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Ise went to see Ben Vet today - just for a check-up to make sure all is in order. My temperature is normal, my chest sounds normal and my gut sounds are normal and I have gained weight, I now weigh 3.69kgs (8.13lbs) which is an increase of about 350 grams (about 3/4 of a pound)!
Unfortunately I was bunged up with poos again, as you all know this is now a reoccurring problem for which I need to take lactulose cos the scarring in my guts, from the chemo treatment I had, prevents proper passage through me. So Ben Vet gave me an enema!!! I am loathe to write this on my blog again cos I get ALOT of hits from people looking for "enemas for fun" or "home enemas" and even more strangely "furry enemas". The mind boggles but I can assure those people that enemas are most definitely NOT fun!
I was very well-behaved at the vet, purred a bit and dished out a headbutt or two. After Ben Vet had finished examining me he said he was very pleased with my condition and said that I am doing very well, pretty much like a normal healthy cat - which is great news. Let's hope this state of being continues for a while longer! I then said my goodbyes to Ben Vet and the staff and my cat-sitter who also works there.
Once I got home I ran straight to my litter-box and proved without any doubt that enemas do work very well, I then laid down with Castle and he spent ages cleaning my ears for me.
And for any London-based readers, HMS Belfast the old warship now turned tourist-attraction moored up on the Thames, has lost one of it's cats, he is called Oscar and went missing on December 24th (you can read more HERE). He got lost looking for the other resident battleship cat Kilo. Kilo has now turned up though. I dread to think what could have happened to old Oscar but I fear either he was kidnapped by horrid chavvy school-children on an educational visit or he may have seen a fish in the Thames and took the plunge so to speak. Anyways, let's hope that Oscar turns up soon!
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
Vet Visit
Ise went to see Ben Vet today - just for a check-up to make sure all is in order. My temperature is normal, my chest sounds normal and my gut sounds are normal and I have gained weight, I now weigh 3.69kgs (8.13lbs) which is an increase of about 350 grams (about 3/4 of a pound)!
Posted by The Furry Fighter at 03:49
17 comments:
- Kaze, Latte, & Chase said...
I had an enema once. Sheer torture. Its not my fault I was in a little cage for a week while my humans were on vacation and the box was way to public for me to use.
- 7 January 2008 at 20:27
- Daisy said...
I am very sorry you got all bunged up with poos again. I do not know why, but that phrase makes me giggle a little bit. I'm glad the enema worked good and you gained weight. You go, girl!
- 7 January 2008 at 20:43
- Karl and Ruis said...
We hate hearing about missing cats!!! Please Oscar, we hope you will be safely returned too like Kilo!!!
Yes, the penguins were great fun! Very friendly and they now all have glasses and CCSI buttons, hahahaha!
We found Brody's blog from McMurdo Station very interesting - gives you a bit different perspective of Antarctica than from a cruise ship....
We will have a surprise guest coming tomorrow and a big party on Thursday!!!
- 7 January 2008 at 21:44
- Samantha & Mom said...
Oh Storm that is great. We are glad you are gaining weight and normal is all the right places. So sorry about the poo problems.And we hope Oscar is found. We will purr for him to come home. And we like the whapping event for the Olympics! That would be cool!
Your FL furiends,
- 7 January 2008 at 21:54
- Jan Price said...
We're sure sorry to learn Oscar is lost. We hope he is found soon.
And we're also sorry you had to have another enema. Who in their right mind would think enemas are for fun? Had to be humans. Certainly was not a cat or a dog. We have more sense.
jans funny farm
- 7 January 2008 at 22:08
- MISS PEACH ~(^.^)~ said...
hee hee you guessed right Stormie! Going to the cold lace for my happy Burdie day tea party!
I am glad you are home again and free from the binding of the p__ __! Not fun to have that....you are so very brave!
Sorry about the missing kitty from the ship. Last night we watched a TV show about the life of the Queen and we saw her almost cry when her Britannia ship was put into moth balls. Such a royal dynasty...mommy said we once where a monarchy in Bavaria too. We had the handsome King Ludwig who built the castles.
Much love from me to you and Castle:)) and please come join the parry on the cruise ship
- 7 January 2008 at 22:27
- The Meezers or Billy said...
oh Storm, we is so furry happy that you is doing so well! but enemas are awful! Grampa norton tolded us so! and he hated lactulose too.
We is sending out purrs that Oscar finds his way home!
- 7 January 2008 at 23:02
- Parker said...
I can't imagine one of my sibs cleaning my ears - does it feel good?
- 8 January 2008 at 00:38
- Gemini and Ichiro said...
I hope they find Oscar. That is good news about you and Kilo!
I shall have to go tell my humans they SHOULD have toured the Belfast if there were cats on board. It's bad enough that the Woman visited none of my dear British friends (how far is it, really to go visit Yao-lin?). She could have at least visited those on who cater to tourists!
- 8 January 2008 at 02:34
- michico*Adan*Lego-小芥*阿丹*樂高 said...
Oah Storm~~
I sincerely hope your condition will getting better ~~~
Even I know you are an expert of visiting vet, but I still hope everytime you go there just say hello to vets :)
And certainly hope the cat will be found soon :<
- 8 January 2008 at 03:31
- The Lee County Clowder said...
Our first reaction after the enema was that it probably wasn't your ears that needed washed. :-)
We're glad you're still doing well.
- 8 January 2008 at 04:55
- Lux said...
That is the loveliest picture of you & Castle. I'm so sorry to hear about your :::whispering::: enema.
- 8 January 2008 at 05:03
- Karen Jo said...
I am so very pleased that you are doing so well and mostly just like a normal, healthy kitty, except for the poo problems. I'm glad you got that all fixed, though sorry about the enema. Those are no fun at all. I am really sorry that Oscar is missing. I hope he goes back to the ship soon.
- 8 January 2008 at 07:04
- Dragonheart, Merlin, Devi, and Chloe said...
We are glad to hear you are doing so well, Storm! Enemas sound yucky.
We hope that Oscar is found.
- 8 January 2008 at 08:42
- Poppy Q said...
Storms I am glad you had an ok time at the vet, and they managed to move the motions.
My mum used to work at London Bridge Hospital, just down from the Belfast. She hopes they finds Oscar, maybe he has gone inside somewhere to keep warm?
Hopes you and Castle and your beans are keeping warm.
- 8 January 2008 at 09:55
- Motor Home Cats said...
We are really glad to hear that you are doing well, but sorry to hear about your poo problems. That can't be any fun.
We hope Oscar is found soon.
Tiki, Tavi, Cody and Camie
- 9 January 2008 at 05:34
- muffinmidi said...
Enemas are horrible, but I'm glad
it helped you.You have to let us know what searches it turns up.
- 10 January 2008 at 21:31


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When I was younger, I heard a lot phases. I had a lot of challenging listening habits (think lots of metal), so maybe it was a mantra my parents recited to get through the day. Or that weeklong vacation in Orlando when I exclusively listened to Metallica's "Kill Em All" and "Incesticide" by Nirvana. Naturally, I rejected the concept of phases, insisting I'd still be listening to Sepultura well into my seventies. I'm sure mom and dad shuddered at the thought.
It wasn't until I burned through a few hundred listens of Bob Marley's "Legend," then took a long step away from Stir It Up that I recognized the concept of phases. One of my subsequent phases was about Jim Morrison and The Doors. I loved his deep, thoughtful seriousness, juxtaposed against the flamenco guitar, his poetry, persona, everything. A phase is a brand of obsession, where you try and get in their head and try to see the world through their lens.
Ani DiFranco was one such phase, where I dove deep into her back catalog, her writing, other people's writing about her, her relentless tour schedule and her record label, Righteous Babe Records. I tried to find what made her tick, what fueled her consistent stream of outrage, what made her belly laugh, growl, sneer, and scream throughout the course of an album.
It turned out that an Ani phase is a great lesson in feminism, and a thought-provoking commentary on our painfully patriarchal society.
Growing up in the suburbs of Minnesota, there wasn't a lot happening around me, and I didn't feel like I could gain any life experience outside of finding new and novel ways to combat the all-powerful boredom. I felt like I didn't have any worthwhile problems, so in a way, I decided to adopt somebody else's. Music provided a gateway out of that boredom, out of the suburbs and into somebody else's mind, as well as their problems.
