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This is the question my brother asked in a recent Twitter and Blog Entry. I started to leave a comment on his blog just now, responding to his entry, but decided my comment was getting too long. So I figured I'd post it here instead. I invite you to read his entry first: Board Balancer.

I don't really have a clear articulation about the relationship between art and sports, but I do think there is one. And I'm not sure that "producing" a "product" of some kind is necessarily the dividing line. There are too many arts where nothing remains after it is performed.

I'm aware, in particular, of the sand mandala in the Buddhist tradition in which an artist creates a most beautiful work of art with sand--and then destroys it.

The thing is, I really do relate to Cyen's rant--what's it all for, basically? But I feel really hesitant to go with it all the way. Maybe especially because he mentions an Olympic sport which is different in my opinion from professional sports (a bloated business for sure!).

But I see the Olympics and gymnastics in particular, say, as a celebration of what the human body is capable of doing. More than that, though, it's also a celebration of the human imagination caught up with the human body. A gymnast on the balance beam doesn't merely stand on a four-inch beam, but she also bends, and leaps, and flips, and gracefully traverses that beam in every way she can imagine.

Most people trudge through life never imagining anything can be different than it already is. But a gymnast takes the same human body and puts it in astounding positions on the thinnest slip of wood.

That makes me want to ask: what else is possible?

Back in the 80s, Joseph Campbell urged folks to follow their bliss. I imagine, for whatever reason, that a gymnast's bliss is balancing on a four-inch beam. It's not my bliss, but I celebrate that it is her's. I'm hopeful that if we were all given the chance to follow our bliss, then the world would be a more beautiful place.

It's a totally non-utilitarian view of things, I admit, dear Brother of mine. :)

I'm in pretty decent financial shape at the moment. Sure my retirement savings is taking a nosedive with the stock market, but in terms of current weekly input and output I'm doing well. So what should I spent that money on? Swords, knives, kilts? How should Jeff waste his money?Ronin Swords Deshi KatanaKukri House No 1 KukriWindlass Gurhka KukriStillwater Gordon Standard KiltStillwater Solid

In an interesting report over the weekend, the LATimes tells of planned changes for the upcoming fall elections in Iraq. Worried that highly influential religious figures would be exploited by campaigns, a new rule will not allow photos of anyone...

In an interesting report over the weekend, the LATimes tells of planned changes for the upcoming fall elections in Iraq. Worried that highly influential religious figures would be exploited by campaigns, a new rule will not allow photos of anyone...

AP updates the story of a Mount Vernon, Ohio science teacher who defiantly introduced his own religious beliefs in class, refused to stop displaying a Bible in his room, and marked a student's arm with a cross to "demonstrate" an...

AP updates the story of a Mount Vernon, Ohio science teacher who defiantly introduced his own religious beliefs in class, refused to stop displaying a Bible in his room, and marked a student's arm with a cross to "demonstrate" an...

I'm in a meeting and they must have known I was craving these and put

them in my lunch box. And no transfats!

The great thing about Camp CLC is the kids who come to our institute. This year, for the first time, most of our kids are not from the D/FW-Austin-San Antonio-Houston population centers. Instead, they're from West Texas and small towns and Nacodoches.

And we have one student who's come to us from George West, Texas, where not only did a guy named George West name a town after himself, pay the railroad $100,000 to go through his town, and pay for a new courthouse at a cost of $75,000 if the county would move the county seat to his namesake hamlet, but where his prize longhorn is also preserved in an air-conditioned, glass-fronted chamber outside the county courthouse.

The longhorn's name is Geronimo.

I must see this. Soon.

And you should take a look at the National Texas Longhorn Museum.

Clearly V.I. Lenin has nothing on George West, Texas.

And this is way cooler than that spectacle in Lexington, Virginia.

Who's up for a roadtrip?

Assuming that I survive this week's grueling schedule, my vacation starts one week from today. Since I'm going somewhere interesting and fun, I thought we'd play a little game, which I will fondly title, "Where in the World is Texas in Africa Going?" Each day for the next week, I'll give a hint about where I'm going and you can try to guess. (No cheating for those of you who know me in real life and already know the answer to this question!)

Hint for day one: It's in another hemisphere.

