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

The Day After

I've been doing a lot of reflection throughout the day, all these thoughts following up our relaunch, in addition to this being 9/11. Kelly will tell you that I'm a little bit obsessed about all things September 11th. It was one of those generational forming moments and it happened in the midst of a media society. It was the first world shaping moment that was witnessed in real time. So I was up early this morning watching all the memorial tributes taking place. So dwelling on the tragedy while trying to comprehend what happened last night was difficult. Kelly and Kaelyn took a walk while a messed around with the podcast [still a little rough around the edges. This weeks isn't easy to listen to, but I think we've finally figured it out]. I picked them up in the park and went out to get some lunch.

As Kelly and I talked, we were both in a haze; planning months for a singular event means some sort of let-down will follow. I was ecstatic with how things went last night and thrilled with meeting some new people, but you always tend to think there would be a few more. But that's where your mind can start leading you astray. All that work wasn't for just one event. We've been planting seeds that could take years to take root. Patience is the key.

So reflecting on last night, it was everything it needed to be. It was a new beginning. It was a great experience. And just a couple hours ago I got a call from someone who received a mailer and was unable to attend yesterday; they said they'd be there this week. It's crazy.

Maybe this is the best way to explain it: I've never really had to approach a job or project that seemed to have no clear ending. And that's what starting Echo has been like. You can't get too high, you can't get too low because tomorrow's another day.

And next week we're playing the Browns so it can't be that bad.

A couple of pictures for ya. Many thanks to my father-in-law who came up to take pictures. And Bev watched Kaelyn so Kelly and I were free to get things done.

Her Daddy IS a rock star, no?

The fake palm tree makes for a Caribbean motif.

People always look cooler as cartoons.

It's Time

For months I've been staring out this countdown on my Dashboard: As you can see, it's finally under twenty-four hours. It's crazy to think that by this time tomorrow we'll finally know what we're working with. We're ready . . . well, as ready as we can be with all the unknown variables that exist.

I guess you could say this is what I've been working toward my entire life. Starting tomorrow it gets very real. As I reflect on where God has taken me in the past twelve plus years- books read, seminars attended, messages listened to- I'd say it's about time. I used to have a background on my desktop that had the following quote, "Learn while you can so you can lead when you must." I done learn'd all I could. Time to lead.

Honestly, I'm not too nervous. It's not cockiness; it's a peace that God has given me. The reality is, tomorrow is just another Sunday. We plan on spending decades in the city doing ministry so, no matter how tomorrow goes, it's just another blip on the radar. Whatever happens will be a blessing.

And plus, I'm grateful that God has blessed me with perspective. A few years ago I don't think I could be this laid back. But fatherhood has done it for me. Kelly, Kaelyn and I went out this afternoon to the Rockwood area in Norwood. And this was what the daughter and I wore:

It was awesome [even more so since it looks like the Bucks have Texas beat]. No matter what happens tomorrow, that little girl is still gonna smile at me. My life is complete regardless of what happens to me professionally. It don't get much better than this.

I get to preach the Word tomorrow. Praise God.

Child Fair?

Now that we're parents we see the world differently. Every trip we take out of the house is made in light of having an infant with us. For example, a few weeks ago some people went to go watch the Bengals' preseason game at BW's. Once we walked through the door we knew it would be an impossibility. Our days of sportsbars are now on hiatus. But we're starting to get a sense of where we can go and where we can't with Kaelyn. One of the most delightful times we had was her first Reds game. All the ushers were excited to see our little girl being indoctrinated into Reds culture and people were super friendly. It was a great day.

Parallel that experience to that of Owen and Lisa Foust, who took their three month-old daughter to her first football game at Kansas University and were told that they'd need to buy a full-price $35 ticket to get her in.

Jayhawk officials stated that people with children carry around a lot of equipment with them, sometime taking up more space than just their seats; that's why they charge to get even newborns into the stadium. I can understand this; since we've had the kid we haul around more stuff than I would for a week's vacation. Point taken. But here's where I start to have issues.

