W!T AND CR3AT1V!TY

I love coming across random flashes of wit and creativity in unexpected places. This example was found on a hotel sign on S. Main near a SuperTarget in Houston.

Lifting Up A Brother

William Taylor, the Minister of Missions at Houston's First Baptist Church, is going on a spiritual sabbatical from January 1 through January 31. Please keep William and his family -- Nancy (his wife) and Will and Sarah (his kids) -- in your prayers. Praise God that William is able to take such a break in order to seek God's will and be refreshed in his spirit -- and to have some time to relax!

I am continually amazed at the amount of work our Missions office does, especially with such a small staff. Certainly, William's passion for our Lord and for telling others about Him are what helps keep that office running! It is so great to be a part of a missions-minded church.

S'FORE!

I love being a kid. Or, at the age of 35, I guess I should say that I love being around kids. It gives me an excuse to be a kid again -- or at least it provides a legitimate way to get away with acting like one. Regardless, it's fun being a kid.

On Christmas day, I gave my niece and nephew matching marshmallow guns -- original creations of Catha Duck. They were a hit. Kyle and Kristin and I went out on the fairway behind my parents' house to test 'em out, each with our own Zip-loc baggy of marshmallows.

After a few minutes of aimless firing at each other and a brief contest to see who could shoot theirs across the pond, we came up with the idea of marshmallow golf. (Since I had more experience with the guns, they jumped at the idea of doing something that would not involve my whacking them in the face with marshmallows.)

Here's how it worked: We started on the tee box by each firing our guns in turn. Then, we went to where our respective marshmallows landed and shot from there. We continued this until we made it on the green and shot the marshmallows into the hole. Fortunately, my parents live on a par 3 hole. We each shot a 22. (Actually, Kristin shot a 23 but she refuses to admit it.)

We decided to play the hole backwards from the hole to the tee box. (Again, I think there were trying to avoid any activity in which their faces were my targets.) We all shot a 9 going back. Why the significant improvement in our scores? Well, have you ever tried shooting a marshmallow into the wind? That's what we were up against on the first round. The tailwind helped on the way back.

So, that was part of my Christmas day -- blowing marshmallows through a piece of pipe along with a couple of 11 year olds. Regrettably, I introduced them to the fact that wet marshmallows stick to people. Things got ugly after that.

Told You So!

According to a study conducted by a UCLA political scientist, bias in the media is real. You can read an article about the study for more detail, but here are a few key points:

• Of the 20 major media outlets studies, 18 scored left of center
• The most left-leaning were (1) The Wall Street Journal (news pages), (2) CBS "Evening News," (3) The New York Times, and (4) the Los Angeles Times
• Only Fox News "Special Report with Brit Hume" and The Washington Times scored right of the average U.S. voter

Rumor has it that KUHF (88.7FM) scored so left of center that it was considered an anomaly and was not included in the final results.

Do You Have Water Weight?

I received this e-mail today. Perhaps you've seen it before, but it was new to me and I really like the illustration. As a Christian, I see how it is not a perfect illustration when you consider that we do not (or should not) go back to our burdens and pick them up again -- rather, we lay them down once and for all at His feet.

That said, here you go . . .

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A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water? "

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.

"If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.

"If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.

"If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.

"In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax. Pick them up later after you've rested."

I Like Martha Stewart

I like Martha Stewart. There. I said it.

Now that that is out in the open, let me explain. But before I do, let me address all of the normal complaints that people have about her.

"She doesn't do all of that herself!" Um, has she ever claimed to? Of course she has legions of minions behind the scenes doing the work for her. Do you think Bill Gates design or builds every program for Microsoft? Of course not.

"Women can never live up to her standards!" Of course not ... unless you have the aforementioned minions on your payroll. And for the record, we men can never live up to Bob Villa's standards, either. He has his own minions, too. I am pretty sure that I will never be able to tear down a wall, install a skylight or build a multi-level deck. But I'm not accusing him of setting me up for failure.

