The Wises

After being incredibly excited to find gas at $3.57/gal in Russellville, Ark., I ran across this lead story on CNN today:

Exxon Mobil made nearly $1,500 per second
Exxon Mobil once again reported the largest quarterly profit in U.S. history Thursday, posting net income of $11.68 billion on revenue of $138 billion in the second quarter. That profit works out to $1,485.55 a second. That barely beat the previous corporate record of $11.66 billion, also set by Exxon in the fourth quarter of 2007.

And, so, I wonder: WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE?

We got up early (for us) and went to the first showing of Disney and Pixar’s new movie, WALL-E, on opening day at the Crystal River Mall. The movie left me with these initial impressions.

First, Pixar’s digital artistry has reached yet new levels in that I didn’t put much thought into the fact that I was watching an animated movie. The realism of the scenery and the characters are utterly amazing. They truly have unlocked a new medium for storytelling that has practically no boundaries. It seems that just about every new project they do requires some type of computational advance, and WALL-E was no exception. Pixar now has added zero-G and micro-gravity environments to their already powerful repertoire of real-world-in-software effects.

Second, Pixar’s skills at character development are amazing. The amount of expressiveness they can coax out of all their characters — not just their leads — is stunning. For a movie that is incredibly sparse on dialog, save for more bleeps and blips than R2-D2, they did an amazing job giving WALL-E and Eve and the supporting cast, too very unique personalities with a very full range of emotion. (Perhaps, too, we have been given a good 30 years to understand droids and/or robots, specifically thanks to R2-D2, with C-3PO’s interpretative help. Thanks, Mr. Lucas!)

Finally, this is the most political of any of Pixar’s movies. Yes, there have been hints and allegations and things left unsaid in their other productions, but the overwhelming critiques of mass consumerism, narcissism, escapism, and a lack of environmental awareness are pointed, but palatable. This is a touch of a spoiler … but having “Joe Isuzu” as the CEO/President/etc. of the world’s one big corporation/government was a nice ironic touch.

All-in-all we had a fantastic time at this movie and are looking foward to it coming to DVD so we can pause and slow-mo it to death identifying the myriad allusion and tributes that the Pixar team has buried it in. (Not that we’re Pixar fanboys and girls or anything like that.)

I have run across some amusing signs in the past few months. The first was in a convenience store restroom in Ormond Beach, Fla., as we were coming into town for vacation. There is nothing that makes a serious sign more amusing that a piece of smartypants graffiti. This one is a prime example. The simple addition of “or Midgets” in Sharpie just makes it great.

Alex was with me and I asked him if he was a midget. He responded, “No,” and went back to washing his hands. Lucky for him … (Please understand that I realize that remarks such as this graffiti are insensitive and can be hurtful. It did bring joy to me that day. I also make a solemn promise to keep that sign’s guidelines close to my heart and to always obey them.)

The next one I encountered at the G.WIZ children’s science museum in Sarasota, Fla. Of the many hand-on exhibits that were on the second floor of the museum, one was a plasma ball. (You know, the kind that single men in their mid-30s buy at Radio Shack to compliment the black lights and Dungeon & Dragon posters in their basement bedrooms.)

The long and short of the matter is that these things do use electricity and are possibly not 100% safe, but I the thought of doing what the nearby warning sign cautioned against had never crossed my mind before (”Warning: This exhibit is for hands only. Do NOT place toddlers on PLASMA BALL). I silently lamented that Alex was 4 1/2, no longer young (or unstable) enough to technically be a toddler. *sniff* Not that I really would have …

Our going away celebration at Crystal River UMC was Sunday, June 22. It was great to see so many folks turn out to wish us well and to offer their heartfelt thanks and support. It was quite overwhelming to hear the many kind words about me, Patti, and Alex. It is quite humbling to realize what an impact you have on people and how much it means to honestly and openly share your life with others.

Some of my closing thoughts to CRUMC were published in my final article in the June 2008 edition of the church newslwetter, Lamplighter:

Looking to the past … When I was appointed to Crystal River UMC back in 2005 I came knowing that the church felt that someone was needed to work with young adults and families. Those who remember my first weeks or months can recall how truly clueless I was. I can humbly and honestly say that God and God alone deserves the credit for any success I have had. God works in cooperation with us and I have to thank each and every one of you who caught a glimpse of what I felt God was leading me to do and supported me in doing so.

What has emerged out of our time together in God’s presence is truly a blessing. Over/Under is a wonderful ministry with a group of folks at it core who I sense want to experience God at work in their lives through worship, fellowship, Bible study, and service. I have said it consistent and will continue to say it, “Over/Under is not my creation. It never has been.” It is what happens when believers come together and dream God’s dream for reaching young adults and their children. God brought this ministry to life and will continue to sustain it.

