We are in the process of unwrapping and discovering our spiritual gifts at The Grove. Ultimately, gifts are all about serving and building the body. A month or so ago, I ran across this statement on Perry Noble’s blog, (a pastor I am growing to respect more and more) and I think it […]

Irish Eyes are no longer smiling as the lass from the Green Isle is free to continue her tattoo career. Perhaps she won’t blow her second chance at that career. In some ways I feel a bit sorry for her because she clearly had some incredible vocal skills. But she seemed to lack the heart of an artist. She never could quite connect with what she was doing. An artist has to have more than simple skill….they must possess a unique interpretive ability that seems to be the one missing ingredient for her. It could come into play in her new career as well, but I wish her well.

Now on to the final five…this is where it starts to get really interesting again. From what I’ve read, the numbers for AI have dropped a bit this year. I think the middle rounds are always a bit of a lull, and the songbook choices by the producers this year have been AWFUL. But this week they are rounding back into form with songs from Neil Diamond. He’s got a lot of thoughtful songs and a lot of high energy songs and this week should be a lot of fun….which is sorely needed after the last two miserable, depressing weeks. So, here we go….

1. DAVID COOK (Up, Last week #1) - How can you be up if you were #1 last week? Because he strengthened his hold on the #1 spot. I was ready to drop him down to #2 for the last couple of weeks but just couldn’t pull the trigger. Then David A came out with a pretty strong performance last week. I thought for sure DC would be dropping. But he truly surprised me and delivered a really good performance with a style I didn’t think he had in him. He has proven week after week to easily be the most versatile fighter in the competition, and barring a major disaster, is the odd-on favorite to close the deal.
2. DAVID ARCHULETA (Down, Last week #2) - Just like DC climbing in spite of maintaining the same spot, DA is dropping in spite of maintaining the same spot. His performance last week was solid…but it’s the same-ol’, same-ol’ over and over again. In spite of very good performances, he has shown that he really isn’t in the same league as DC. So…he’s dropped in strength, but holds on to the #2 spot. I really don’t think he has the ability to overtake DC at this point. It will take a disastrous performance by DC for DA to climb ahead.
3. BROOKE WHITE (Up, Last week #4) - This is really sort of a toss-up between Brooke and JC. Likability factor for both is high….which is why they are still in it. Last week had the potential to produce terrible results for either of them. Brooke had to stop the song at the very beginning and start over….and JC’s….well….it was just awful. Either of them could have wound up in the bottom, and either of them could have gone home. But they’re still here. Brooke clearly has the better voice, more skill, and I think far more marketable skill than JC, (plus I really like her), so she moves up to #3.
4. JASON CASTRO (Down, Last week #4) - As stated above, this is sort of a toss up. But there is no denying that the last round was absolutely horrible for JC. Even Andrew Lloyd Webber was somewhat stunned at both the selection and the performance. He doesn’t have the all-around skills that Brooke has, and he’s nowhere close to being in the same league as the David brothers. I have thought several times already that JC would have reached the end of his road, but he’s created a fan base that is keeping him around. He’s not nearly as irritating as Sinjaya, but he’s not much better vocally.
5. SYESHA MERCADO (STEADY, Still looking up from the bottom) - Another really good performance from Mercado last week, but she just can’t get any traction. She is better and far more consistent than JC, but she is also far more consistent when it comes to winding up in the bottom. I’m not sure what it will take for her to make it past this round. I think she’s already given the best she’s got, and she’s still finding herself at the bottom each week. Only now, she’s run out of other targets.

I don’t necessarily think this is THE TOP 5 but it’s what we have left. If I could have personally selected the top 5 it would look like this:

1. DAVID COOK - Gotta give him the props
2. DAVID ARCHULETA - A bit tired by now, but he is a strong contender
3. BROOKE WHITE - Easily the most sincere “artist” in the bunch
4. DOUBLE D (Michael Johns) - He exited too early and was just rounding into his best style
5. CHEEZ-IT - Not the Luther Van Dross vibe, but the spicy brand. If he had stuck with that, he would still be cooking right now.

Any other thoughts out there about the best top 5?

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Irish Eyes are no longer smiling as the lass from the Green Isle is free to continue her tattoo career. Perhaps she won’t blow her second chance at that career. In some ways I feel a bit sorry for her because she clearly had some incredible vocal skills. But she seemed to lack the heart of an artist. She never could quite connect with what she was doing. An artist has to have more than simple skill….they must possess a unique interpretive ability that seems to be the one missing ingredient for her. It could come into play in her new career as well, but I wish her well.

