Dirkmonster

Message from Dr. David Foster

Bellevue Community Church's ousted founding pastor posted a message on his MySpace.com blog Monday.  Since you have to be a MySpace member to view blogs on his site, I've re-posted it here.

BCC lands on the front page

Our church's crisis is splattered all over the front page of Monday morning's Tennessean. 

With that and all the TV news coverage Sunday night, it's pretty clear to me that anyone who's behind the elders, including the elders themselves, aren't talking.  In other words, they think by burying their heads in the sand that this matter will remain private and then blow over.  I've got (literally) news for them: If that's your approach, you're getting creamed.  READ MORE HERE.

Bellevue Community Church Crisis

Members of Bellevue Community Church learned Sunday that the board of elders had fired Dr. David Foster, founding pastor of BCC.  From the church auditorium to Red Caboose Park in Bellevue, emotions ran high as people began taking sides.  It got ugly quickly Saturday night as Metro Police threatened to arrest Dr. Foster if he entered the church he helped build.

I've created a blog to air news and views from those concerned.  If you have something constructive to share, consider sending a message in.  If you do not want it published in whole or in part, please say so and I will honor that request.

A crime to feed the homeless?

The city government of Las Vegas, Nevada has made it a crime to feed the homeless in a city park. Other US cities have similar laws now, according to a NY Times article:

Las Vegas, whose homeless population has doubled in the past decade to about 12,000 people in and around the city, joins several other cities across the country that have adopted or considered ordinances limiting the distribution of charitable meals in parks. Most have restricted the time and place of such handouts, hoping to discourage homeless people from congregating and, in the view of officials, ruining efforts to beautify downtowns and neighborhoods.

But the Las Vegas ordinance is believed to be the first to explicitly make it an offense to feed “the indigent.”

So on the one hand you have homeless, down and out and many times sick Americans who have no place to go as temperatures reach 110 degrees.  And then there are compassionate Americans who believe they are called to reach out and minister to them through food and drink.   Finally, there's a city owned park that offers space for Americans to picnic.  But on the other hand of course you have Americans who would rather not concern themselves with those less fortunate than they are or certainly not be forced to see them out in public. Worst of all, they don't want to see them getting fed in a park.

In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, Jesus said these words that have become known as the parable of The Sheep and the Goats:

31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

I confess that I too fall short of my obligation to reach out to "the least of these".  I have to keep asking God for the heart to engage and not ignore suffering in the world.  I just hope city officials don't make it a crime.

Note: Kevin Barbieuex authors an insightful and practical blog about homelessness in Music City.

Lyn's at Wrigley Field

I'm so jealous. Lyn is at Wrigley Field in Chicago tonight taking in the Cubs vs. Cardinals game.  Because she's married to me, she understands what a treat this is sports-wise, but she's into experiences like this anyhow.  Wrigley is a unique place in a unique city.  Going to a game there is an event.  I found a NY Times column from 2001 with a well written description:

Baseball is no small part of what binds Americans, and Wrigley Field is one of its great temples. Its human scale, its eccentric angles, its hand-operated scoreboard and the lushness of its bluegrass all contribute to an experience that is a quintessence of summer. So do the fans, including, always, crowds of children.

The crowning glory is the ivy covering the outfield walls. At Wrigley Field, ivy is not just a symbol of tradition, but tradition itself. It tells us that this is a park rather than a stadium, home not to a baseball team but to a ball club. That may be why every attempt to alter the park's shape, or increase capacity beyond the current 39,059 meets with cries of anguish and defiance.

I get to watch the game on TV and I'm hoping to catch a glimpse of Lyn on WGN since (as you can see) she's only about 10 rows off the field on the 1st base side behind home plate.  Yeah, I don't know how she got those seats.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Cards are up 4-2. Both pitchers are carrying gas cans out to the mound and the defense can't put out the fire. So there's no telling who's going to end up winning.  The only thing for sure is she's there and I'm not :)

NewsChannel5.com among stickiest brands

According to a piece in ClickZ, Landmark Communications (owner of Nashville's NewsChannel 5 Network) is among the stickiest brands on the web.

Internet users at home and work ranked 20 of the top parent companies and stickiest brands. Nielsen//NetRatings tracked the brands with the highest number of unique visits and time spent on their sites.

NewsChannel5.com has long been among the most trafficked local web site. This research indicates it's also sticky, or keeps a web surfer's attention longer.  Before we give NewsChannel5.com all the credit (even though I'd like to having produced its content for years), it should be noted that Landmark is also parent to another business called The Weather Channel with a web presence at weather.com.  Together, Landmark Communications web businesses are 11th on the list right between RealNetworks and New York Times Company.

