The Politics of Flip & Flop

As we enter the home stretch of the 2012 election cycle, I am sure many of you are growing as weary as I am of the constant yammering of candidates and (perhaps even more annoyingly) the people who support them.  So as a public service to you, my loyal readers, I would like to sum up everything you are likely to hear between now and November.  This will hold true for most local and national elections. Trust me. Here we go.  The ideology of the colors are intentionally mixed up- much like the politicians themselves. 

Red Candidates:  My fellow Americans, FLIP. FLIP, FLIP...FLIP FLIP FLIP!!!  I cannot stress how important this is- FLIP.  My opponent will tell you that FLOP is the way. FLOP was an idea given to that party by someone....oh I don't know who it could have been...maybe...SATAN???  Only FLIP can save us now!

Blue Candidates:  FLOP. I have always said FLOP.  FLIP is socialism, communism and vegetarianism rolled into one evil policy.  There is some evidence it can even turn us all into Dallas Cowboys fans! So FLOP, FLOP, FLOP!!!!!  And God bless America!!!

Red Supporters:  There is only one answer, and that answer is FLIP!!!  Our candidate understands the needs of the people, and everything he/she says is the absolute truth and the ONLY way to save our nation/state/town.  The other candidate says FLOP.  Geez what an idiot! Plus they listen to rap music!

Blue Supporters:  4 years ago they promised us that FLIP would save the planet,  make us rich and make Keeping Up With the Kardashians watchable. It was all a lie!!!  FLIP failed before, it will fail again!  FLOP! FLOP! FLOP!  And also, he once killed a baby seal.  

And there you have it.  The candidates will not say much, and their supporters will declare them geniuses for this lame rhetoric. But mostly, they will spend more time telling you what the other side will do wrong than what they will do right- because they have so little idea of what they are actually doing to do!  So for the next 6 weeks or so keep the mute button handy, limit your social media time, and watch a lot of ESPN. Should we seek to be an informed electorate? Absolutely.  But that is really tricky without informed candidates. So make your decision, and by all means get out and vote.  Talk about the issues and explore opposing viewpoints. Talk about the qualifications, experience and positive traits of the candidates you support. And if you feel the need to speak ill of their opponents, remember you have an option.  If you can't say something nice, the very least you can do is to SHUT UP!  Have a great Saturday.

The Truth About Barbecue

Last week I wrote on a couple of occasions about the RNC being in my current home of Tampa.  This week the DNC is in my long-time home of North Carolina, so I again feel a connection.  I never lived in Charlotte; in fact growing up in Greensboro often led to "Charlotte Envy" because they were NC's big city, complete with a theme park! 
But it is in my home state.  On Tuesday night, The Daily Show introduced viewers to Charlotte in their inimitable way, including pointing out how proud Carolinians are of their barbecue.  As they reported this fact, their correspondent said how yummy it was and then held up some ribs for all to see.  For me, this was the last straw in a long-simmering mind melt that began in 1994 when I moved to Florida.  And it led directly to this rant...

Why would these kind words about NC barbecue and the showing of some ribs make my head explode?  It's very simple, and I am going to explain this in a language that people from Texas, Memphis, Kansas City and Burger King can understand.  Most of this fine nation (and The Daily Show) is operating under the false understanding that barbecue is a verb.  To these confused folks, "barbecuing" is something that can be done to most anything so long as you throw it on a grill.  It may or may not involve actual barbecue sauce.  It might be hamburger, fish, steak or ribs.  As anyone who is a native of NC or has spent significant time there can tell you, this is just wrong.  Barbecue is not a verb.  The verb for such activity is grilling. Barbecue is a NOUN.  It is what many of you call "pulled pork"- a term which makes my skin crawl.  I can get pulled pork all over Florida (sorry Sonny's, Jimbo's, Smokey Bones and even Fat Boys in Kissimmee) and trust me, I have tried it all!  None of it is close to real barbecue. Barbecue is pork (and nothing else) pulled (never cut) from a pig that has been roasted over an open wood fire for many hours.  It is then often chopped into even smaller pieces for consumption.  A mustard-based (if it's red, something is terribly wrong!) barbecue sauce is then generally added before it even hits your plate or your sandwich.  You can ad more if you like. This is barbecue. Not ribs, not anything else.  I hope I am making myself clear.

