Tucker Has a New Car Seat

I'm thinking about starting something like "Fun Picture Fridays" or something. Mainly because of this great picture of our dog, Tucker, riding in his new car seat that Rosalie got for him. He always wants to be up high and see out when traveling, and Rosalie was heading on a long drive alone with Tucker, so this seat buckles in and has a short leash to hook to his dog harness to help keep him in place.

Yeah, that's what dog owners are reduced to - buying a car seat for their puppy. At least he likes it and was fairly good on their trip.

Inform, Inspire, Motivate, Entertain

Once in a while on my blog here I'll point out something that is frustrating or try to steer people away from something I think is subpar (maybe a food item or a TV show or movie), but usually I like to highlight something that is good that I think my readers may enjoy. Or maybe something to make people smile or laugh. (Like the picture today.)

My other goal (sometimes) is to get people to think. Usually I try to pose a rhetorical question to stimulate reflection or perhaps even action. Of course, readers are always welcome to take the questions non-rhetorically (is that a word? That's a rhetorical question - I don't care. It is now.) By that I mean that they can comment (as long as it's appropriate and relevant), although to this point I haven't had a lot of people interacting. I get that, as there are a bunch of blogs that I read that I don't comment on, either. But the invitation and opportunity is always there. 

I wonder if it's possible to combine these goals. Can I inform, inspire, motivate, and entertain all at once? 

What if we all tried to do that in all our interactions?

(See what I did there.)

Happy 35 Years to the Next Generation

September 28, 2022, marks 35 years since Encounter at Farpoint, the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered. Hard to believe it's been that long! I remember vividly going to Anne Foley's house, the mother of a good friend from King College, as we were without access to a good TV on campus. There was so much anticipation of this new Star Trek series. It had been decades since there had been any new Star Trek on TV and we were really hoping for a home run of a new series.

I remember being... is "whelmed" a word? I certainly wasn't overwhelmed, and I wasn't underwhelmed, exactly. It was good and showed potential. But it wasn't great. I high high hopes and the next few weeks - really much of the season - was a little underwhelming. There were some bright spots, to be sure, and a lot of potential, but most of it wouldn't be realized until the third season when The Next Generation really began to hit its stride.

Nevertheless, I am happy to remember that premiere and the excitement of a new Star Trek series. And I'm especially happy to enjoy the new series out now. All are different, but all are fun and it's great to see Star Trek in active production again.

Faith and Secular Religion

There's a fascinating conversation between John Mark Comer and David Brooks on John Mark's (somewhat new) Live No Lies podcast. They talk a lot about how politics has become a secular religion where people try to find identity and meaning. This idea reminds me of an earlier blog post of mine on how we treat politics a lot like a team sport and we are "fans" of our "team". 

This is dangerous in a lot of ways, but especially for Christ-followers. Our primary identity is to be found in our relationship to Jesus, not in our politics (or our sports team, I suppose). 

If you're interested in a thoughtful discussion on this, check out the Live No Lies podcast from September 13, 2021 titled "David Brooks on Politics as Secular Religion, Moral Formation & Why the Church Needs Saints Not Celebrities".

Living Beyond Yourself

It was my week for the pastor's column in the Pine City Pioneer. If you live in Pine, you should get a subscription as the new editor, Traci LeBrun, is doing a fabulous job.

If you don't have a subscription or live nearby, here's a copy of the column: 

Living Beyond Yourself

There’s a term that has become popular in the media recently called “quiet quitting.” It’s where people do the least amount of work possible to get by – giving minimal effort - but never go above and beyond in doing their jobs. Commentators are debating whether or not workers are “quiet quitting” their jobs and if the cause is pandemic related or simply a new generational trend. I’m a little skeptical that this is as widespread as some people think, and even more so after a recent experience of my own.

I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to join with several other people who are on the launch team for the new Pine City chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace. SHP is a non-profit organization the builds and delivers beds for kids who don’t have one. Their goal is to work to ensure that “no kid sleeps on the floor in our town.”

Almost a dozen people spent several hours on a Saturday morning sanding wood, drilling holes, and assembling the beds that will be given to families in need. As I watched people work, it struck me how many had given of their valuable free time to come together and serve kids they had never met.

What is it in someone that would motivate them to sacrifice a weekend morning to give?

It was not just this one morning, though. This group had committed many hours of their time over months, pledging many more in the future to getting this project off the ground. Of course, it’s not just people giving their time to help build beds. There are hundreds of people in our town who volunteer thousands of hours each month in a wide variety of non-profits, churches, and community organizations. Volunteerism is alive and well, especially in rural areas such as ours.

This kind of generosity and sacrifice of time, money, and energy is something that goes deep in humanity. Christians believe it’s because we were created to give and serve – it’s the image of God reflected in us. We believe in a God who was the ultimate giver. He gives life and breath, and most importantly, he gives us grace and mercy through his son Jesus, who models for us a life of giving and service. I have a friend who likes to say, “You’re never more like Jesus than when you serve.”

Study after study has borne out the fact that people who are generous with their time and resources are the happiest people. The author of Ecclesiastes did his own study a couple thousand years ago. He spends twelve chapters wrestling with what really matters in life and what brings true satisfaction. He tries to find happiness in academia, alcohol, acquisition and achievement. He says “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (Eccl. 2:9-10) In the end, he discovers that when we focus on ourselves, we find life to be “meaningless.”

Part of the idea of “quiet quitting” may be a result of people feeling that what they do isn’t going to make a difference and that things will never change. I bet those who have found a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction by helping others would argue against that point of view.

