If you're going to do something, Do it right!!!

Rant time:  ESPN sports business reporter Darren Rovell tweeted a picture of the jerseys the Miami Heat are going to wear for their "Latin Night".  (You can see the picture here).  What gets me is that the National Basketball Association, in all their efforts to take their league to an international audience, instead of using the proper Spanish words for their teams, just throw "El" or "Los" in front of the team name and call it good.

WRONG!!!!  I'm sure my Hispanic friends and those who took Spanish in HS would agree with me on this, if you're going to do something to honor your Hispanic audience or reach out to your Hispanic fanbase, at least use the PROPER Spanish word for that team.

Examples:

Oklahoma City Thunder would be El Trueno de Oklahoma City

San Antonio Spurs = Las Espuelas de San Antonio

Miami Heat = El Calor de Miami

Los Angeles Lakers = Los Lagos de Los Angeles

Hopefully you get the idea.  This "El Heat", "Los Spurs" crap doesn't work!!!  In my mind, it makes the NBA look dumb and hopefully the new commish Mr. Silver can see that and change that pronto.

Quite the Challenge...

This week, our family got news that personally is kinda hard to grasp but we must work with the hand we're dealt with. 

We found out that my sweet little niece Kensie (Stephenie's daughter) has been diagnosed as being "mid-functioning" autistic.  It's really hard to fully explain, but I'll do my best.  She does know who her family is (me, her Mom, her natural dad, "Daddy Josh", her Me-Me and Pop Pop, "Uncie" Jeremy, etc)...it's just that on the educational side is what is giving her the most challenge.  


Onion Peel time:  It's rare that I do this, but what we're about to face with Kensie reminds me of some challenges I had to deal with early in my educational journey.  Those who grew up with me here in Clinton may know that for a time, I had to be in special learning disability classes and back in the early 1980's (yes I am dating myself) they didn't have much in the way of testing as they do today. It was there that I had a terrific teacher named then Nancy Paoli (she's known as Nancy Spencer today).  If it wasn't for her and for her assistant Marsha Taylor (who's now in Heaven), I don't think I would be where I am today.  In the age of Common Core, "No Child Left Behind", it's rare that you have teachers that actually care about your students like what I had when I was growing up.

It would be a "cop out" to give her and her family a mini-pharmacy and deal with it that way.  It would be another cop out to treat it like another battle in spiritual warfare (and long time friends of ours from the "old church" will know what I am getting at) -- pretending that autism is just another weapon the devil likes to use.  I'm glad I'm not in those circles anymore.  It's one thing to go all Gung-Ho, Rambo "I ain't got time to bleed", but it's a totally different thing to go "OK, here's what we're dealing with, let's develop a plan of action, let's work on the areas we know we can do ourselves and ask God to help us in areas that we need help with concerning this." Isn't that a little more civil than going at it with machetes, nunchucks, Kendo sticks and God knows whatever else?

So anyway...yeah, we have quite a long journey ahead of us with Kensie.  And we need all the prayers and support that we can give and get.

That is it for now.  Until next time... 

Humility...Pass It On!

What is it with the national sports media (read: the so-called "Worldwide Leader") and their quest to squash the "little man" also known as our Oklahoma City Thunder and Kevin Durant?

In an interview on Grantland, KD told the interviewer, Bill Simmons, that he would prefer that he'd be known as "The Servant" instead of "Slim Reaper" because in his words he'd rather serve the fans, the ushers, etc. and not be served.  While we here in Oklahoma love that he is being humble and wants to be called as a "servant" -- because after all Jesus said it himself...

If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all -- Mark 9:35 (HCSB)

 the aforementioned Worldwide Leader wants to espouse the philosophy taken from another Okie -- Toby Keith:  "I wanna talk about me, wanna talk about I, wanna talk about number one oh my me my, what I think what I like what I know what I want what I see..." 
especially when it comes to that little basketball franchise down in South Florida.

Another thing they asked today that grinded my gears so to speak..."Will Russell Westbrook's return hurt Durant's chances for MVP?"  If nothing else, it should help it.  Because after all...KD and Westbrook (as well as rest of the team) work as just that -- A Team!!!!  Wow...a group of 12 men working together?  What a novel concept!!! (Ok, more than twelve if you count coaches, support staff, front office folks, production staff, etc. -- but you get the idea!)  As they have espoused all along..."Team is One".  Not 5 different egos working 5 different angles...One Goal!!!

Apparently, some people in Bristol, CT and Miami, FL haven't grasped that philosophy.

You know...being humble does have its advantages.  Try it...you'll like it!!!

OK...I'll get off of my soapbox.  Until next time...

Les Miser-Rob...

My apologies for the awful pun there, but it's something I feel like I need to address.  This is one of those "raw emotion" posts so bear with me...

I HATE NOT HAVING A SIGNIFICANT OTHER!!!!!!!  

Looking at the pics from the Valentine's Banquet last Friday...even though I had a great time, I still felt like there was something missing.  I didn't have anyone there with me to get "Lost in the '50s" with...

I know, hate is such a strong word but in this case it fits, because I absolutely hate not having that girl I can call in a moment's notice and say "let's go to the park" or bounce blog ideas off of or enjoy a movie or concert with or, most importantly, pray and read the Word with on a daily basis. 

I do have friends who are females that would qualify, but most of them live outside a 50 mile radius of Clinton...in Mangum. Oklahoma City. Tulsa area. McAlester area. Little Rock. Not like I can get in the car and be at their house in a minute or less.  And some that I know here locally...we grew up together so they know how I was raised and how I "tick" for the most part.  

I know it's easy to say "trust God and wait on Him for your mate", but as I've found out (the hard way)...if you find someone and they basically treat you like crap, it takes a long time to regain any sort of trust to ensure you don't want that to happen to you ever again!

