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

A Force To Be Reckoned With

In an effort to know everything that happens around the city, we subscribe to Cincinnati Magazine. I forgot to mention that this month's issue highlighted 10 best places to live in the city and Walnut Hills made this list. It's like I've been telling you, the Walnut Hills is on the upswing. Notable that also making the list was Maineville, where we lived before moving to the city. Perhaps it's like I've always believed: anywhere we move to automatically becomes a great place in which to live.

How Lo[Can You]Go?

This kind of story happens all the time, you just need to switch out the event and the money amount. They just unveiled the logo for the 2012 Olympic games in London. Check it out here.

Yep, pretty dumb. And Londoners are quite angry.

Exacerbating the issue is that it cost over three-quarters of a million dollars to design.

The President of the Olympic Committee said, "This is a truly innovative brand logo that graphically captures the essence of the London 2012 Olympic Games — namely, to inspire young people around the world through sport and Olympic values."

When's the last time a logo inspired you to do anything? Personally, it was that time I was driving down the street, saw a Jiffy Lube sign burst into tears. I could plainly see that it was a metaphor for my life and realized it was time to change direction. I promptly enrolled in Bible College and entered the ministry. Thanks, Jiffy Lube logo!

Logo design is never easy; you're always going to have someone hate it. But if you're going to lay an egg like this, it's best not to spend that much money on it.

Odds are, it'll be different before those games roll around.

Think Red

So here we are in Reds land, still looking forward to the fall when this season will mercifully come to an end. Every time we think the teams has this thing back on track, they blow a six run lead, offering the tie in the notorious eighth inning, only to lose it in extra innings. So what to look forward to now? Two words:

Homer Bailey.

The young starting pitcher, the promised Messiah of Reds Nation, appears ready to be called up from Louisville to finally join the Major League club. We've been waiting for this for over a year now and, finally, when there's no way he can help the club out, they're going to bring him up.

That's fine. But when should they do this?

Business smarts would suggest to do it on a weeknight when they're playing a sucky team so they could increase the potential for ticket sales. Heck, I'd pay to go see this guy pitch his first game. But as it appears now, they'll bring him up this weekend when they're playing against Cleveland, a series that usually sells out here, without the appearance of the club's Savior.

This is where I'm at: I still have hope in the Castellini group to turn things around here in Cincy, but this season has me doubting.

Last Night You Missed . . .

. . . one of the greatest athletic performances of the past decade. Maybe even longer. Lebron James single-handedly defeated the Pistons last night, scoring 29 of his team's finally 30 points. It was like it didn't matter that there were four other guys on the court with him. I watched Jordan lead his teams to championships but I really don't think he's had a late-game performance quite like that.

And he's only 22 year old.

If Cavs management could just surround him with a couple more capable players, they could possibly develop a Celtic-like dynasty.

I'd love to hear Tim's take on it because he's a consistent NBA watcher and a huge Pistons fan. What's it like to witness a feat like that when it's done to your team?

S-M-R-T . . . I mean, S-M-A-R-T

 [If you didn't no wear the title came from]

 Yes, we use the television as background noise while we work at night. Maybe that's hickish, but its nice two take a breather every few seconds two look up and sea something besides the glow of the laptop screen.

Tonight Kelli made the choice to have the National Spelling Be on. They're erring it prime-time on ABC this year; not sure if its erred on network television before. One things for shore: it's just not as interesting without Laurence Fishburne.

I'm all for riveting television, but is it really wise to use these kids for entertainment purposes? I would rather not have two watch some kids heart break because they slip up once after years of dedicating themselves to learning the dictionary. And do we have to here Robin Roberts go, "Ohhhhhhhh" every thyme a kid gets rung out? And I really could do without awl the sports metaphors. ABC owns ESPN butt why did they feel obligated two treat this as if it was a sporting event? No joke: the following analogies and sports references were made sew far:

  • A speller compared to Steve Nash, of the Phoenix Sons.
  • Mention of hockey great Mark Messier
  • Spelling compared to hitting a three foot putt at the Masters.

They even have Stewart Scott doing post-loss interviews. Fortunately, he has yet to give us a "Boo-Yah!"

That being said, were still watching. Still hoping for E-U-O-N-Y-M though.

I'm done. And spell Czech said eye didn't misspell a word. Iraq.

Wanted: Valet

Class is going well. Thanks for asking. I'm reading a lot of weird, wacky stuff. Thus far, there is only one problem that I have:

I'm parking two zipcodes away.

Now don't get me wrong: I'm all in favor of a healthy walk. I'm always take the stairs when I get the opportunity. And when I used to do hospital calls for church [not that I've stopped doing them; I just need more people to get sick at Echo] I would park further away for the extra exercise. But when you get out of class just before 10pm, you aren't thinking about the extra cardio, you just want to get in your car and go home.

And I can't do that. First, I have to get my sherpa, gather the appropriate supplies, and then make the trek back to my vehicle. Fortunately I live only a couple minutes from campus. Otherwise I would make it home in time for breakfast.