First, why a full-price ticket instead of a reduced "child rate?" This is just the university trying to rake on parents who want to have their kids with them. Usually families like this are diehard fans willing to invest a lifetime of loyalty into their children. Way to make friendly here, KU. Squeeze all you can out of them. It's not like your athletic department is that hard up.

But perhaps the most important issue: it's Kansas football we're talking about here. I mean, if it was basketball, where Allen Fieldhouse is packed to see a winner, I could understand this. But do people actually even attend Kansas football games? I think they'd be happy to fill as many seats as possible. Sorry to my friend Paul Carlile, but the truth can be painful. I think UC is paying people to go to tomorrow night's game against Pitt. And no mock terrorist attack either.

I've seen some parents flaunt around their kids, trying to score freebies wherever possible. This is wrong but, at the same times, entities shouldn't be discriminating against people wanting to have a family and still go out in public.

Dynamic Duo

Special thanks to Tim Tucker for helping me with some errands today. Tim's been a great friend and is always there whenever I need him. We made a trip to Lowe's this afternoon to get some items for the relaunch. After scouring the aisles and finding what we needed we walked out the door with a full cart. As we made our way across the parking lot, I glanced towards the nearby Biggs and saw some security guards running at full speed straight towards us. Apparently the shoplifter they were chasing thought he got away until he did a double take a started running towards Tim and me. I casually asked Tim, "are we getting involved?" to which he responded, "Yeah." So it was go time.

Tim cut off the first aisle and I moved to the next one. When the guy saw Tim, he cut across the next aisle. Then he looked up and made eye contact with me and went on to the next aisle. This slowed him up enough that the security guys caught up to him and plowed him into the side of a parked U-Haul. As we drove out of the lot they were handcuffing the guy with his face driven into the ground.

Everywhere I go lately it seems that trouble is finding me. At least there's never a dull moment. Tim said that we were just like Batman and Robin. I'm not sure which one was which. Either way I guess I'm wearing tights.

Jordanian Woes

A year-and-a-half ago Kelly and I were enjoying out time in Amman, Jordan, touring the Citadel and Roman amphitheatre as part of a Holy Land tour. This area in Amman was most likely the area where King David had Uriah the Hittite killed so he could "legally" marry Bathsheba. The Jordanian people were wonderfully welcoming, longing to dispel the myths that theirs was an unsafe country. Unfortunately there was yet another incident in Jordan's capital as a gunman shot at a tour group in the amphitheatre, killing a British tourist. Authorities aren't yet sure the motivation of the gunman.

These Middle East events lead me to wonder if we'll ever get the opportunity to return. Both Kelly and I somehow felt at home in Jordan and Israel. And I'd love to someday lead tour groups to this land where the events of the Scriptures happened. I'm just not sure if it'll be worth the risk to return. I'm incredibly grateful we were able to go when we did.

Happy Trails, Croc Hunter

We'll miss Steve Irwin and his passion for animals. But throughout his career he held to a belief [that I believe to be false] that ended up costing him his life: animals can be controlled. No matter how familiar we are with animals, they are totally unpredictable- just ask Roy of Siegfried & Roy. I'm really saddened at the Crocodile Hunter's death; he was always very entertaining and had such a winsome personality. But, like many people, I'm not shocked that it was an animal that took his life.

Another Reason the NCAA sucks

Malcolm Gladwell details the story of a Clemson University football player who took custody of his 11 year-old brother when his crack addict mother and degenerate father were unable. When a local newspaper detailed the struggles the young man was having making ends meet, people began to donate gifts. The university had to step in and tell the player to return everything because it would violate NCAA rules. We have but a few long-standing beefs here at Beit Carr but I doubt this one will ever change: the NCAA sucks. The NCAA is supposed to provide student athletes with the chance to succeed but most often they're a detriment to kids that does nothing but make tons of money at the expense of kids. I hope someday Congress gets their act together and regulates this scam.

