My tribute to a friend
Allean Bailey was a friend of mine and a long-time member of our church. She passed away last week after a long battle with cancer. I’m quite sure she never read my blog, nor any other web site. Here is my tribute to her.
Oh, Allean, how can there be a Morrison Hill Christian Church for me without you? After all, we joined the church on the same day, way back in May of ’88 – you, me, Howard and Cindy. Mr. Hackett received us at the front of the church and welcomed us all in. Having you up there with us was an important vote of confidence at the start of our ministry.
It didn’t take long for me to feel close to you, to come to consider you as a friend. In age, we were two generations apart, but we were much closer in more important matters – faith, first and foremost, but also in sense-of-humor and the enjoyment we got out of picking on one another. How many times did you tell me that my sermon tapes worked for you better than any sleeping pill?
I don’t remember exactly when it was, but it seems like it wasn’t long after my own Grandma died that you began telling me at the end of every visit or phone call “I love you” and pulling my face down to give me a kiss on the cheek. I loved you for that. Without really intending it (I’m sure) you filled up a hole in my heart.
The last time I visited with you was on Halloween afternoon. You offered me candy, of course. I thought you looked better, stronger, healthier than you had in a long time. I hope this means that your last couple of weeks were good ones and that the illness that finally took you home was brief. But no matter the case, that’s over now. I’m sure you faced all that with the same strong faith I always saw in you. And now I don’t need to worry about you at all because I know where you are. You are HOME. Put some candy out for me. I’ll be along eventually, and I’ll bring along some of my best sermon tapes.
I love you Allean.
Your preacher and friend,
Dennis
Cyberbullying and e-vigilantes: The tragic Megan Meier case
By now you have probably heard or read something about the cyber-bullying mom who caused a young girl down the street to commit suicide. 13-year-old Megan Meier took her own life in October 2006 after being befriended and then rejected by a “cute guy” she met online. The guy turned out to be a fictitious account set up and monitored by an area woman who wanted to find out what Megan was saying about her daughter. Prosecutors say that no crime has been committed and no charges will be filed.
A clear case for vigilante cyber-justice, right? Not so fast…
First, consider the easily-forgotten truth that the reported facts can be miles off target. Whenever I have seen a news story written or taped about something I’m involved in, I am usually amazed at the inaccuracy.
Second, think about the dangers of mob justice, especially the internet variety where we can all throw rocks from safely behind our firewalls. Wired has an excellent article on this very topic, which includes some chilling stories of past cyber-mobs-gone-bad as well as a few recent efforts to shame this meddling mother.
Megan Meier’s tragic end makes my blood steam. Her death is one of a thousand illustrations you could find today of our vital social need for justice. And yet…
The things Jesus said about loving our enemies, treating others as we want to be treated, and refusing to cast stones - they don’t seem to make sense at first. But dig deeper and see that his ways are best.
Sunday Seven
- New Sesame Street DVD is for adults only. The early years of Sesame Street (beginning in 1969) don’t translate well to today’s kids. A funny and enlightening article from the New York Times, via Slashdot.
- The Gettysburg Powerpoint Presentation. If Abe Lincoln were a modern CEO, he might have dumbed down one of history’s great speeches with bullet points. I find this hilarious. By Peter Norvig, via Wired.
- How to deep-fry a turkey. A 3 or 4 minute fun tutorial video from Mahalo Daily. I love this little four-day-a-week show and I love the host, Veronica Belmont.
- What Would Jesus Buy? Christianity Today’s commentary on a new documentary on consumerism and faith by the maker of Super-Size Me.
- The death of email among youngsters. A good examination of why kids and younger adults don’t use email and what replaces it. From Slate via Slashdot.
- How Joel Osteen inspires millions. An examination of Osteen’s gift by communication expert Carmine Gallo at Business Week.
- Check out these two competitors at the OBX Marathon and Half-Marathon on the outer banks of North Carolina last Sunday.
Sermon: If you have two coats…
If you have two coats…
11.18.7
Excellence in motion: Ryan Hall
I got up early Saturday morning to watch the men’s Olympic Marathon trials on the internet. (If you have to ask why, I can’t explain it to you 
). NBC seemed to have technical difficulties for the first hour, so by the time I made my connection, the leaders were approaching the halfway point on a beautiful course that consisted almost entirely of laps through Central Park in New York City.
For miles 13, 14, 15 and 16, five men ran extremely close together at the front, and I tried to identify runners that I had barely heard of but had read about in the pages of running magazines. But along about mile 17, as the lead pack began an uphill climb, Ryan Hall decided to shift into a higher gear. He waved to the camera truck to speed up, and then Hall turned it up a notch and quickly the other four men began to shrink into the background.
From that point on, Ryan Hall never seemed to be working hard and he never slowed down. As he sailed through miles at a 4:40 and 4:50 pace, he was the embodiment of a person doing what he was born to do. Hall finished the marathon in 2:09:02 shattering the old trials record and beating all other competitors by a couple of minutes.
There is a lot to like about Ryan Hall. He’s tall, blond, Stanford-educated, and very upfront about his Christian faith. Runner’s World editor Amby Burfoot says Hall will be one of the most hyped athletes on the 2008 Olympic team. But Saturday was all about Hall’s remarkable running, a God-given talent that Hall, with thousands of hours and miles run, has shaped into athletic poetry.
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Early in the race, 28-year-old elite marathoner Ryan Shay collapsed and died. Amby Burfoot has written a remarkable reflection on this tragedy (and on Ryan Hall) here.
Sermon: How will you use your power?
3. How will you use your power?
November 4, 2007
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No audio
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Saving God’s Green Earth by Tri Robinson
I came to Tri Robinson’s book, Saving God’s Green Earth, already convinced that I need to be doing more for the environment (and so does the church.) Robinson didn’t add much to my conviction or my store of useful information. He did, however, provide this useful paragraph about the link between environmental stewardship and our witness:
“It was through creation that I realized there must be a Creator behind it all. And that same realization is just begging to be proclaimed to animists in the mountains of Thailand and Burma…(and) to your neighbors across the street who constantly work on their garden every chance they get…(and) to the radical environmentalists who feel the urge to fight for creation but don’t know why.” (p. 59)
Part of witnessing to the next generation is caring about the things they care about. The environment is one of those things.
My rating: 6 out of 10