So why do I like her? I like her for her business sense, her tenacity and her ability to laugh at herself.

Sure, making your own marshmallows is absurd. But people are buying what she's selling -- and they're buying a lot of it. Despite a five month stint in prison she's back in the saddle with two TV shows and no apparent end in sight. Along the way, she cracks jokes about her criminal record and allows people to make fun of her, too. (Did you see David Spade dress up as Martha on her new daytime show -- with a house-arrest ankle bracelet, too? Hilarious.)

Not really sure why I felt compelled to post this. Lord only knows what level of grief I am going to get for it. But I say, "More power to ya, Martha!" Hers is an American story -- blemishes and all.

Prayer For Ricky

Please pray for Ricky, my friend in India. He is still searching for a job. This is the e-mail that I received from him today (presented here just as he sent it to me):

Dear brother

JAI MASIH KI

Brother i have not got any job Sofar. my Dad talked to our village head.He suggested to us to change religion and make certificate of being SIKH. then only i can get job in ARMY because there are many battlions of SIKH but not even a single battalion of CHRISTIAN.My dad and i were not agreed with his advice and we can die of strvation but cant change the religion. Chances of getting job are very grim. Actually i dont want to tell you about this. i am very sorry. Still its going fine.

YOURS RICKY

My heart aches for him knowing what a dark world in which he and his family are living. Please commit to praying for encouragement and strength -- and for God to continue to provide for their needs.

I am in regular e-mail contact with Ricky, and plan on sending him a package soon in time for Christmas. If you have any particular prayers for him or any scriptures to share, please post them here. And if you have any other recommendations of things for me to include in the package (particular books? supplies?), please let me know.

We're The Fourth House Down On The Right. You Can't Miss It.

I wonder ... would this family still be considered "white trash" if they left THIS up all year long?

Click here to see (and be sure to have your sound on).

My Tour Of Duty

For me, jury duty is like a dream vacation with so many of my passions coming together into one experience.

A variety of people from all walks of life. Exposure to the legal system. Anticipation about the surprises -- and drama -- that may be around the corner. A great equalizer where all people -- regardless of race, age, gender, income, education, etc. -- have an equal say in the process. Democracy in action. A day off from work. I love it.

So you'll understand how disappointed I was when my juror number was never even called. I never left the assembly room except to go to the vending machines and the Burger King (or "Burger Doodle" as the bailiff called it) across the street. It's like going on that dream vacation but never getting off the airplane.

Regardless, I enjoyed my time there.

In a room of hundreds of people randomly selected from throughout Harris County, I saw four people that I know (to varying degrees, of course). Actually, to say that I "know" some of them is a real stretch.

There was a maintenance guy from M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (where I work). I do not know his name. There is a guy who I know has visited HFBC, but who really attends Second Baptist (I think). I do not know his name. There was the former CEO of ConocoPhillips -- a Christian man named Archie Dunham. I recognized his name when it was called out by the bailiff.

And then there was Laura Wilcox. She is the only person I can say that I really "knew" at jury duty. Laura and I met through our mutual friend Lane Alexander. Lane and Laura (and Kelley Kirby) went to NYC on a mission trip after 9/11. Laura is on staff with Priority Associates here in H-Town, the marketplace ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. She was quick to express her disappointment that "Murray Christmas" had been cancelled.

I wish I had more to share about my tour of duty today. But not much transpires in the assembly room. I read a little, text messaged a little, played Bejeweled on my cell phone a little, watched TV a little. I was surprised that they had Fox News showing in the assembly room. Couldn't stories about crimes (with images of suspects) potentially bias jurors right before they are put on a panel?

Anyway ... my dream vacation was cut short. They sent me home at 3:00 pm. For the record, I have seen WAY too many episodes of Law & Order for them to put my sharp legal mind to waste. WAY too many!

Separated At Birth ... Again?

Thanks to my good friend Stan Kwan for indulging me ...

Always Get It In Writing

Some guys ask random women for their phone numbers. In my case, I ask them to write down their compliments (when I actually get them).

