasts, I'd say Mel is in trouble in Hollywood. And I don't think inebriation will be a viable excuse.

In case you missed it, after going 80 in a 45, and blowing a point one two, Mel was arrested. Upon being detained, Gibson was quoted as saying, "****ing Jews! The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." He then asked one of the officers, "Are you a Jew?" Plus he dropped some sexual remarks towards a female officer.

Stick a fork in him. He's done.

All I can say is, "Yikes."

Welcome To The Terrordome

Alright! The new Echo website is up and operational. Matt and the guys at Factor 1 rocked it. A few things to point out:

1) It is flash-based, so you might need to get a download to view it properly. A bonus for us is that the content management on it is also flash-based, which means no messing with html to change the pages.

2) Normally we'll stream music on the site. I just have to get some uploaded.

3) There are still a couple of tweaks to be done, so you can check it out later on and see subtle alterations.

4) Our hosting is done through good friend [and newlywed] BCoates at hostacular. I can get you info if you'd like.

5) Everything but the home page is my photography. Just bragging.

You can give feedback but I love it and we're sticking with it regardless.

Filler

Memo to Scott Duebber: sometimes I don't post 59 times a morning. With a two day absence, I'm a little disappointed you didn't call the authorities. Thanks for caring. Here's an update: It's been a weird week for me. Kelly had to be out Monday and Tuesday, so it was Kaelyn and me two days in a row. During that time I was fighting a lingering cold which kept me down all day Wednesday. Kaelyn's had the same thing so we've both been coughing and wheezing, trying to see who can get this most sympathy from Kelly. Today we both turned the corner and are feeling better. Or at least I think she is. She won't tell me.

I've been stressed out this week about the mass mailing we're going to do for Echo's relaunch. My representative at Outreach has been out of the office the past couple of weeks and it's been impossible to get any of their people to call me back. Plus, I found out that we had trouble with the bulk mail permit, so I've been on my cell three days straight trying to find a solution. I think I finally solved it this afternoon. Can't say for sure because NO ONE FROM OUTREACH WILL TAKE MY CALLS [no, not bitter]. But I think we're good to go.

Shout out to Markus, another Presbyterian I know. Had some good conversation about ministry this afternoon at Starbucks.

Teaser: hopefully, by the weekend, Echo's new website will be up. We had a company from Phoenix do a custom job for us and I think it looks awesome. Keep checking it out here.

Finally, one of the greatest moments in my life thus far has been Kaelyn recognizing who I am. Just recently, I've noticed that she looks at me, even if I'm not looking at her. Then when I look in her eyes, she starts to smile broadly, as if to say, "I know who you are, Daddy." Awesome. No matter how sick I feel, or how bad things about my week have been, I've got this little girl who's figuring out how much I love her.

Beit Carr Disclaimer

As people continue to come across my blog, I thought it was time for me to articulate some disclaimers about Beit Carr. But first, a little explanation. I find blogging to be a useful tool. It allows me the opportunity to present my thoughts in a public forum. Sometimes there's a cultural issue that I want to comment on. Maybe there's a news story that I feel deserves more attention. Or perhaps I just want to brag about my family or friends. I post it on the blog, and it's out there.

In addition to personal benefits, I think this blog can be useful to the reader as well. Every few weeks, I get comments from people who have read my blog and say something to the effect of: "I can't believe you're a minister. You sound like a normal person." Not quite sure if "normal" is the best term by which to describe me, but I'm glad people see that pastors can be human.

But blogging can be a risky undertaking for clergy because it exposes them to direct criticism. If they present an idea isn't Christian enough or admit a personal flaw, some individuals may use that information as ammunition in order to attack the pastor. This is why few pastors are willing to blog and those that do are fearful of being anything but generic with their thoughts.

But I'm going to keep on being me and using Beit Carr to throw my ideas out there. That being said, here's my list of disclaimers.

1. The thoughts posted here at Beit Carr are ideas I am comfortable with as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. My daily aim is to live my life under the authority of God as specifically explained in the Holy Christian Scriptures. I will sometimes post incomplete thoughts that I'm wrestling or use humor that people might not get. Hey, that's me and how I live life. But I take seriously my calling and don't abandon it when I get behind a keyboard.