The wonderful thing about serving others is that it’s something anyone can do.

 

Rob's Recommendations: Casey's New Orleans Style Kettle Potato Chips

My preferred way of eating potato chips is plain ripple chips (Aldi has great ones) dipped in Top The Tater dip (see my earlier blog post on this awesome treat). But every once in a while I enjoy changing it up with some flavored chips.

When I won some free potato chips on the Casey's app, I thought I would grab some flavored chips and figured I'd probably choose the salt and vinegar ones or perhaps barbecue. But then I came across a flavor I didn't recognize: New Orleans Style. The packaging described it as "a tangy combination of salt and vinegar, sweet smoky BBQ, and a hint of spice." I'm always up for a new flavor combo, so I grabbed a pack.

Wow. These are great chips. They have the tangy-ness of salt and vinegar with the barbecue kind of tones down the aftertaste. I never would have thought to combine those flavors, but it really works. I wish some other big brand names made this flavor as I'd buy it all the time and a larger size might be a little cheaper. A little googling shows that Zapps chips have a Voodoo flavor with a similar combination with a jalapeño kick, but I can't speak to how similar they might be. My guess is that Casey's copied the flavor or was at least inspired by it.

If you have a Casey's near you and are looking for a fun snack, give them a shot. 

My grade: A

Youth Group Paintball

I have a good friend, Jason, who runs paintball a few times in the fall and a few times in the spring. We have taken our youth group to his place many times over the years and he does a great job of hosting, creating a safe and fun environment, and making all the students feel welcome. 

Here's a few pictures from today's event.

 

There are more pictures on the PB&J Ministries Facebook page. 

It's Election Season. Oh, goodie.

It's political season. You can tell because there are ads is all over TV telling you how horrible and bad the other candidate is. TV political ads have almost become a parody of themselves. Does anyone really vote for or against someone as a result of a TV ad? It's hard to believe that they really make a difference. Or maybe they don't, but it's what candidates have always done (since the invention of TV) so that's what they keep on doing.

It's also evident that an election is coming up because of the yard signs that are in many yards. The idea, apparently, is either that just seeing the name of the candidate over and over again will increase name recognition and cause you to vote for them, or that you know the person who has the yard, trust their judgment, and will want to vote for the same person that they are endorsing.

But what if you don't like the person who had the sign in their yard? That person has a bad reputation in the community maybe. Then you see the sign for that candidate and you have a negative association with that person and are less likely to vote for them.

The question for us is: are you the kind of person that a candidate would want to have endorsing you?

Do Something

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

In other words, leave well-enough alone. 

But then things never get better.

If you want to keep getting what you are getting, keep doing what you are doing. 

But that's not the way to fix the world.

Rob's Review: Quantum Leap (2022)

I’ve been looking forward to watching the new Quantum Leap series on NBC with a lot of hopefulness but also a lot of trepidation. I am an avid fan of the original, awesome Quantum Leap with the impeccably cast Scott Bakula and the wonderfully awesome Dean Stockwell. (I actually much prefer Bakula in this role to his role as Jonathan Archer in Enterprise.) Both were so amazingly perfect in their roles that it is hard to imagine that anyone could compare.

And it will be a comparison. You can’t step into their shoes without the inevitable comparisons. Fortunately the new series didn’t try to reboot the original but went with a continuation.

I have avoided spoilers and didn’t even watch trailers for the new show so that I could view the pilot without a lot of preconceptions. I was finally able to watch it last night and I have to say, I’m favorably impressed so far. They do a good job of honoring the source material but projecting it into the current day - thirty years after the original. The acting is good and I enjoy the dual plotlines with one following Ben (the new leaper) into the past while the other follows what is going on in Project Quantum Leap in the present.

I know Bakula has decided not to participate in this incarnation of the show... yet. But I hope he will change his mind in the future (or in the past, as the case may be.) Maybe we'll get more callbacks to the original, as well. Lots of promise in the pilot for that.

I’m still nervous because it’s a network show and I am concerned about network interference behind the scenes. But what has come across so far is pretty good and I’m excited to watch the upcoming season. I’m actually glad it’s a network show because that means more episodes a season than a streaming one.

If you haven’t watched it yet, I’d recommend giving it a shot.

My grade (so far): A

Wanna Get Away?

Why is everyone always trying to "get away"? 

I just got an email from an airline promoting airfares to help you "get away". The idea being, apparently, that you want to be somewhere other than where you are. That's certainly true sometimes. It's good to have a change of scenery and a change of pace every once in a while.

But if you're always feeling the need to get away, maybe there's something that needs to change about where you are.

Soundbites and Memes

There's something about images that lend authenticity to a statement, even if it's just a meme. But just because you read it in a meme and it might seem wise, doesn't make it true.

Even if it's funny.

Unfortunately, many people don't do the work to research a subject or to think critically because soundbites are catchier. 

The more you know...

I'm Not the Same Person I Used to Be

You've heard it said before - and you've probably said it yourself, "I'm not the same person I used to be."

And that's true. We are constantly shaped by our experiences, which (hopefully) bring some maturity and wisdom to the mix. 

So how long does it take before you're a different person? 5 years? 10? 30?

In some sense, you aren't even the same person you were yesterday. And you are certainly a different person than you were when you were 14 years old. Or 21. Or 30.

In another sense, there's a part of you that never changes. And that's good. Usually.

The trick is to change the parts of you that aren't where they need to be, while keeping the essential part of you the same.

Maybe the better question is: Who do you want to be tomorrow? And then, what do you need to begin to do today to become that person?