Grecian Formula

I can't believe I'm writing about this, but in the midst of a Reds play-off chase, the beginning of the Bengals season, and Andre Agassi ready for a storybook ending at the US Open, I've been frustrated all day at Team USA Basketball. They lost in the world championships to Greece and now can do no better than third place. Twelve years after the Dream Team won gold in the Olympics the rest of the world caught up in 2004. So USA basketball enlisted Coach K to come in and lead a determined group of NBA'ers to make the result different. SOS. This is embarrassing on so many levels, it's ridiculous. Are you telling me that Shane Battier and Kurt Heinrick are the best we have to offer? And Carmelo is over-rated. If he hadn't led Syracuse to a NCAA title [and if you remember that tourney, the Orangemen were gifted with a trip to the Final Four] then no one would've heard of him. We shouldn't need Shaq, Kobe, Iverson, and Duncan to win this thing.

I honestly this is the result of early NBA draft entries. For the fundamentals of the game players are better served to spend a few years in college playing. Then maybe they'd be familiar with how to defend the pick 'n' roll.

This just proves that we're not as good as we think we are. Maybe it'll be a good learning experience.

LiveBlogging VMA's [Part Two]

Things are getting started . . .

  • HOVA!!!: IN THE HOUSE . . . hey, where'd you go? I thought this would be awesome.
  • Falling Star?: No, just Justin Timberlake. Sorry, man, the run's over.
  • Jack Black: is awesome. 'Nuff said.
  • The production of the show: horrible. You think they could do better.
  • The Rock: looks like he's lost some weight. I liked him better 'raslin'.
  • Observation 1: I'm not a rap hater, but it's never as good live either.
  • Jessica Simpson: looking too desperate. At least Nick looks classy. Leaving him was dumb.
  • All American Rejects: Nice sound. I dig it.
  • Madonna: 1) Had no idea she had an album out 2) Her video is absolutely embarrassing 3) the fact that MTV "nominated" her video for so many awards show that they're losing touch with their demographic.
  • Pink: have to give her props. She fearless rips on the airheadedness of all these fake chicks. Her "Stupid Girl" could be the most important message MTV conveys tonight.

One hour left and I'm debating whether or not to keep watching. It's painfully boring. We'll see if I post anything else.

LiveBlogging VMA's [Part One]

Kelly and I catch most of the major awards shows. I don't really care for is the Emmy's to say nothing of the Tony's [but I'm not even sure they still have those]. Anyway, the MTV shows are always helpful in keeping up on what's happening in popular culture. Turning thirty means I have to try a little harder to figure out what's rad, so I'll be taking some notes throughout the night. Please enjoy. Pre-show

  • Fergie of Black Eyed Peas: opens up with her new single. Is the "London Bridge" reference a mixed metaphor? She's come such a long way since Kids Incorporated. Did you know Jennifer Love Hewitt and AC Slater were both on that show?
  • Shakira: wearing more clothes than she ever has in her life. Maybe she's turning Amish.
  • TI: in attendance. Wear your kevlar vests, friends.
  • My Chemical Romance: sound better when not live.
  • MTV News' John Norris [aka Chuck's Little Brother]: still employed? His dad must own the station. At least Kurt Loder seems credible. John has always been painful to watch. No comments on Sway.

And now for the main event . . .

No Sugar Tonight . . .

. . . in my coffee. And while I'm at it, no coffee either. Getting close to the end of my to-do list as we get close to the relaunch. With ten days left there's been but one decision plaguing me the past few weeks. I've been mulling it over, researching it, exploring all the angles, doing everything short of praying about it. The dilemma:

Whether or not to serve coffee on Sunday nights at Echo.

It's interesting that coffee has become a staple of worship gatherings while communion has been moved to a side room or removed entirely. I have yet to see a new church that doesn't serve the beverage and most advertise it above all other strengths. A few churches go that extra mile and serve Starbucks to show that they're not cheap about it.

Now I'm not against serving coffee, per se, but right now it's not feasible. Because we're meeting in a 80+ year-old church, we're limited by the layout. The only place we could set up a station from which to serve coffee is in the lobby. This lobby wasn't made to hold many people; it's probably capable of supporting 20 adults comfortably. If we robbed enough space to set up a coffee area, we'd create an inhibitive environment where people felt claustrophobic. So it would be defeating the entire purpose that people cite for serving coffee in the first place [to make people feel comfortable].