2. The thoughts posted here at Beit Carr are not representative of Echo Church. That might seem like a laughable statement since I teach/preach using personal thoughts every week. But Echo is much, much bigger than me. This is my personal voice, not the church's. Additionally, if anything I ever write/say is objectional, I'm in submission to the leadership of the church to correct me. So if I ever cross the line, I'm accountable.

3. I take no responsibility for outside comments posted at Beit Carr. Blog comments are an opportunity for people to interact with things I've written and, even when I disagree, I appreciate them. However, there will always be comments posted that some people will find more objectional than others. Unless I find it blantantly offensive I'll allow for free speech and let it stand, but that doesn't mean I agree with it.

4. I take no responsibility for the content found on any of the links at Beit Carr. The links here at Beit Carr are a collection of sites that I find useful and blogs by people I've met throughout the years. Sometimes content on a referred site will be objectional or a person will say a ridiculous statement. I can't monitor everything on all these links, so instead of choosing to have no links at all, I'll refer them but send you out at your own risk.

Friends, the internet's a crazy place. True, it's home of some of the ugliest, repulsive content that humans could ever imagine. But the medium itself is not evil. There's a lot of good that can come out of it as well. That's why I like my little corner here on the world wide web. Just trying to do some good and make some people smile. Hope you enjoy it.

Blessings, steve

The Middle East Conflict

I've withheld comments concerning the current war between Israel and Lebanon, but since the IDF just bombed some of my financial interests [they inadvertently hit a Proctor & Gamble warehouse and I'm a stockholder] I guess it's time to break my silence. I should preface my comments by admitting that spending a couple weeks in Israel last year changed my perspective. Having the opportunity to witness firsthand the tension between Israelis and Arabs caused me to reconsider my views. I used to have unabashed sympathy for Israel. But seeing the plight of innocent Palestinians [don't laugh, they do exist] led me to a more objective view of the situation.

Israel was once the oppressed minority in the region. Although they're numerically a minority in the region the reality is that, militaristicly, they're now in control. The only weapon Hamas or Hezbollah could possibly wield against them is terrorism. The problem is, and this dilemma the US is currently facing, how do you effectively fight terrorism?

Sure, you can bomb countries back into the Stone Age, as Israel intends to do to Lebanon, but this produces two negative results: 1) it victimizes innocent civilians caught in the crossfire and 2) it allows another generation to foster even more hatred which encourages more terrorism. Yes, Israel is justified in its present course of action, but is it wise to keep hammering Lebanon with such force? I don't think so.

I would suggest a more surgical approach to the problem. The IDF could do a lot more damage through assassination and covert opps than through mass bombings, but I'm guessing it doesn't send a strong enough message. And, of course, no country is going to come out and condemn the actions as excessive because they don't want to come down soft on terrorism. But at what point is the continued bombings enough for Israel to feel justified?

Listen, friends, I'm not defending the actions of Hezbollah and Hamas, but it's not just innocent Israelis that are losing their lives here. It's easy to excuse these deaths as casualties of war but seeing the faces of people caught in the crossfire altered my perspective. It's all just really sad.

This crisis is symptomatic, not only of the past 58 years of the nation of Israel's existence, but of thousands of years of conflict in the region. If only Abraham and Sarah had known the longlasting result of fathering a child with Hagar. One little sin committed thousands of years ago affects the lives of so many people today.

No Joke

It's a slow TV night, as most Friday's are, so I was using the channel guide on our digital cable box to see what other shows would be on later. I flipped over to A&E, hoping to see if Dog The Bounty Hunter would be on later, and laughed when I saw the following show would be showing in a couple hours. Cleavage: Mankind's fascination with breasts.

Keep in mind that this is A&E and it's supposed to be a documentary.

There are probably some compelling facts that needed to be shared about this subject, in addition to some historical background, so much so that it necessitated a two-hour installment.