That's why my Ani phase was so paramount to rounding me out as a person. My dad was pretty awesome in that he didn't relegate laundry, dishes, or cooking to a "woman's duty," or anything antiquated like that. He shared in all the domestic, household tasks, but that went away as soon as I left the house.
Ani DiFranco illustrated the struggle that comes from living in a world that thinks of you as less than, and makes very little effort to hide it. A world where people feel like they can say what they want to and about you, whether it's commentary on your mission to turn the world in to a bunch of feminists, or how your recent change in hairstyle marks a step backwards for the women's rights movement.
There's no way I can really know what it's like to be a woman, or Jim Morrison, but there are lessons I can learn from them, and those lessons can lead to changes in my perception, my decisions, and my daily life. It can open dialogues, even if they're only internal, that get you thinking about the things you do and say, and how they affect other people.
Beyond her message, Ani's music is also based around her masterful guitar work, at times delicately skimming across the strings, while in other songs she plucks and twangs with ferocity. There's nobody else who plays it quite like she does. In most of her music, she's accompanied by a bass and simple drum kit, which props her range of lyrics and guitar work on the appropriate pedestal to display them, to let them shine.
This Sunday, consider a phase, even if it doesn't span a month or even a week. Give credence to an artist and their message, and try to learn something from them.

subset: commoncrawl


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What does a fire with SpaceX rocket test has to do with TSLA stock?
Classic shorts manipulation.
More to do with the capital raise needed for the SCTY merger.
Stock price has been sliding for a few days. down 10 as of this moment today. If you're looking for a "good" price then yes, could be a good time.
The needs for capital raise for SCTY has been known for over a month. Shorts are betting everything against Musk right now.
It just means that the short covering after Q3 numbers release will be that much higher.
Got in again
A $400mm scty valuation mistake didn't help.
Except it worked in TSLA's favor
I just picked up some more @ 201.09...
Me too.... 200.89
SCTY is worth less than initially valued. But I thought TSLAs purchase price was locked in. So essential they're paying for a company that's worth $400mm less than they thought.
Just bought my first batch at 200.99. Always thought it is vastly overvalued. Probably still so since the lack of profits although I love my s and ordered a 3. I do believe its the future and if Elon can carry out half his ambitions, it could rise over the years.
Timing the market is usually a wasted effort. That said it is a good strategy to buy on dip when you plan to acqauire a good stock for long term investment purpose. Like many said TSLA is stock you buy if you believe the company will be one of the biggest auto/tech/energy company on the planet by 2025 and beyond.
I think you've got it backward. Tesla got a discount of $400M
200.79 here
Yes, TSLA got a discount. But there is a chance the SCTY shareholders will expect a higher price and potentially sue to get it.
A few years ago when another company was undervalued by 100 mm, the shareholders sued to get a higher price. So this may mean TSLA would have to pay more and raise more.
$200 a good price, waiting for announcement of utilizing supply chain for parts so they can be focus on core competency.
Thanks @bighorn...I thought today was Opposite Day.
I'm waiting for $100. I expect it to happen when the M3 delay is announced the middle of next year, followed by bad press due inadequate expansion of infrastructure for delivery and service (not to mention rivets still on back-order).
barrykmd | September 1, 2016
I doubt it will go much below $150.
You waiting for $100 so you can cover?
below $170-180 seems unreasonable.
I'm not an expert by even the most basic benchmarks, but everyone seems to think TSLA is not a conventional stock with conventional trends...... there are too many of us out there who think that the company is on the verge of exponential growth and a market game-changer and will ignore current financials and bet on future earnings......
I last bought at ~$170 and sold at $260. I think Buying at 170-200 and playing the long game seems reasonable.
@barry, you'll be waiting for $100 longer than you waited for rivets. Unless TSLA splits 2:1.
Tpilot - No. I've never owned TSLA, long or short.
Except SCTY tanked and has a book value of 1.89B now, so even with the accounting error, nobody is getting screwed. Buying SCTY shares currently at $18 gets you a 15% arbitrage discount on the current TSLA price if the deal goes through. That must be weighing on the TSLA price as well, but is a temporary situation.
I was waiting for SCTY to drop to 15-18.... but now you guys have me thinking......
barrykmd Don't you have fomo? Come on man drink the KoolAid! Where's silver?
I had to look up fomo :-)
I missed out when it was at $30. Otherwise, by investments are doing well, thank you.
Barry you sound like an accountant. Sorry I mean a retired accountant :-) You doing better than 6% last three years?
$150 is the bottom. It will not go any lower than that. Many companies from Google, Apple, Uber to VW, GM would be very interested to snatch up Tesla for $20B. Google was going to buy Tesla in early 13' for $8B when it has shipped only a few thousand cars and there were no gigafactory, energy storage or autonomous technology.
Any advice on how to buy US shares, specifically TSLA from the UK? Is there a premium I'd have to pay to buy share's from another country's stock market? And what's the best organisation to use, bank, stockbroker, etc?
One evidence of Tesla's worth is Uber's CEO Kalanick once said if Tesla can make 500,000 self driving cars in 2020 he's going to buy them all. That's about $20B worth of cars there already. Uber can not afford to have Google or Tesla to have self driving shared mobility cars to come out first to totally wipe away its business model. Uber now have to invest in self driving cars itself because it looksTesla is more interested in going into the business itself than just to sell cars.
@Dr. Toonhattan
You can check if there is bank issued Global Depository Receipt (GDR) of Tesla listed on London exchange. That can be traded just like Tesla stock. Or check your local brokerage firms if they have global accounts that will allow you to trade foreign stocks.
It has more to go, the deal with Solar City was a turd from the beginning. Tesla is taking too much risk and debt and the banks aren't having it. I might buy below $180
I am totally against the TIMING of the buying of SCTY. TM is overpaying for it IMO. They are paying dollars for it now when they could get it for pennies in a couple months.
TM should concentrate on completing the initial mission statement and get the model 3 out, on time, and in numbers.
Having said that 'it is what it is'
The arbitrage that exists now has me buying TSLA at $170 vis-a-vis buying SCTY for $18.50, which I did yesterday.. This arbitrage is saying that WS believes that after the purchase and stock dilution TSLA will have an SP of $170. WS can be wrong but the big boys would not let the little retail investors (us) have this type of discount without firmly believing that TM is paying way more for SCTY than it is worth.
Sorry relegated to mobile device cant do photos while desktop trying to recover data for clients dead drive.
IMO and I'm no stock guy at all! I believe TSLA is going to soar big time when secret plan phase 2 is complete whether this move is smart for TSLA or not.
DrT I would think any decent uk broker can purchase your tsla. Barclays, TD, Interactive to name a few
Tpilot - no not an accountant, a physician (retired). However, my undergrad degree was in engineering, and if I had to do it over again today, I'd probably be a quant :-) I've averaged 7-10% each year over the last few years (realized gains), mostly from options trading.
I would have thought the handle would have given it away, ;)
Sorry - have to type it twice ..... i guess 'greater than' and 'less than' signs are interpreted as code.....
I would have thought the (Firstname)(Second initial)(MD) handle would have given it away, ;)
Could have been Maryland :-)
Ah.... true..... I didnt think geography! :P (geography wasnt my strongest subject in highschool)
It seems there is a skew of Airline pilots, doctors, and business people (retired and otherwise) that bought Teslas and are on this Forum site, hence my obvious bias when interpreting your handle ... :)
I bought at 120 right after the car fires. It was before I had the car, but based on experience analyzing car fires, I felt comfortable enough that it wasn't a legitimate problem. Ever since it shot up, I've bee writing puts at 200, and had written ones for less before it shot up but after I bought my long shares. All the puts expired worthless (which is good.) . As of now, it's below that, so if the shares are put to me at 200, the effective cost will be $189, if you factor in the premium for the put. But if you factor in all the prior puts that got rolled or replaced after they expired, and consider the overall strategy, the effective cost would be far lower. Either way, if the price is above $190 on the 16th, I'll be ahead this time around. And if not, I'll be happy to take the long shares and hold them.
All those people who like to short or buy puts have been betting against me and losing. I don't like to gamble.
Ouch ouch and more ouch. My $265 share which are to fund my car are now 197.
