1. Was working on article for today but got tired so you get these instead. Sorry.

2. My kids love their teachers. What the heck is wrong with them?

3. Reading bio of Steve Jobs. He was a megalomaniac. But he gave us the iPad so I still love him.

4. I’ve never taken drugs and therefore never felt the euphoria or enlightenment you supposedly can get. But it’s the only comparison I can think of when trying to explain the experience of listening to Billie Holiday.

5. Saw X-Men: First Class. I was underwhelmed to be honest but surprised to see Kevin Bacon playing the…….ummmmm, bacon.

6. In an effort to try and and empathize with the OWS protestors I wore the same pants two days in a row. And now I find myself upset about everything from the cancellation of New Coke to the lack of men’s size Bobba Fett pajamas.

7. I still want a peaceful soul. And I just kinda assume the path meanders much like the curves and contours of Louis Armstrong’s trumpet.

8. Read a thanksgiving report of one of Emma’s classmates tonight at her Open House. In it she she said she was thankful for her best friend Emma. I almost cried like a little schoolgirl.

9. I bet customers would never get upset with me if I talked like Liam Neeson.

10. Gonna go ahead and put aside – so they’ll stay clean – that special pair of pants for Thanksgiving day.

1. The great problem with comic books and the movie counterparts are the bad guys are always awesomer.

2. Liberals don’t really care about the poor. Solyndra is exhibit A. And if you don’t know what’s going on with Solyndra, that’s exhibit B.

3. Billy Holiday and Lester Young.

4. Got this thing called an iPad. It’s awesome.

5. All I want for Christmas is to not hear any Mariah Carey Christmas songs.

6. I can’t count very well. Gets in the way of banking.

7. I live The King’s Speech ever single day. Gets in the way of saying “hello”.

8. Looking forward to dinner with some some couples on Saturday…mainly because I’ll probably get to finish my friend’s wife’s leftovers. The company will be awesome too but Missy is prone to order the Spicy Beef Salad.

9. Usually if I’m in bad mood I can just think about Carlton dancing and my mood gets better.

10. Emma: “Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins….which are kinda like the forces of evil.”

Sitting in church this Sunday I noticed something. From where I sit each week you can see a good deal of the crowd on the opposite side of the auditorium. And when people walk in, you notice them. So this family walks in. Mom. Dad. Two kids. Just two kids. An older girl, maybe 10 and a younger boy, around 5. Good looking family. Mom walked in with the daughter and son was guided to his seat by his dad.

My wife and I call this “man-to-man” parenting. For each child there is a parent. And as far as keeping up with them in the store and keeping them still in church – all things being equal – it’s easier.

We’ve actually experienced this even though we have three children. One will be elsewhere and we will only have two to keep up with. Knowing how it is with three, two seems so much easier.

So I looked at this family and I thought, “Two kids to get ready in the morning, ahhhh, sounds nice and easy.”

But then it hit me, “Easier but not fuller.”

I can’t even think about the face of our third without realizing this.

Now don’t jump to conclusions here. The number of kids is not really the issue here. Even a family with one could say the same and it be just as meaningful. No less so than me or the family with six.

The reality is even bigger than children – easier is not necessarily the best of all possible scenarios. This is true for parenting and work and money and life in general. Though all the world is always clamoring for ease – and sometimes rightly so – those who sit in the shadow cast by the cross should get this. Ironically it should be easy to see.

It’s true; the ease with which we can do so much is a result of The Kingdom pushing into the kingdoms of this world. But we need to wrap our heads and hearts around the fact we’ve been born through much difficulty. Precious blood was spilled so we could be children of God.

My temptation is to look across the crowds and envy others. Why do I envy them? Because they seem to have it easier. But then I remember my family. My home. My friends. All God has given me.

And then I can say, “Easier but not fuller.”

Yesterday’s post was heavy. Let’s talk of something lighter today. Something near and dear to my heart.

The sandwich.

I love sandwiches and hardly ever tire of them. Following are 10 sandwiches I enjoy. Feel free to add your favorites in the comments or on Facebook. Apologies to all the awesome sandwiches I do not mention.

1. The Reuben. Easily one of my favorites. Reuben’s come many ways but I’m a fan of rye bread, thin sliced corn beef, Swiss cheese, thousand island and sauerkraut. My favorite is the one I make and eat at home. The best I ever had was in STL at McGurk’s.

2. The Cuban. So simple…simply awesome, that is. Ham, pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. Had a killer one recently at a mexican place here in Birmingham.