After laughing uncontrollably, I asked Kelly to imagine the board meeting that had to happen at A&E's headquarters last year so this show could air. I'm sure it went something like this:

A&E President: "OK, now let's work on the summer line-up. Friday nights are slow, so we need to be really creative with our ideas. Executive #1: "How about another reality show?" A&E President: "That's all we got on the network now! Dig deeper." Executive #2: "How about another wedding show?" A&E President: "Are you kidding me? We're already airing fifteen of them." [Meanwhile, the janitor enters boardroom to empty out trash.]. Executive #3: "How about a redecoration show?" Executive #4: "Something with Hasselhoff?" A&E President: "You guys are killing me. It's all crap! We need shows that people want to watch. You there," [motions to the janitor] "what kind of thing do you think people want to see on TV?" Janitor: "Breasts?" A&E President: [Pauses] "Great idea. Let's get a documentary crew together and get someone on it." [To the executives] "Why can't you guys think more outside the box?"

My Expanse and Stupidity

I'm still checking out my My Space account. I still don't like it, but I have to admit that it has helped me connect with people I haven't heard from in years. Plus, I have many, many friends. Like I need a stupid website to stroke my self-esteem [of course, I guess this blog can also do the same, but that's neither here nor there]. Any-who, some Kentucky basketball fans came across the My Space account of a high school recruit from West Virginia who's considering the Wildcats. The kid still hasn't decided where he wants to go to school so some UK fans have been leaving him messages encouraging him to come to Lexington. All well and good, except that this could be an NCAA recruiting violation. UK officials have already reported it as a possible rules infraction.

Only the coaching staff can make contact with potential recruits. This keeps boosters from getting to a kid in high school and promising mad cash if they come to his/her school. That's why no one even remotely affiliated with a college [including fans] are supposed to make contact with unsigned high school kids. This little My Space fiasco might [probably won't] bring about NCAA sanctions.

But, once again, here's a case where the NCAA needs to get over themselves. My Space has about 100 million users, many of them between the ages of 16-22. I'm pretty sure there aren't any kids in America that don't have a My Space account. And there's always going to be obsessed college fans seeking out recruits and sucking up to them. So the only response to be totally safe is to bar the potential recruit from having a My Space account.

And you wonder why these college/professional athletes do such crazy things. They're told very early in life that they're not like everyone else. That they need to play by different rules. Pretty soon, after years of being kept in a box but told they're the best thing since sliced bread [see: Maurice Clarett] they're in full fledged rebellion. You know, I used to think that having multiple ESPN's were a good thing. I couldn't wait for The Ocho. Now I'm not too sure.

Sidenote: The NCAA is the legalized Mafia. They use kids to make billions but don't give a rip about them. However much I love college sports, the NCAA will never make my friends list.

History Goes Back More Than 25 Years

Here's something I just read that I can't seem to get out of my head. This minister was writing about a luncheon he attended: "The guest speaker? The most famous author in Christian history and Senior Pastor of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, Max Lucado."

I'm still laughing to myself.

Now I'm sure the guy was trying to be complementary, but that could be one of the most ridiculous sentences I've read in a long time coming from a well-educated person. It's so sad I refuse to hyperlink to the article so as not to embarrass him further. Actually, I still haven't read the entire article because I couldn't get past that statement.

Just because Max sells plenty of books in the Christian marketing machine doesn't mean he's the most famous author in Christian history.

There was once this guy named CS Lewis who wrote a few books you might know. Our his good friend JRR Tolkien wrote some Christian -based fiction that sold well.

You might not have heard of GK Chesterton who lived late 1800's to early 1900's, but he, despite his poor dietary habits, was a stud in his day.. His book Orthodoxy is a masterpiece of Christian literature that is still influential 100 years later.

And that's just the past 150 years. What about John Calvin or Martin Luther? What about Augustine of Hippo who's City of God and Confessions are still read 1600 years later? And, sorry to point this out, but the apostle Paul was an author. Wrote some interesting stuff that Max felt compelled to write a book about; a book that was able to combine "the gentle wisdom of Max Lucado with the timeless Word of God." Yeah, baby.