Every time I take my eye off the ball my finger off the pulse the dike leaks.
Must remember: Be more diligent to stop the flow.
"Haggy | September 2, 2016
I don't like to gamble."
Most married people claim that they don't gamble, Say What?
@Ross, you and me are in the same boat, but I did buy a few more shares when it went into the 180s a few months ago, bringing my average cost to $230/sh. Still, I'm thinking of rinsing and repeating when the shares are cheap to lower my cost average further.
I have a mental block: I say to my self, self, says I;
Would you buy in at this price, so I find it hard to sell at a loss.
Just me, but the money was hard to come by.
@Ross - just be happy that at some point "soon," TSLA shares will be worth more than we paid. :-)


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Special Ideas on Gazebo Kits for Hot Tubs
Gazebo kits for hot tubs – including an outdoor hot tub on your deck or in your backyard space is a great idea for the owner who values luxury. Soak your cares away for hours under the stars by yourself or with your family. Outdoor Jacuzzis act as living room furniture inside your home providing a place for relaxation and conversation. There are some things you can do to enjoy more of your outdoor hot tub. Use your outdoor hot tub to set the mood for your space. Choose the best place for it and decide how it is used more often. If you plan to use it for social gatherings and family functions, it will benefit you to put your whirlpool near your home. If you want a more private setting in which only adults can enjoy, the possibility to put a little further away from home if your property is quite large.
If you live in a crowded neighborhood, privacy with the use of your hot tub outdoors can be a problem. There are several ways you can create a private setting for you, your family and your guests to feel at ease when climbing in and out of the hot tub. One option is the inclusion of fencing. Fencing in your gazebo kits for hot tubs will block the occasional nosy neighbor and provide you with a strong sense of privacy. Another great option is to build a gazebo in your outdoor hot tub. A gazebo will not only create privacy but will give you the feeling that you escape to a spa in your own backyard.
12 Photos Gallery of: Special Ideas on Gazebo Kits for Hot Tubs
While learning together with someone special on a moonlit night or engaging in conversation with a group of friends, you have to have a great view. If your property overlooks beautiful scenery, be sure to place your whirlpool so that you will enjoy the view. Give you and your guests the opportunity to watch the sunset while relaxing in the gazebo kits for hot tubs. Create a space that shows the natural beauty around your house.


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Although we didn't think too much of it when the post came out, we were a bit surprised by some of the comments posted by readers. In retrospect, I guess I really shouldn't have been since the Internet has made it very easy for thoughts to be shared freely, for better or worse.
The comments were, let's say, not very favourable. People were genuinely upset by what they read and while it didn't really bother me all that much, I thought about why something like this would elicit such reactions.
Click on the date link below to access the comments.
Two workouts while fasting? Ouch! Each week, Allegra confesses one thing about her running. She's brutally honest about it. That's why we like her.
Posted by Canadian Running Magazine on Friday, February 26, 2016
The crux of this discussion is I have my runners run two hard workouts for that one day. The first workout is about 8-10 km long with the middle 4 to 6 km at threshold pace. The second workout is another threshold pace workout of 5 repeats of 5:00 segments.
Not that strange or unusual right? I mean it's a challenging workout sure with a total of 8 to 12 km hard running.
Here's the catch: I ask the runners to either fast or avoid carbohydrates for the day.
And ultimately, this is what set people off.
Let me first state the fact that people are commenting without knowing the full picture or what the entire program entails. This is, after all, the age of the Internet. Allegra painted a picture of one day in 16 weeks of training for a half-marathon. One. Day.
Needless to say we make every effort to ensure that it is safe for everyone to do. My reasons for doing this workout are plenty and isn't something that I am discussing here.
What I do want to discuss is why nutrition is such a sensitive topic for so many people. It's almost I as if I did something blasphemous.
Some of the questions/thoughts that come to my mind on this:
- When did our bodies become so fragile that missing two meals is considered "very dangerous"?
- In fact, it is commonplace to see runners bring containers full of coloured water during their runs as if not having a tiny bit of sugar will end them. Why are we so afraid of running on diminished fuel? (trust me, it would take a lot more than a Sunday long run to empty our tanks...and even then our brains won't allow it).
- Speaking of water, there continues the longstanding belief that we need to be hydrated all the time despite strong evidence to the contrary. That we can somehow get ahead of thirst (we really can't, we just end up peeing a lot)
- In normal weekend long runs, I always suggest "fasted" runs as well, unless we're doing a simulation. This is something that I have been doing for the past five years and guess what, I am still alive and stronger than ever. Yet this freaks people out
The origins of the need to stay fueled at all times could be traced to Gatorade, the originator of sports drinks. This is a great article on the subject of hydration and fueling.
The bottom line for me in all of this is simply this: I aim to get the greatest amount of adaptation during training. While I am not about to compromise health and safety, there's something to be said and gained by making these workouts fairly uncomfortable, which is what training is all about.
Is the above workout controversial? Sure it is but before condemning it, make sure to examine the "why". Is it because it is truly dangerous or is it because we are conditioned to automatically respond to something that doesn't necessarily conform to currently "accepted" beliefs and instantly reject it without truly examining the reasons why? Think on it.
Is the above workout controversial? Sure it is but before condemning it, make sure to examine the "why". Is it because it is truly dangerous or is it because we are conditioned to automatically respond to something that doesn't necessarily conform to currently "accepted" beliefs and instantly reject it without truly examining the reasons why? Think on it.


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What's Your Beauty: Woman or Lady?
July 19, 1903. A summer birthday. A historically hot day in Georgia. One hundred and thirteen years ago, Roberta Mildred Martin was born in Winterville, Georgia.
"Bert," as my father called her, was the woman who raised my mother. She was "Mama" to my mama, and "Grandmama" to my sisters and me. She did not give birth to my mother; she was her aunt. My mother struggled with this realization at age fifteen; she'd been lied to all her life as to who her biological mother was. But Grandmama was indeed the person who was the mother in Mama's life; the one who provided for her, taught her right from wrong, administered discipline, and occasionally showed her affection.
Years later after we had arrived, Grandmama was one of our summertime babysitters while my mother worked. She watched over us from early morning biscuits and black-eyed gravy and hot percolated coffee sipped from a saucer, all the way to late afternoon ice-cream truck treats. I'll never forget her black leather coin purse and how it snapped tight and held seemingly endless change.
During my and my sisters' formative years, she was one of the people whose rearing and teachings helped form us. She was the smartest, most worldly uneducated person I've ever known. She was shrewd, sharp, and had a wit and tongue that could simultaneously build you up and cut you down. She had lived a hard life, been married five times (widowed and divorced), back before Elizabeth Taylor made it en vogue.
And she had stories that could hold 6 to 10 year olds enrapt for hours in her small Cabbagetown duplex. One story was The Woman and The Lady. Both were adults, could make their own decisions, may or may not have been married, may or may not have had children. Both were beautiful; one on the inside and one on the outside. And gradually, she'd paint a picture of the contrasts of these two females. One may have worked outside the home, the other made her home and family her career. The more she described these two, the clearer their essence would become. The more beautiful one had the more genteel, kind-hearted, good-mannered nature; she was the Lady. The other may have had outward beauty, but she also had the gumption to dress down those who wronged or slighted her: to call someone on their questionable ways. To perhaps even go after an alleged mistress with a butcher knife in tow, just to put a good fear into her.
Grandmama was deliberate in her choice of words when describing a female: they were either a lady or a woman. Usually, the Lady was whom she thought more highly of. Occasionally, the Woman was someone whose hutzpah she admired or she simply didn't like. I think Roberta was both. She never, not once, touched a drop of alcohol. But Bruton snuff was a different thing and a vice in which she indulged. She always, ALWAYS extended hospitality to anyone in her home (to do otherwise was completely unladylike and not acceptable).
So on the anniversary of her 113th birthday, I'm left thinking of where I fall on her female classification barometer. I think I'm mostly a Lady, but what makes me interesting is that smidge of Woman that runs in my veins.
Happy Birthday, Grandmama! I miss your summertime birthday celebrations with salted watermelon slices, homemade ice cream in the hand-cranked churner, your skinny layer-cakes piled high (9 deep!), and your awfully sweet tea poured from the Currier & Ives teapot. You did good.
