Random Ramblings

I have a trilogy of thoughts for you today, random (and irritating) though they may be!

It's Father's Day, and I wanted to take this opportunity to wish a blessed day to all the dads who may be reading today.  A special thought goes out to my buddy Jerry Hanbery, who is celebrating his first Father's Day as a dad!  I lost my own father in February of 2006, and not a day goes by that I don't miss him.  He lives on in my life in so many ways, as a guide and an inspiration.  I love you, Dad.  I also love being a dad.  I miss being a youth pastor, but one of the blessings of my failures and consequent unemployment is getting to spend more time with my 14 year-old son Will than I could have ever imagined.  We talk together and laugh together on a daily basis.  We discuss politics (which thanks to George W. and Sarah the Moosehunter is often a discussion of comedy as well), religion, faith (yes- faith is different than religion!), sports, music (he keeps me current and I teach him the classics), TV (we love many of the same shows) and, of course, movies.  Will is a huge fan of movies and hopes to make a career out of writing and directing films.  Our family sees a movie almost every weekend, usually taking in a $5 show at our local AMC Theaters on Saturday mornings.  Will loves to talk box office, Oscars and everything else related to the industry.  He is a gift from God in my life, and I love having the opportunity to spend so much time with him.  And speaking of movies...

Yesterday's $5 flick (well actually $8- we saw it in 3D!) was Toy Story 3, and Marilyn, Will and I all agree it was our favorite movie of the summer so far and an instant classic.  I don't want to spoil the story for those who have yet to see it, but once again there are tons of laughs, a great story, and a wonderful message.  Woody, Buzz, Hamm, Rex, Slinky Dog and the gang are such real characters- more life-like than many of the "people" we see on the big screen these days. They are friends, yet they are very different. They are insecure.  They bicker, they get on each others' nerves, and they disappoint each other.  Yet they are an enduring example of faithfulness and friendship.  They often doubt, but they never give up- on each other, or on their "Creator"- Andy.  They know that despite the changes their lives are going through, their bond will never be broken.  In this computer animated movie you can actually FEEL the love they all share.  I dare you to make it through the last 20 minutes or so without getting at least little teary eyed- I know I couldn't.  These toys really understand what it means to share life together.  In other words, the Toy Story gang is a perfect model for everything a youth group ought to be...

OK- so if you know me at all you know I am not a fan of soccer.  I have been to many a match in my life to watch students play, and I just don't enjoy it.  I love sports, and I can see the strategy in everything from water polo to ice hockey, but soccer still feels like guys running around kicking a ball until the game ends in a scoreless tie.  Anyway, I am trying to watch the World Cup and expand my horizons, but it is just not working.   The best part is listening to announcers with a British accent, but even that has problems.  First of all, if you have the sound on you have to hear those awful vuvuzelas that make the sound of a million bees invading the stadium.  Secondly, the announcers are always making obscure (to USAmericans, anyway) references to the Premier League and the Champions League and one hundred other things we know nothing about.  One of the ESPN talking heads said at halftime of yesterdays match between Cameroon and Denmark that the defense had been terrible; that it was "bad football."  He followed that by this telling statement: "But at least it is good TV."  So, he is telling us, good soccer is boring!  How can it be a good thing that if a team scores a single goal, the announcers talk as if the match is over- "you can't come back from that!"  Japan actually won a match this past week in which they only took 3 shots on goal; that is one shot every 30 minutes!  The two most talked about plays so far have been a goal that England allowed against the U.S. that my dog could have blocked, and a goal the U.S. scored that a ref took away for reasons he doesn't have to tell anyone.  And this is high-level international sport at its best?  Aside from killing anyone who ever blows a vuvuzela again (and I am a pacifist), here are a few ways I would change soccer:

• Get rid of the offsides foul.  Why do they penalize players for running too fast?  Having players wandering around by the goal at all times would spread things out and allow for teams to actually score on occasion.
• Always play overtime.  I am sick of hearing a " nil-nil draw" referred to as "a good result."  You should lose points for a tie, not get a point.
• Institute a hockey-style penalty box, thus getting rid of those ridiculous yellow cards that the refs hold up like Lex Luthor approaching Superman with kryptonite.  Then bring on the power play goals!
• Every time a player flops (falls down like they have been shot when an opponent brushes against them) they get sent to the above penalty box for 10 minutes.  No questions.  And if they stay down for more than one minute then they are out of the game, because we assume at that point they are actually injured.  These are supposed to be athletes, not actors.
• Free substitution.  In hockey teams change whole lines on the fly, but in soccer getting a sub in is tougher than a security check at an Israeli airport.  And why only three per match?  More substitutions lead to fresher players and- say it with me- more goals.
• I am nitpicking now, but why can't the goalie wear the same uniform as the rest of his team?  Are they afraid his teammates or the ref will forget which one he is?
• Let Ron Burgandy broadcast every game.  "You stay classy, Slovenia..."

Sorry for rambling, but hey, I warned you!  Happy Father's Day, and have a blessed week.

Because of Jesus,