So we'll be countercultural and go sans coffee. That's not to say that we'll never serve it, but there's no need for us to force the issue now just to be like everyone else. We've got to work with what we have. If we miss out on visitors because we don't serve coffee, we're more screwed than I ever could've imagined.

And people are more than welcome to bring whatever beverage they'd like into service [well, almost whatever. No Jagermeister] but we're not going to offer any. Sorry.

There's a new Mother Nature takin' over.

Bite Me, Satan

A tad too graphic? Perhaps. But it's how I feel right now. Tonight at about 7:45 I left Kelly and Kaelyn on the main floor and went down to get a drink from the kitchen. I heard a crash from upstairs and asked Kelly if she was OK. Kelly thought it was me making the commotion and went to the front door to observe some kicking in our door. She screamed and I ran upstairs to see the guy still there kicking at the door. I yelled at him and he stopped and walked away. I didn't have shoes on, otherwise I'm sure I would immediately headed out after him. The man, probably in his late forties, proceeded to walk down the stairs and head up the street nonchalantly. I immediately called the police and, by the time I hung up, headed outside unable to find the guy.

I don't know why I called the police first instead of taking off after the guy. I think it's cause I was first worried about Kel and Kaelyn and didn't want to freak them out. In retrospect, I think it was all for the best. It was still light outside as the guy tried to break-in, so he must've been on something to try a stunt like that. A few minutes later an officer showed up and proved to be little help at all. Most likely, I'll have to get the door replaced because the dude cracked it. I'm just thankful that I had the dead bolt locked. I've been in the habit of not locking it until it gets dark.

Just this past week I was dwelling on our urban mission. I'm constantly selling our vision to everyone we meet. It's not like I even think about it anymore; it's a part of me. Then something like tonight happens and sets itself up like a roadblock to that vision. The number one mission in my life is the safety of my wife and daughter. Honestly, if Kelly couldn't do this I would instantly choose our marriage over Echo. But she was the champ. She too admitted that for an instant she had a doubt, but that her mind instantly reaffirmed that's why we're needed here.

God has continually taken care of us in every aspect of our lives since we've come here. As much as I want to entertain the doubts He just won't let it happen. And I'm glad. We're not going to let some schlep scare us away from doing what we need to be doing in this city.

So now I just need someone or something to blame. I could blame this tool kicking at my door but he was most likely hopped up on some drug and probably was never given a chance in life. I could blame sinfulness and the fall of man, but sin doesn't really have an identity and I need a target. That's why, just this once, I'm going to jump on the evangelical bandwagon and blame Satan. I think Satan gets a lot of undeserved blame, and I might be adding to it. But still, I'm going to hurl some more at him so I have an object of scorn here. Hence, Bite me, Satan.

We're not going anywhere. And we're going to change this city, whether you like it or not.

Sad

Little Marcus Fiesel never had a chance. I think being a new father drew my interest to the story of this little boy in foster care who was missing. His foster mother kept talking to the media about how he disappeared. The more she talked, the more her story thinned out. Today Liz and David Carroll were charged with first degree manslaughter for Marcus' death. Allegedly, as they took a trip to a family reunion, they left the three year-old developmentally challenged boy tied up in a closet. When they returned, he was dead. David is accused of burning the little boy's body. And they concocted an elaborate cover-up plan, including Liz faking feinting in order to provide an alibi for Marcus to have gotten lost.

There is considerable outrage in our community about this, and rightly so, wondering how depraved these people could be to do such a thing to a little defenseless child. It's a horrible, horrible case, but I want to touch on a couple things relating to this tragedy.

First, the public outrage is immense but perhaps a little disturbing. Read through the many comments on Cincinnati.com and you will see that there are people advocating abuse, torture, the death penalty and even lynching for the couple. I'm not saying that the Carrolls don't deserve the harshest penalty the law will allow for their crime but I honestly think a lot of people, men and women alike, would want to flip the switch to the electric chair on these people. We need to beware that their atrocious sin doesn't draw us into sinning as well. Hate can easily consume us. Trust that justice will be done but beware how much we delight in it.

