J-Walking: January 2007 Archives

...that never hit the headlines.

Mike Jones, the male prostitute who revealed the "secret" side of Pastor Ted Haggard's life, visited Pastor Haggard's former church on Sunday. According to the few media accounts available, Jones said that several people came up to him, shook his hand and said, "God bless you."

The associate pastor at New Life, Rob Brendle saw Jones in the lobby, approached him and said, "I don't want to impose my religious beliefs on you, but I believe God used you to correct us, and I appreciate that.”

Brendle went on to say. “The church's response to him was overwhelmingly warm. One of the wonderful and enduring truths of Christianity is to love people the world sets up to be your enemies.”


It is too bad the story wasn't spread far and wide. Some will say it is a 'media conspiracy.' I think that is too simple. The broader truth is that our news and our world doesn't really know what to do with good news...whether it is good news like this story or the Good News that matters most.

The "Miracle on Ice" is Beliefnet's greatest sports miracle. There, in Lake Placid, a bunch of college kids and an unknown hockey coach beat the Soviet Union and the rest of the world and won gold in the Olympics.

In hindsight, the Soviet defeat foreshadowed their country's decline and eventual destruction. Their core was hollow, it was inevitable.

As we researched that miracle and looked at other "miracles" a question begged answering: What is there to be said about the inability of US Men's International Basketball teams to win in international basketball competition - a sport we once dominated just as much as the USSR once dominated hockey.

Since the US won gold in Sydney in 2000, no US men's team has finished higher than third. Despite being comprised of multi-million dollar a year NBA professionals, we can't win. These are supposed to be the best of the best, the "dream teams." Yet in the 2002 world championships we were sixth (behind everyone from Yugoslavia to New Zealand). In the 2004 Olympics, the men's team was third (behind Argentina and Italy). Last year, the US finished third again in the world championships in Japan (behind Spain and Greece).

Does the US' inability to win in international men's basketball competition suggest something about the state of our country as Lake Placid suggested something about the USSR?

Certainly the US is unlikely to disintegrate any time in the near or distant future. Our economy is fundamentally strong. Our freedoms are unparalleled. And I am probably reading far too much into this.

But maybe not. Maybe means something more than that our basketball skills have weakened vis-a-vis the rest of the world. Perhaps it is that our wealth and our comfort have made us a bit complacent, a bit fat, a bit lazy and unless those things are addressed America won't be as strong as it used to be. Perhaps it is that our collective spiritual soul is weak as well and that we haven't the will we once did and basketball is giving us a glimpse of that.

I just talked to a senior staffer with one of the Republicans on the committee. I asked why they thought their boss didn't go or any Republicans didn't go. They said, "Uh, I don't know, we didn't pay any attention it." Priceless.

"I guess I hoped, in the face of this much pain and suffering of Americans, the veil of partisan bickering would be sheared and we would see if there were true public servants in Washington. I found out the answer was largely 'no'. Sad, but an inevitable realization, sort of like Santa Claus.

Comments and emails about my last post about the lack of Republican representation on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee raise concerns about my fairness:

Without more info I suspect you may be a little unfair on this one, David. After all, 5 of the 7 Democrats on the committee didn't bother to attend either

They also raise concerns about not giving evangelicals enough credit for caring about New Orleans:

Around half (give or take, but likely give)of the volunteer relief workers are evangelicals and the other large block are from the far left of the political spectrum.

A couple points of clarification are in order.

First, my point isn't about the number of Democrats on the committee that attended the hearing (actually 4 of the 7 attended - Sen. Obama is a member of the committee). My point is that not one Republican attended. Not one. That is the point of shame - that the party of Lincoln is now so far removed from the ideals of Lincoln on matters of poverty that not one Republican bothers going to look and see what is happening in the aftermath of Katrina.

Second, my ire about Christian response isn't directed at the countless men and women who have been to New Orleans to help. It is directed at the Christian political powerbrokers who never bother to make poverty an issue. That is sad.

The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee toured New Orleans yesterday to survey the damage, examine progress, and try and make things better for the still suffering people of that city. Sen. Barack Obama was highly critical of the...