But that is not all.  As you can see in the picture above, there are certain things that MUST be served with real barbecue.  There are no exceptions.  Whether on a plate or a sandwich, it has to be paired with a vinegar-based slaw peculiar to restaurants in NC & SC.  And there must be- I cannot emphasize this enough- there must be hushpuppies.  Fried corn meal, for those of you who don't speak southern.  All the best barbecue restaurants (like Stamey's in my old stomping grounds of Greensboro, Kepley's in High Point, the famous Lexington Barbecue or any number of other great little independent place all over the state) will serve you a platter just like that.  You are welcome to add fries, but it is really not necessary.  :)  Then you wash it all down with SweetTea (any good southerner knows that is all one word) or a Cheerwine (bottled in Salisbury, NC).  Prefer a diet drink? Then what are you doing in a barbecue restaurant?!?!

Many states claim to have the best barbecue.  The truth of the matter is very few places actually have barbecue at all.  Want to know if your town has real barbecue?  Here the litmus test- does any menu in town offer a Barbecue Sandwich? If not, then you don't have the real deal!   I offer my hearty congratulations to the rest of you on your expertise in using a grill.  It is something to be celebrated. But as you may have noticed, there is no grill used in the preparation of real barbecue.  So let's get our language straight.  Quit using this noun as a verb.  And bow down to the one, the only, the real...NC barbecue.  Do you hear me, Jon Stewart?  I feel much better now...

Let the debate begin!!!

Changes in Attitude

Happy Comment Day! Remember to read all the blogs you can and leave comments on every post you read!  It's a simple as that! Looking for some blogs to check out?  Start by visiting  http://incitingincidents.org/stories.php and checking out the over 30 posts that were part of the Inciting Incidents synchroblog on Tuesday.  That gives you lots of choices.  Or you can stop by some of my favorite bloggers by clicking any of the links listed below:

Andrea Ward

Kevin Weatherby
Amy Nabors
Jennifer Kuramochi
Tom Zalatnai
Jennifer Eckert
Beth Green
Brook Teoli Phelps
Gavin Richardson
Heather Campbell
Eric Hendrickson
Kimberley Mills
Krystle Singleton
Laura Godwin
Marie Allen 
Christie Weatherby
Ashley Goad Broadhurst 
Jason Huffman 
D. Marie
Tracee Persiko
J. Brent Bill

                                                                                                                       
Now on with today's post...

Lately I have had an attitude problem.  Actually, the problem is that I have developed an attitude.  It seems that I am constantly wanting things that I cannot have, and when I realize that fact I get frustrated and whiny. It is not a pretty sight. These are not material things that I am coveting. These are emotional and personal needs that I am struggling with, and so they are difficult to talk about. To be honest, many of them are selfish things- things I want to change, places I wish I could go.  I get moody and people worry about me, because I am not generally a moody person.  And then when people worry I get defensive and my attitude problem grows.  It is a vicious cycle.  The world sometimes gets crazy, and when it does, I tend to get a little crazy right along with it.

There are several things that help me survive such times.  Prayer, of course, often brings great peace to my soul.  Family and good friends who offer love and support help me remember that I do have a purpose.  But when my attitude starts sinking, there is always one thing that brings me back to life.  Laughter.  Laughing brings great energy into my heart. Making others laugh is one of my life's great joys.  When life gives you lemons, you can make lemonade- or you can make grape juice and leave the world wondering how you did it!  That is what laughter does to my grumpy, self-involved attitude.  It's like Jimmy Buffett wrote all those years ago:

"It's those changes in latitude, changes in attitude,

nothings remains quite the same.

With all of the running and all of our cunning

if we couldn't laugh we would all go insane.

If we weren't all crazy we would go insane..."

One thing I learned from all of my years in student ministry is this- when life gets a little crazy, go with it. Embrace the craziness, and get a little crazy yourself!  And remember that God created you to be a unique individual.  Even when your attitude makes you grumpy.  Have a good laugh today.  And share the joy with someone else who might need one as well. Never forget that laughter is one of God's great gifts to humanity.

Because of Jesus,

Encourage Bloggers!

Want to get an head start on Comment Day? Check out the exciting compilation of posts featured yesterday as a part of the Inciting Incidents website, including my own post from yesterday!  Visit http://incitingincidents.org/stories.php to read more!