Look, I'm not trying to be mean here and I really have nothing against dear Maxwell [I even have financially contributed to his empire]. But his books are illustration laden and will not be referred to a hundred years from now. But Paul and Augustine's works, however, will indeed stand the test of time. The most famous author in Christian history? I think not.

It just goes to show you that people struggle to see the context of world history beyond their own generation.

Here . . . Ace!

Never had a hole-in-one. I holed out a 150 yard shot for a birdie before [bad tee shot], but that's about it. USA Today had an article about holes-in-one today, and how rare it is to get one. Amateurs have a 1-in-12,500. It talks about celebrities and presidents who have holed out with on swing and it offers up this gem:

"The North Korean Ministry of Information claims that dictator Kim Jong Il had 11 holes in one — in his first round."

Interesting, huh? Maybe this explains it: "Other North Koreans could soon get the same thrill. The par-3 14th at Diamond Country Club in the Geumgang Mountains will have a concave-shaped green that guarantees an ace for any tee shot that lands on the green. 'The green won't be used every day,' course designer Chang Gi-dae told South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper. 'We plan to use it on special days or for special people.'"

Classic.

Ten Years Seems Shorter Than It Used To Be

The Daily Show is ten years old. We watch rather frequently but of all the shows they've ever aired, a certain piece by correspondant Steve Carell still ranks as my favorite all time. I had on tape at one time and still laugh just thinking about it. It's up on You Tube so I'll post the link. The subject is a cussing parrot so, even though extra naughty words are bleeped out, some might not want to view it. But for those who can tolerate it, here it is.

Digital Playground

When I have my day off with Kaelyn, I quickly figure out what tasks I can accomplish with a fifteen pound five-month-old in my hands. For instance, since there are times when she's fussy or needs a bottle that can only be done when I'm standing, watching television is a must. Fortunately, we have cable, so I spent a couple of hours watching Dog The Bounty Hunter. Heard good things about it, but I never watched it until today. It was rather entertaining. I might have to make it a frequent view.

While holding Kaelyn it's tough to work on the laptop, unless it requires no typing. Usually that means surfing the web to read my RSS feeds. But today I felt motivated to mess around with my Adobe Photoshop Elements software.

Photoshop Elements is the less frills, cheaper version of regular Photoshop, but it still allows you to kick some serious butt. I had the program a few months before I started to learn it and used today as a chance to experiment and see what I could do.

Thought I'd share, so here's some of the stuff I came up with:

Union Terminal

Fort Washington Way on-ramp

Cincinnati Skyline

Dan Beard Bridge

More later.

Not So Poisonous

The last time Aaron and I were at Annie's, we were rocking out to Brett Michaels. Tonight, a mere week before they were welcoming Girls Gone Wild [no joke], we went to her Echo's worship leader play. Tye and Andrea VonAllmen are Artists and Authors, trying to do music and make a difference. They had the chance to open up for Seabird tonight [who Aaron kept calling "Seabass"] and played a great set. They'll be cutting an EP soon that should be most excellent.

We're incredibly blessed to have Tye and Andrea help as we get Echo up and running. Be sure to check out their music at Myspace.

My Entire Planet Is Blue

I have ideas, friends. Crazy ideas. Sometimes they haunt me. In fact, they haunt me so bitterly that I'm sometimes compelled to do something about them. Recently I've been mulling a particular idea. Even yesterday I made reference to my Tetris obsession. As I've been playing the Gameboy version the past few months I envisioned a book that would draw practical leadership applications from playing the game.

For instance, take risks, but take controlled risks. Sure it might yield huge points to clear four lines, but who's to say that illustrious four blocker will even appear? Or how about this simple one: never give up. Just when you're ready to reset the game, things can fall into place without you even doing anything.

There's plenty more where that came from. I'm a veritable fount of Russian leadership fundamentals.

And there are compelling reasons, I believe, that would cause people to purchase such a book such as:

  • The twentieth anniversary of the game is coming next year, so the cross-promotion timing would be perfect.
  • Leadership books are still a desired commodity, but few present themselves as "outside of the box." Yet those are the exact books that sell well. A Tetris leadership book? Way outside that there box.
  • A book like this also appeals to the legions of Tetris fans who've spent hours playing [as well as dreaming about] this geometric masterpiece.

