Saturday, May 03, 2003

Prom day

Prom day for Lisa. Her senior prom is tonight. I'm amazed. I still think of her as a little blonde burst of sunshine with a perpetual smile.




Today will be a day of hair and nail appointments. Fury and fussing. Fanciness and frustrations. A good day for me to lay low. Tonight, as Lisa prepares to drive away, I will be there to take pictures and hold Amy close as she cries. I've learned a few things over the years.

Burdens

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest"

Tomorrow our little Covenant Baptist Church family will meet to discuss our future plans which include another building to be used for classroom space. It will require a financial, emotional, and spiritual commitment on all our parts. Although I did see this picture today and thought that perhaps we could be creative in our financing:




Seriously, I pray our small community of faith will see this as a great opportunity, not a burden.
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I have a relatively unburdened life. I am thankful for that. Lisa and I were talking last night about how people seem to get so worked up over such small things. Some years ago I made the pledge to "not make the minor monumental". It's been a pretty good philosophy. As Lisa prepares to graduate high school in a few weeks and Tiffany prepares for college graduation next weekend, I am reassured that both have a solid understanding of what is truly important. They know their self worth is not dictated by society nor in the end judged by man.

I hope this young woman finds those lessons too...Not all knowledge is found in books, especially law books.


Is God a burden?

I found this story interesting. I'm not surprised that Tony Blair says he's willing to answer to God for his choices in the war, I'm surprised he was so willing to answer to his political advisors when it came to mentioning God's name.

There have been times I have felt that way too. Times when I won't mention my faith. Times when I hold my tongue. Mind you, I am still a believer that silence is the better part of valor in many things, but I am also a believer in God. I read a book once called, "The Embarrassed Believer". It was not really a very good book, but it's a great title. I think that sums up many Christians. We believe but we don't want to burden anyone else with our beliefs.

Maybe that's because we've all encountered too many "in your face Christians".

God help me find a place on high to share my relationship with You somewhere between "the faithful but flawed" and the fanatical....and please help me lay low on Prom day.



posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 5/03/2003 10:57:00 AM  

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Friday, May 02, 2003

Random thoughts...hopefully
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Normally when I sit down to blog I have no agenda, I simply see what erupts...of course usually I've had more coffee than I've had today....right now I'm simply staring at the screen...of course that can have its moments.
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The concert last night in Kerrville was very pleasant. The Symphony of the Hills Orchestra is made up of a great many dedicated volunteers. I'm all for volunteers, in fact I am supposed to speak on that topic at church this weekend. I hope I strike a good chord...some of last night's performers missed a few.

They played "Rhapsody in Blue", which may have been selected as a tribute to the hair color of most of the members of the audience. I feel young in Kerrville. Need to go there more often.
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Look yourself in the eye: It occurs to me that blogging may eventually replace "Reality TV". Since we all seem so fascinated by watching other "regular" people, it seems a logical offshoot that eventually it will evolve into television programs where we just watch ourselves.

Blogging is sort of like that. Write about your life and then read about yourself.

Blog
Pronunciation: "blog"
Function: noun
Etymology: Short for "web log"
Definition: On line mirror for literary introverts

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BUM RAP: It was on this day in 1994 that a teenager named Michael Fay got his fanny whacked in Singapore for vandalizing cars with spray paint. It caused a world-wide stir. Then President Clinton even got involved.

Remember when we cared about stories like that?
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Ugh...I just tried to change my blogger template and hadn't saved what I had written..."poof" it's gone...

Most wisdom is fleeting I suppose.
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Take off your Foster Grants...the Suns are finally out of our eyes! Thank goodness the Spurs got past Phoenix. Bring on the Lakers!
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I see where the first two games of the series both have 8:30 start times...major sleep schedule adjustments again.

I really feel for my buddy and co-worker Stan Kelly. He'll have to announce those games at the SBC center and still anchor the morning news. Even though I wake up earlier and plan to watch the games, at least I'll be home.

When Stan bellows, "Two minutes!" over the P.A. system, that may be a painful reminder of the amount of sleep he's going to get.
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Give that guy a hand:
Then again...we should all count are blessings. Worrying about when to nap or the fate of our favorite sports teams seems unbelievably shallow when you read about men like this guy.

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 5/02/2003 09:08:00 AM  

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Thursday, May 01, 2003

It's Thursday, but it's my Friday, since I'm taking off work tomorrow...no sleep last nite so I'm going to dash out some senseless ramblings.

