Ask Shawn 3.0

Dear Shawn,

With all this talk lately of the War in Iraq, whats your favorite book of the Bible that deals with war and conflict and how Christians should deal with it in an everyday environment?

Justin T. Tucson, AZ

Justin,

How's the weather way out there in the great state of McCain? Good question though! Your question is almost a one sentence summary of the O.T. book of Nehemiah. Remember! Carry the sword in one hand and the trowel in the other! Shawn

How My Thunder Was Stolen

So Monday was a big day for me in my on-going fight against the terrible condition known as ABF (A Broken Femur) The doc cleared me to try to drive, something that I haven't done since Jan. 10th of this year. To top it off, he also said that I could begin to put 100% weight on the broken leg. That means that I can now start back with more rehab. So it was a big day for me. I enjoyed the rest of the day telling people, and in the process enjoying a great amount of good attention, about what the doc had said. I was so excited that I even put off breakfast to stop by my workplace to tell my boss the good news, and swung in to the GI Unit where my good friend Lora works to tell here about the good news. I soaked up a great smile, words of congratulations, and a high-five from her and was off to eat a good meal at a near by diner. I then went to spend the night at Adam's house so that I could work the next day at the office. All was well, and I was looking forward to spending another day proclaiming to all about the good news from the previous day. Then at about 8:02 on Tuesday morning, I awoke to Adam telling me the following line, "Two things, it's 8:00, and Lora's pregnant." And with that he turned and walked out, and the full shock and weight of the destruction of my perfect day was realized. My claim to fame was shattered, and I was cast out to the outermost regions of obscurity, and resigned to live a day full of congratulations and high-fives directed not to me, but to the man standing next to me. As the day wore slowly on, with many phone calls to distant relatives and hugs from friends, I began to think about how marginalized I had become, and how highly exaulted Adam and Lora has risen. And by the end of the day, I had come to realize that I was okay with it all. This was something they had been trying for months to accomplish, with little avail up to that point, but had finally succeeded. So as I ended the night sitting across from the happy parents-to-be in an Applebee's booth, eating some amazing caso dip, I decided to tell the tale of how the past 48 hours had gone for me. And to tell it not to bring the deserved attention to me and my unfortunate ABF condition, but to cast it all upon them and their soon to be bundle of joy. So here's to Lora and Adam, who stole my thunder and robbed the day for themselves. And here's to the little kid, either Ansley or Blake, who will soon enjoy the benefit of the best 2 parents in the world. Cheers!

Amazing Video

This video from The Daily Show, is a must watch! Hilarious! The end has a bleeped bad word, but if you can look past it, watch it! Again, amazing!

Making Lemon Juice Out of Lemons

Since these 2,000 FEMA mobile homes couldn't be used for Katrina victims, Congress decided to use them for Indians in need of shelter in South Dakota. The homes couldn't be used because most of the victims were in a flood plain, and regulations wont allow them to be put there. So although it sucks for those still on the Gulf, at least there being used for some good. Wow, Congress can actually do something productive! Congrats Sen. Johnson.

CNN's New Map of the World

Apparently CNN is now into relabeling countries. Here's a story about how Anderson Cooper and Co. mislabeled Syria as Afghanistan! After all that the US has been through over those two countries, and someone still gets it wrong. Amazing! Frame stills included.

Ask Shawn 2.0

Dear Shawn,

I have really be wondering, what is your favorite book on creation?

Regina T. Orange County, CA


Dear Regina,

My favorite book by far on creation is Genesis. You should check it out. Enjoy!
Shawn

The First Amendment

So, tonight I am thinking about the definition of the First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." There is this story that I ran across that you can read here, and its how the University of Michigan-Dearborn will be installing foot-washing tubs for Muslims to use for their daily prayers. So here is my problem in number form:

1) This first struck me as an attack on the 1st Amendment, being that it seems on the surface a government form of support for one type of religion over another.

But...

2) Then I read a bit more into it, and realized that the money for the project will come from student fees, and not tax payers wallets. This eliminates the state financially sponsoring part of the problem. Also, the school said that these tubs will also be open for non-muslims to use as well. So you cant say that these are explicitly for Muslims.

So it got me to thinking about should these be put in or not? A girl had gotten hurt earlier from trying to wash her feet in the sinks, so on the surface this seems like an ok thing, but to give preference to one religion over another, maybe its stepping over the bounds of what the 1st Amendment allows, or so I thought...

which gets me back to the original idea of what does the 1st Amendment mean? Technically, it mentions Congress, and does not refer to other areas of government. Although Jefferson and Madison later interpreted it to mean a much broader scope, it does not say it explicitly in the Amendment.