Now on to the final five…this is where it starts to get really interesting again. From what I’ve read, the numbers for AI have dropped a bit this year. I think the middle rounds are always a bit of a lull, and the songbook choices by the producers this year have been AWFUL. But this week they are rounding back into form with songs from Neil Diamond. He’s got a lot of thoughtful songs and a lot of high energy songs and this week should be a lot of fun….which is sorely needed after the last two miserable, depressing weeks. So, here we go….

1. DAVID COOK (Up, Last week #1) - How can you be up if you were #1 last week? Because he strengthened his hold on the #1 spot. I was ready to drop him down to #2 for the last couple of weeks but just couldn’t pull the trigger. Then David A came out with a pretty strong performance last week. I thought for sure DC would be dropping. But he truly surprised me and delivered a really good performance with a style I didn’t think he had in him. He has proven week after week to easily be the most versatile fighter in the competition, and barring a major disaster, is the odd-on favorite to close the deal.
2. DAVID ARCHULETA (Down, Last week #2) - Just like DC climbing in spite of maintaining the same spot, DA is dropping in spite of maintaining the same spot. His performance last week was solid…but it’s the same-ol’, same-ol’ over and over again. In spite of very good performances, he has shown that he really isn’t in the same league as DC. So…he’s dropped in strength, but holds on to the #2 spot. I really don’t think he has the ability to overtake DC at this point. It will take a disastrous performance by DC for DA to climb ahead.
3. BROOKE WHITE (Up, Last week #4) - This is really sort of a toss-up between Brooke and JC. Likability factor for both is high….which is why they are still in it. Last week had the potential to produce terrible results for either of them. Brooke had to stop the song at the very beginning and start over….and JC’s….well….it was just awful. Either of them could have wound up in the bottom, and either of them could have gone home. But they’re still here. Brooke clearly has the better voice, more skill, and I think far more marketable skill than JC, (plus I really like her), so she moves up to #3.
4. JASON CASTRO (Down, Last week #4) - As stated above, this is sort of a toss up. But there is no denying that the last round was absolutely horrible for JC. Even Andrew Lloyd Webber was somewhat stunned at both the selection and the performance. He doesn’t have the all-around skills that Brooke has, and he’s nowhere close to being in the same league as the David brothers. I have thought several times already that JC would have reached the end of his road, but he’s created a fan base that is keeping him around. He’s not nearly as irritating as Sinjaya, but he’s not much better vocally.
5. SYESHA MERCADO (STEADY, Still looking up from the bottom) - Another really good performance from Mercado last week, but she just can’t get any traction. She is better and far more consistent than JC, but she is also far more consistent when it comes to winding up in the bottom. I’m not sure what it will take for her to make it past this round. I think she’s already given the best she’s got, and she’s still finding herself at the bottom each week. Only now, she’s run out of other targets.

I don’t necessarily think this is THE TOP 5 but it’s what we have left. If I could have personally selected the top 5 it would look like this:

1. DAVID COOK - Gotta give him the props
2. DAVID ARCHULETA - A bit tired by now, but he is a strong contender
3. BROOKE WHITE - Easily the most sincere “artist” in the bunch
4. DOUBLE D (Michael Johns) - He exited too early and was just rounding into his best style
5. CHEEZ-IT - Not the Luther Van Dross vibe, but the spicy brand. If he had stuck with that, he would still be cooking right now.

Any other thoughts out there about the best top 5?

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Irish Eyes are no longer smiling as the lass from the Green Isle is free to continue her tattoo career. Perhaps she won’t blow her second chance at that career. In some ways I feel a bit sorry for her because she clearly had some incredible vocal skills. But she seemed to […]

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Irish Eyes are no longer smiling as the lass from the Green Isle is free to continue her tattoo career. Perhaps she won’t blow her second chance at that career. In some ways I feel a bit sorry for her because she clearly had some incredible vocal skills. But she seemed to […]

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A couple of days ago, I spent 5+ hours sitting in a dentist chair. I can think of lots of ways that I wouldn’t mind spending that much time, but being at the dentist is NOT on that list. There are few things in life that I dread more than going there. I wonder at times if dentists aren’t actually military operatives specializing in torture tactics and their dental practice is simply a cover. Anyway, while sitting there for 5 hours feeling that all in my life has gone awry, I had a chance to do some deep thinking while the dentist was doing some deep drilling. Here are a few spiritual observations:

CAVITIES CAN BE PREVENTED (THEORETICALLY) - All the dentists will tell you that simple maintenance can help you avoid the troublesome development of cavities. That may not always be true, but it certainly is true most of the time. Spiritually speaking, maintenance of spiritual disciplines (prayer, Bible reading, fasting) can go a long way toward keeping us healthy and preventing real damage. But we frequently look at those things as optional or necessary only in the case of emergency. And when we neglect the basic maintenance, we WILL find ourselves regretting it at some later date.

