According to the Washington Post, a newspaper in Seattle is limiting the use of the term “Redskins” when the NFL team from our nation’s capital comes to Seattle for their playoff game against the Seahawks.

The Post story includes this paragraph…

To avoid insulting native American heritage, the Seattle Times decided to limit severely the use of the term Redskins in the paper — even if a team with that name will dominate news coverage this week. The Times will not use the moniker in headlines or captions. Reporters can use it only once, as a first reference, in all stories. The Redskins will be referred to almost exclusively as Washington — which could get a little confusing for local readers who also live in that state.

Well, I just want to go on record and say that even though I am not a Redskins fan, I am a native American (born and bred in the good ol’ US of A…native American, right?) and their team name does not offend me in any way.

And by the way, it’s only three weeks or so until the Atlanta Braves’ pitchers and catchers report to spring training…time to fire up the Tomahawk Chop, just because…

The dliemma we face is…

What do I need to read?

Most of us do pretty well with books in our field. For instance, we preacher-types usually hang out with enough other preacher-types to catch the buzz on what’s worth reading and what’s worth leaving alone in the theological/minstry aisle. Same with other fields. But if we’re going to read widely and effectively, sometimes we need some help.

The Innovation Network has started the Innovation Book club. You know the drill…read, think, discuss…you may just read and think…but here’s a pretty good place to get started if you haven’t developed your reading plan for ’06.

Thanks to my buddy Phil Gerbyshak (Phil, won’t you be my buddy?) for the link.

The folks over at iSerenity understand we have different environments that make our work/thinking/whatever more effective. So they’ve created some pretty cool environments. Go over there and find one you like…

Thanks to Pencil Revolution for the link

Hindsights:
#10: Live off your parents as long as possible.
#9 Pursue joy, not happiness.
#8: Challenge the known and embrace the unknown.
#7: Learn to speak a foreign language, play a musical instrument, and play non-contact sports.
#6: Continue to learn.
#5: Learn to like yourself or change yourself until you can like yourself.
#4: Don’t get married too soon.
#3: Play to win and win to play.
#2: Obey the absolutes.
#1: Enjoy your family and friends before they are gone.

This morning, I’ve been perusing some old posts, and I came across from my comments in November, 2004…

Thanks! It was great hanging with you today. I just created a blog but, I don’t have anything to say, so I might put something down one day.

Who said it? You wouldn’t believe it if I told you!

Interesting post from the “evangelist’s evangelist,” Guy Kawasaki (you do know Mr. Kawasaki is blogging now, right?)…

1. Create a cause.
2. Look for agnostics, ignore atheists.
3. Localize the pain.
4. Let people test drive the cause.
5. Learn to give a demo.
6. Provide a safe first step.
7. Ignore pedigrees.
8. Never tell a lie.
9. Remember your friends.

Check the link for the “expanded” version of the list.

Oh, and this great couplet from Point Number 5…

An �evangelist who cannot give a great demo� is an oxymoron. A person simply cannot be an evangelist if she cannot demo the product.

Selah…

In the words of the late, great Jerry Clower…

If I’m lyin’, I’m dyin’!

Just read the story. No, just read it…

Remember that movie Dead Poets Society?

Remember that old musty book that the original DPS used and that somehow got mysteriously passed down to the new crop of DPSers?

Well, I’ve got a book kind of like that one. I got it from my ninth-grade English teacher long after after I graduated and he retired.

Anyway, I was reading through its fragile pages and came across this poem from Thomas Lovell Beddoes. These words have been running through my mind and heart since Saturday…

If there were dreams to sell,
What would you buy?
Some cost a passing bell;
Some a light sigh,
That shakes from Life’s fresh crown
Only a rose-leaf down.
If there were dreams to sell,
Merry and sad to tell,
And the crier rang the bell,
What would you buy?

All is well spiritually.

Everything stinks spiritually.

Who’s the naive one?

Run, don’t walk, over to Randy Bohlender’s blog and read this post. It is well worth your and my time this morning because he reminds us that sometimes we do have burdens for places, people, events, etc., that we really can’t explain, except that God has placed them there for a reason. And then there’s this line…

For all of our postmodern ranting about pursuing the mystical side of our faith – the part our modern forefathers supposedly abandon – good luck finding a postmodern speaking much about these two. Why? Because they both carry an overtone of responsibility and others-focus. When most belly-aching postmoderns talk about the mystical, what they mean is the ME-stycal. The current reformation is arguable more self centered than the prior incarnation of the church, particularly in the area of prayer.

What’s your burden today?