Last week, Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council responsed to President Bush's State of the Union. Message: He wasn't happy. He was surprised that there wasn't any mention of the "faith, family, and freedom" issues - stem cells,...

...when was the last time you made a paper airplane? For me it had been years. Then, today, a thought - my littlest daughter, who is currently airplane obsessed, might like one. We live fairly near an airport and whenever...

Kuo: Do you think that conservatives have reached the point where we've forgotten that there are limits to government; where they believe that government and politics can offer salvation, when of course they can’t? D'Souza: I do think there may...

How bad has it gotten?Pat Robertson's news site - cbn.com - has discussion boards up for people to talk about various topics. I looked at it suspecting to find one group who supported the war and the president in aboslute...

...in my post about Cory I wanted to make one thing clear. He wasn't being given the answers to a standarized test - he (and the rest of his class) were given the answers to an ordinary academic midterm (actually...

...I have received a number of emails requesting that I either shut down the comments part of this blog or block some comments because they distract from the broader discussion. I've thought about it a lot and for now have...

...it isn't his real name...and some of the details are changed to protect his identity - his choice of football and basketball teams for instance. Everything else is spot on.I need to write about him. He is a kid I...

Ok, a simple question...my friend Patton and I are creating a list of the top 10 sports "miracles" of all time. As you might imagine there has been much debate. So, two things. First, what do you think the top...

Here are some more thoughts on that paragraph on love I quoted from Andrew Sullivan's "blogalogue" with Sam Harris.A decade ago noted evangelical author Phillip Yancey wrote a book called What's So Amazing About Grace. As the title suggests, it...

Elsewhere on the Beliefnet site Andrew Sullivan and Sam Harris are having a 'blogalogue'. Honestly, I find Sam Harris' blog entries pretty long and tired - the typical screed against faith...oh, it is irrational; oh, it doesn't mesh with science;...

Today she made it official - Sen. Hillary Clinton has announced that she is forming a presidential exploratory committee and that "I'm in. And I'm in to win." It is among the least surprising political events in recent memory. It...

...would be to truly live. From a reader:When my youngest child was almost 5, she was diagnosed with one of those nasty pediatric cancers. It took her childhood. She relapsed at 8 and somehow - against every odd that there...

I think I know why Patton was pushing me so hard to explore the greater significance of my initial glee over Apple's new iPhone. He's addicted to his own Blackberry/Treo/handheld thing. Patton, thank you for discussing the problem with us...

I was interviewing someone yesterday for an article I am doing for a different publication. The person is prominent and highly regarded and deep and thoughtful and all such things.... I may never forget this quote from them:"We have lost...

In case you missed the back and forth between Dr. Dobson and Sen. McCain it went something like this - Dr. Dobson said on a radio show that he wouldn't ever support Sen. McCain for president. More details on what...

Dear David,Consumer products like the iPhone carry loads of promises, both stated and unstated. They promise that:- you'll be thrilled by using them- you'll be cool by using them- you'll have the one device you need to meet all your...

I've received several emails and read several comments about the death penalty - the gist is that I am wrong by opposing the death penalty. Two points:First, that may well be correct. I may be wrong. Perhaps the death penalty...

From a reader...My favorite little French saint - St. Therese of Lisieux - said, "If I am willing to serenely bear the burden of being displeasing to myself, I will be a pleasant place of shelter for Jesus."Triumphalism never bears...

A reader's comment:David, are there any people like the one you describe walking the halls of the White House, in Islamic countries? Does Iran's leader or Syria's head of state, care about the consequences of their violent actions? Don't bother...

I watched 60 Minutes this evening and saw President Bush's interview. A few thoughts:- I watched him squirm during the discussion of Saddam Hussein's hanging video and how he didn't want to watch the actual hanging. If we can't watch...

Thanks for your most challenging post. As I jokingly IM'd you later it made me want to hit you. Why? Because it so boldly confronted me with the the challenges of this blog and with life in general. One of...

I tuned in a couple of minutes late to watch my president talk about Iraq.I saw him standing and wondered if I was watching an old news clip of an old speech. I wondered why he wasn't seated behind the...