3. Pork Sandwich. You know how rice is a staple for our friends in the East? Bar-B-Q is a staple for the Redmonds. And the pork sandwich is high culinary art in my own subculture. We walk by it in reverence the way you might walk by the Mona Lisa.

4. The Cheeseburger. Does this count? I’m not sure I care. If celebrating the cheeseburger as a sandwich is wrong I don’t wanna be right. Around these parts, Mugshots makes burgers that makes one wonder if the recipe is from God himself.

5. Grilled Peanut Butter and Cheese. I’ve been eating this since I was a kid. My brothers introduced me to this wunderkind between two slices. I know what you’re thinking…but you do eat those crackers…

6. The Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Let’s not even pretend there is another one able to compete with Chick-fil-a. It’s awesome. And perfect. And one of God’s greatest gifts to sinners.

7. The Gyro. Is this a sandwich or wrap. Not sure. I’m craving one though.

8. Philly Cheese Steak. We once had a real Philly Cheese Steak place here in town. But it closed. I hope the owner had really good reason to break my heart like that. But let’s face it, a bad cheese steak sandwich is still mightily awesome.

9. The BLT. It has bacon. ’nuff said.

10. The Hot Dog. Not sure this is a sandwich. But it’s on a bun…or in one, anyway. I love hot dogs with a fervent, relentless passion. Do I want to marry them? Maybe. If they have are covered in cheese and mustard and hot sauce and relish.

Honorable Mention: PBJ. My friend Sean eats ’em for lunch all the time. I eat them instead of dessert sometimes. And they are amazing grilled.

There isn’t a whole lot to be said about what is happening at Penn state which hasn’t already been said. But in a story in which all that went unsaid issued in such a tragedy, the need to say something is inescapable.

My first reaction was as a kid. Yeah, a kid. Not as a parent or pastor. But as a kid looking up into an incomprehensible world which is only navigated by the charts of the night sky held by those who have gone before you. By those who hold all the power and influence over all you know and can possibly understand. My own frigate was steered by loving parents and a protective family. But I can only imagine the fear and confusion of those kids who stand in the shadows of heroes who have driven them into dark waters and then run them aground.

I mean, who the hell do you trust in such a wide dark world? Where the unknown fathoms of the drowning deep meet the wide reaches of the limitless ceiling of the night as far as can be seen?

Such confusion was quickly overtaken by the anger of a parent. A parent who would harbor murderous imaginations toward anyone who even thought such things about his own kids. A parent who has no illusions about the ease of forgiveness.

And against the dark backdrop of concern for a football team, anger on behalf of a child flames like the brightness of one thousand suns.

God couldn’t forgive till the cross happened. Let’s get rid of our Pollyanna saccharine spirituality that imagines forgiveness is a straight between two closely juxtaposed points. Real forgiveness is the work of a lifetime and it’s a lot harder than football. Anger and forgiveness may be strange bedfellows but outside of subpar Christian fiction books, the reality is they abide comfortably.

Though my time as a pastor is waning, I did think like one. But not as one who would shame those who cry out for justice but as one who looks out over a culture burned-over with cynicism and the inability to be shocked. As one who has looked into the eyes of abuse victims and prayed with them.

Maybe we do need to remember our sin in all this – there but for the grace of God… But that may not be the sermon we need first. First, we need sermons chock full of the cross-anchored promises of every tear being wiped away and all the crooked paths being made straight. After reading of such brutality and ferocious savagery I need – wait…I am longing for a picture, a vision of unimaginable beauty. One full of the reality of which every truly loving touch is but an echo reverberating against the longings of every human heart. I wanna hear that all the reasons for anger will be no more.

Every event is a volume of sermons for those who are listening. But some sermons need to proceed others. Outrage is necessary. But other chapters must follow with our own guilt splashed upon the page. We may not have abused a child. We may not have stood by while one was being abused. But we are guilty. We have as much need for the cross as the vilest offender. It sucks to admit. But it’s true.

If we get this backwards, there will be no wrongs righted. But if we get it right, the cross is given it’s due in our own history and the history of everything else. The cross holding all of our anger in the periphery of its crosshairs. The cross greasing the wheels of forgiveness. The cross reminding us of what and Who is before us.

1. Who thought up “boogie man ” as synonymous for something scary?

2. I know you don’t think I’m a “gamer” but my win/loss ratio on spider solitaire says otherwise.

3. Watched The Dark Knight again last night. So unrealistic. Bank vaults don’t look like that.

4. If I had made fun of of the Occupy Denver protestors by saying they will most likely elect a dog as their leader, someone would have thought me unkind. And then they go and do it.