Here's an unsolicited comment from a sales clerk at a store in Ft. Worth. When I told her I should get it in writing so my friends would believe me, she did not hesitate for a second.

Thoughts From The Road

As I type this, I am in Magpie's Newsstand and Cafe in Durango, Colorado. Just a quick jump on the internet to check my e-mail and how much cash I have to burn at the Polo outlet down the street.

(For the record ... I have not seen a single cloud since we left Texas on Monday morning. Bright blue skies and temperatures in the 50s to low 60s. Perfection, I tell ya. Perfection!)

Anywho ... if you ever stop off at the Whole Foods in Santa Fe, New Mexico, please be sure to wear a t-shirt with something to the effect of "I [heart] George W. Bush" or "That Tree You're Hugging Will One Day Be The Wood Paneling On The Dashboard Of My Gas-Guzzling SUV" or anything along those lines.

You'll be sure to get a few looks ... and sneers.

Thank you, Matthew

That does it.

There is no way I'm going to give up my longer hair now.

People magazine has named Matthew McConaughey the "sexiest man alive."

So, for all of you who have commented to me (or to a mutual friend behind my back) that I should get a trim, you'll have to wait until Bruce Willis wins the title.

I ain't lettin' go of all THIS!

Seeing Is Believing

Here's a reluctantly-posed-for picture of my niece and nephew, Kyle and Kristin, taken a couple of Saturdays ago. Many of you have heard me talk about them and the athletic prowess they inherited from me, so here's some proof that they do exist and they do got game.

Unfortunately, their games were at the same time that weekend. So, we went to the first half of Kristin's soccer game and the second half of Kyle's football game, making the way from one venue to the next across town with lawn chairs in tow. Oh, the weekly rituals of elementary school sports fans!

Kristin prefers to play with her glasses on and has never been known to pull her hair back from her face. But it all seems to work. The girl can play. Check out the action shot below of her scoring one of her goals. That's right. One of her two goals.

Kyle plays with his contact lenses ... if he remembers to put them in in the morning, of course. I'm not sure if things are blurry for him out on the field, but it's pretty hard to miss the endzone as long as you're running in the right direction. And speaking of being blurry, that's what Kyle is as he flies down the field. The shot below shows him scoring one of his three touchdowns in that game. That's right. One of his three touchdowns. The only three touchdowns in the whole game.



I know, I know ... you're probably thinking, "Well, let me tell you about my niece/nephew ..." I understand that Kyle and Kristin aren't the only kids in America who scored that day. But I'm their uncle, I'm proud of 'em, I love 'em ... and you can go start your own blog! ;-)

Collector's Items

Buy these two stamps and you'll still have 25 cents left to call a friend and tell him about the newest addition to your collection. Get 'em now before they run out!

Praying For Pujols

I was at Game 5 of the National League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park. With just one strike away from finally realizing what I've longed for for decades as an Astros fan -- a trip to the World Series -- Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer to left field putting the Cardinals ahead by one run (5-4).

My guess is that most of you saw it on TV. What you didn't see was that ball falling down from wherever it went above us in the Crawford Boxes -- and landing at the feet of the people in the row in front of me. Fortunately, the guy who picked it up was a man of great integrity and unquestionable character. He quickly threw the ball back onto the field -- right where it belonged.

Today, I placed "warning" signs on my office door declaring the space (and a 5 foot radius around me) as a "No Astros Discussion Zone" -- a clear sign to my co-workers that I do not want to talk about the game. And as of 4:40 pm today, I have avoided all such conversations.

But then my friend Lisa Karabatsos forwarded me an article which snapped me out of my funk -- or, I should say that it "convicted" me out of my funk.

It's an article about Pujols -- the Villain of Game 5 and the man whose name I have made fun of for years. In the article, I learned that Pujols and I will be spending eternity together singing the praises of our Heavenly Father. As it turns out, Pujols is a Christian. And as if God were specifically trying to get my attention to snap me out of the (dare I say) "hatred" I have been feeling toward Pujols today, the headline proclaims him to be "the real deal" -- the very name of the new Bible study that I am teaching on Sunday nights. (DOH!)