I guess this gets back into the whole issues of judicial review, and Congress's enumerated, establishment, and free exercise clauses. Where's John Marshall when we need him?!

What do you all think?

By the way...you guessed it, the ACLU is all about supporting these tubs going in. They see no issues here. Figures!

Moral Decline in America

You want to talk about moral decline in America, I'll add another to the list! I was skimming through FARK.com earlier and I came across another story about another teacher having sex with another student. You can read the story here. This time it's a 38 year-old married-with-a-kid sub and a thirteen year-old boy who had dated the sub's kid. Amazing and sick at the same time. To top it off, it wasn't in some big city metropolis, but in a small rural town of 4,000. That's about 2000 less than Ft. Meade! Yes, our country is in moral decline. If only there was a way to influence the culture in which we live. Hum?!

Instant Karma Album and Darfur

So I had heard of an album coming out that Amnesty International was making. It is suppose to be in support of the SaveDarfur campaign. And so when I was at the Rock Hall, I saw the album and I bought it. It's has some amazing artist on it: U2, the retired R.E.M., Christina Aguilera, Aerosmith, Green Day, Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Black Eyed Peas, and Regina Spector, among others. It's pretty good. You can check out the campaign here.

I Can Walk!!!!!!!!!!!

So when I was in Cleveland this week, I figured out that I can take a few steps without my crutches. So when I got back, I tried out my cane for that night out eating, and I made it the entire night without falling (unlike my last attempt at it.) So it was a great day. It has been along time coming, and I still have a little bit left to go, but this is a major step, and I cant begin to explain the joy I have. "The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away." Well, I'm one step closer to getting back my ability to walk without aid. It's so awesome; like the first time you went to Disney, or that one special Christmas as a kid!

I'm Back!

So the trip was great! I got to see the Indians play the Mariners (Driscoll's team.) We lost by one run in the ninth, but it was a blast anyways. And speaking of a blast, they had the biggest and best fireworks show I've ever seen after the game. Anyways, I got to see the old Federal building downtown. I met the Chief Judge, and sat in his chambers, as well as his courtroom. I also sat in an amazing courtroom that looked like it should be in Versailles. I then went to the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, which was cool. Then it was off to Canton to the Pro Football Hall. Anyways we did alot of amazing stuff, and I got several pics. I'll post them here in a bit. It was a great time. Well worth it!

Ask Shawn 1.0

Every week I get inundated with emails from around the country from people who somehow found out about me, and find it a good idea to ask me questions about life and God. Sometimes its about the iPhone like this weeks emailer, or other times its about what book to read. It varies from day to day. So I've decided to start up a weekly post, every Saturday, with the best question that I received that week. No I'm not going to go back to previous weeks (sorry Debbie of Belview, Minnesota) but I will start by giving the best of this weeks. Ans so here we go:

Shawn,

Would you buy the iPhone if you were a twenty-something?

Christopher Rodman, Lakeland, FL

Dear Chris,

It just so happens that I am a 20-something, and to answer your question, I pose another question. Do geese fly? Thanks for your question. Shawn

5 Month Anniversary! Yay!

So It's been 5 months since the dreadful day in January. I feel like I'm coming close to the end. Hopefully about another month, maybe two left to go. Then it's back to the real world. That's ok, it needs me back anyways! Alright, I'm out till Saturday. Drive safe, and BUCKLE!!!

Chief Wahoo, Here I Come!

Well, I'm off to Cleveland, OH tomorrow morning. I get to go to an Indians game, which is awesome, and even better, C.C. Sabathia is pitching. Amazing! I'll try and get some pics while I'm up there, and I'll post them here, and let ya'll know how the trip went. I'll be gone till Friday, so maybe I'll post Saturday afternoon. See ya then!

Politics and Being Christian, Part 2 (it's long!)

As promised with my last post, I will in this post, explain why I will be voting for Barack Obama for president. I do this so that there may be open dialogue between all that know me and read this blog. I do not do this to criticize anyone else’s candidate, but to champion mine from the perspective of my conscience, beliefs and ideas. So let me begin.

Off the top, I must say that I am not a bandwagoner, and that I have been a supporter of Obama since his campaign for the US Senate against Alan Keyes in 2003 (I have a support poster to prove it.) Ever since his speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, I knew that one day he would run for president, and I knew that if he did, I would support him. Here are some reasons.