CAVITIES CAN BE REPAIRED, BUT IT REQUIRES SOME WORK AND MAYBE A BIT OF PAIN - Once a cavity has formed, it becomes something that becomes very detrimental to the health of the tooth. Fortunately it can be fixed, but it’s no longer as simple as basic maintenance and there will be some evidence. When we allow sin to creep into our lives unabated because we have failed to exercise daily maintenance through spiritual disciplines, it can be fixed. But there will often be a bit of pain involved and frequently will leave some scars behind.

WHEN CAVITIES HAVE GONE UNCHECKED TOO LONG, MAJOR WORK HAS TO DONE TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE - Unfortunately for me, I had a cavity that I allowed to linger for too long. I don’t like going to the dentist in the first place and I thought it would be expensive. Well, by the time I got around to dealing with it, it was no longer a simple cavity, but a root canal, which is far more costly than a cavity. Spiritual decay can look a lot like that. We don’t want to deal with the problem because it seems to difficult and maybe even costly. But unless we take care of it, it will continue to worsen. And then we have a problem that requires serious effort and in all likelihood a lot of pain in order to fix it. And even then, the repair doesn’t take us back to the original condition. Functionality is still there, but something has been lost.

SOMETIMES THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO REMOVE THE PROBLEM ENTIRELY - I’ve got a wisdom tooth that needs to be extracted. I was at the dentist so long, we didn’t even get to that one. But I have to go back to have it done. Occasionally we get to that point in our lives with spiritual hurdles. Sometimes we just have to remove them completely from our lives…leave no trace, and wait for the hole to heal.

PROFESSIONAL ASSESSMENT - If I were a torturer..I mean dentist, and I were making an assessment of your spiritual dental health, where would you be. Are you taking care of the routine maintenance with joy because you realize the benefits? Do you have a cavity or two that need some repair? Have you allowed a few things to go unchecked too long to the point where there may be some real pain? Do you have any challenges in your life (or maybe even people) that need to be extracted? Remember that the longer you wait on any of these things, the larger the problem becomes. So don’t forget to floss.

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'enable_tracker' => true, 'track_adm_pages' => false, 'ignore_users' => true, 'max_user_level' => '8', 'footer_hooked' => true, 'filter_content' => true, 'filter_comments' => true, 'filter_comment_authors' => true, 'track_ext_links' => true, 'prefix_ext_links' => '/outgoing/', 'track_files' => true, 'prefix_file_links' => '/downloads/', 'track_extensions' => 'gif,jpg,jpeg,bmp,png,pdf,mp3,wav,phps,zip,gz,tar,rar,jar,exe,pps,ppt,xls,doc', 'track_mail_links' => true, 'prefix_mail_links' => '/mailto/', 'debug' => true, 'check_updates' => true, 'version_sent' => '1.6.0', 'advanced_config' => true, ) Ending uga_get_option: prefix_file_links (/downloads/) Start uga_remove_hostname: markdoebler.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/dental-exam.jpg Stripping everything up until and including first / Ending uga_remove_hostname: wp-content/uploads/2008/04/dental-exam.jpg Checking file extension jpeg Checking file extension bmp Checking file extension png Checking file extension pdf Checking file 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A couple of days ago, I spent 5+ hours sitting in a dentist chair. I can think of lots of ways that I wouldn’t mind spending that much time, but being at the dentist is NOT on that list. There are few things in life that I dread more than going there. I wonder at times if dentists aren’t actually military operatives specializing in torture tactics and their dental practice is simply a cover. Anyway, while sitting there for 5 hours feeling that all in my life has gone awry, I had a chance to do some deep thinking while the dentist was doing some deep drilling. Here are a few spiritual observations:

CAVITIES CAN BE PREVENTED (THEORETICALLY) - All the dentists will tell you that simple maintenance can help you avoid the troublesome development of cavities. That may not always be true, but it certainly is true most of the time. Spiritually speaking, maintenance of spiritual disciplines (prayer, Bible reading, fasting) can go a long way toward keeping us healthy and preventing real damage. But we frequently look at those things as optional or necessary only in the case of emergency. And when we neglect the basic maintenance, we WILL find ourselves regretting it at some later date.