During the game, I told my friend Rolly how great it is to have a home-town team with so many believers -- Berkman, Ensberg, Everett, Pettitte, Lidge, Lamb, owner Drayton McLane. So, if I want to be "the real deal" myself, I have to find it within me to rejoice in Pujols' faith, too, and to be thankful that he has a platform to reach people for Christ, to pray that he would be a man of integrity in his professional life, and that he would do all things for God's glory. Even if that includes beating the Houston Astros.

Man. Living the Christian life and being "the real deal" really isn't easy, is it?

1 + 1 = Proposition 2

On November 8, Texas voters will decide how the Lone Star state defines marriage. On their ballots, they will indicate whether they are "for" or "against" the following proposal:

"The constitutional amendment providing that marriage in this state consists only of the union of one man and one woman and prohibiting this state or a political subdivision of this state from creating or recognizing any legal status identical or similar to marriage."

Many opponents of this proposed amendment (Proposition 2 on the ballot) will argue that state law already prevents same-sex marriages, and that this proposal is unnecessary and simply adds insult to injury.

While it is true that same-sex marriages are illegal in Texas, it would not be difficult for that to change based on the decisions of an activist judge or a liberal-leaning legislature who decides to change the law. A constitutional amendment, on the other hand, places the decision directly in the hands of Texas citizens. We have the power to define marriage as one man and one woman -- period.

Since most people reading this are my friends and folks who know me, I am pretty sure that I am preaching to the choir on this issue. However, what you believe does not concern me. What does concern me is that you actually vote.

Unfortunately, this is not a presidential, congressional, or gubernatorial election year. There are no major, high-visibility elections to draw people to the polls (with the exception of municipal elections -- Houston mayor, city council, etc.). Traditionally, only about 5 to 7% of registered voters vote in years such as this. Even in a fairly conservative state such as Texas, that may not be enough to ensure that this proposal passes. We have to get people to the polls.

Of course, this is not the only item that voters will weigh in on. There are a total of nine proposed amendments to the Texas constitution, and like I mentioned, local city elections as well. For an advance look at everything you will see when you vote in Harris County, take a look at the sample ballot. (Keep in mind that this is not precinct-specific; therefore, it includes all of the positions and not just the ones relevant to where you are registered to vote.)

Finally, be aware that early voting begins October 24 and runs through November 4. Election Day itself is Tuesday, November 8. For a listing of times and locations, visit the Harris County Clerk's website and click on "Early Voting Info" in the left margin.

My Brothers

Few people know that I am one of five identical brothers. Here they are from our last get together. (I was taking the picture, so I'm not in it.) We each have our own personalities and hair-care needs.

Like Uncle, Like Nephew (?)

The star of the Stephen F. Austin Gators football team in Baytown -- Kyle Murray.

My 11-year old nephew scored all three touchdowns in their 21-0 victory this past Saturday.

As he ran along the sidelines after the third touchdown (giving high-fives along the way to his adoring fans), he shouted, "This is getting boring!" After the game, I asked him what his secret was -- how is he able to score so often?

"RUN!" Enough said.

Updated pictures of my niece, Kristin, are coming soon!

We're Coming To Toyota ... TODAY!

I love seeing living legends.

My first concert was Frank Sinatra. Since then, I've seen Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Billy Joel, Madonna, Willie Nelson, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross ... and George Strait, of course. Not only do (or did) I like their music, but I would be able to tell my kids and grandkids that I saw so-and-so back in the day.

To that list I will soon be adding Neil Diamond.

And you, too, could add The Diamond to your list by going with us! We have two extra tickets in the group that's going on Tuesday, October 11, at the Toyota Center. Among the folks who are going so far are David, Lori, Lisa, and Debbie (she doesn't have a blog, but we still like her).

So if you're interested, let me know.