Some of Grandmama's staple "Lady" beauty products:
. . .and her one Woman vice. . .


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The ReWired Retreat
Featuring Brad Henderson Posted on July 23, 2010
My son Joe (Joe Fa Sho) and I are blessed these days to play in the Matt Roberson Band. Joe's a knocked out drummer and I attempt to hold down the bass guitar/BGV's slot and do some arranging where needed. This has been/is an interesting and rewarding partnership.
We just came back from a weekend to remember. We led worship at the Rewired Men's Retreat at Falls Creek Camp in Oklahoma. I led worship with my group two years ago and Matt led last year with his group. This year, we were asked combined our efforts and what an absolute blessing!
Men…at a camp setting…they love to sing and when you combine an excitement of 2,700 plus men being together with their unashamed desire to worship their Creator, it makes for a moving and powerful experience. My hope is that the men connected with God in a very real and honest way, perhaps experienced a greater freedom to worship and that this will begin show itself in churches across the country.
In addition to leading the corporate worship, we got to do three breakout sessions for worship leaders. I was allowed to share some thoughts God and my accountability team has been pouring into my life. What a thrill to see the truth, the power of Scripture shared and the realization of our place in His Kingdom, our identity in Him. Who God says we are, how we are to die spiritually and now Jesus is our life and how we are to set our minds using His Word. These sessions were surprisingly well attended and we probably gained more by preparing than the men did from our sharing.
Here are the setlists from the Rewired Men's Retreat. (FYI and big grin) most these are available at PraiseCharts and the ones that aren't soon will be. Blessings on you and your ministry and remember this week, we can do nothing of any value unless we allow God to do it. Let's lay down the reins of control and allow the Holy Spirit to have free reign.
Friday's setlist:
Better Than Life
Glorious One
How Great Thou Art
I Stand Amazed In The Presence
You Are My King (Amazing Love)
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
Saturday's setlist:
How Deep
Because Of Your Love
Note from Victoria Keen:
Brad is one of the lead arrangers here at PraiseCharts and Joe frequently contributes to the Chord Chart department and engineers several of the studio projects. Matt Roberson's music can be found here. Check his stuff out!
Tags: Setlists, Testimonies, Events


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Report on Study and Evaluation of the Executive Committee
The Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Dallas, Texas, June 11-13, 1974, received the following recommendation from the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention:
"We recommend that the Convention authorize the Convention officers elected in 1974 to appoint a committee of seven persons widely experienced in denominational life to study and eva1uate the Executive Committee in the 1ight of Bylaw 9, and that it report to the Convention in 1975...."
The recommendation was approved and the following persons were named to constitute the Committee of Seven: Harold C. Bennett, Olin T. Binkley, W. A. Criswell, C. R. Daley, Daniel R. Grant, H. H. Hobbs, and Alma Hunt.
This committee reported the progress of its study to Southern Baptist Convention messengers meeting in Miami Beach, Florida, June 10-12, 1975, and requested a one-year extension for completion of the study. The extension was granted and the study was continued. Following the two-year study the committee brings the following report.
The Committee of Seven wishes to thank all who contributed to this study task. The committee is profoundly grateful to the professional staff and to all members of the Executive Committee, past and present, with whom we have conferred.
The Committee is also greatly indebted to agency staff members who proved to be informed and articulate persons. They understood the purpose of the study and expressed their thoughts about the work of the Executive Committee with candor and kindness.
Finally, we are grateful to the Holy Spirit who, we trust, has been our helper as we have sought to serve Southern Baptists in their divinely assigned mission.
The specific focus of this study was upon the structure and functions of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention as set forth in Bylaw 9. The plan of study included the following: (1) Review of the history of the formation and development of the Executive Committee from 1917 to the present; (2) examination of recent studies of the Executive Committee, including the brief self-study by the Committee of Fifteen and selected books and articles on the purpose and value of the Executive Committee by competent Baptist writers; (3) survey of the reports of the Executive Committee to the Southern Baptist Convention from 1959 to the present; (4) study of Bylaw 9 and each document to which it refers; (5) examination of the Bylaws of the Executive Committee and related material in the Orientation Manual; (6) observation of the Executive Committee at work in regular meetings and a review of the minutes of the annual meetings of the Executive Committee for the past ten years; (7) interviews, first of all, with members of the professional staff of the Executive Committee; (8) interviews with chief executives of the boards, institutions, commissions, and standing committees of the Southern Baptist Convention; (9) interviews with selected Baptist leaders well acquainted with the policy and procedures of the Executive Committee, including several past and present members of the Executive Committee; (10) consultations with Southern Baptist state executive secretaries and editors; (11) consideration of statements by other Southern Baptists who submitted their views in writing or attended a hearing arranged for those who wished to meet with the Committee of Seven.
The Executive Committee has been a vital factor in the life and work of the Southern Baptist Convention and the denomination since 1917. At New Orleans on May 17, 1917, the Convention voted to create an executive committee of seven and assigned to it the following responsibility:
"The duties of the committee shall
be to have oversight of the arrangements for the meetings
of the Convention with power to change both the time and
place of meeting in case an emergency arises making such
change necessary; that this committee shall act for the
Convention ad interim on such matters as may arise pertaining
to the general business of the Convention and not otherwise
provided for in its plans of work; that this committee
shall also be empowered to act in an advisory way on all
questions submitted to it on matters arising between the
Boards of this Convention, but only on request of one
or more of the Boards concerned; that this committee shall
have no further duties except as other things may be specifically
committed to it by the Convention itself at its annual
In 1919 the phrase, "but only on request of one or more of the Boards concerned," was deleted from the description of the Executive Committee's responsibilities. Also, in 1919 the membership of the Committee was enlarged to include the officers of the Convention and one representative from each state and one representative from each agency of the Southern Baptist Convention.
In 1926 the Committee was assigned additional responsibility, and in 1927 it was constituted as a full-time agency of the Convention with a professional staff and with an enlarged scope of functions.
In 1927 the responsibilities and effectiveness of the Executive Committee were increased, its headquarters were established in Nashville, Tennessee, and Austin Crouch was elected its first executive secretary. He devoted his intelligence and energy to that position until his retirement in 1946. He was succeeded by Duke K. McCall who served with distinction as executive secretary-treasurer from 1946 to 1951. Porter Routh, the present executive secretary-treasurer, was elected in 1951 and under his leadership the Executive Committee has been reorganized and has multiplied its usefulness in the cohesiveness, continuity, and creative program of the Southern Baptist Convention and of the denomination as a whole.
In 1958 the Executive Committee was reorganized as a result of the report of the Committee To Study Total Southern Baptist Convention Program (Branch Committee). Six recommendations from that study committee placing additional tasks upon the Executive Committee were adopted by the Convention on May 22, 1958. They were: (1) Development of an appropriate report format to assist the agencies of the Convention in the presentation of their reports; (2) review and presentation as information to the Convention the budgets of all Convention agencies; (3) consideration of an expanded public relations program; (4) transfer of the promotion of stewardship to the Stewardship Commission; (5) organization of the Executive Committee into subcommittees; (6) search for funds to finance the construction or purchase of physical facilities to be used by the Executive Committee.
The magnitude and complexity of the work of the Executive Committee have been increased since 1950 by the continued growth of the denomination, the expansion of the geographical area, the increase in number of agencies, the greater involvement in denominational planning, the program statements approved by the Convention and assigned to the agencies, and other factors.
1. A strong Executive Committee is indispensable in the life of the Southern Baptist Convention. The present scope and strength of our Southern Baptist organizational life is unthinkable apart from the Executive Committee and its functions.
2. The organizational structure of the Executive Committee is essentially sound. It shows genius on the part of our forefathers who have given us a system which promotes maximum efficiency while providing the checks and balances necessary to protect Baptist liberties and autonomy.
3. The Executive Committee is blessed with highly capable and committed professional staff members. They sincerely execute their assignments and attempt to be fair and impartial toward all agencies* of the Convention. They make a sincere effort to provide committee members with needed background material in advance of meetings.
4. There is evidence that the Executive Committee is endeavoring to perform faithfully the functions assigned to it by the Convention as set forth in Bylaw 9.
