The Daily Detour

Speaking of prayer...

In a very revealing article by self-professing atheist MSNBC writer, Elizabeth DeVita-Raeburn, she suggests that there are indeed physical benefits for the praying faithful. Of course, in her particular situation, her personal fulfillment is found through yoga (even after suggesting a continuing envy of people who believed in God). In wrestling through her own questions of God and faith, however, she poses a very compelling question concerning the possibility that her parents' rejection of God might be in error:

I felt continually torn between a desire to emulate [my parents'] biting disdain of all things religious and my fear that we were missing out on something important. After all, my religious friends and their parents didn't strike me as stupid. What if my parents were wrong? Someone had to be in error, and I very much didn't want it to be us. Because if it was us, what magic, what advantage, what peace of mind were we potentially giving up?

Is there power in prayer? The Bible unequivocally contends that there is (James 5:16). And even for those who question the veracity of Scripture, science seems to confirm it as well. For me personally, I gave up on the idea of coincidence a long time ago. There got to be so many instances of veritable divine intervention that to deny them proved irresponsible.

UPDATE: The power of prayer transcends science into the arena of politics. As a recent cover article for TIME magazine seemed to suggest, the Democratics are attempting to "level the praying field." It appears they learned an important lesson about the impact of the evangelical voting bloc from the 2004 election. I just hope their attempts at spiritual fervency prove genuine. I'm still holding my breath. :)

Let the rehab begin...

Well, I'm finally able to get back online for a few minutes after spending an overnight in the hospital and getting Jean back home earlier this morning. The 4-hour surgery was uneventful and everything looks good according to Dr. Farr. Thanks to those of you who have been thinking of us and praying for us. God continues to watch over Jean and we trust He'll be walking alongside her during these many months to come. It's been a long 24+ hours, but we're working to get settled into the new routine.

Thanks also to those of you here locally who have offered us assistance in so many ways. Once we get a better assessment of the needs, I'll let you know how we can utilize your gracious offers. Blessings to all of you. I'll be back to the usual daily commentaries as soon as I can.

Jean's going down for the count

Back in July I told you that Jean had been approved to have the meniscus transplant and ACL reconstruction on her knee. Well, the big day has finally arrived. At 7:45 a.m. this morning we're to be down at OrthoIndy for the surgery at 10:00 a.m. Then, it's overnight at the hospital and gone by 9:00 a.m. the next morning (so that we're only at the hospital for 23 hours and not technically there for a full day).

If only the recovery period were so brief, but that's not to be. On the contrary, she will be immobile for nearly a month, and they tell us that it could take up to a full year before Jean has fully recovered.

For those of you who inclined to do so, we'd certainly appreciate your prayers on Jean's behalf. I may be offline for a little while helping with Jean's care, but I'll try to give you updates as I can.

Former Congressman Lee Hamilton to speak at Marian College

The Franciscan Center for Global Studies at Marian College is hosting former congressman Lee Hamilton tonight at the Indianapolis Civic Theater. Congressman Hamilton served as part of the Iraq Study Group, as well as, the vice-chair of the 9/11 Commission. He will be presenting his "Thoughts on American Foreign Policy".

The event is free to public, though registration is required. It starts at 7:00 p.m., and for those in the Indianapolis area, it should be a very interesting discussion (If I didn't have responsibilities at church, I'd be there.)

Monday Morning Weekend Review

Well, Tuesday night is not Monday morning, but "better late than never" as they say. I've finally managed to pull my head back above water after a day spent filming and doing some photo shoots on promotional projects for some of my upcoming speaking engagements. Aaahhh the life of a movie star! (Of course, my career will be short-lived once this Rube Goldberged filming effort goes public. It's amazing what you can do with a paper clip and some duck tape. A little MacGyverism and Hollywood here I come! Special thanks to D.J. Payne and Phil Heisick for there ongoing efforts on these projects.) I'm finally able to get back up to speed with the blog. Thanks for your patience!

The big news of last week was that Dan Rather is suing CBS. The aftermath from the "Memogate" scandal leading up to the 2004 presidential election still lingers. Back in February of 2006, I was at a Hillsdale College event in West Palm Beach, FL and heard John Hinderaker from Power Line blog describe their collaborative role in exposing the fraudulent reporting of CBS. That Joe Average Blogger could bring mighty CBS to its knees has become the stuff of legend where the power of the blogosphere is concerned. The monopoly of the MSM is unraveling.

A Democratic State Senator from Nebraska sued God this week seeking an injunction against natural disasters. Apparently, God responded to the lawsuit.

Barry Bonds and the Giants part company. His record-breaking season wasn't enough to salvage the 15-year relationship.