I was just teaching the students this morning that public policies often have unintended consequences. Not sure I'll be using this as an example, though...

radio city, here we come Originally uploaded by AngloBaptist We had a great time in New York city. We were fortunate. The weather was never that hot. We had a friend to stay with and other friends to visit. I would recommend that everyone who can go there. It's a great town. Avoid Time Square unless you MEAN TO GO THERE. Oy. It's a train wreck. Otherwise, it's a great town. This is a picture of us on our last full day in town. We had just enjoyed a meal with good friends and were walking to St. Bart's church. We just happened to stumble upon Radio City Music Hall. We're told that the Rockettes are really quite something to behold. I like this photo because it so clearly summarizes our relationship. I love my wife. She's fun to travel with....

radio city, here we come Originally uploaded by AngloBaptist We had a great time in New York city. We were fortunate. The weather was never that hot. We had a friend to stay with and other friends to visit. I would recommend that everyone who can go there. It's a great town. Avoid Time Square unless you MEAN TO GO THERE. Oy. It's a train wreck. Otherwise, it's a great town. This is a picture of us on our last full day in town. We had just enjoyed a meal with good friends and were walking to St. Bart's church. We just happened to stumble upon Radio City Music Hall. We're told that the Rockettes are really quite something to behold. I like this photo because it so clearly summarizes our relationship. I love my wife. She's fun to travel with....

For the last six or so months, our church, Jeff Street, has been working on a book of stories, poems, songs and essays from church members and friends. We have finally wrapped that project up and are having a book release party this weekend.

There are some 33 writing contributors, as well as artwork from three other contributors (all of this in a church with only about 70-90 members) who have contributed 66 stories, essays and poetry (same as the number of books in the Bible, hmmm...). The participants are from every age range, and from every part of our church.

The book is called, Bread for the Journey: Stories and Whatnot from Jeff Street and we self-published it through lulu.com, which has been a great experience for us. At this point, I've just printed out enough for Jeff Street folk and friends who wanted it, but we may eventually make it public if others are interested.

The book cover is still secret at this point, but I'll put it up online after the party this weekend.

Congratulations, Jeff Street!

For the last six or so months, our church, Jeff Street, has been working on a book of stories, poems, songs and essays from church members and friends. We have finally wrapped that project up and are having a book release party this weekend.

There are some 33 writing contributors, as well as artwork from three other contributors (all of this in a church with only about 70-90 members) who have contributed 66 stories, essays and poetry (same as the number of books in the Bible, hmmm...). The participants are from every age range, and from every part of our church.

The book is called, Bread for the Journey: Stories and Whatnot from Jeff Street and we self-published it through lulu.com, which has been a great experience for us. At this point, I've just printed out enough for Jeff Street folk and friends who wanted it, but we may eventually make it public if others are interested.

The book cover is still secret at this point, but I'll put it up online after the party this weekend.

Congratulations, Jeff Street!

Analiz González will be my guest blogger this week. Analiz is a writer for our print and online media at Buckner. She is from Brownsville, Texas.

I am a 24-year-old Hispanic female. I’m a Millennial. But today, that doesn’t matter.

I am Analiz González, a follower of Jesus Christ, and when my fingers slam against the keyboard, my words represent only myself.

Yesterday, I blogged about what different age groups want in church. Well, I’ve been churchless for about two years now, hopping around and hungering for a home.

So yesterday’s blog made me really consider what kind of a church it is that I want for myself.

Here’s what I came up with: I’d like to find a diverse congregation with worship music where I can lift my hands and clap if I want to. I also want a place with emphasis on evangelism and reaching the lost. I’d like a church with small groups that pray together and study the Bible. And I wouldn’t feel very comfortable in a congregation where women don’t have a voice.

I’d like a place with a preacher who’s merciful and Christ like, and where the preacher’s gender isn’t a priority. I want to go somewhere with diversity, where I won’t be the only minority or where there isn’t anyone but minorities. And I’d like an easy-going informal dress code, to boot.

But I’ve been searching and trying and nothing seems to meet my exact expectations. So I’ve started thinking that maybe I need to switch my mentality. Maybe I’m asking for too much. Maybe I’m just being an over-indulged, spoiled Millennial.

What is it that really matters? What kind of church would Jesus want me to join? That’s an easy one: A church full with people who seek to know Him and make Him known.

You know what? Yes, there are things that different generations prefer and there are different preferences for people coming from different races and levels of education. But in the end, there’s one thing that we should all be after: Christ.

God has not changed, and even though we may see Him through the lenses of our generation, He remains the same. The important thing is to follow Him for who He is, in all His permanence. After all, I don’t think generational norms make any difference to the God of ages.