The Long Tail Backlash

Chris Anderson writes a book called The Long Tail which becomes super popular through social networks and Amazon.com  He launches a blog too at thelongtail.com

The Wall Street Journal writes a piece today that basically says The Long Tail sucks:

It would be wonderful if the world as Mr. Anderson describes it were true: one where "healthy niche products" and even "outright misses" collectively could stand their ground with the culture's increasingly soulless "hits."

But while every singer-songwriter dreams from his bedroom of making a living off iTunes, few actually do, mostly because so many others have the very same idea. And to the extent that Apple is making money off iTunes, thanks go to Nelly Furtado and other hitmakers. Indeed, you can make the case that the Internet is amplifying the role of hits, even in relation to misses, not diminishing them.

Anderson responds on his blog:

But Lee Gomes has tried mightily to find flaws with the Long Tail theory and deserves a response of some sort. I have no doubt that there are many parts of my analysis and data that could be improved. Unfortunately, Gomes, in his haste to find them, stumbles over statistics and more, and in the end simply makes a muddle of what might have been an interesting debate over the magnitude of the Long Tail effect.

Dozens leave comments responding to Anderson's response in response to the WSJ article.

An A-List bloggers jump in:
http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/2006/07/26/listening-to-satellite-radio/

And so a conversation will ensue about the book and about the Wall Street Journal. Will the writer ( Lee Gomes) for the Journal participate in this conversation or is he arrogant enough to think that his opinion need not be defended? We shall see.  Meanwhile, there is a vigorous discussion going on.

Me? I'm listening to the audiobook version of The Long Tail and find it fascinating. Haven't gotten through it yet to draw any of my own conclusions but so far, I don't see how anyone can defend the notion that the Internet hasn't exploded niche markets (the tail) such that, collectively, it rivals popular hits (the head).  Can anyone say that the trend is toward less variety in the marketplace?

Give water today to someone in need

I encourage everyone who has thought about how hot it is today to read homeless guy's post about what you can do to help.

We found a large group of men gathered outside the Rescue Mission in an enclosed concrete courtyard. There appeared to be some shelter within the walls that offered a little bit of shade.  Others were standing near interstate ramps or trying to sleep on bus benches.

Matthew 25: 35-36
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

 

Recovery on track for Kelsie

Over the past few weeks, I've posted on the difficult recovery process for a 16 year old Greenbrier, TN girl named Kelsie.  Kelsie crashed her car June 16th and was seriously injured.  Although I don't know Kelsie personally, I've been concerned for her through her friends.  It's truly a story in which great medical care, family, friends and prayer made a life saving difference.  Here's the latest, with permission:

Kelsie is fully conscious now.  Late last week she was moved to Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital (part of Vanderbilt) and she is making a lot of progress.  We spent a little over an hour with her and her mom yesterday. They took her trach tube out Saturday for good - she can whisper, and she can eat some (she can feed herself) but she still has the feeding tube to supplement her nutritional needs.  They said at most, she will need it another week, and it should be out by Friday this week.  Everything is out except the feeding tube - no more ports, IV's, trach tube, etc.   She has physical therapists who come in every day and help her with her speech, eating, walking, etc.  She got a shower (with help of course) and got her hair washed, so she is already feeling better.  She can wear her own pj's now and we took her a new pair to wear (she's lost about 20 lbs).  She knows she was in a wreck and she knows she has been in a coma most of the last month.  I told her she had a "bummer summer" and she told me "it's only one summer, there are lots more summers".  She knows everyone by face and name, knows what month and what day it is, and knew where she was - apparently, she heard and retained a lot of what was discussed in her room, even though she was in a coma, or semi-conscious. 

She has pieces of glass all in her left arm - the doctors removed all of the large pieces they could get out - and they said the rest of these little pieces will work their way out on their own - evidently that's common in wrecks like hers.  Remarkably, her face was completely untouched - not a scratch or scar on it - most of the stitches she needed were on her arms and legs.  She looks wonderfully healthy, but thin!  When we told her we'd have to fatten her up, she whispered "that won't take long"!  She is wanting to eat ice cream and asked us to bring her a vanilla milk shake when her feeding tube is out.

Her progress is amazing and she is going to enjoy a full recovery.  Thanks to everyone for your concern and prayers - it means a lot to them!

There's some good news to start your Tuesday.

The Sky 5 Nation

Looks like NEMESISBOY has Sky 5 on the brain:

Slightly menacing. Don't give him a ride in Sky 5.

Same guy is also writing poetry about Lelan: http://nemesisboy.blog-city.com/poetry.htm