Tonight I'm hoping for a double dose of listening bliss...first a concert by The Symphony of the Hills Orchestra in Kerrville. My stepdaughter, Tiffany, has been a violinist in this orchestra for the past four years, and I have never made one of her concerts. They're always on Thursday nights, in Kerrville. Hence, a vacation day from work tomorrow so that I can make tonight's concert...her final one.

Secondary listening bliss will hopefully be the sound of the Spurs winning as we drive back home and listen to the game on the radio.

Side Spurs note: People magazine will release it's annual list of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" tomorrow. I've seen the list...Spurs Point Guard Tony Parker is on it. I'm withholding my vote until I see if he makes his free throws tonight.
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The value of a big stick: From the ABC wire: THE U.S.-LED WAR ON TERRORISM APPEARS TO BE SUCCEEDING,
ACCORDING TO A NEW REPORT RELEASED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT YESTERDAY. INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST ATTACKS FELL 44 PERCENT, FROM 355 IN 2001 TO 199 LAST YEAR. ALSO, ATTACKS ON AMERICAN INTERESTS DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY, FROM 219 TO 77.

Side note: That's the lowest level since 1969

Today is the National Day of Prayer...I will pray those numbers continue to decline.
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It's a slow news day so far, of course it's 4:45 in the morning...how slow? THIS SLOW.
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However at least some major scientific break throughs are being reported.. like the amazing news that FISH CAN FEEL FISH HOOKS. This is not something I was even aware was an issue.
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Most interesting story of the day is that Unabomber Ted Kaczinski wants the cabin where he lived and wrote his "manifesto" torn down. Apparently authorities are refusing to do that... Again, I didn't know this was an issue, but it reminded me of my favorite Unabomber Haiku (there are whole websites devoted to Unabomber Haiku's by the way).

"Open your present..."
"No, you open your present..."
Kaczinski Christmas

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 5/01/2003 04:53:00 AM  

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Wednesday, April 30, 2003

Well, I've found a way to help Amy cope with me being a raving lunatic while watching the Spurs...surround her with 19, 216 other raving lunatics.

I look fairly normal.

Great time at the Spurs game last night. Amy suffered through my insanity, the loud clapping guy in the "unabomber seat" (I'll have to explain that some other time) and the onset of some viral crud she has contracted.

The things we do for love...and free tickets.
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Some things we do for money...The ratings are out. They're up. I'm employed...for another 12 weeks.
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Norman Mailer's wisdom from the New York Times today:
We went to war just to boost the white male ego
"With their dominance in sport, at work and at home eroded, Bush thought white American men needed to know they were still good at something. That's where Iraq came in..."

He gets paid to write stuff like that....I do this for free. You're getting a bargain.

Anyone interested in reading the rest of his piece go to the Times online....if you want something more meaningful in your life than Norman Mailer click this website.
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Surviving "Armageddon"

In 1996 or '97 I was in a book store in Dayton, Ohio looking for something to read during our annual trek to Lake Erie. I was perusing the Christian fiction area which, as it is in most book stores, was about the same size as the trunk of a rear-ended Yugo. My stepson Joey was with me and suggested I look for a book called "Left Behind". I remember at the time he said, "I think there are two books in the series actually". Having such a vast selection to scan, I found "Left Behind" and its sequel and bought them both giving no thought to the fact that the remaining contents of the Christian fiction section could now fit in that Yugo's glove box...with room for gloves.

"Hi, my name is Michael...I am a Left Behinder"

It's 2003...I am still reading these books, the latest being "Armageddon" which I think is number 663 in the series. Now ( with apologies to my niece Sarah who is in need of a "Left Behind" series intervention ) I must say these are not well written books. I breezed through the first couple because they moved very swiftly. With each subsequent book I have increasingly felt like I was reading them out of a sense of obligation more than desire. Every triple spaced page seems to drag a bit more than the last. The latest book crawls at a pace only rivaled by that old woman in front of you in the grocery store check out line at four minutes before kickoff on Superbowl Sunday who forgot her glasses and is looking for correct change to pay for the anal suppositories you've been trying desperately to avoid seeing.

The "Left Behind" books are based on the 'pre-trib' theology. God is going to call some of us home before the "Tribulation". Prior to reading these books I didn't really know if I was a "pre-tribber" "mid-tribber" or "post-tribber". Now that has changed. I'm definately a Premie. This attitude wasn't adopted because of the case made in the Left Behind series. I have latched onto it out of necessity. Even though the latest book is entitled "Armageddon", it's quite obvious there are still more to come.

