I have always proclaimed through good times and the Florida BCS debacle that I am a proud Ohio State Buckeye fan. This week I go back to my Buckeye roots to proclaim another proud association. My hometown of Chillicothe, Ohio is known to many Ohioans as the first state capital. Others know Chillicothe as the principal town of the great Shawnee Chief Tecumseh. Others remember Chillicothe as the place that Anne-Margaret tells Elvis she grew up in a brilliant scene from the cinema classic Viva Las Vegas. But now I have one more thing to put on the list. This past weekend the Cavaliers of Chillicothe High School won the Division 2 state high school basketball championship. I once played for the Cavaliers and for one of the great coaches that I have ever met, Tom Cuppett. Coach Cuppett put in place a winning attitude that I hope began to lay a foundation that eventually led to being state champs. Congrats to
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A couple of years ago I saved an article from USA Today . The title, We are Easter People, was intriquing enough to merit a second look. Here is a portion of the piece written by Diane Cameron. One of the lowest points in my life occurred years ago when I was living in Washington, D.C., at Easter time. My older sister had recently died and both of my brothers were seriously ill; my best friend was leaving town, and on top of that I was questioning my work. In my journal that April I wrote, “Am I depressed?” When I read those pages now I laugh and shake my head. “Depressed?” That I even had to ask. In that long year I thought I’d never laugh again, just as I thought I’d never again feel love, the joy of easy friendship, or the satisfaction of good work. I went to church that Easter out of both habit and desperation. I had grown
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Today is a bit of deja vu for me. I am in the middle of my real job which is television sports directing. This week I am working at a college basketball tournament. You may know that some of the humble ramblings appear at Crosswalk.com. I look at the credentials of my fellow bloggers on Crosswalk and I have to chuckle. Lots of doctorates and titles. Perhaps they haven’t noticed that my bio is filled with items like, “Dave is a member of Sam’s Club.”  The deja vu moment came from the realization that it was during a similar March madness basketball tournament that I got the inspiration for what would become my extremely modestly selling book, “Bring’em Back Alive“.  Here is an excerpt from the introduction. My spiritual insights generally aren’t revealed during television broadcasts of women’s basketball. I suspect that hardly makes me unique. But inspiration came clearly and forcefully during a telecast of an NCAA Women’s basketball tournament game from Boulder, Colorado. Let me set
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The verdict is in and I am a “bad Christian”. That is not who I am theologically or in God’s eyes but that is who I should remain for my tens of readers. The majority of you who responded prefer the old moniker. So the new name turned out to be every bit as popular as the New Coke. At least I took the risk. The demented minds at despair.com have this to say about risk. “If you never try anything new, you’ll miss out on many of life’s great disappointments.” To be fair there were some who liked the new name but the trend was clear and one fact is obvious. “Bad Christians” are more vocal. Reader Don understood the concept but offered a frightening prospect. I think you will lose some readership, and turn away some potential readers with the phrase “…Saint Who Sometimes Sins.” That scared me. What would be a smaller increment than tens of readers? Don also made this point.
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In a major shift, a group of Southern Baptist leaders said their denomination has been “too timid” on environmental issues and has a biblical duty to stop global warming. The Washington Times reported the announcement. The declaration, signed by the president of the Southern Baptist Convention among others and released today, shows a growing urgency about climate change even within groups that once dismissed claims of an overheating planet as a liberal ruse. The conservative denomination has 16.3 million members and is the largest Protestant group in the United States. The signers of “A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change” acknowledged that not all Christians accept the science behind global warming. They said they do not expect fellow believers to back any proposed solutions that would violate Scripture, such as advocating population control through abortion. My first reaction to the news was to start brainstorming ideas to help. For example, if Christian television preachers and hosts/hostesses voluntarily switched from hairspray
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Today is an important announcement for my tens of readers as we unveil a new name for the humble ramblings. There is no need to be concerned. My ministry of making judgemental Christians feel superior will continue intact. The reason for the new name was a gentle challenge from dear friend Angie. She has joined her hubby in going through the TrueFaced DVD with the charming Mrs. Burchett and me. My walk with Jesus has been transformed by this book and study. I have learned to really trust and believe who I am in Christ. One key lesson from the study is simple yet profound. When I put my trust and faith in Jesus that transaction changed who I am. I am no longer a sinner trying to be a saint. I am a saint who occasionally sins. That truth prompted Angie to ask this question. “If that is your identity can you  really call yourself a bad Christian?” Hmmmm. After some debate I have
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(This is an update of an earlier post) Today I voted in the Texas primary. At least for awhile we Texans should get a break from political ads. You would think with so many candidates possessing integrity that we should be in good shape for the future. Most of the candidates promised change. It has been well documented that Barak Obama has been riding the hope train right into the lead in the Democrat race. His rallies look like the Beatles performing at Shea Stadium. I was thinking that God must have a real sense of déjà vu as He watches the people clamor for a human leader to give them hope and change. Then I got sidetracked as I wondered if an omnipotent God can even experience déjà vu? That gave me tired head. Would God look at these rallies and think of another group who had hope at their disposal but then chose to reject it? God wanted to bless His nation
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