Al Gore is in the hot seat again with global warming. In some of the latest video footage secured by FOX News caught Al Gore deplaning from his private jet. Once again, praxis undermining theory...

In his new book, The Age of Turbulence, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan spares no criticism. I don't usually get in on the Bush-bashing tsunami that has swamped the president's two terms since the early days of hanging chads. Not because I'm a Republican (and all good Republicans are supposed to support the members of their own party, right?). But more because of his position as president. Regardless of one's political persuasion, I believe the president is deserving of respect by virtue of his position. That said, it is difficult to ignore the liberal spending that has happened on the Bush 43 watch. As a conservative, this trend is troublesome, regardless of whatever social and moral stands Bush has taken.

And finally...a soccer mom scooped Al-Qaida. Laura Mansfield happened across the most recent tape that was scheduled to be sent out during the week of September 11th before Al-Qaida was ready to release it. Who is Laura Mansfield? Not who you'd think. An average South Carolina mom who's not so average after all. Until next time... Thanks again for your patience!

MMWR is coming...

Sorry for the delay with the Monday Morning Weekend Review. Today has been spent doing media work to promote some of my upcoming speaking engagements, so I've gotten a bit behind schedule with the blog. I'll be back at it later this evening. Thanks for your patience! :)

Patrick Henry College Institute event recap

As I mentioned previously, Patrick Henry College Institute hosted an excellent worldview event here in Indianapolis on Saturday. I attended the event and was glad to see some of our other TDD readers there. (If you were there, feel free to post your reaction to the event.)

The caliber of the speakers was what I expected, as was the subject matter presented. The following subjects were covered throughout the event:

"Was Enlightenment the Impetus for Religious Liberty?" - Dr. Michael Farris, PHC Founder and Chancellor

"America's Christian Heritage in the Arts" - Dr. Gene Edward Veith, former cultural editor for WORLD magazine and current PHC provost

"Have We Seen Revival in America?" - Russell Pulliam, Assoc. Editor for The Indianapolis Star

"When Evangelical Colleges Turn Liberal" - Dr. Graham Walker, PHC President

"The New Atheists in the U.S." - Dr. David Aikman, former Senior Correspondent and foreign correspondent for TIME magazine and current Assoc. Professor of History at PHC

"Winning the Culture War" - Dr. Gene Edward Veith

"Overcoming the Threat of International Law" - Dr. Michael Farris

Of all the presentations given, I must confess that the most compelling was a brief speech given by PHC freshman, Zachary Simmons, on "Character, Freedom, and the Constitution". He very graciously gave The Daily Detour permission to put the text of the speech here on the blog. Though you'll miss the additional flavor of hearing him live, the text provides a very telling window into the philosophy and intention of Patrick Henry College. I came away from the event very impressed by this little college that Hanna Rosin has called, God's Harvard. As I get wind of future PHC events, I will let our TDD readership know. If this event was any indication, you won't be disappointed.

More fall-out from MoveOn ad campaign

According to The Washington Post, the MoveOn.org organization is unfazed by the ongoing controversy surrounding its recent ad criticizing General David Petreaus.

On Thursday, the Senate passed a resolution condemning the ad. Senators Hillary Clinton and Christopher Dodd, who are both running for president, voted against the resolution. And interestingly, Barack Obama was absent for the vote, even though he had been on the Senate floor just minutes before. His intent, he said, was to abstain from the vote in order to make his own statement about the triviality of the process.

When referencing the polarizing effect of the ad, Bush made a compelling observation with these strong words for the Democratic party:

And I was disappointed that not more leaders in the Democratic Party spoke out strongly against that kind of ad. And that leads me to come to this conclusion: that most Democrats are afraid of irritating a left-wing group like MoveOn.org -- or more afraid of irritating them than they are of irritating the United States military.

As powerful as MoveOn.org is, the organization has created a dilemma for certain national Democratic leaders. How does one strike the balance between soliciting their powerful influence, while distancing oneself from the potential of being hijacked by a radically-liberal agenda? As NBC's Chuck Todd pointed out, if the Democrats really felt it unnecessary to focus attention on passing this resolution, why didn't people like Sen. Majority Leader Henry Reid have the entire Democratic caucus abstain from the vote like Obama?

As Hannity and Colmes point out, this is about more than just an ad. It's about maligning a decorated military veteran and one of the top military leaders in this country. How does one claim patriotic commitment when blatantly accusing our top military commander of deceit and betrayal? Yes, we do live in a country that protects freedom of expression, but as I asked earlier this week, what are the limits on that expression? Do civil rights always trump civility?

Survivor: China, Let the games begin!