I pray for "The Rapture" fervently now.

"Father God, I beseech Thee. Take me away...before I have to read the next one."

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 4/30/2003 10:05:00 AM  

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Tuesday, April 29, 2003

I don't seem to suffer from writer's block...it's something different. I have these spurts where I could write for hours on end. Yesterday was one of those days. I probably thought of 30 things to blog about it....lucky for you I got over it, though I don't seem to be able to control it.

There must be a name for this type of outbreak of creativity. Writer's herpes?

This morning though I'm suffering from a distinct lack of energy ...Perhaps I had the wrong breakfast.
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Anticipation is in the wind...tickets are in my pocket. Snagged seats to tonight's Spurs game. Maybe if I scream my sage advice from a closer venue they'll win.
Anticipating ratings too...screaming doesn't help.
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I've been watching brick throwers...not the figurative type who toss up verbal bricks to stir up trouble...the literal type. I'm sure they have another name, maybe Masonry apprentice. Anyway, I see them as I walk through my neighborhood where quick-constructed homes are being snapped together. The "brick thrower" works with the guy who actually positions and mortars in the bricks on these homes. The brick-thrower works below him, often on scaffolding, tossing up bricks as the wall work and wall worker climbs ever higher.

There is a system to this work. You can only throw so many bricks at one time without wearing yourself out. Also if you throw too many at once they won't stay together in the air long enough for the co-worker to catch them. That could obviously have some painful repercussions. Brickthrowers therefore have a pretty clear mission and instant yet lasting reminders when that mission fails.

It seems four bricks is the standard. The brick-thrower picks up four bricks at a time and tosses them. They hold together in flight...everytime. And everytime his co-worker catches them.

A system of efficiency...but also a system of trust.

A lot of relationships are built that way...sometimes only one brick at a time though...and that's fine. I don't need to slap together my relationships quickly like a cheap house.

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 4/29/2003 09:57:00 AM  

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Monday, April 28, 2003

LIVE BY THE BOOK, DIE BY THE BOOK
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Radio is a wonderful career....12 weeks at a time. Unlike many jobs, in mine I get a graphic performance evaluation every three months...the ratings. The phrase, "live by the book, die by the book" is common in radio. It means if you let it, the ratings book will rule you.

When the ratings go up, the temptation is to declare victory, remind everyone what an important component you are in the station's success and generally preen.
Of course ratings will eventually go down, they always do. When that happens those folks who spent their "ratings high" prancing about in all their ego glory usually go to ground, hoping no one's memory is long enough to recall their bravado of only 12 weeks prior.

Tomorrow is ratings day...

Live by the book, die by the book

When I started writing this blog I made a commitment to myself to write daily. Daily journaling is a challenge I have always wanted to attempt and I'm glad I've followed through with it. Today I'm actually sitting down to write twice, mostly because I dashed out a few thoughts before work and now I wanted to give it a bit more contemplation. I am not going to make that a habit though. I could easily see where blogging could change from a "release" to a "requirement". I have to set boundaries to prevent that.

Live by the book, die by the book

Part of the attraction of blogging is that I can simply write whatever is on my mind with little or no concern about anyone else reading it. However I have set some standards for myself about what's appropriate and what's not. One thing that I've learned by writing news for a living is that whatever you write can and will come back to haunt you.

Live by the book, die by the book

I don't want to become compulsive about this blog. The addition of a "hit counter" seemed like a fun idea when I installed it. Now I suspect I will get rid of it . Although I consider this a personal journal, like many bloggers, I suppose there is a part of me that secretly hopes my pontifications will be considered "wisdom" or "witty" and attract a following. According to the counter, for whatever reason, this blog is getting some regular visitors...besides my wife. I have no problem with that, but keeping track of how many is beginning to feel like "the ratings".

Live by the book, die by the book

Living by the book can, of course, be a good thing...in some cases. I like to think I live by "The Good Book" as much as possible, but I'm sensible enough to realize you can't be a literalist with the Bible at all times. That too can become obsessive.
I think if my Pastor pulled out a 60 foot scroll to start explaining the prophecies of the Bible to me, I might be tempted to shoot him. Knowing my Pastor, if he went that far over the edge, he would forgive me...it would be a mercy killing on both our parts.