5. All meetings of the Executive Committee, its subcommittees, and work groups are open to concerned constituents although executive sessions can be called under unusual circumstances. A wide range of denominational leadership, including agency heads, state executive secretaries, and state editors is invited to participate in Executive Committee sessions.
6. The Organization Manual of the Southern. Baptist Convention dated January 1, 1975, and The Southern Baptist Convention Program Budget and Financial Data for 1974-1975 indicate that the Executive Committee and its staff have done a commendable job in compiling and keeping updated the documents called for in Bylaw 9.
7. A reading of the minutes of Executive Committee meetings for the past 10 years reveals that the Executive Committee keeps comprehensive and accurate records of its work.
In the study and evaluation of the Executive Committee in light of Bylaw 9, the findings obligate this Study Committee to call attention to problems and needs not directly related to Bylaw 9 but vital in the function of the Executive Committee under Bylaw 9.
Finding: While the method of nominating and electing Executive Committee members may be sound in theory, the manner in which it works is not altogether satisfactory. Executive Committee members are nominated to the Convention by the Southern Baptist Convention Committee on Boards, Commissions, and Standing Committees. Nominees from the various states and their qualifications frequently are known only by the two members on the Committee on Boards from those states. Without information with which to react responsibly, members of the Committee on Boards usually endorse one another's nominations. This makes room for personal favoritism and cronyism in the selection of nominees.
Suggestion: Adequate biographical information, experience, and other pertinent data on all Executive Committee nominees should be provided for and carefully considered by all members of the Committee on Boards before making their nominations to the Convention. Caution should be taken to prevent even the appearance of unwholesome denominational politics.
*--The term "agencies" used in this report includes
boards, institutions, commissions, and standing committees; "trustees" as
used in this report refers to board members,
institution trustees, and commission members.
Findings: The crucial importance of the responsibilities and the heavy demands in time and energy expected of Executive Committee members are not fully rea1ized by all who are elected to serve. Absenteeism from meetings limits effectiveness and pressure for early adjournment diminishes deliberation on important issues.
Suggestion: Prospective nominees should be fully informed of the responsibilities and demands upon Executive Committee members. As far as possible they should be recommended for election only after expressing willingness to attend an extensive orientation program for new members and agreeing to devote the time and effort needed for performance of the Executive Committee responsibilities.
Finding: The present orientation program for new members of the Executive Committee has proven to be very helpful but appears to be inadequate.
Suggestion: The scope and depth of the orientation program should be more adequate. Consideration should be given to inviting each year a limited number of Southern Baptist Convention agencies to provide agency perspective on the work of the Executive Committee and its relationships to the agencies. In addition to orientation for new members, ways should be sought to keep Executive Committee members updated on pertinent information as long as they serve on the Executive Committee.
Finding: The Executive Committee as it now functions is strongly staff oriented. This is not because staff personnel are domineering or power hungry but because most Executive Committee members devote full time to other responsibilities and find limited time for their Executive Committee duties. Consequently, they depend upon staff members for background work, research, and other extensive preparation required for Executive Committee meetings.
Staff personnel are selected because of their unique qualifications and they are expected to give expertise and creativity to the work of the committee. The result is a staff-oriented Executive Committee.
Suggestion: Ways should be found to achieve more involvement
of Executive Committee members in the decision making process
of the Committee. The following suggestions, though not a
comprehensive list, might be helpful in achieving this:
(1) More careful study by Executive Committee members of background materials on major issues prior to Executive Committee meetings; (2) delineation and clarification of major issues by subcommittee chairmen and staff personnel at the time of their referral to subcommittees; (3) adequate opportunity and time in plenary sessions for discussion and questions on major issues before final action on subcommittee recommendations; (4) use of a small group of experienced Executive Committee members to meet with the professional staff as needed between regular sessions of the Committee.
Finding: Better communication and more effective cooperation between the Executive Committee and the agencies constitute a continuing need in Southern Baptist Convention organizational life. Agencies feel their situations are not always understood by members of the Executive Committee. They believe Executive Committee members should be familiar with the particular program and problems of each agency. Executive Committee members, on the other hand, sometimes feel they do not have adequate information to respond intelligently to proposals related to the agencies.
The present plan of using work groups of Executive Committee subcommittees to relate to the agencies is a step in the right direction but is not enough.
The efforts of the Executive Committee and its staff to be completely impartial and fair toward all agencies tend to give the impression of coolness toward the agencies.
Suggestion: Ways should be devised for Executive Committee staff and members and agency staffs and trustees to be more intimately acquainted with the work of each other. Possibilities for consideration are an annual retreat for Executive Committee members and agencies heads, invitations from Convention agencies for Executive Committee representatives to sit in their board meetings, special reports in addition to financial data prepared by agencies for Executive Committee members, and attendance of agency board chairmen and trustees in Executive Committee meetings.
Effective communication and unity of purpose among Southern Baptist organizational leaders cannot be guaranteed by any kind of organizational structure. These result from commitment of competent and consecrated leaders to the purpose and objectives of the denomination. Such communication and cooperation are of inestimable value.
Finding: The one most far-reaching responsibility of the Executive Committee is the recommendation of allocations for all Convention agencies receiving Cooperative Program funds to carry out their assignments from the Convention. Presently only the Program subcommittee members hear all the budget presentations and requests from the agencies. Consequently members of other subcommittees tend to feel they are expected to vote on budget allocation recommendations without sufficient background and knowledge.
Observation of past experience shows that as many as a half-dozen different ways have been used for budget presentations. This would indicate no plan has been considered entirely satisfactory.
There has appeared to be an imbalance on the work loads of the subcommittees with the Program subcommittee having too much and the Finance and Administrative subcommittees having too little. However, Executive Committee staff members report that recent innovations have resulted in less hurried budget hearings and deliberations by the Program subcommittee.
The present names given subcommittees and the functions they perform are confusing. For example, the Program subcommittee, instead of the Finance subcommittee, is responsible for the preparation of the proposed Cooperative Program budget for presentation to the full Executive Committee.
Suggestion: Budget requests from all Convention agencies should be heard as well as studied by all Executive Committee members. This is only fair to the agencies and to the Executive Committee members who are expected to vote on the final recommendations. This could be accomplished by letting the budget presentations be heard by the full Executive Committee in its regular September meeting or in another full Committee meeting prior to the February meeting in which the budget recommendations are finalized.
The names now used for the subcommittees should be examined
and revised. The present Program subcommittee could be called
the Program-Budget subcommittee and the present Finance subcommittee
could be called the Business-Finance subcommittee.
Finding: The Southern Baptist Convention began and remains a voluntary association of messengers from churches. However, as such a group increases in size and complexity, its center of power tends to shift from "grass roots" constituents to officially elected board members and to the staff personnel.
By virtue of its assignments the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee is powerful. It needs and does have authority commensurate with its responsibilities.
Suggestion: Caution should be taken to prevent even an unconscious trend toward undue centralization of authority in Southern Baptist organizational life. The usurpation of undue authority by the Executive Committee over the agencies of the Convention would be disastrous. At the same time, the agencies should recognize the need for the Convention to exercise reasonable review of their affairs. The authority of the Executive Committee should be kept in healthy tension with the authority of Convention-elected trustees of the agencies.
Finding: Bylaw 9, (5), (a) states that the Executive Committee is "to act for the Convention ad interim on all matters not otherwise provided for. . . ."
There must be some committee of the Convention to act ad interim in urgent matters that arise on which action cannot be deferred until the Convention meets. However, "acting for the Convention ad interim" is not the same as "being the Convention ad interim." There is a difference and it is regrettable to note the growing practice in recent years to refer to the Executive Committee as the Convention ad interim.
Suggestion: Let there be a clear understanding that the Executive Committee is "the fiduciary, the fiscal, and the executive agency of the Convention in all its affairs not specifically committed to some other board or agency," and is specifically authorized and instructed to "act for the Convention ad interim in all matters not otherwise provided for," and that the Convention agencies act for the Convention between sessions in specific matters assigned to them in program statements and in the Constitution and Bylaws of the Convention.
Finding: Bylaw 9, (5), (e) authorizes the Executive Committee "to act in an advisory capacity on all questions of cooperation among the different agencies of the Convention. . . ." The Executive Committee is endeavoring to function within the limits of its advisory role though it appears to some that the Committee at times has overstepped the limits of this difficult assignment.