So here's the deal about my blog.  I started this thinking no one would ever read it.  I began in the hope that I could blog every day for a year. Now, over 1100 straight days of blogging later, I write to tell my stories, for my own discipline, my own peace of mind, and to praise Jesus.  It is not a money maker- there are no ads here.  All I ask of you (the reader) is to read- and perhaps leave the occasional comment...

Tomorrow has been set aside (by me) as Comment Day for my fellow bloggers!  When you read a blog this Thursday (and I hope you will read many) I want you to take the time and leave a comment for the writer.  You cannot imagine how special it is is to pour out your soul (or at least a few random thoughts) in a blog post and have someone respond to your words or add to your thoughts.  It is truly a blessing.

I love writing this blog, and it has given me more than I could have ever expected.  It has given me discipline, it has improved my prayer life, it has connected me with old friends I thought were lost and gone forever, and it has given me new friends that I count as blessings.  Many of you have left me comments since I began this adventure, and for that I am beyond grateful.  But Comment Day is not about me!  Tomorrow I am going to read at least 30 blogs and comment on each of them, and I simply ask that you join me in affirming the writers that you love to read.  

If you need help finding blogs, come back tomorrow and I will provide you with enough resources to keep you reading for a week.  If you would like me to add your blog to my reading list, just send me a link at youthguy07@aol.com  or tweet a link to @youthguy07.  

So get ready to read. Make tomorrow a special day in the lives of your favorite bloggers! Celebrate Comment Day!

Because of Jesus,

Identified

Today I write as part of a sychroblog.  If you are not sure exactly what that is, it's OK- neither am I.  But my friend Tracee Persiko invited me me to be a part of this special day of blogging to help kick-off a book she helped write entitled Inciting Incidents. The basic idea is to get a bunch of bloggers writing about moments that changed their lives forever, pushing their story forward.  To read more stories of Inciting Incidents, click here.  This is one of mine.

When I graduated high school in 1977 I knew I wanted to be a writer. I had prepared myself for years, working on school newspapers, writing articles for a community paper, and serving as first sports editor and later editor-in-chief of our high school yearbook.  During those same years God had changed my life by giving me a new group of friends through a church youth group who had become the center of my life.  I spent my first year of college still planning to go into journalism, but feeling a tug at my heart to find some way to be involved in youth ministry and make a difference in the lives of young people- the same way my youth group had for me.  But to be honest, it was tug I was trying hard to ignore.

In the summer of 1978 I was working at Quaker Lake Camp at a cabin counselor.  One of the first weeks of camp was a 4th & 5th grade camp, and I had a camper named Geoff Robinson.  His father, David, was the pastor at Centre Friends Meeting, a Quaker church located just down highway 62 from QLC.  As the summer moved along there were a number of campers from Centre Friends, including several at senior high camp.  A few weeks after that high school camp one of those students, a young woman named Robin Davis, was killed in a car wreck.   As the QLC family sought to deal with the grief, I found myself providing an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on to many folks, both staff and campers.  The funeral was held at Centre Friends, and I took a delegation from camp to attend. It was a very emotional day, and again, I found myself offering comfort to many.  It seemed very natural to me, and was simply the right thing to do.

The following week Pastor David Robinson came down to camp one afternoon and said he wanted to speak with me in private.  He thanked for the support I had provided the previous week, and said he had something to tell me- and something to ask me.  He wondered if I had ever considered going into ministry- specifically youth ministry.  I said I had thought about it, but not very seriously.  He then said, "Well you should.  As a matter of fact, as soon as camp is over, I would like for you to be our youth pastor at Centre. You see Carl, God has gifted you to do ministry."  Almost without a thought, I accepted- and for the next 28 years youth ministry was my life's calling.

I had felt the tugs on my heart, and enjoyed the passion of ministry at QLC, but until David Robinson identified my gift, I was unaware. Until that moment when he spoke to me about being gifted by God to do God's work among teenagers, it was just something that seemed like fun.  Suddenly, I had a calling.  Suddenly, I knew in my hear that my life was headed in a brand new direction.  My introduction to student ministry at Centre Friends started me down a path that would take me many places and give me the honor and blessing of serving youth all over the country.  There have been many inciting incidents in my life, but very few that did more to determine the course of my adult life and change my story as did the day I was identified as a youth pastor by David Robinson.  Even though my time as a youth pastor ended in 2007, I continue to serve the youth ministry community through my blog and my ministry with former students and current youth pastors. The story that began back in 1978 still continues today...