First, his charisma, intelligence, and the ability to sometimes be stern when needed, strike me as important characteristics. These attributes, although not solely his to claim, give him the uncanny ability to reach across the isle and get stuff done. He has been doing this ever since he was a state senator, continuing to the current day in the US Senate. This reminds of LBJ, in the way that he was able to influence his fellow senators to pass legislation. This continued when Johnson became president with passing his “Great Society” deal. I feel that Obama has the same ability to get things done, and has demonstrated that in his time in government.

There is an apparent caution, and understandably so, that Obama has only been in the Senate for 3 years. Many reason that someone with that much inexperience might not be up for the job of president. But many of our great leaders have served just as much time as Obama has, greats such as Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, and JFK among others. So on this fact, I cannot make that a real concern for his candidacy.

Second, Obama has championed for Ethics and Lobbying reform while his time as both a state and national senator. You can click here for a record of his often bi-partisan support of such legislation.

Thirdly, he was against the War in Iraq from the beginning. Now, we could debate whether or not there was a deliberate misrepresentation of intelligence from the start, but it remains to be said that Obama was cautious from the beginning, something that no one else who is running can say. He is a realist; someone who understands that war is sometimes inevitable and needed, but that we should not rush into an unnecessary war. I find this to be particularly important attribute, especially with the next president. We have many possible future wars out there on the horizon, along with the current War of Terror; and to be cautious will to be wise, as to not to get us into another mess like we have in Iraq. I feel Obama offers this, and has demonstrated this with his opposition to the Iraq war from the start.

Also, Obama is opposed to making marriage a Constitutional issue. He said in a speech on the floor of the Senate last year that expresses my idea perfectly. “I agree with most Americans, with Democrats and Republicans, with Vice President Cheney, with over 2,000 religious leaders of all different beliefs, that decisions about marriage, as they always have, should be left to the states.” This is the way it has been done since the beginning of our nation, and it should not change. You can read more of his speech on this topic here.

Another reason I support Obama are the issues pertaining to the Patriot Acts, enemy torture, and detaining alleged terrorist. One of my great concerns is how these items listed above can be twisted and be put to use for evil. Habeas Corpus is a right that should never, under any circumstance, be waived or denied. I do not think, with the exception of torture, that these things in them selves are wrong. But some can and have taken them too far, at the expense of natural God-given liberties and rights, something that a certain great nation in history was founded upon, way back in 1776. When an amendment came up in the Senate to add Habeas Corpus to a bill, Obama had this to say in support of the amendment. “To deny habeas corpus to our detainees can be seen as a prescription for how the captured members of our own military, diplomatic, and NGO personnel stationed abroad may be treated. …The Congress has every duty to insure their protection, and to avoid anything which will be taken as a justification, even by the most disturbed minds, that arbitrary arrest is the acceptable norm of the day in the relations between nations, and that judicial inquiry is an antique, trivial and dispensable luxury.” To read more on this speech, click here.

And finally, I support Obama because I have heard what he stands for, and I have seen what he has done, and they align with my own beliefs. He has extensively traveled Africa and drummed up support for the disenfranchised on that continent. But he has done the same for those here on our continent, from inner-city kids of Chicago, to those who’s lives were shattered by Hurricane Katrina. One of the speeches that I watched was this speech. Another was his speech delivered at the historic Brown Chapel in Birmingham, which you can read here.

So although this was along post, I felt the need to clearly outline some of the major reasons why I support Barack Obama for the U.S. Presidency. Please feel free to comment, agree or disagree. I'd love to hear it.

Politics and Being Christian, Part 1

The presidential debate is starting to heat up, and we still have more than a year left to go. Although we have many more months ahead, and many candidates to choose from, I have already chosen my candidate. But before I name my choice, I will, in this post, lay out a few points that I feel we, as Christians, should come to realize.

First, as Christians, there seems to be an unspoken (or sometimes spoken) rule that we must vote Republican, or face being labeled a “baby killer” (I was actually called that last election from some Christians I know.) Or that if you vote something other than Republican, that you then support homosexual marriage. I find this to be very disheartening. We must realize that the EDUCATED Christian voters usually have a few good reasons as to why they vote for who they vote for. Either its because their candidate supports the pro-life cause, or they like their fiscal policy, or maybe they see the urgent need to reform healthcare, and they think their candidate is the one for the job. But the problem lays not in one’s stance of an issue, but in the fact that one will then critize another who votes different from one's own vote. We, as Christians, must realize that all Truth belongs to God. That it is not owned by the Republicans, or the Democrats. It is not owned by the liberals or the conservatives. I think sometimes, we get too enamored to our culture and begin to act and think like it. One way in which we do this is by the tendency for us to think of politics as this or that, black and white. There seems to be no middle ground or compromise. We must come to the realization that when Jesus is fully on display, He won’t fit into any of our boxes. We must look for ways to transcend all the ways that our culture divides us. And to start, that would be to understand that both sides have something to offer, that both sides have a little Jesus in them.