Suggestion: The advisory role of the Executive Committee should never become a supervisory or managerial role. In cases where agencies do not agree on questions of cooperation and do not follow the advice of the Executive Committee, the Committee should make recommendations on these matters to the Convention.
Finding: In Bylaw 9, section (5), (i) is by far the most controversial item. It deals with the relations between the Executive Committee and the agencies of the Convention.
This Bylaw seems to be somewhat ambivalent and is difficult to interpret. The first sentence clearly indicates that the agencies are not to be controlled or directed by the Executive Committee. However, the second sentence empowers the Executive Committee to investigate the affairs of any agency of the Convention without consultation with the staff or the controlling board of the agency.
There is a fine line where the authority derived from the principle of trusteeship and the Convention-assigned responsibilities of the Executive Committee meet. Some tension at this point is almost inevitable and is not altogether undesirable. Such a polity furnishes checks and balances necessary to preserve the freedom and the autonomy in Southern Baptist life.
Also in connection with By1aw 9, (5), (i) is found considerable concern among the agencies over possible recommendations of the Executive Committee which might alter the programs of or even abolish an agency. Some early proposals of the Study Committee of Fifteen have been pointed out as examples.
Suggestion: This section of Bylaw 9 should be amended. The amended Bylaw should include both a strong reaffirmation of the authority and responsibility of trustees under the authority of the Convention and a clarifying statement regarding the investigative powers assigned the Executive Committee by the Convention. Such an amendment is recommended at the end of this report.
There should be periodic evaluation of agencies and their programs. However, far reaching proposals of the Executive Committee relating to agencies should be made only after very careful consideration. In instances where proposals would result in the transfer of an agency or agency responsibilities to the Executive Committee, or result in abolishing an agency, the study might more objectively be done by a committee other than the Executive Committee.
Whether it is done by the Executive Committee or another committee of the Convention, a set of rules of fair and proper procedure for recommending the restructuring or elimination of an agency should be adopted and this process should be well known by all concerned.
Some safeguard against hasty action in respect to agencies is provided in Bylaw 15 which states that no agency shall be discontinued without a majority vote at two (2) successive annual sessions of the Convention.
Finding: Bylaw 9, (5), (j) gives broad powers and authority to the Executive Committee commensurate with its responsibilities in performing its assignments in respect to the agencies.
Suggestion: The phrase, "advise with them," is well chosen to describe the proper relationship of the Executive Committee to the agencies.
Finding: Bylaw 9, (5), (l) calls for development of an appropriate report format to help the agencies present to the Executive Committee adequate information on program plans, accomplishments, and costs.
Such a report format has been developed and is being utilized. This report format not only serves the agencies, but also the Executive Committee in its need for data. The Bylaw wording should reflect this.
Suggestion: Not in order to change its intent, but in the interest of clarification of the meaning of this Bylaw section, a rewording of 9, (5), (1) is recommended with this report.
Finding: Subsections of Bylaw 9, (5) lack uniformity of style.
Suggestion: A recommendation with this report reflects appropriate style changes.
1. The Committee of Seven recommends that Bylaw 9, (5), (i) be amended as follows:
"(i) The Executive Committee shall not have authority to control or direct the several boards, agencies, and institutions of the Convention. But it is instructed and commissioned to study the affairs of those boards, agencies, and institutions of the Convention, to make recommendations to them concerning needed adjustments, and also to make whatever recommendations concerning them to the Convention it deems advisable."
RECOMMENDED FORM: (Changes in wording in italics.)
(i) To maintain open channels of communication between the Executive Committee and the trustees of the agencies of the Convention, to study and make recommendations to agencies concerning adjustments required by program assignments or by established Convention policies and practices, and, whenever deemed advisable, to make recommendations to the Convention.
The Executive Committee shall not have authority to control or direct the several boards, agencies, and institutions of the Convention. This is the responsibility of trustees elected by the Convention and accountable directly to the Convention.
2. The Committee of Seven recommends that Bylaw 9, (5), (l) be amended as follows:
"(l) The Executive Committee shall develop an appropriate report format which will help agencies of the Convention present their reports on a more appropriate and comparable basis in order to provide more information about program plans, accomplishments, and costs."
(l) To utilize an appropriate report format which will enable the Executive Committee to obtain from the agencies adequate and comparable information about program plans, accomplishments, and financial data.
3. The Committee of Seven recommends that for the sake of consistency of style, Bylaw 9, (5), (j), (k) and (n) be amended as follows:
"(j) In carrying out these instructions the Executive Committee is authorized to make its own bylaws in keeping with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Convention; to hold meetings whenever deemed necessary; to make reports of all meetings to the Convention; to notify all the boards, agencies, and institutions of the actions of the Convention and to advise with them as to the best way of promoting all the interests of the Convention."
(j) To make its own bylaws in keeping with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Convention in carrying out these instructions to the Executive Committee; to hold meetings whenever deemed necessary; to make reports of all meetings to the Convention; to notify all the boards, agencies, and institutions of the actions of the Convention and to advise with them as to the best way of promoting all the interests of the Convention.
"(k) In accordance with the action of the Convention in Atlanta in 1944, the expenses of the Executive Committee shall be derived from the Operating Budget of the Convention specifically established for this purpose and formally approved by the Convention."
(k) To derive, in accordance with the action of the Convention in Atlanta in 1944, the expenses of the Executive Committee from the Operating Budget of the Convention specifically established for this purpose and formally approved by the Convention.
"(n) Copies of the minutes of the Executive Committee shall be sent to the heads of all Southern Baptist Convention agencies, and copies of the minutes of all agencies shall be sent to the office of the Executive Committee."
(n) To send copies of the minutes of the Executive Committee to the heads of all Southern Baptist Convention agencies, and copies of the minutes of all agencies shall be sent to the office of the Executive Committee.
4. The Committee of Seven recommends that the findings and suggestions in this report be referred to the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee for consideration and that it bring to the 1977 Southern Baptist Convention meeting a report on its response to the suggestions in this report.
5. The Committee of Seven recommends that this report to the Convention on the Executive Committee study and the Convention name change study presented on June 10, 1975, be printed in the Convention Annual.
|W. A. Criswell
|C. R. Daley, Chairman
|Daniel R. Grant
|Harold C. Bennett
|H. H. Hobbs
|Olin T. Binkley
|Alma Hunt
- Report on Study and Evaluation of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention
- Recommendations - The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention
- Committee to Study Total Southern Baptist Convention Program
- Committee to Study Total Southern Baptist Convention Program
- Final Report - Implementation Task Force. The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention - June 16, 1997


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Ron Rienstra is associate professor of preaching and worship arts at Western Theological Seminary and co-author of Worship Words: Discipling Language for Faithful Ministry (Baker Academic, 2009).
Articles by this author:
First Things FirstCentering Our Praise in God
Each spring at Western Theological Seminary we hold an end-of-year awards convocation, as do many educational institutions. It's a special ceremony to celebrate God's gifts to the whole community and to honor students who have made particularly good use of those gifts. Awards are granted for excellence in biblical studies, church history, ethics, missiology, preaching, pastoral care, systematic theology, and so on.
The Wetter the BetterRemembering Our Baptism Every Week
Note: All names in this story have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals mentioned.
Songs for Worldwide CommunionHere on Jesus Christ I Will Stand; La Uncion; Faithful Is Our God; Sixfold Amen
One of my favorite churches is the beautiful Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, California. While this church has many striking and meaningful features, I especially love the majestic earth-toned tapestries hung along each side of the nave.
Standing on Holy GroundPastoral Prayer as Pastoral Care
Pastors know that one of the most significant things they do in their ministry is pray for and with their parishioners. When the sorrow of a recent loss, or the fear of what a cancer may do, or the joy of two lives joined together compel people to ask their pastor (or anyone else!) to pray for them, the one sitting in the living room chair or beside the hospital bed is, in fact, standing on holy ground.
Ideas for Including Lament in Your WorshipResources Culled from a Blog
There are many worship planning resources available on the Internet—some better than others. One site you may want to spend some time on is http://worshiphelps.blogs.com (see RW 80). We have culled the following practical ideas from three different blog entries.