Well, Survivor: China is finally here, so the whole gang got back together (feeling the recent loss of our good friend and the impetus for the group, Christy Cundiff). Amazingly, we realized this is our fourth Survivor season together. The names of the contestants were picked and the requisite dollar per name was put in the pot for what promises to be a lucrative $16 pay-out to whoever's contestant is still standing at the end. Now that Caleb and Andrew are old enough to draw a name, our chances of winning just escalated to 25%. Not bad odds!

One of the most interesting segments of last night's show came near the beginning. Survivor host, Jeff Probst, met the group of would-be survivors outside a Buddhist temple and told them that the Chinese monks had invited them to participate in a ceremonial service. Probst qualified the invitation by reiterating that he understood that different people had different religious orientations and reassured the group that this was not a religious ceremony.

They went into the temple and, following the lead of the Buddhist monks, went through the various aspects of the ceremony. It was when they were encouraged to bow face down to the Buddha statue that Leslie Nease, a Christian radio talk show host from Tega Cay, SC, declined to participate and apologetically left the temple for the remainder of the ceremony. Probst highlighted her actions in his post-ceremony dialogue with the group, asking her if she felt like her decision would adversely affect her chances of winning. Leslie unhesitatingly replied that according to the Bible the only one to who a Christian should bow down is God (Exodus 20:4-5). Therefore, she could not in good conscience bow down to the Buddha statues.

I was reminded of the courageous story of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego, who made a similar decision--choosing to stand by their commitment to God rather than compromising their spiritual convictions (Daniel 3).

But, I wonder, would I have done the same thing? I've always talked about getting on Survivor, and perhaps someday it will happen. And, if I were put in a comparable situation, how would I respond? I hope I would do what Leslie did. It's in such situations that the genuineness of our religious convictions comes to light. And so I ask those of you who are Christians to weigh in on the comment board, what would you do had you been in Leslie's situation? ...a thoughtful question to ponder for those times when we will find ourselves facing a decision in which are convictions are called to account.

The real "reality" of lifecasting

Ever heard of "lifecasting"? Neither had I. Okay, true confessions time...when I discovered this emerging phenomenon a couple of weeks ago I spent over an hour watching iJustine, a 24/7 streaming vlog (video weblog) chronicling the life and times of Justine Ezarik, along with an accompanying chat room for all her viewers to simultaneously chat live together while watching her go through life. Truth be told, that hour amounted to a whole lot of watching her do exactly what her entire audience was doing at the time--sitting in front of her computer. Apparently, it's more fun to watch someone else sitting at their computer.

In the tradition of The Truman Show and EDtv, Justine is one of the many emerging self-made movie stars on justin.tv. There is a variety of lifecasters who have decided to broadcast their lives for the watching world, including a pastor from Iowa (You can see his vlog, "AhhyeahforChrist" here.) And this phenomenon had me thinking: Why would people (myself included for that brief period of "research" time) sit for hours watching someone do nothing but live a typically normal life. I live it every day. Why would watching someone else live it fascinate me so much? In truth, any lasting substance seemed to be lacking there, and yet, I found I could not turn away. (In fact, as we were all sitting there watching her empty chair when she left the room, one person in the chatroom pointed out, "WERE ALL LOSERS FOR BEING HERE." I couldn't help but wonder if there was some truth to that observation.)

But Justine has solicited quite a following (during the time I was watching the number of hits was hovering at about 1,200 hits. That number has since dropped back to about 200-300 hits/day as the novelty of eavesdropping monotony wore off.) In the end, though, her Pied Piperesque appeal is evident in the mysterious genius of her lifecasting adventure. If you watch the chatroom for even a little while, it is interesting to see how much power she holds over those who are seduced by the mundane. She had the whole watching audience wrapped around her finger, reacting online to her every move.

The real question is, however, what could you do with that kind of influence to make a positive influence on the planet? For a brief moment, I was drawn to the idea of lifecasting, imagining what I would do to try to influence people's thinking through that particular technological medium. But then sobriety set is as I realized the potential drawbacks of inviting people to watch my life 24/7 (especially with three boys, ages 4 and under). Yikes! What would people see in my life through the lens of the camera? Would I want them to see me raise my voice with my wife or kids? What about my periods of apathy or my occasional TV binges? Would I want them to see my other (hidden) shortcomings, particularly when I don't always live up to the highest standards of Christianity? Would I be willing to let people see the real me? Would any of us do that?

And that is the question for each of us, particularly those of us who claim to be Christians. Are we living such good lives among the watching world that they see a positive reflection of God, Christianity, and the Church (1 Peter 2:12)? If the camera were on us at all times, what would people see? Would it be a true reflection of Christ, or a soiled imitation of the world around us? Like it or not, we all are already streaming our lives for those people within our sphere of influence. What image we are projecting to them about Jesus Christ? Are you ready to lifecast?