I know there has to be a better place to park. So if you're familiar with Xavier, I have class in Alter Hall. And I'm currently parking by the Cintas. Show me the way and let me know where I should leave my Ford Exploder.

Seeing Angels In The Outfield

There's not much to cheer for if you're a Reds fan. Ryan Freel's collision in the outfield yesterday with Norris Hopper is just insult to injury. But at least after Freel went all out, Norris made sure it wasn't in vain. It appeared that Freel made the catch but, apparently, he dropped the ball. As Hopper went over to check on Freel, he placed the dropped ball in Ryan's glove. Check the video with this ESPN box score and you can see Norris move the ball. Instead of an inside-the-park home run, it was an out. That lightning quick move helped secure a rare win for the Redlegs. All of which begs for the hyperbole: [Chuck] Norris Hopper is so fast he can run around the world and punch himself in the back of the head.

Brooklyn

I haven't seen Charlie and Kelly Butler in person in almost five years. We all attended the same college. Charlie and I played soccer and won a regional championship together and Kelly and I spent a couple of years as co-workers. They have a beautiful little girl, Brooklyn, whom we've never met but know her through many pictures [ah, the power of the interwebs]. Just recently, Brooklyn was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome, a condition that effects their neurodevelopment. It predominantly effects little girls. They have a blog where they're explaining their new journal in addition to some wonderful pics of the little lady. So drop them a prayer and then take a couple minutes to check out brooklynbutler.blogspot.com.

Gotta Laugh

If you don't, you'll cry. Kelly and I decided to do some work tonight and left the Reds game on the television. They're tied and go into extra-innings where the Reds proceed to allow EIGHT RUNS in the tenth.

I was but a young lad in 1982, unaware at how bad the Reds really were. That year they lost a franchise high 102 games. This year's team is on pace to break that record. Could be a very long summer.

At least there'll be no problem getting tickets to the games.

Who Do I Think Jesus Is?

For my Historical Jesus class we were asked to write down our image of Jesus. We're then supposed to revisit our image at the end of the course and see if it has changed. I sat down the other day and, in a few minutes, without consulting a Bible penned my thoughts concerning who I believe Jesus was. Here's what I came up with: Jesus. Was. A. Man. But so much more than just a man. He was God, Creator of the Universe, come to earth in human form. Flesh and Blood and Hair and Bones. Just. Like. Me. But so much more than I could ever attain to. He lived a normal childhood in a small podunk town. He became a man. Took on a trade. Eeked out an existence. But then was unleashed. A mikveh and a voice released Him to ministry. He wandered the countryside and tended to His congregation. He transformed the physical, restoring the broken; His teachings were backed up by His miracles. Oh, and He taught as well, speaking words that have resonated two thousand years. What. An. Incomparable. Teacher. But so much more than a teacher. He was the Paschal Lamb. The only worthy sacrifice for the sins of the world. He was executed like a common criminal, subject to unspeakable brutality He did not deserve. He. Was. Murdered. But He did not stay dead. He rebuked the grave, owning mortality, proving He was who he claimed to be. He ascended into to heaven to reclaim the seat that He had left. But He did not hold on to the past tense. For there is a truth that has lasted far beyond His earthly presence and will forever more. Jesus. Is. Alive.

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Why American Idol Sucks

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I was in class tonight so we DVR'd tonight's American Idol finale. For some strange reason, probably the fact that we know own a DVR, we've watched about every week this year from beginning to now. So Kelly and I sat here and endured the crazy sing-alongs [do these kids know who Smokey Robinson is?], the random pairings [Joe Perry loses major street cred singing with Sanjaya], and insane special performances [was Bette Middler toasted or what?] to get to finally see who will win this thing.

By the time they're doing the American Idol tribute to Sgt. Pepper [nothing like watching angelic AI contestants sing about getting "high with a little help from my friends"] I notice the clock. This show is running late. I start doing the math and realize that we're not going to make it to the end. Sure enough, the commercial break before the announcement our DVR stopped recording. We watched an hour and twenty minutes of slop and were deprived dessert.

Don't chastise me that I should know better and should've added extra recording time. This isn't a sporting event where there's supposed to be overtime. It's freakin' American Idol. Instead of letting Clive Davis ramble on while promoting his record company, they should've focused on getting to the actual announcement. I wonder how long they actually showed the announcement. I'd guess that from the time Ryan announced the winner to the time they went of air was thirty seconds total. Why even have a winner? Just let everyone sing. So now we had to search on the internet to discover that Jordin won. Hooray. Thanks for the memories.

Don't hook me in to your stupid show if you're going to take advantage of me.

Just kidding. I'll be watching again next year.

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Where We Came From

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This evening Kel, the kid, and I participated in a pastor's perk tonight as we got a sneak peak at the new Creation Museum of Answers In Genesis [AIG] in Northern Kentucky. There's been a lot of hub-bub recently, even talks of protest on their opening day, so I thought I'd give you my impressions on our experience. First, even though the facility isn't 100% finished, it appears that the finished product will be amazing. There were a couple annoying design features [a oddly located stairwell ends one part of the museum] but overall the construction was attractive. Adjacent to the museum is a garden area that, when fully matured, will be a place where couples will want to be wed. Kelly and I were saying that the quality of the displays and the overall ambiance was more impressive than the disappointing Freedom Center. I really can't believe they were able to do it all with private funds. AIG has definitely got the skills to pay the bills.