Complexifying the LiturgyAn Alternative Order for Campus Worship
As we plan weekly worship here at Fuller Seminary, the worship interns and I have been talking quite a bit lately about three persistent and related problems.
Worship PedablogA Web-based Teaching Tool for Worship Teams
New times call for new tools. I learned that lesson these past months as I struggled to find adequate "together" time with the worship interns at Fuller. We have a set time to meet, of course, but there is so much to do just to get ready for worship that we don't have the leisure for genuine schooling. It's important for us both to plan and to do regular reflection on our weekly worship planning; we need concentrated as well as casual interaction in order to bring our lives and work into conversation.
Worship Planning BlogsCollaboration, Innovation, Inspiration
In the previous article (Campus Notes) I outlined some of the features of online web logs (blogs) that make them an intriguing new communication tool:
Giving Everyone a Voice: How We Used a Song Survey for Teaching, Ownership, Renewal, and Unity
As the new chapel interns at Fuller Seminary gathered to begin planning worship at the beginning of the year, it became apparent that we had a problem. After we'd assembled our raw materials—piles of hymnals, sheaves of guitar fake sheets, and stacks of songbooks, there was little room left on the table for our pencils and notepads. The collection was just too cumbersome to work with.
Learning from Creative Tension: Observations on Alternative/Emerging Worship in England
Ron Rienstra and his family spent a semester in London, England, in 2004.
Blogs by this author:
This post is the concluding part of a three-part article "Three Theological Themes for Worship," a condensation of a presentation given at the 2018 Symposium on Worship. This series explores Jean-Jacques von Allmen's most generative insights and considers how they might shape the worship we prepare and lead today.
This post is part two of a three-part article "Three Theological Themes for Worship," a condensation of a presentation given at the 2018 Symposium on Worship. This series explores Jean-Jacques von Allmen's most generative insights and considers how they might shape the worship we prepare and lead today.
This post is part one of a three-part article "Three Theological Themes for Worship," a condensation of a presentation given at the 2018 Symposium on Worship. This series explores Jean-Jacques von Allmen's most generative insights and considers how they might shape the worship we prepare and lead today.
A healthy normal provides repetition and predictability—allowing the meaning-making character of ritual to do its work. The exceptional service, … stretching us, reminding us of God's ability to work in surprising as well as regular ways.
Each year, on the second day of class, I give a little speech to my Intro Preaching 101 students. I tell them that I know some of them do not believe that the Holy Spirit has gifted women to preach. In their reading of scripture, women are not authorized to proclaim the Word of God. But, I continue, I am persuaded — and this class will be guided — by the conviction that they're wrong about this. Not obtuse or ill-intentioned — just wrong.
A friend of mine came to my office a few weeks ago. His congregation is beginning to think about a sanctuary renovation, and he wanted to talk through some of the dynamics at play when considering liturgical furniture. He had found himself, in an initial meeting, agreeing with those who argued, for example, that a pulpit was both beautiful and indispensable. Five minutes later he found himself agreeing with those who said a pulpit was anachronistic at best and at worst an impediment to hearing the gospel.
I occasionally consult with churches who are looking for renewal and revitalization in their worship. Often these churches tell me that they are hoping that I can help them negotiate a transition from offering "traditional" to offering "contemporary" worship. (Though I have consulted with churches moving in the other direction!)
Not long ago I was speaking at an evangelical Christian college in the Midwest. After my presentation, a young woman, a leader of the praise band in her church, invited me to think with her about a frustration she had: "What do you do when you only get 15 minutes for worship?" she said. "I need more time than that to get the congregation from here," she said, raising her arms above her head, and waggling her hands, "to here," she said, lowering her arms and folding her hands gently together in front of her, just above her waist.
Early this season I returned to Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, to attend my Ph.D. commencement ceremony and to be duly "hooded" – i.e., officially welcomed into the company of hopelessly nerdy liturgical and homiletical scholars.
Not long ago I found myself on a Sunday morning visiting a church where some friends of mine are the pastors—Jim and Steve the lead pastors, and Mark in charge of music (their names have been changed here). The worship was wonderful – strong preaching wedded to both missional and sacramental sensibilities. The people were friendly, the music eclectic and excellent, the Spirit alive in the sanctuary. Yet there were a few moments where I cringed when we sang songs with sexist language in them.


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AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – Gov. Paul LePage's administration says it will "aggressively" appeal a decision by federal officials barring the state from recouping food-supplement benefits from people who weren't eligible.
Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew says the decision by the Food and Nutrition Service shifts financial responsibility for $4.8 million in overpayments from food supplement recipients to Maine taxpayers.
In March, Maine was directed by the government to recover funds from those who received benefits to which they were not entitled. But now, Mayhew says the federal agency seems to have disregarded its previous directive.
Maine legislative Democratic leaders blame the state for the error. House Democratic Leader Emily Cain of Orono says the administration must take responsibility for the $4.8 million debt.


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The prospect of retirement doesn't just signal the end of a career; it offers the chance to recalibrate and re-prioritize in life.
In Dwell's June issue, we highlighted a selection of super-metallic objects for the home, the majority of which were made from copper, 2013's metal of choice. The current finish for metals strays from the patinaed, rubbed, waxed, and generally muted finish that's held on in the design market for the past decade. What we're now seeing at the design fairs, from Euroluce to ICFF, is a gleaming, smooth presentation, particularly with copper. Here are a few more editor-approved picks to get the look.


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The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-of-Age Crisis—and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self-Reliance
by Ben Sasse
Unabridged Audiobook, 11 hrs., 9 Min.
Macmillan Audio, 2017
Read: July 24 – 26, 2017
I typically don't like to do this, but in the interest of time, I'm just going to use the text from the publisher's page to describe the book:
Raised by well-meaning but overprotective parents and coddled by well-meaning but misbegotten government programs, America's youth are ill-equipped to survive in our highly-competitive global economy.
Many of the coming-of-age rituals that have defined the American experience since the Founding: learning the value of working with your hands, leaving home to start a family, becoming economically self-reliant—are being delayed or skipped altogether. The statistics are daunting: 30% of college students drop out after the first year, and only 4 in 10 graduate. One in three 18-to-34 year-olds live with their parents.
From these disparate phenomena: Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse who as president of a Midwestern college observed the trials of this generation up close, sees an existential threat to the American way of life.
In The Vanishing American Adult, Sasse diagnoses the causes of a generation that can't grow up and offers a path for raising children to become active and engaged citizens. He identifies core formative experiences that all young people should pursue: hard work to appreciate the benefits of labor, travel to understand deprivation and want, the power of reading, the importance of nurturing your body—and explains how parents can encourage them.
Our democracy depends on responsible, contributing adults to function properly—without them America falls prey to populist demagogues. A call to arms, The Vanishing American Adult will ignite a much-needed debate about the link between the way we're raising our children and the future of our country.
The first third or so is Sasse laying out the problems with the 30-and-younger set (and the parents and grandparents that got them and their society in the sorry state they're in). The next two-thirds are his suggested solutions, what he believes parents can do to help raise a generation with the necessary rigor and grit to make it. Nothing here can be implemented like blueprints — these are all just things to get parents thinking. Even if the reader disagrees with Sasse (as I do frequently), you get the feeling that he's more concerned with people and parents thinking about these ideas and doing something about them, even if it's what he doesn't think needs to be done.
There's a chapter devoted to helping our children and teens become critical readers — talking about the necessity of being more than just functionally literate, but people that interact with books — good books, as well as entertaining books. People reading this blog should find a lot to love (and a little to demur with) in this chapter — I almost listened to it twice in a row it was so good.
The book is largely a-political. Yes, politics does enter into it. Yes, if you agree with him (before or after reading the book), it'll likely lead to certain political moves — but people on all points on the political spectrum should be able to get something out of this book. Just because Sasse is a U.S. Senator, don't think that this is a book about that. He does highly value "republican" values — but he usually goes out of his way to stress that it's "small-R republican" he's referring to. Ditto for the Christian point of view he writes from — Sasse's very up-front about that, but goes out of his way to show how non-Christians (or even Christians from different traditions) can agree with much of the book, or disagree constructively.