I was feeling it, folks.

So before I wasted time working a manuscript or contacting publishing companies I decided to see if it was even feasible. You see, a company called Blue Planet Software owns all copyright powers for the game of Tetris [there's even a fascinating article on their site about how the game took off]. My book would be impossible without their complete approval, so I wrote a wonderfully descriptive email stating my idea/case, asking them if a book would even be a possibility.

I held my breath and, two days later, I received this:

Hi Steve, WOW, thank you for sharing your "Tetris" experience and your request for permission to publish a "leadership skills of Tetris" book. Unfortunately, we respectfully decline your request.

All the best to you,
David Kwock

Business Development Blue Planet Software Denied. Very sad.

It's still a good idea, people. I'll store this one in the vaults until they come around. But until them, if you see a Tetris leadership book on the market in the next couple of years, call my lawyers 'cause you heard it here first.

Lost Respects

Quick, what is this a picture of? If you answered a video game funeral, you'd be correct.

I still don't get the fascination with these online role-play games. Never played Dungeons and Dragons, dabbled in War Craft but I sucked at it, so I figured I should stick to Tetris and be content. Good move. I could've cost me a wife . . . and a life.

Today's gamers are hardcore crazy. They spend hours developing whole virtual societies that they take very seriously. Hence, the afore mentioned virtual funeral. I can't fathom that people would play a video game to pay respects to another character. Can you imagine the conversation some guy had to have:

Friend: "Hey man, wanna go catch a movie later?" Gamer: "Can't. I have to go to a funeral." Friend: "Sorry about that. Is the ceremony in town?" Gamer: "Not really. It will take place beside the Lake of Gobblegrand in Gnomeworld. Friend: "Uh, O.K. Who died? Gamer: "Geldolf, Enchanter of the Harland Woods." Friend: "Um . . . right. How old was he?" Gamer: "1,999 years old. It's rather unfortunate. He was a few weeks shy of his 2,000th birthday." Friend: "Yeah . . . I don't think we should hang out anymore."

Truly sad.

The only thing funnier than that funeral would be this:

A video game funeral killing spree.

Seems some guys decided to hijack the funeral and started killing all who attended. Priceless. Maybe gaming isn't as dorky as I thought.

I'm going to put a link to the video here for those interested, but must warn you that it contains explicit language. If you prefer not to observe potty language, then this video isn't for you. With that warning in place, here it is.

Need To Waste Ten Minutes?

Then here's a fascinating read. You ever get those spam emails telling you of a great investment opportunity in Africa? You know, the one that claims that, if you'll only mail some poor sap $3,000, you'll gain access to millions of dollars in a king's Swiss bank account?

Well this guy did and decided to play a game with the spammer. What follows is an amazing two month ordeal where the potential victim ends up duping the guy for custom-made stuff.

Like I warned, it takes awhile to read, but I found it worth it in the end.

HT: Two Worlds

I Cannot Tell A Lie:

Right now, I'm watching Pee Wee's Playhouse on Comedy Central. Before there was Sponge Bob, there was Pee-Wee. A quick synopsis of what's going on:

-The foil ball is huge.

-The goalie from the movie The Mighty Ducks is on. But he's like 7 years old.

-A pre-Neo Laurence Fishburne is Cowboy Curtis.

-A pre-SNL Phil Hartman is Captain Carl [RIP].

-A scene with Tito, the lifeguard of Pee-Wee's pool, made me feel icky.

-The King of Cartoons is a fascist dictator.

-Wonder what happened to Penny during the recession?

-Randy, the bully, is doing ten to twenty in the state pen for stabbing a guy.

-And the secret word is "door."

I believe, in the next episode, he leads a field trip to a movie theatre in East LA.

No wonder so many in my generation reverted to pot. It's probably the only way that this show makes any sense.

"Mecka-lecka-hi, mecka-hinee-ho."