Senator Grassley has circulated another memo to reporters and editors regarding his investigation of six ministries. (The full memo appears below the fold.) Among the notable parts of the memo are the following items: 1.The memo poses and answers the...

While in DC to hawk books at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s annual convention, I got to introduce Fisher Humphries and Philip Wise (authors of Fundamentalism) at their breakout session, “Who Is An Evangelical?” The two presented a great, comprehensible discussion of the roots and theology of evangelicalism, with particular emphasis on how evangelicalism intersects with [...]

"While I'm on vacation this week, I have asked Kenton Keller to write on the topic of Economic Decelopment.  The winds of change are blowing at Buckner and I wanted you to get an idea of what the Lord is speaking into the hearts of our leadership. Feel free to comment or ask questions. I will return to the office on July 14, 2008."

Part of the BCFS mission is to promote independence. This is especially true for young adults who are reaching that age where they must leave “the system.”  Some studies have shown that an orphan “ages out” of the system every 2.2 seconds with no place to call home.  Other studies in Eastern Europe have shown that of those aging out 60% of the girls turn to prostitution and 70% of the boys turn to crime.  BCFS needs to address the needs of these at-risk young adults, too.

Economic development can be defined as efforts that seek to improve the economic well-being and quality of life for a family or a community by creating and/or retaining jobs which, in turn, support the local economy. 
BCFS has developed an Economic Development continuum that focuses on nine areas.  These strategies are intended to be used both domestically and internationally and are described below.

Short term strategies – programs we would like to begin implementing in 2008 include:

• Education and training.  This is a renewed focus on providing the training and education that is needed that will ultimately support an at-risk young adult getting a sustainable job.  This is not training for the sake of training, but training based on a development model that has been tailored for a specific location and its economic needs.  BCFS intends to develop these location-specific development plans and then engage alliance partners as needed to deliver appropriate training to support job placement.  At some point BCFS may even provide their own educational services (see below).

• Business relationship development.  BCFS intends to establish business support groups on a location basis composed of external BCFS supporters, ambassadors, who will help ensure that BCFS meets its strategic goals for that location.  Part of this focus will be on developing relationships with the local business community in an effort to better understand the needs of the local economy, arrange possible apprenticeships and jobs, and possibly provide access to new markets for the businesses themselves.  This concept will be piloted in the Fall.

• Microfinance.  Microfinance consists of making small loans, usually less than $200, to individuals to establish or expand a small, self-sustaining business.  These loans are typically paid off in six to twelve months.  For example, a woman may borrow $50 to buy chickens so she can sell eggs.  As the chickens multiple, she will have more eggs to sell and soon she can sell chicks.  Each expansion improves her economic condition and positions her for more improvements.  As micro-business expands, jobs are created, knowledge is shared, civic participation increases and the community is uplifted.   BCFS would like to engage microfinance institutions (MFIs) as alliance partners to help provide capital to the at-risk families and communities we support.    BCFS will also be considering establishing its own microfinance pool of resources.

Tomorrow we will discuss the intermediate and long term economic development strategies.

After an enjoyable visit to scenic Cades Cove in the Great Smokey Mountains last week, we were ready for lunch. The short drive into Townsend, Tenn., led us to a local diner along the river.
The "family restaurant" was just what we had in mind with sweet tea in Mason Jars and good home-style cooking. The young woman serving us did so with kindness and competence.
A large, round table near the fireplace was occupied by a collection of men surely known as "regulars."
The place had that homey, warm feeling. Eclectic "art" was displayed randomly on the walls — with no hint of a decorator's touch.
But then my eye landed on a sign that was intended as a joke. It made light of sexual harassment.
Then, as I prepared to pay our bill for the good meal, a large wooden paddle on the wall behind the register caught my attention. On it was painted the words: "Tennessee Wife Beater."
The place I had entered feeling good became a place that left me saddened.
I didn't mention anything at all about my observations to my wife or two daughters. But my love and respect for them had a lot to do with my changed feelings.
My only protest was a generous tip for the server who worked in a setting with such disregard for women.
Friends would be quick to affirm my overactive funny bone. I find humor in most places and am not easily offended.
And I realize that the silly sign and paddle do not give evidence that abuse of women is practiced or condoned in this little restaurant where everyone was so kind.
My best guess is that those items were nothing more than an attempt to be funny. For me, however, they were not.