Again, I'm just putting this out there...laying the cards on the table so to speak.  Until next time...

Let's Do the Time Warp Again...

Earlier this evening, our church held a Valentine's banquet at the youth building in downtown Clinton.  The theme was "Lost in the '50s".  I immediately thought of the above song because it talks about a time when tent revivals were one way to reach souls (before the advent of Christian television and Christian radio as we know it).

We had an excellent time. The food was great...we had hamburgers and hot dogs catered in from a place here in town. Here are a few pics from the evening.  The rest are on my Facebook page.

A Sound Mind...

View from the sound booth 

This is one of those weeks where I get a sudden burst of energy and excitement -- not that I am energetic or excited anyway whenever Sunday rolls around,  but the Sundays that I am honored to run the sound board for the worship service gives that extra "oomph", for lack of a better term.

When one works that mixer board...you feel a great sense of responsibility to make sure the vocals blend together, that they can hear the instruments and not drown each other out because ultimately in the words of Big Daddy Weave, you have "An Audience of One" and you're leading a congregation of 200-250 people in worship!

No pressure....

Sir Apropos of Nothing...

Today's post is one of those "let's throw something on the wall and see if it sticks" type posts.  Seriously...I may have something that sounds good at the time -- even if that time is at 1am and I'm trying to sleep but the brain is going 90 miles an hour, but by the time it gets to me getting ready to come here to post it...it's gone.

I know...Seinfeld had a great career start on stuff about nothing. Who knows...maybe this will go somewhere.  Don't know where, but somewhere.

Power and the Pagentry...

(Note:  as of this writing, the Opening Ceremonies haven't been aired on TV yet, but doesn't mean I don't have thoughts about it)

Well, as I write this, the Winter Olympics have begun over in Sochi, Russia (which is 10 hours ahead of us here in Oklahoma), so that means most of the events will have already taken place and you will probably know most of the results before they air on the NBC family of networks thanks to Twitter, Facebook, etc.  But moving on...

I always have this visualization whenever the Opening Ceremonies take place...bear with me as I get emotional just thinking about it now.

First, a little background from Hebrews 12: 1,2

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Imagine those grandstands full of the saints that have gone before -- Abraham, Issac, Jacob, the Apostles, Elijah, our grandparents, our parents...children that didn't make it to full term, you get the idea. David's leading some sort of praise band...

Then as they do in the Olympics, all the saints arrive by country. Argentina...Brazil...France...Germany...Israel...Japan...United States, etc.  And as the last of the saints file in, God gets up to speak and says how proud He is of us and how proud He is to call us His sons and daughters and then He says the words we all want to hear.  "Well Done, good and faithful servant.  Enter into My Joy" as the Angelic Host lead us to our new mansions.

Oh, that will be a Glorious Day.  Can't wait to see it...just don't want to see it right yet.

That's all for now.  Enjoy the Games everybody.  Until next time...

National Signing Day Memories...

well, today is the day that the new class of high school kids sign a very important piece of paper that says "yes, I will come play for your school". Ohh, that brings back one big memory for me.

The one (and so far, the only) NSD I covered while working in radio was the day Trent Smith signed his letter of intent to play for the University of Oklahoma.  There were only three members of the media observing the signing at the Clinton High School library....someone from the Clinton Daily News (I can't remember if it was Rod or someone else), a photog from NewsChannel 4 and little ol' me representing Wright Wradio.  I remember asking him "do you think you can bring the championship attitude to the University of Oklahoma?" May I remind you, he was one of  John Blake's last recruits at OU before Stoops took over the following season.  And the rest is history...

So to the new group of Sooners/Cowboys/Bulldogs/Hurricane/etc., congrats on one of the biggest days of your football playing career.  Now that that is out of the way...bear down, finish your senior year of HS strong academically, keep your head together and more importantly, don't be stupid!!!

Today's Episode -- A Look Back...

In honor of the 10th Anniversary of Facebook's founding, a lot of people today have had their activity memorialized in a 60 second video.

It's interesting to see how our lives have been chronicled all these years.  We have had good years, we have had ok years and we have had years that we hope to God that we don't ever want to replay.

All in all...we've made it through and for the most part, we've been made stronger.

Thank you, Facebook...for allowing us to connect with long lost friends, classmates, family, make new friends and (in some instances) find that special someone.  Happy Anniversary Facebook!!! Here's to at least 10 more!!!

Sorry for the short post...just throwing something together last minute.

Until next time...

Today's Episode -- Easier Said Than Done...

Do you ever have those times when you're reading and studying something in the Bible, whether it would be Jesus telling you to Love your enemies or deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me and you're like "uhhh, yeah...easier said than done, Lord".  Our Sunday School class talked about another such case yesterday.

We were studying the Book of James and he starts off with one of those "easier said than done" moments.

.2Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Last I checked, no one has invited me to celebrate their business tanking or their car getting repo'd or anything like that.  Anyway, one of the verses that we were discussing was this (bold italics are added emphasis)...

 19My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

 "But God...do you know how hard it is to not tell someone off after they have lied to you and about you and you want to go execute a Stone Cold Stunner or whatever?"  As Jesse Duplantis would say, "that's your problem...your 'but's in the way!!!"

I'm just as guilty of the "easier said than done"s as anybody else.  God knows how many times I've wanted to do something only to get talked off the figurative ledge by someone saying, "Now Robert are you sure you want to do that?"...especially when I want to go full "big brother" mode on somebody.

I'm sure I'll have more "easier said than done" moments to talk about as we go along on this daily blog, but this is one of the big ones that I struggle with.

That is it for now.  Until next time...