Because of Jesus,

The Incredible Mr. Toad

I had a wonderful visit this past week with my old friend Jeremy Godwin, who was down in Florida on a vacation/business trip combo.  It was really great to get to spend time with him. I also got to spend an afternoon texting with Jennifer Wood Jones, another survivor of my years at Springfield Friends Meeting (1986-1994).  I couldn't help but think back to our Florida trips, and especially our Floridays 1990.  Here are a few of those memories in a vintage post from 2010...

Our visit to Walt Disney World in 1990 was a true "festival of fun!"  There were a large number of people with us who had never been to WDW before, and so we set out to do everything!  We watched all the parades, rode all the rides and "ohhhhhhed" and "ahhhhhhed" at all the fireworks.  The Disney/MGM Studios had just recently opened, so that was new to all of us.  As we had on our first trip in 1987, we spent every moment we could at the parks, never leaving until they closed.  One of my favorite Disney memories came around midnight on one of those nights at the Magic Kingdom.

Jeremy Godwin (that's him on the left, with Ken Hill front and center and me on the right- waiting in line at WDW.  Aren't we cool?) and his twin sister Shelley had come to the Springfield youth through our TNT program.  Their family attended another church, but we loved to have them around, and they were both on the Floridays 1990 trip.  Jeremy was a big, strong high school student who was a star lineman on the Trinity HS football team, and who a couple of years after this trip would win the state heavyweight wrestling championship (His final match is still the most exciting sporting event I have ever seen in person, but that is a story for another day).  I was 30 years old at the time, and I was taller, wider and not nearly as strong as Jeremy.  One night of the trip our group was to meet at midnight at Cinderella's Castle before heading back to the motel.  The 9 PM SpectroMagic Parade had ended, and the 11 PM fireworks were complete.  As we stood at the back of the castle waiting for our group to arrive, Jeremy and I noticed that there was no one riding Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.  Mr. Toad was a kids ride, but we all loved it and had ridden it during the course of the day.  Now, with no line and nothing better to do, Jeremy and I (and some others) decided to ride.  And we did.  Over and over again.  With Jeremy and I packed into the same car.  We could have each had our own car, but that would have been way too normal for us!  The Disney cast members who were working the ride were cracking up.  We rode until it was time to shut down the park and meet our group.  Jeremy and I had a blast, and everyone who watched us was entertained.

They closed Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in 1998 to make way for a Pooh Bear ride, and I was crushed.  I will always have my memories of two giant guys crammed into the car of a kiddie ride, going over and over again while laughing hysterically.  Thanks, Jeremy, for a great night on a great trip with some great people!

Because of Jesus,

Return To the RNC

"Greetings from Tampa- where flip-flops are considered to be evening wear!"  - The Daily Show

A week ago I wrote about what it was going to be like living in Tampa during the Republican National Convention (The RNC Comes To Tampa). It turned out to be one of my most-read posts ever.  I wrote of horrible traffic, tropical storms and strange politics- and a great deal of what I predicted turned out to be accurate!  With the convention having ended Thursday night, I thought I would take a moment today and reflect on a few stories and personal thoughts from the past week. Again, politics are not really my thing, although I do enjoy making fun of politicians.  If either candidate would declare they were planning to start a Department of Common Sense, they would have my support. But anyway...a few thoughts...

*  First and foremost, congratulations to the RNC and the city of Tampa for a very successful event. Traffic snafus were well managed, protests were orderly and peaceful, and the giant pep rally seemed to work.  At the beginning of the event it seemed that delegates were resigned to Mitt Romney instead of excited about him.  Now I think many are really behind him.  And since that was the whole point, way to go RNC!  Personally, I still miss the smoke filled rooms and political wheeling and dealing of conventions before 1960, but maybe that's just me.