5. How come there are not more shows about Ninjas? With throwing stars?

6. Dear Joe Paterno, Thank you for making it easier for a pedophile to molest young boys but also fanning the flames of cynicism in a burned-over culture.

7. Tired of waiting on new Batman movie. And shows with ninjas.

8. Hermain Cain is proof positive liberals do not really care about diversity. They only wield it as a weapon against those they would have power over.

9. Every time I read/hear “Herman Cain” I get really hungry for pizza.

10. I apologize for no references to bacon or Star Wars in this edition of TRT.

1. After downloading Flipboard for iPad I may never communicate with my family again.

2. My only demand for #OWS is moving Monday Night Football to any other station besides ESPN.

3. All I want for Christmas is for my kids to like Springsteen.

4. My kids now no longer want to play with the ipod or the itouch, they only have eyes for one gadget.

5. I know I’m going to take some heat for this but I’m going to cast my lot into the idea that the OWS protestors are more violent and racist than The Tea Party. There, I said it.

6. I may like Star Wars references more than the actual movies.

7. Had a customer tell me she loved me yesterday. Don’t worry, I told my wife. She is OK with my awesome customer service skills coupled with natural animal magnetism.

8. Owned an iPad for a week now. Can’t imagine how I was able to survive without it.

9. I may like the turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce after Thanksgiving more than the actual meal.

10. I assume a higher quality of life without the NBA.

While staring at my feet – which by the way were fixed in scuffed up black wing-tips – it hit me again. Maybe not as heavily as before but there was weight nonetheless.

I’m starting over.

I was sitting in a nondescript room used for training. Eighteen of us sat wrapped around a horseshoe set of mitred tables. Most were much younger than myself. And for the most part they nodded as if they understood.

The scuff marks on my well-worn shoes had my own eyes running over them again and again. Their age and wear an echo of my own. Are shoes only as old as they feel?

But then something happened.

I embraced the difficulty and confusion. I still want a peaceful soul and this seemed to be the only path heading in the direction. So I embraced feeling foolish and ignorant and weak. All of it. I owned it. No faking it.

And it felt great really. This should make sense to those who worship the God who is strong for the weak. Even if hard to breathe life into.

The temptation in every situation is to be strong. Doesn’t matter who you are or what you do. We want to be competent, be seen as able and celebrated for our ability. Being singled out as clueless in the room is to spend time in the valley of the shadow of death. And the fear of this happening may be worse.

For some reason we celebrate humility but have no room for humiliation. I’m not suggesting we should pursue it so much as make room room for it. Make space for even the things we naturally want to avoid. A woman may avoid a broken heart by never loving. I could avoid humiliation by doing something more immediately and obviously suited to my gifts.

What gets in the way of a peaceful soul and embracing the humiliation is my own desire for immediate satisfaction and significance. I’m OK with the cross as long as the crown is simultaneous.

This should sound familiar.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

In an effort to keep you, my brilliant readers on your toes, today’s 10 will be random thoughts. The pessimists will feel cheated. The optimists get two for the price of the one and everyone else misses out.

1. I’m using a third party iPad to do this, if it doesn’t work I’ll be blaming Wall Street.

2. Nothing scarier than the thought of having to watch CSI:Miami.

3. Got an iPad on Thursday and finally looked up yesterday.

4. Every discussion about illegal immigration should begin with the fact that laws involving boundaries have been disregarded. We all need to think long and hard about that.

5. For my birthday, my wife made me chocolate-covered bacon and pralines with bacon and I fell in love with her all over again.

6. Educational cartoons are the worst. I assume a causation.

7. I am experiencing what the experts call “post birthdayweek blues” and I am looking into medication.

8. Tried to write down all the unwritten rules and poof!!! they disappeared.

9. “What is the meaning of life?” has been replaced by “Why would anyone willingly choose to not use a Mac?

10. All I want for Christmas is a jet pack.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Got an iPad. Now I just need internet service that works.

I’d like to thank my family members who contributed to the purchase of the iPad. If I do something awesome with it, I’ll give them some credit. And I’ll blame them if I ignore my kids and wife.

Gained 2 pounds on birthdayweek. And it ain’t over.

Because people know I have an affection for bacon, I’ve gotten a few bacon-themed gifts. Y’all do know I like one-hundred dollar bills, right?

Only those who have recieved an iPhone or an iPad as a gift can understand how Harry potter felt when he opened his Nimbus Two Thousand.

I may or may not be considering downloading a graphic novel to read on my iPad.

#Occupymugshotsgrillandbar

I need to stop celebrating my birthday so I can play with my new toy.

Did I mention I got a new iPad 2?