The past also contains a great deal change, and that change made new demands of me. Different matters required my attention during the transition from the pastoral leadership of Alan Jefferson to David Gill. It has been thrilling to be part of God’s turning of that page and even more exciting to see the first few paragraphs in the next chapter in the life of CRUMC!

I have worked very hard to be the best associate pastor I could be. Still, I know in my soul that I did not always give my all or my best. For that I am deeply sorry and confess my shortcomings publicly. I ask for God’s forgiveness and yours, too. However, despite my own limitations and failings, God has been, is, and always will be faithful.

Serving under appointment is an odd blessing. Wherever I am sent and whatever awaits me at that appointment is a gift, a pure gift from God. And, without a doubt, CRUMC has been a gift! Yes, I did request a change of appointment this year. There is never an ideal time to make a transition, but as we listened to the voice of God, evaluated our needs, and reflected on my ministry, Patti and I reached the understanding that now was the right time to move.

Looking ahead … In a short time our paths will diverge. I am excited about this next chapter in CRUMC’s story. God has raised up a wonderful pastor in David Gill. I respect him, admire him, and love him deeply. I am most amazed by his humility. I wholeheartedly support his leadership, and will hold him, and you all in prayer.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I pray God’s blessing upon you, and pronounce this benediction over you: “I am confident, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

There are always those moments in life where you just wished you had a camera at the ready. A couple of weeks ago, we were all down in Bradenton to spend some time with our niece Mindy and her family who were down from Arkansas from a visit. Patti and Alex had joined Mindy, her husband Doug, and the kids (Azarea and Kaylib) at the beach. I went to Atlanta Bread Co. to work on my sermon.

So … on that way home from the beach we were stopped at an intersection, and looking over at the strip mall noticed a Hummer H3 parked outside a natural food store. That was strange and humorous enough, but the real kicker was seeing a rather “hippy-ish, granola” looking lady get into the H3 with a bag full of natural foods.

Nope, not a Prius, a Hummer H3. Will wonders never cease? We had a good laugh and then greatly lamented that we had not had the chance to take a picture or video.

Perhaps she had made note of a study that was cited in the article “Don’t Buy That new Prius! Test-Drive a Used Car Instead” in the June 2008 issue of Wired magazine:

In 2006, an Oregon market research firm released an incendiary 500-page report. Its claim: A Humvee (13 miles per gallon city, 16 highway) uses less energy than a Prius (48 city, 45 highway). Scientists quickly debunked the study, but the Hummer lovers got one thing right. Pound for pound, making a Prius contributes more carbon to the atmosphere than making a Hummer, largely due to the environmental cost of the 30 pounds of nickel in the hybrid’s battery. Of course, the hybrid quickly erases that carbon deficit on the road, thanks to its vastly superior fuel economy.

Emphasis mine.

No, I don’t have any great news to share about the house. We have had a total of 1 call and no lookers yet. Keep praying. Still, we have had an adventurous week for sure.

On Tuesday, Alex got a new bed. Angela, a friend of our was replacing her son’s captain’s bed and graciously passed it along to Alex. It is wonderful and huge, and Alex absolutely loves it. He is particularly fond of the tunnel that runs between the two set of drawers. It is a full and readily dwarfs him right now, but we know that it won’t for long. Click on the picture to the right to see a few more shots of his new bed.

Thursday was a busy day, too, as we took yet another trip to Clearwater for more meetings. When we got home I had an email that said that Steve, a friend from church, had called to let us know that his mare had had her foal the night before. When we first moved three years ago his mare had given birth to a foal, but our schedule never permitted us to get over there. This time we didn’t pass up the opportunity, but went on over Thursday evening to see the one-day-old horse. We had a great time, especially Alex, who was terrified at first, but then became so comfortable and brave that he was quite offended that he couldn’t stay in the stall and help put the halter on the new foal to lead him out to pasture. We have a good album of photos and a few videos. Click on the picture to the left to see more.

We’re finally and officially on the market.

If you’re interested, give us a call!

Some have indicated that is has been a while since new photos have been uploaded. We have remedied that problem and have uploaded a ton of new photos. Click the “Photo” link above to take a look.

I ran across this interesting statistic as I was researching my pastoral prayer for this coming Sunday (yes, I do that). I cite a section from this week’s prayer from the website World in Prayer:

We pray for an equitable distribution of resources through the world, and we bring before you all those who are suffering at the hands of others. We cannot live without food and water. Food prices are surging and this is hitting poor people for whom food is the major expense. Food prices declined by 75% in real terms between 1975 and 2005. They have risen by 75% in the 2+ years since 2005. Fuel, so important to agriculture, has risen 19% in one month - February 2008. We pray for all the people who will go to bed hungry tonight.

The emphasis added is mine. Hmm …