There was problem with the audiobook — there's no text to refer to. There's so much that you want to go back and re-read, notes you want to take, quotations/citations you'd like to double check. The literature chapter alone needs to be re-read. And it's just such a pain to do all that with an audiobook. Trust me, get the hardcopy. The audiobook is a very effective advertisement for the hardcover. It is good to hear Sasse read this himself.
There's a lot of this book that I just don't get — I'm not saying he's wrong, necessarily, but I don't think he's always as right as he thinks he is. But I'm telling you, I thought a lot about what he talked about — I talked a lot about the content of this book. I'm looking for ways to put some of this into practice, and wish I'd done a better job of doing it years ago.
Agree with it or not, this is a book well worth reading.


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THE 140th RUNNING OF THE LONGINES KENTUCKY OAKS ATTRACTS 113,071 FANS AS UNTAPABLE CLAIMS THE LILLIES
Wagering from all-sources was the second-highest all time on both the full 12-race Kentucky Oaks Day card and the Kentucky Oaks race
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (May 2, 2014) – It was a historical running of the 140th $1 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) at Churchill Downs Racetrack on Friday, May 2, as 113,071 fans, the third highest attendance in Oaks history, watched an exciting win by Untapable and jockey Rosie Napravnik, who pulled away in the final stretch for a 4 ½ -length victory.
Wagering from all-sources was the second-highest all time on both the full 12-race Kentucky Oaks Day card and on the Kentucky Oaks race.
Wagering from all-sources on the full 12-race Kentucky Oaks Day race card totaled $43.2 million, a decrease of 5.7 percent from the 2013 total of $45.8 million. All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Oaks race dropped 1.9 percent to $14.1 million from 2013's record $14.4 million. On-track wagering on the Oaks Day race card was the fourth-highest of all-time, coming in at $11.8 million, a 3 percent decrease from 2013's near-record $12.2 million. On-track wagering on the Oaks race decreased 3 percent to $3.0 million from 2013's record $3.1 million.
"We had a great day at Churchill Downs Racetrack for the 140th running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks while we watched Rosie Napravnik claim her second Oaks win. Over the years the Oaks has continued to attract incredibly talented equine and human athletes and we saw some of the best in the industry today," said Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack. "Our congratulations to the connections of our new Kentucky Oaks champion, Untapable, and to all of the horse owners, trainers and jockeys who participated in today's very competitive racing program.
"Kentucky Oaks has become a premier sports event in its own right and one of the biggest days in racing thanks to the thousands of fans here at the track and around the world who showed their support for the quality racing product our horsemen and racing office assembled by wagering a $43.2 million on the Kentucky Oaks race card, the second-highest all time. We look forward to tomorrow for what we know will be a memorable 140th running of the Kentucky Derby," Flanery said.
The 2014 Longines Kentucky Oaks, viewed by a national television audience on the NBC Sports Network, continued the Pink Out tradition as well as the Survivors Parade sponsored by Kroger.
As part of the 2014 Pink Out, CDI's Foundation donated $50,000 to benefit Bright Pink®, the only national non-profit organization focused on the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women. Churchill Downs also continued a six-year fundraising partnership with Horses and Hope, a breast cancer outreach program in Kentucky's horse industry championed by Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear. Churchill Downs will donate $1 from each Friday sale of the Grey Goose Oaks Lily®, the official drink of the Kentucky Oaks, to Horses and Hope.
The parade, which showcased 140 cancer survivors and their co-survivors, paid special tribute to Tricia Amburgey who was a fixture at the racetrack for more than two decades and was the inspiration for the track to become actively involved in breast cancer awareness.
In 2009, Tricia Amburgey, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Although she eventually lost her battle with cancer this past year at the early age of 42, the strength and courage Tricia displayed over the past five years serves as an inspiration and motivation to all.
Over the last six years, the Kentucky Oaks has raised over $0.7 million for cancer-related charities.
Untapable, a homebred owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds, rolled to a 4 ½-length victory in the Kentucky Oaks as the even-money favorite. Jockey Rosie Napravnik, the only woman to ride a Kentucky Oaks winner in the 140-year history of the race, won the race for the second time in three years, and trainer Steve Asmussen scored his second Oaks victory. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Tapit was the second Kentucky Oaks winner owned and bred by Winchell Thoroughbreds and returned $4 for a $2 wager.
The winner covered 1 1/8 miles over a fast track in 1:48.68 as she won for the fifth time in seven career starts and is unbeaten in three races at Churchill Downs. The Longines Kentucky Oaks winner's purse of $576,600 increased Untapable's career earnings to $1,124,725.
Churchill Downs, the world's most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America's greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) also operates Trackside at Churchill Downs, which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. The 2014 Spring Meet at Churchill Downs is scheduled for April 26-June 29. The track has hosted the Breeders' Cup World Championships a record eight times. Information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at www.churchilldowns.com.
Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) (NASDAQ: CHDN), headquartered in Louisville, Ky., owns and operates the world-renowned Churchill Downs Racetrack, home of the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, as well as racetrack and casino operations and a poker room in Miami Gardens, Fla.; racetrack, casino and video poker operations in New Orleans, La.; racetrack operations in Arlington Heights, Ill.; a casino resort in Greenville, Miss.; a casino hotel in Vicksburg, Miss.; a casino in Oxford, Maine; and a 50 percent owned joint venture, Miami Valley Gaming and Racing LLC, in Lebanon, Ohio. CDI also owns the country's premier online wagering company, TwinSpires.com; the totalisator company, United Tote; Luckity.com, offering real-money Bingo online for a chance to win cash prizes; Bluff Media, an Atlanta-based multimedia poker company; and a collection of racing-related telecommunications and data companies. Additional information about CDI can be found online at www.churchilldownsincorporated.com.
Information set forth in this news release contains various "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act") provides certain "safe harbor" provisions for forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the Act.
The reader is cautioned that such forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time and/or management's good faith belief with respect to future events, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in the statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statement was made. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking information to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of terms such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "predict," "project," "hope," "should," "will," and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include: the effect of global economic conditions, including any disruptions in the credit markets; a decrease in consumers' discretionary income; the effect (including possible increases in the cost of doing business) resulting from future war and terrorist activities or political uncertainties; the overall economic environment; the impact of increasing insurance costs; the impact of interest rate fluctuations; the effect of any change in our accounting policies or practices; the financial performance of our racing operations; the impact of gaming competition (including lotteries, online gaming and riverboat, cruise ship and land-based casinos) and other sports and entertainment options in the markets in which we operate; our ability to maintain racing and gaming licenses to conduct our businesses; the impact of live racing day competition with other Florida, Illinois and Louisiana racetracks within those respective markets; the impact of higher purses and other incentives in states that compete with our racetracks; costs associated with our efforts in support of alternative gaming initiatives; costs associated with customer relationship management initiatives; a substantial change in law or regulations affecting pari-mutuel and gaming activities; a substantial change in allocation of live racing days; changes in Kentucky, Florida, Illinois or Louisiana law or regulations that impact revenues or costs of racing operations in those states; the presence of wagering and gaming operations at other states' racetracks and casinos near our operations; our continued ability to effectively compete for the country's horses and trainers necessary to achieve full field horse races; our continued ability to grow our share of the interstate simulcast market and obtain the consents of horsemen's groups to interstate simulcasting; our ability to enter into agreements with other industry constituents for the purchase and sale of racing content for wagering purposes; our ability to execute our acquisition strategy and to complete or successfully operate planned expansion projects; our ability to successfully complete any divestiture transaction; market reaction to our expansion projects; the inability of our totalisator company, United Tote, to maintain its processes accurately or keep its technology current; our accountability for environmental contamination; the ability of our online business to prevent security breaches within its online technologies; the loss of key personnel; the impact of natural and other disasters on our operations and our ability to obtain insurance recoveries in respect of such losses (including losses related to business interruption); our ability to integrate any businesses we acquire into our existing operations, including our ability to maintain revenues at historic levels and achieve anticipated cost savings; the impact of wagering laws, including changes in laws or enforcement of those laws by regulatory agencies; the outcome of pending or threatened litigation; changes in our relationships with horsemen's groups and their memberships; our ability to reach agreement with horsemen's groups on future purse and other agreements (including, without limiting, agreements on sharing of revenues from gaming and advance deposit wagering); the effect of claims of third parties to intellectual property rights; and the volatility of our stock price.