Live by the book, die by the book

As they say in the news business, "in a related story"... I like this idea. Steel plated Bibles. But is it a testament to faith, or to doubt? Presumably it's hoped the Bible will protect this officer. It's small enough to fit inside a shirt pocket, so obviously there is great faith of any bullet being well targeted. Yet it's got a steel cover. Does our faith end at the binding? It's like hedging a bet. "God's word will protect you, but it needs a cast iron cover".

Live by the book, die by the book

I haven' t forgotten about the Spurs loss last night, although I am still rather proud of my relatively upbeat attitude this morning. I'm refusing to credit that to sleep deprivation delirium.

Today Spurs coach Greg Popovich will be given the NBA Coach of the Year Award. I guess he's deserving, he's certainly built a great team of fine men. However, if I were Coach of the Year last night with 8.2 seconds left in the game, and my opponents were down by 2 points plus I had the knowledge that their star player, Stephon Marbury, had a crippled arm, I would have told my team, "Foul the one-armed man!! Make the one-armed man make his free throws!" If he made both, we'd still have the ball and more time on the clock. I guess the Popovich playbook says with 8.2 seconds left and the lead, you rely on your defense to make a stop.

The playbook probably never accounted for the possibility of playing a "one-armed man".

Live by the book, die by the book

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 4/28/2003 09:37:00 AM  

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If life seems jolly rotten, there's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing
When you're feeling in the dumps, don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing, and...

Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the bright side of life

Okay, so I rearranged my life...essentially gave up my Sunday afternoon, so I could stay up to watch the Spurs last nite...and they lose. The upside? I had a wonderful walk last night before the game, around 8:30, something I'm never able to do normally because of my work schedule. The downside? Besides the loss of course, is that there are two more games this week, and I won't be able to watch the game Thursday night due to a previous committment. I'll get over it.

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A close friend attended a funeral the other day and didn't realize until he was walking out of the service that the jacket he wore was still covered in confetti from "cascarones" that were busted over his head on Easter. I wonder if anyone thought the confetti was from the funeral?
I think I'll establish the ground rule now that confetti will be welcome at my going away party.
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For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word.
You must always face the curtain with a bow.
Forget about your sin.
Give the audience a grin.
Enjoy it. It's your last chance, anyhow.
So,...

Always look on the bright side of death,
Just before you draw your terminal breath.

Maybe the Grim Reaper could carry pom poms?
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One cup of coffee down and out of time....Off to work

Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the bright side of life

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 4/28/2003 02:43:00 AM  

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Sunday, April 27, 2003

Little sleep last night, which makes me introspective, and later today I'm sure cranky.

Spurs play a 9:30 tonite and I have at to be at work at 3 a.m. on Monday. I will watch the game and go to work...somehow it will work out. Most likely with a great deal of coffee. I noticed this story, and although I'm not Catholic, with my lack of sleep and dependence on caffeine, I believe if anyone deserves to be granted Sainthood THIS GUY does.
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"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap"

Things don't always work out as we expect.
I have a friend working in China, which is a scary prospect at anytime, but these day's it's scarier...She went there with so much energy but because of SARS the gameplan has changed, and it isn't turning out as she expected. I pray for her health and sanity in what has to be a crazy world.
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While tossing and turning last nite I finally got up and thought I'd write. I had planned out a "blog" posting in my head, and wrote part of it, but I opted to delete it. From my blog, not my head.

When in doubt, keep your mouth shut...and listen.

I give that advice occasionally at my job where we are sometimes given, or stumble upon, "information" that some people consider "news".

"News" is a broad term, that is often over applied. Just because we know something doesn't make it news. It makes it knowledge. Knowing the best way to use knowledge is a lot like playing poker, sometimes it's better to hold your cards.

Sometimes our "knowledge" is skewed by our emotions. I watched two people I have been working with in recent months lose their jobs because what they thought was news, wasn't. What they thought were facts, weren't. Bad, inexcusable decisions, were made as a result.

That too will work out ...perhaps for the best in the long run, but it will be a costly lesson.
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Today's sermon is about "Doubting Thomas". I know that in advance because Amy and Gordon talk about the sermon topic to help her coordinate music. I have doubted many things. It's the nature of the beast when you're something of a paid cynic. At times I doubted myself, my God, and even my reality. It took love, faith, and, for about a year, some prescribed pharmaceuticals to help me conquer, or at least control, some of those demons. I still doubt...there's no doubt about that... but I trust in the end...it all works out....in the interim, I hope I can keep my mouth shut and just listen.




posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 4/27/2003 07:26:00 AM  

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