And second, perhaps the bigger perpetrator in the incident is Lifeway For Youth foster care program founded by a Dayton minister. Michael Berner and his wife Brenda earned more than $220,000 salary for running the organization that has constantly been under investigation by authorities for shady business practices including:

- Berner's sale of his van to Lifeway for $6,000. - Payment of $958 for a college meal plan, phone bills, parking, a student yearbook and intramural sports fees the Berners’ daughter Andrea. - Lifeway paid $600 for Brenda Berner to receive “life” experience credit for college-level religion courses she was not required to attend. - A donation of $9,000 to Grace Fellowship Church, which Michael Berner founded in New Carlisle, so that he could go on a mission trip to Peru.

Lifeway is a racket being carried out in the name of Jesus using children as pawns in order to provide financial security for its founder's family. The reality is that this organization was ultimately responsible for Marcus' well being and they failed. Obviously there are guaranteesees in whom you select to be foster parents but the organization was negligent in following up with this child. As the investigation around Marcus' death goes further, I imagine that Berner and Lifeway will face charges of some sort as well. And they should be prepared because, eventually, all of us will have to face the Lord and be heaccountableble for actions we've committed in God's name.

It's all incredibly unfortunate. Adults using the system to provide for themselves at the cost of a little boy's life. Justice will be served. At least Marcus is now in a place where he's in no pain, has no impairments, and will never be harmed again. God bless his soul.

Mad Props . . .

. . . to my boy, AB. Even though I never call him that. Aaron Burgess wrapped up a ten year ministry this morning at Impact Church. Kelly and I attended the service to witness his last Sunday there. I remember our first Sunday at the Oak Hills Christian Church in 2000. We were looking for a local congregation to join while I was employed at Cincinnati Bible College. Aaron had just become the preaching minister there and pleaded with us to attend. Although we attended college together we never really talked much. I actually didn't really like him. But for some reason Kelly and I knew that we needed to be there. Now, six years later, we're the best of friends and we talk almost daily. If I'm faced with an important decision I'll consult the wife, then family, and then Aaron.

I know that Impact will deeply miss his presence but I'm sure they're grateful for where he was able to lead them. Six years ago, Oak Hills Christian was struggling to survive. Under his guidance they successfully merged with another church and completed an impossible building project. He has definitely left things in better shape than when he started. It's difficult to move on, but I know God has great things in store for both Impact and the Burgesses.

Note: I credit Dorota with making him the man he is today. Best decision ever, Aaron. Without her you're selling hot dogs down at GABP. How do you say "lucky" in Polish?

Bloggers Remorse

"All I get say is . . ." That was what I titled my previous post. What I meant to type is, "All I GOTTA say." In my effort to get a quick post in past 1am I did a poor job of reading what I typed. All that is within me wants to go back to the post and correct it, but I refrain.

Why not correct it? Well, if I do, then it'll send out the post again to all of you reading this via RSS feed. And a second publishing makes it very apparent that I made a typo. I know some people who edit and re-edit three or four times after publishing. And each time they do, it pops up on my Google Reader. Busted. In their effort to look better, it actually gets even more annoying.

I'll admit: I've gone back and edited stuff after posting, but I try to do it sparingly. I need to challenge myself to do better the first time so as not to embarrass myself. So unless you want to be that guy/girl who can't let it go, I'd suggest giving your posts a once over before you publish to see if there are any glaring gaffs. Then stick with your post as much as possible despite any mistakes you catch later. And if you continually find yourself needing correction, don't just dismiss it. If you care enough to post on the internet and want others to read your thoughts, then you should do your best to make it readable. Work at it.

One of the things I've come to appreciate about having a wife that's an editor is that she's an incredible proof-reader. Whenever I'm ready to publish an important letter or article, I always have her look it over. It makes me sound better. Unfortunately she doesn't edit my blog posts. When she catches a mistake, it drives me crazy. I want to publish grammatically flawless posts, so I keep working at it.

I know this was a pot/kettle moment but I bring it up to call all of us bloggers into grammatical accountability. We can write beautifully. We just need to continually work at it. I need to do better. We need to do better. Rise up.

Lord knows no one, want to be know as a cronic mispeller.