*  But not everything was perfect. Remember all of the money that was supposed to be flowing into the merchants in downtown Tampa?  As it turned out, not so much.  With all of the sidewalk barricades, national guardsmen and no street parking, small businesses in the convention area mostly just had to shut down.  One local Quiznos, only blocks from the Convention Center, was expecting to do huge business.  Instead, by 1:30 PM on Tuesday they decided to close for the rest of the week.  With no parking and no sidewalks, they had NO business.  It is estimated some 25 downtown stores and eateries will go belly-up as a result of the convention.  $150 million may have come into the local economy, but as usual, it is the fat cats who are getting fatter.
*  You may find me guilty of sterotyping (because I am!) but my wife and I are pretty sure we had at least one delegate at church last Sunday morning.  We think that because a man in a $1000 black suit, white shirt and black tie came into the service a bit late.  Not only was he almost certainly the only man in the sanctuary in a suit, he may have been the only man wearing tie. We are a Florida congregation; half the men wear shorts and even the pastor doesn't wear a tie.  He also had a very conservative (but expensive looking) haircut.  When I was growing up in NC we used to joke about "Baptist haircuts."  This was a Republican haircut if I have ever seen one...  :)

*  Regardless of your view on the very hot-topic subject of abortion (and my own opinions send both sides in search of ways to shut me up!), The Daily Show piece that aired Wednesday featuring Samantha Bee interviewing actual delegates was a brilliant piece of fake journalism.  By asking if it made any difference to them that the "absolutely no abortions ever" plank in the most conservative platform ever (upon review, this platform makes Ronald Reagan posthumously a liberal) differs from Gov. Romney's personal views on the subject, she got a group of hardcore pro-life Republicans to ramble on and on about how the freedom to choose is one of the great American traditions. Irony alert!  They all stepped right in the poop, and they didn't even notice the smell.  It was totally manipulative and completely hysterical!
*  Speaking of The Daily Show, one of my other favorite bits of the week came when correspondent John Oliver was complaining about the heat and humidity in Tampa, saying that since Issac had passed we were back to normal atmospheric conditions- "somewhere between a Friar's Club steam room and a subway platform in Haiti." Jon Stewart responded that yes, it was a bit muggy.  Oliver then cracked, "A bit muggy? Jon, the Amazon is a bit muggy! This is the land that time forgot!"  Ah...it's not the heat, it's the humidity!
*  There were a number of trucks and vans cruising downtown Tampa with signs on them for all to read.  The ones I saw focused mostly on anti-abortion slogans, not believing the liberal media, and putting a stop to anything that could possibly be related to homosexuality.  Having these signs in town during the RNC is a little like preaching to the choir, isn't it? This is a gathering of people who for the most part ALREADY AGREE with you. You are wasting money and energy.  If you want to convert the masses, then you need to take your signs to Charlotte next week.  I'm just sayin...
*  Overheard on local talk radio the other morning from a local waitress...  "If Republicans really believe that the economy can be rebuilt by giving tax breaks to the rich guys and letting that money trickle down to the rest of us, then they need to leave better than a 10% tip.  I am going broke this week while they fix the economy."  Wow.

*  Does anyone remember George W. Bush?  He used to be President.  He was not invited to the RNC, and was barely mentioned at all until Thursday night when his brother Jeb very subtly threw him under a bus (He said my grandfather and my father were great American leaders who helped shape this nation. "And my brother...well, I love my brother.").  In fact, except for the always elegant Condi Rice,  the Bush administration was MIA from this convention. 
*  It continues to amaze me that in this day of Google and instant, constant information that politicians and political campaigns (seemingly all of them, both parties!) continue to distort the truth and think we won't notice.  An easy example: Paul Ryan told a story about candidate Obama (in 2008) visiting an auto plant in Ryan's hometown and promising that with government assistance it could be open for a very long time.  Ryan pointed out that in less than a year it closed, and pointed to this as failed policy. Only one problem- the closing was announced while Bush was President. No Obama policies were in place. But we weren't supposed to notice that...
*  Marco Rubio is THE rising political star in the Republican party, and he was awesome Thursday night.  And they really should have let him have Clint Eastwood's time.  I love you Clint, but no. No.
*  Governor Romney is now officially his party's nominee for President.  I wish him well on the campaign trail, and invite both he and President Obama to actually talk about the issues that "we the people" care about.  In 1992 Bill Clinton was elected because his advisers kept him on task by reminding him that the issues were economic. They still are.  In the words of that Clinton campaign, "It the economy, stupid!"  Whoever does the best job of remembering that and actually addressing those issues will most likely be our next President.

One last thought.  To all those out there who insist on using social media to attempt to change the hearts and minds of those who have different political views...STOP IT!  STOP IT NOW!  As popular wisdom says, "You changed my mind with your brilliant tweet about the other candidate"...said NO ONE EVER!"  Let's keep it real, my friends!

I hope you are all having a great holiday weekend!  Stay safe and be blessed!

Because of Jesus,