Second, I do not believe it is our tasked duty to legislate our personal beliefs. It seems to me, that when pressed, Jesus had a stand off approach to government. He spoke in ways that went against the notion that He came here to set up an earthly kingdom, but more so one that is spiritual. He prays for His Father’s will to be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. The way he brought about this Kingdom, and we are to do the same, was to show His love to the people, to move in the margins of society. He did not move against Caesar or his government, but moved against the hearts of his followers. He saw that the way you reach people for Him, was not by making Him Caesar, but by making Him a servant; the lowest of lows, not the highest of highs. He spoke not of political revolutions, but of spiritual revolutions. He did not force people to come to Him by laws and decrees, but instead humbled himself, and gave himself, and in that drew a multitude to Him. There is a lot of power in this realization. We can get people to follow Christ by our actions, and by our leading, and not by having to mandate it by the Constitution or legislation. This I see as the call of Christ, to live our lives like Him, so that we reflect Him.

So I say all that to say this: does that mean that we cannot stand up for something we believe in? I am certainly not saying that. Jesus stood up for the poor, the sick, and the destitute, in opposition to the Pharisees and others. Is it wrong, in my opinion, to be pro-life? By no means do I believe that, but what I am saying is that all sides have a little God-originated truth in them, and you must educate yourselves when voting, and decide what is more important to you as first a Christian, and second as an American. Once you have distinguished what are your major issues, and find a candidate who closest fits your stance, then you should feel sure of your choice of a candidate. Again, many masquerade as candidates who hold your same viewpoint, only a few truly believe in what you hold to. This has been demonstrated many times over the past year with many scandals from both sides of the isles.

Anyways, I am just seeking for the Body that realizes that its form is not made from a whole pile of arms, or a whole pile of mouths, but from a great multitude of parts. In this way, the politics of this nation are the same. All sides cling to a particular facet of Truth, and all Truth is from God and should be embraced. So I will post, as part II, in a few days who I support, and why I support that person.

Oh and I love Rembrandt.

UPDATE:

After talking to Adam over this post, I have realized that some of my wording was not perfectly clear. To sum up this entire post, I say this: We need to realize that there are parts of God-ordained truth that both parties cling to. You the Christian voter, needs to decide what is more important to you when voting.

Sorry Charlie! (or Billy I should say)

Now Donovan wants to come back? I like him and everything, and I dont hold any grudge on him, but he cant just come waltz back in (only Spurrier can do that.) For two reasons:

1) Because Grant really is the next guy for this job. I think he can truly be great, maybe even put up two more championships (just not back-to-back.)

2) Because anyone with that much wishy-washy baggage. I would be bad for recruiting, bad for media attention, bad for team moral, just bad all around. He needs to either stay in Orlando (if he still can) or find a new college opening elsewhere. I think there will be an opening at VCU in a few days!

Thursday May 31st, 2007 at 6:17 pm.

"A date that will live in infamy."

I like FDR's quote for this story, but it doesn't quite fit here. Billy Donovan leaving for the Magics is not the worst thing that could have happened to us, but it still stinks a little.

Pros -

1) He went to the Orlando Magics, who is a team that I can root for, as opposed to the Heat or Lakers or Memphis Grizzlies (when was the last time a grizzly took a stroll through West Tennessee?)

2) He didn't go the Kentucky, which would have sucked for us since we would have to compete with him in the same conference, same division.

3) Its good for his family. They don't have to move far. Neither does Billy's father. Plus more money.

4) We will get our old assistant Grant who left at the end of our 1st championship year to coach VCU. He's pretty amazing. Worked under Billy for 12 years. Took VCU to the Tourney for the first time in its history, and beat #6 seed Duke in the first round only to lose to #3 seed Pitt in the final minutes of the second round. He did all that in his first year there! Im happy he's coming back.

Cons -

1) We are loosing Billy.

2) We are loosing Billy.

3) We are loosing Billy.

Oh well, life goes on at Florida. And hey, we can still repeat in football. Now wouldn't that be a feat?! Good luck in Orlando, Billy! We'll be pulling for you.

Go Gators!!!

Sex is Sin!

Yet another example of why Christianity has a bad name. Apparently this women was asked to step down from her position at a church because she worked for a company that sold sex toys. Read the article here, it seems like she has an amazing story. By the way, I've done the research; no pornographic items sold by the company, just toys, educational books, and spa products.