(Patton here.)Thanks for the kind words, David.Ok, fair reader, look at the top of this blog. It says, and has long said: "David Kuo," then "J-Walking." Such a title might lead one to believe that this blog, so cleverly named,...

My editor here is a guy named Patton Dodd. I'm blessed by that (though I hate throwing around cliched words like 'blessed'). He's a wonderful writer. His book, My Faith So Far: A story of conversion and confusion is a...

I love Apple. I love the iPod and iMac and iBook and macbook and macbook pro and all that stuff. I really, really love Apple. It started when I was a teenager and the man who was my unofficial grandfather...

The Washington Post and papers everywhere are atwitter about President Bush's Iraq speech tonight and that expected call for a "surge" of 20,000 new troops. According to the Post, it is the first time that the President is going against...

...but I will. Please keep them coming!...

I've started my search new music and it is sure fun. I can't remember the last time I really set out to find and listen to new music. But thanks to all of your suggestions I have started. And I...

Last night Kim was searching for a new book and came across an old one she'd read called Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray some quotes:"...learn to know and trust your God now, Say: 'My God, I am willing that Thou...

Well, I posted about all those newspapers I was reading yesterday morning and set about to read and write and then the day blew up for a variety of reasons...there is always tomorrow's news!...

...and figure out what that means I come to certain conclusions. Here is mine for today - I think I am one of the few (only?) bloggers whose subscriptions to actual, stain-your-hands, paper newspapers and magazines is increasing. I like...

...but I read this card from a friend yesterday and was struck that it is as true now as some weeks ago. (It is just that some weeks ago thinking about these things was part of the "Christmas spirit," and...

Holy cow (except I don't think cows are holy), I just checked out pandora.com and it is incredible. Of course I started with "Where the streets have no name" - clearly one of the great songs ever recorded - and...

Finally, some great new music for me to enjoy......

I finally watched Saddam Hussein's execution. I didn't want to. I wanted it to go away and to not think about the "Butcher of Baghdad" ever again. After all, this was a man who put people into shredding machines and...

Excerpts from the following comments perfectly highlight Mitt Romney's problems. On one side the spiritual concern:Jesus is not related to Satan by celestial family-hood. God does not live on a planet near a star called Kolob. The Church did not...

someone posted:What do you consider to be the ten best blog entries of 2006?I must admit I am still a blogging newbie (as opposed to a blogging newfie) and only started digging into the blog world the second half of...

Ok, in posts and emails I've received more than a few suggestions to buy:"Dylan—buy ‘Blood on the Tracks.’ Even if you don’t love it at first—and you prob won’t—give it 10 or 12 listens. It’s a masterpiece. “Shelter from the...

Here is a bit of what N.T. Wright, Bishop of Durham, New Testament scholar (named by Christianity Today as one of the top five theologians in the world) has to say about the passage in Luke I wrote about yesterday....

Gov. Mitt Romney has filed papers to explore a White House run. I don't think he will get there. And yes, it is because he is a Mormon. There is a simple reality at play here. Most evangelical Christians believe...

I think I'm in a musical rut. Nothing against listening to U2 over and over - I could always start a cover band. But I need some new stuff even if it is old stuff. I don't think I can...

I'm going to defend Pat Robertson - sort of. Mocking him is such an easy thing to do. The basics - he is predicting a mass terrorist attack later this year. More specifically, he is saying that God told him...

In this new year I am trying to listen to Jesus' words all over again. I'm trying to hear what he said as opposed to what it might be easy to believe. Context, of course, is hugely important. And so...

Last month The Washington Post published a remarkable essay by a young woman entitled, "My Father Was an Anonymous Sperm Donor". I've been thinking about it ever since. These paragraphs are particularly striking:I was angry at the idea that where...

This isn't about Jesus, isn't about politics, isn't even about bass fishing...but at points in my life this was probably just as important as any of them...sort of. The Pittsburgh Steelers. Ahhhh. Yes, we missed the playoffs. But really, who...

Last New Year's eve (2005), Kim and I took out some index cards and wrote questions at the top of them. They were questions about the last year and about the year to come. Every so often this last year...