CAVITIES CAN BE REPAIRED, BUT IT REQUIRES SOME WORK AND MAYBE A BIT OF PAIN - Once a cavity has formed, it becomes something that becomes very detrimental to the health of the tooth. Fortunately it can be fixed, but it’s no longer as simple as basic maintenance and there will be some evidence. When we allow sin to creep into our lives unabated because we have failed to exercise daily maintenance through spiritual disciplines, it can be fixed. But there will often be a bit of pain involved and frequently will leave some scars behind.

WHEN CAVITIES HAVE GONE UNCHECKED TOO LONG, MAJOR WORK HAS TO DONE TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE - Unfortunately for me, I had a cavity that I allowed to linger for too long. I don’t like going to the dentist in the first place and I thought it would be expensive. Well, by the time I got around to dealing with it, it was no longer a simple cavity, but a root canal, which is far more costly than a cavity. Spiritual decay can look a lot like that. We don’t want to deal with the problem because it seems to difficult and maybe even costly. But unless we take care of it, it will continue to worsen. And then we have a problem that requires serious effort and in all likelihood a lot of pain in order to fix it. And even then, the repair doesn’t take us back to the original condition. Functionality is still there, but something has been lost.

SOMETIMES THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO REMOVE THE PROBLEM ENTIRELY - I’ve got a wisdom tooth that needs to be extracted. I was at the dentist so long, we didn’t even get to that one. But I have to go back to have it done. Occasionally we get to that point in our lives with spiritual hurdles. Sometimes we just have to remove them completely from our lives…leave no trace, and wait for the hole to heal.

PROFESSIONAL ASSESSMENT - If I were a torturer..I mean dentist, and I were making an assessment of your spiritual dental health, where would you be. Are you taking care of the routine maintenance with joy because you realize the benefits? Do you have a cavity or two that need some repair? Have you allowed a few things to go unchecked too long to the point where there may be some real pain? Do you have any challenges in your life (or maybe even people) that need to be extracted? Remember that the longer you wait on any of these things, the larger the problem becomes. So don’t forget to floss.

Start uga_filter:

A couple of days ago, I spent 5+ hours sitting in a dentist chair. I can think of lots of ways that I wouldn’t mind spending that much time, but being at the dentist is NOT on that list. There are few things in life that I dread more than going there. […]

Start uga_in_feed Ending uga_in_feed: Start uga_track_user Start uga_get_option: ignore_users uga_options: array ( 'internal_domains' => 'markdoebler.com', 'account_id' => 'UA-4827893-1', 'enable_tracker' => true, 'track_adm_pages' => false, 'ignore_users' => true, 'max_user_level' => '8', 'footer_hooked' => true, 'filter_content' => true, 'filter_comments' => true, 'filter_comment_authors' => true, 'track_ext_links' => true, 'prefix_ext_links' => '/outgoing/', 'track_files' => true, 'prefix_file_links' => '/downloads/', 'track_extensions' => 'gif,jpg,jpeg,bmp,png,pdf,mp3,wav,phps,zip,gz,tar,rar,jar,exe,pps,ppt,xls,doc', 'track_mail_links' => true, 'prefix_mail_links' => '/mailto/', 'debug' => true, 'check_updates' => true, 'version_sent' => '1.6.0', 'advanced_config' => true, ) Ending uga_get_option: ignore_users (1) Start uga_get_option: max_user_level uga_options: array ( 'internal_domains' => 'markdoebler.com', 'account_id' => 'UA-4827893-1', 'enable_tracker' => true, 'track_adm_pages' => false, 'ignore_users' => true, 'max_user_level' => '8', 'footer_hooked' => true, 'filter_content' => true, 'filter_comments' => true, 'filter_comment_authors' => true, 'track_ext_links' => true, 'prefix_ext_links' => '/outgoing/', 'track_files' => true, 'prefix_file_links' => '/downloads/', 'track_extensions' => 'gif,jpg,jpeg,bmp,png,pdf,mp3,wav,phps,zip,gz,tar,rar,jar,exe,pps,ppt,xls,doc', 'track_mail_links' => true, 'prefix_mail_links' => '/mailto/', 'debug' => true, 'check_updates' => true, 'version_sent' => '1.6.0', 'advanced_config' => true, ) Ending uga_get_option: max_user_level (8) Tracking user with level Ending uga_track_user: 1 Calling preg_replace_callback: ]*?)href\s*=\s*['"](.*?)['"]([^>]*)>(.*?) Ending uga_filter:

A couple of days ago, I spent 5+ hours sitting in a dentist chair. I can think of lots of ways that I wouldn’t mind spending that much time, but being at the dentist is NOT on that list. There are few things in life that I dread more than going there. […]

Start uga_filter:

Waxing Negative on Abstinence

Yesterday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held an extremely one-sided hearing to assess the effectiveness of authentic abstinence education. It took just one look at the witness list to see how Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) had stacked the deck against abstinence proponents. When asked by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) if they would support abstinence education, three of the four “health experts” who testified against it said they would oppose abstinence even if scientific evaluation showed it to be as or more effective than so-called comprehensive sex ed.