That being said, there was plenty there that left me scratching my head. Some of it was rather innocuous, such as a display of Moses holding the Ten Commandments written with the Masoretic vowel marks which were added thousands of years after Moses died [I'm a geek]. Some of it was just confusing, such as the bookstore being called Dragon Hall [OK, dinosaurs = real, dragon = not real, and the Dragon in the Bible is symbolic of Satan?]. Some of it was semantics, as they continued to pit "Biblical Wisdom" against "Human Reason" [so belief in the Scriptures is unreasonable?].

But, even after observing the museum, I found one thing disturbing more than any other: AIG speaks beyond the reach of Scripture. There are quite a few examples I could give here, but let me offer just one.

There is the concept known as Pangaea, which was the super-continent that was supposed to exist before plate-tectonics took over and spread them out to where they are today. This process, as evolutionary scientists propose, would have taken thousands, if not millions, of years. The AIG people suggest that it all happened during the Noadic flood, in a time period lasting little more than a year.

So they take a theory of Pangaea [which is not yet 100 years old] and try to fit it into the Biblical narrative; they attempt to explain certain natural topography by using Scripture. Now they could be right, or they could be wrong, but the truth is that they have no idea. So why even attempt to make a definitive statement? Because they accept the premise that the Bible has all the answers we have about everything [i.e., Answers In Genesis]. But Genesis 1 isn't meant to be a scientific reading. It's a way to let God's people know one inescapable concept that His people need to know: God created everything. Beyond that, we need to be careful how authoritatively we state what we know about creation.

But that lack of 100-percentness does not diminish our faith. For instance, I personally believe in the six-literal-day creation that AIG purports; throughout the museum was the Hebrew word "Yom" which means "day". But AIG states that if you don't believe in the six-literal-day creation that you aren't a true Christian. Friends, that's bunk. I would say it's imperative that you believe that God created the universe [isn't He the center of the universe, the only one who could offer grace?] but (dis)belief in one aspect of the creation story does not a(n) (un)believer make.

I have good Christian friends who don't agree with "six-literal days," not because God couldn't do it, but because it doesn't fit into an "old earth" point of view. "AH-HA!" AIG people cry. "They're letting popular science determine the way we view God!" But isn't trying to fit Pangaea into the Noadic Flood the same thing, accepting a theory as fact in implementing it in your Biblical interpretation? Why can't we accept that some things are unknown, and teach that faith is a stretch? Why do we feel a need to try to manipulate the Bible into something it isn't?

I really believe that the AIG folk are well-intentioned people but parts of this museum and their view of Scripture bother me.

So here's my final take on the Creation Museum:

1) Would I recommend that Christian parents take their children there? Yes. They did a very good job of trying to make parts of the Bible come to life. The rooms about Noah's ark did a great job trying to show the size and scope of the boat. Some of it was extremely graphic for younger kids [some rather "nekkid" Adam and Eve figures and skinned sheep sacrifices], but there is a benefit there. I think kids would find it fascinating.

2) Would I recommend that Christians take non-Christian friends there? Not really. There is too much in the museum that defies popular science with insufficient explanation. I think it would cause more harm than good, even though I think AIG sees at as a possible evangelistic tool. It's just me, but I'd say there are better ways to explain the message of Jesus than in this form.

3) Would I recommend that you go? Sure, why not? It's always useful to come to grips with the way you view the world and this museum is a good opportunity to do so. I'm not quite sure it's worth the $20 fee, but they gotsta make ends meet somehow. Judging from the license plates in the parking lot, I think people are going to come from all over to see this anyway.

On Friday we're going to the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History at Union Terminal. It's another opportunity to attend for free one of these museums. I'll be on the look-out to see how the pagan effort compares to the Creation Museum.

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First Class

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Went rather well. The course I'm taking is The Historical Jesus. Really enjoy the professor, Dr Dewey, who graduated from Havard Theological and was a member of the Jesus Seminar. For those unfamiliar with it, it's a literary critique of the Biblical narrative [specifically the gospels] to try to ascertain who He was and/or wasn't. A lot of Christians would absolutely struggle to sit through some of the discussion tonight; they'd see it as an affront to God. Unlike certain sit-com stars I realize that I'm not going to be able to lob a theological hand grenade that will instantaneously destroy this critique. And I'm cool with that so I'm approaching this class differently, not feeling like I need to defend God. God has some rather broad shoulders so I'm not sure he needs me to defend Him. So I'm going to be selective about my comments, taking it all in stride, seeing how the experience shapes my faith.

One of our "assignments" is to write down our image of Jesus and then revisit it at the end of the course. Interesting question to ponder. I'll post my thoughts here soon.

Otherwise, it'll be an interesting journey. Here I go . . .