the jester's pub

At 40...

A couple of weeks ago I turned the big 4-0! Hard to believe I have been around that long. I can honestly say that I have lived a blessed life, God has been so good to me, so good that I often wonder "Why me?" My life has had it's share of pain and disappointment but nothing compared to the joy, laughter and good times I have experienced.

I have put together a list of some of the things have come my way these last 40 years. Many of you reading this were a part of some of those things. Thanks for your friendship and the memories.

So here we go...

By the age of 40....

I am married to an amazing woman and have two wonderful children who are 3 1/2 years old and 10 months.

I have been published in a national magazine

Been to California somewhere near 30 times

Lived in 3 different states

Preached to over 100,000 people with the largest being 3,000 in one day

Been to every state but eight of them

Was captain of my high school soccer team

Survived a van rolling over on the highway

Bowled a 1

Bought a house

Been a Major League Baseball chaplain

Saw U2 live twice

Scuba dived in the Pacific Ocean twice

Played for a national soccer championship in college

Owned eight cars

Have two Bachelor Degrees and working on my Masters

Been to Mexico on mission trips eight times

I have swam with Dolphins

Was in the first Spider-Man movie as an extra

Been spelunking multiple times

Have not broken a bone

Seen the Steelers win six Superbowls

Worked with hundreds of great teenagers

Watched from Mt. Washington Three Rivers Stadium implode

Been to the 911 memorial in Shanksville

Been a radio DJ for WWKS, KISS 107. Also did play by play for High School and College Football

Been a featured guest on a television show

Was the male lead in the play Arsenic and Old Lace

Lost a very good friend in a car accident at 19.

Had a serious conversation with Hulk Hogan

Fell asleep driving and crashed a truck

Went to my 10th and 20th high school reunion

Came to know Jesus at the age of 19. Best thing that ever happened to me!

There is so much more I could write, but I just can't think of anything else right now. If you know any feel free to fill them in with your comments.

Bring on the next 40!

I Thought My Wedding was Crazy!

What a great entrance...

Still Haven't Found...

"There is a true sense in which we (Christians) are-with others-seekers after the truth...no human image or concept can grasp the full reality of God. Christians are-or should be-learners to the end of their days. No learning takes place except within a tradition whose authority is accepted as guidance for exploration. No seeking can be called serious which is without any clue. Wandering around in a twilight where all cats are grey is not seeking truth. When Christians affirm, as they do, that Jesus is the way, the true and living way by whom we come to the Father (John 16:4), they are not claiming to know everything. They are claiming to be on the way, and inviting others to join them as they press forward toward the fullness of truth, toward the day when we shall know as we have been known."

-Lesslie Newbigin The Gospel In a Pluralist Society

Such is the Kingdom...

Go to the website and check it out HERE

The Problem isn't the Constitution

"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." -John Adams

Maybe this is why things in government just don't work anymore.

Sad. Pray we wake up and return to our God.

Required Viewing

On the fourth of July as we celebrate our freedom which has cost so many so much. You should make some time today or in the next few days to pick up the movie Taking Chance.

It is the simple story of the delivery of a fallen soldier's body from the Iraq war being returned to his family and the escort who makes that journey.

It is a true story based on Col. Michael Strobl played by Kevin Bacon escorting the body of fallen Marine Chance Phelps from Delaware to Wyoming. The movie is beautiful, heart wrenching, enlightening and somber. It is filled with honor and dignity. It reminds us that real people are dying, sons and daughters, and friends of real people. You will find yourself with tears in your eyes at many places in this movie.

It takes us beyond the pictures we see of fallen soldiers and confronts us with the process of what happens from start to finish when a soldier dies. Watching it as a father was difficult but necessary for there are many fathers who have laid their sons and daughters on the altar of freedom.

Happy fourth everyone, never forget what was paid to get us here.

mark

Picking Justice

     

Got the book Picking Cotton in the mail yesterday and couldn't put it down, in fact I finished the book (over 300 pages) in one day. What a fantastic book and story of redemption, justice and forgiveness. It is the story of two people tragically thrown together because of a crime and mistaken identity.

Here is a snapshot of the book.

College student, Jennifer Thompson, was raped in 1984 at knifepoint by a man who broke into her apartment while she slept. Wearing only a blanket, she escaped and told police she was certain she could identify the man who had been inches from her face. She eventually picked Ronald Cotton out of a lineup. Ronald insisted that she was mistaken—but Jennifer's positive identification was the compelling evidence that put him behind bars. After serving eleven years in prison for a crime he never committed, Ronald was released when a DNA test proved his innocence.

Two years later, Jennifer and Ronald met face to face--and forged an unlikely friendship that changed both of their lives. In this true and inspiring story, Jennifer and Ronald offer an unprecedented first-person glimpse into what happens when the system fails both the victim and the accused. Paced like the most riveting of thrillers and packed with page-turning twists and turns, this unforgettable book challenges our ideas of memory and judgment while demonstrating the profound nature of human grace and the healing power of forgiveness. 

The book is a beautiful picture of justice finally being done, and a man Ronald Cotton who spends eleven years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, finds the faith to forgive the women who sent him to prison and go beyond forgiveness to forge a friendship with her that will last a lifetime.

If your looking for a great summer read, or just want to be reminded how beautiful forgiveness is, you must read this book.

Here is the trailer for the book: 

Pittsburgh is Title Town USA!

Congrats to the Pens! Not since 1979 has Pittsburgh had two world champs in the same season. The last time was the Pirates and the Steelers. Take my word for it the cover of next weeks Sports Illustrated will have Ben Roethlisberger and Sidney Crosby on it.

Here is the original Sports illustrated cover from 1979 when we were originally title town.

The Laughing Jesus

Thanks Mark Driscoll for talking about this subject! So if you take yourself too seriously or need a reminder of the fact that Jesus was pretty cool to hang out with, watch this!

All Grown Up?

Tom brokaw the former NBC news anchor and author was addressing the Class of 2005 at Emory University and he said these words:

"You have been hearing all of your life that this occasion is a big step into what is called the real world. What, you may ask, what is that real world all about? What is this new life? Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2005 at Emory, real life is not college; real life is not high school. Here is a secret that no one has told you: Real life is junior high.The world that you’re about to enter is filled with junior high adolescent pettiness, pubescent rivalries, the insecurities of 13-year-olds, and the false bravado of 14-year-olds."

Amen Brother!