Dr. Harvey Fineberg of the Institute of Medicine was the only one in this anti-abstinence group to maintain a sense of scientific integrity by quietly answering yes. On the positive side, Dr. Stan Weed, the lone pro-abstinence health expert at the hearing, testified solidly on behalf of the positive impact of abstinence-centered education. He presented research that demonstrates the effectiveness of abstinence programs across the country, including two of his own studies that showed decreases in rates of sexual initiation by 45 and 50 percent in youth when compared to non-program groups. Missing from the discussion was the fact that the Chairman’s own state has never accepted federally allocated Title V money for abstinence education–and its teens are suffering greatly for it. California is a tragic example of what can happen in today’s culture in the absence of strong abstinence-centered education. Since rejecting the abstinence funds in the first year they were offered to states, the rates of STIs in California youth exploded at an estimated 1.1 million new cases per year in 2005. Congressman Waxman should recognize the dire need of young people in his own state and stop protecting entities that promote high-risk behavior to youth.

END OF ARTICLE

Quite honestly, I have mixed emotions about this. On the one hand I am stunned at the pig-headed resistance expressed in the highlighted sentence above. What these experts are saying is that they are committed to making sure that our teenagers are active sexually, evidence be damned. They remind me of the old adage, “My mind is made up, don’t confuse me with the facts.” You just have to shake your head in utter disbelief at such statements as the one above. On the other hand, if we did a better job in the church and in our families, perhaps this wouldn’t be as critical an issue as it currently is. So while I think we MUST actively engage where possible in the political arena to promote values that we KNOW are good for our nation, our families, and our children, we MUST ALSO do a better job in our own arena. We cannot count on the culture to teach our children what is right and proper. Would it be preferable to what now passes as education? Certainly. But let’s work to do a better job on the homefront in our own congregations.

Thanks to the suggestion of AR in the comments below, I have added this video clip of the highlighted question. Watch this and be amazed. Thanks AR.

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Waxing Negative on Abstinence

Yesterday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held an extremely one-sided hearing to assess the effectiveness of authentic abstinence education. It took just one look at the witness list to see how Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) had stacked the deck against abstinence proponents. When asked by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) if they would support abstinence education, three of the four “health experts” who testified against it said they would oppose abstinence even if scientific evaluation showed it to be as or more effective than so-called comprehensive sex ed.

Dr. Harvey Fineberg of the Institute of Medicine was the only one in this anti-abstinence group to maintain a sense of scientific integrity by quietly answering yes. On the positive side, Dr. Stan Weed, the lone pro-abstinence health expert at the hearing, testified solidly on behalf of the positive impact of abstinence-centered education. He presented research that demonstrates the effectiveness of abstinence programs across the country, including two of his own studies that showed decreases in rates of sexual initiation by 45 and 50 percent in youth when compared to non-program groups. Missing from the discussion was the fact that the Chairman’s own state has never accepted federally allocated Title V money for abstinence education–and its teens are suffering greatly for it. California is a tragic example of what can happen in today’s culture in the absence of strong abstinence-centered education. Since rejecting the abstinence funds in the first year they were offered to states, the rates of STIs in California youth exploded at an estimated 1.1 million new cases per year in 2005. Congressman Waxman should recognize the dire need of young people in his own state and stop protecting entities that promote high-risk behavior to youth.

END OF ARTICLE

Quite honestly, I have mixed emotions about this. On the one hand I am stunned at the pig-headed resistance expressed in the highlighted sentence above. What these experts are saying is that they are committed to making sure that our teenagers are active sexually, evidence be damned. They remind me of the old adage, “My mind is made up, don’t confuse me with the facts.” You just have to shake your head in utter disbelief at such statements as the one above. On the other hand, if we did a better job in the church and in our families, perhaps this wouldn’t be as critical an issue as it currently is. So while I think we MUST actively engage where possible in the political arena to promote values that we KNOW are good for our nation, our families, and our children, we MUST ALSO do a better job in our own arena. We cannot count on the culture to teach our children what is right and proper. Would it be preferable to what now passes as education? Certainly. But let’s work to do a better job on the homefront in our own congregations.

Thanks to the suggestion of AR in the comments below, I have added this video clip of the highlighted question. Watch this and be amazed. Thanks AR.