A Word From The Mrs. - That's Ms. Guru to You

Enough talk about QB Brett Favre being too old and needing to retire. He's younger than... well, he's young, okay. And, the Packers have lost so many players to injury he's throwing passes to Domino's delivery drivers and bartenders, so give him a break. Let's talk about too young. Bucs QB Chris Simms looks like a baby. I see him get sacked and I want to tell the other players to be nice or I'll give them a time-out. When the Patriots sacked him seven times, I thought the team should have been fined. It's a good thing the Guru and I have girls.

Things that really matter to the Ms. include football fashion. I think the Cowboys need a makeover. The star on their helmets doesn't make me think of a cowboy, but fairies or something. Why not a spur, rope or a gun? A cow? And what is a Cleveland Brown, and how come their helmets are orange? This all sounds racist to me. I can't believe Jesse Jackson hasn't looked into this. I'm also concerned about football moms. How must all the other Atlanta Falcons player's mom's feel that the only person anyone ever talks about is Michael Vick. I'll bet Cam Newton's mom wants to hear his name once or twice. Cam who, you ask? You'll never know because he's on the Atlanta Vick's football team. I'll add, the same Atlanta Vicks that the Buccaneers sent home for the playoffs last weekend.

One more thing that matters to me, before I get to those 16 things that matter to you - the Ms. Guru picks. Tony Dungy. I am thankful for the NFL world's response to the Dungy family tragedy this last week. I have been touched to read of the hundreds of NFL names who turned up at the funeral. I am awed by Tony's words at his son's funeral, that preached a crystal clear gospel presentation and a very clear message to fathers and role models everywhere. Here is a man that people can truly look to as a hero.

Here are the aforementioned 'that's-Ms.-Guru-to-you' locks for week 17 - and as the Guru says, you take them to the bank! Chargers over Broncos; Giants over Raiders; Jets over Bills (because Herman Edwards is a really good coach); Cam Newtons team over Panthers; Steelers over Lions; Colts over Cardinals; Patriots over Dolphins; Chiefs over Bengals; Ravens over Browns; Bucs over Saints; 49ers over Texans (in front of 77 fans); Jaguars over Titans; Bears over Vikings; Redskins over Eagles; Cowboys over Rams.

Along The Way (30/December/2005)

Well, thanks for your prayers for my health, and please keep them up. I spent yesterday at an emergency care clinic and my chest xray confirms that I have double pneumonia. So, I am taking drugs and laying low and should be good as gold in a few days. The bad news is that I’ve had to back out of officiating my friends' wedding and I am broken-hearted over that. The very good news is that the happy couple’s own pastor here in Florida is able to do the ceremony, so at least all is in very good hands (Jen and Josh are all the safer now that I can’t break out one of my embarrassing wedding illustrations too!).

Shari and the girls got a treat from Mom, she sent them to see the Radio City Music Hall Rockette’s Christmas Program, complete with a tribute to Christ at the conclusion. As I read thru the Playbill tonight I noticed that they printed the poem One Solitary Life at the close of the program – very cool to see in this day when so much is being made of correctness.

So, on to trying to feel better. Thanks for your prayers – I suppose maybe this week is just about getting a little rest now. That is what I’m telling myself anyway.

Parson to Person

Part 9 - An ongoing 'imaginative/non-fictional' series.
She must have sent that email right after church, I thought, looking at the time signature.

From: robin88@aol.com
Sent: 12/11/05 2:31PM
To: Brian Haas
Subject: Church today

Hi Brian,
I said I had a few questions. First, is it okay that I call you Brian at church? Is Pastor Brian (I heard a few people today call you that) right? I notice you always go by Brian at the diner, is that by design? Oops, I see that I’ve asked three questions already! Better go topically… three topics? So, one topic, what should I call you? Okay, two, (and I’m embarrassed to ask you this but I’m dying to know) why don’t you wear a robe or a collar thing? Is that something to do with being a pastor and not a priest or reverend-minister or something? Third topic… Abby asked me if I loved Jesus. I told her yes. I don’t know what she was asking me really, and I don’t know why I said yes. I know enough about God and the Bible and Jesus to say I think I believe all that – but there’s a lot of it I don’t believe. I’ve heard that Jesus loves me, and I get that. But I’ve never thought of it in terms of my loving Jesus. So, can you shed some light on this for me?

I really liked church today. It was nothing like I expected. I’m still in disbelief, something special was happening there. And, you’re funny Brian. Sarah and a couple of the ladies asked me to lunch later in the week. See ya, Robin

I’d have to wait a little while to respond because Jack and the other local pastors were due in my office any moment for our weekly prayer time. As I read Robin’s message a couple of more times I prayed, “Thanks Lord. You’re at work in this lady’s life!”

So the pastor’s gathered and just before we prayed, like clock-work, Randy spoke up:
“So, anybody have any conversions this week?”
Silence – as there was every week at this same point. Was I the only pastor who recognized it?

Jack spoke up, “We had a few visitors our evangelism and outreach team will follow up with this week.” The program was to deliver some baked goods and an Evangelism Explosion presentation. I wryly imagined, “Have some cookies. If you die tonight, do you know where you’ll spend eternity? How are those cookies?” How is it that the kingdom of heaven is not overcrowding with these tactics?

Handoff to Ms. Guru

After my second 9-7 win/loss week in a row (after 14 straight of double digit wins) I'm thinking the Guru needs to sit out a week. You see all the championship teams doing it: The Colts resting starters, the Seahawks... So, this coming Thursday the Ms, as in Ms. Guru, will sit at my desk and give you this week's locks with a feminine flair. So tune into this spot on Thursday and let's see what the girl can do!

Along the Way (28/Dec./2005)

Greetings from somewhere just south of Washington DC. It's 4am and I am wide awake, so I thought I'd ask for your continued prayers. Having fought through the lingering illness I've contracted on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and having taken a day off to rest before beginning the drive to Florida, I still wound up miserably sick all day yesterday in the car. It's hard to tell if I am feeling better at the moment, I'm just waking up and am on some medicine that may be masking how I truly feel. So, time will tell. Suffice to say that I am very worried about my health and my ability to perform my friend's wedding this weekend if I do not significantly improve. Please pray with me! I'll try to update you. Thanks.

A Bible Reading Plan for 2006

If you're considering a way to include more Scripture reading into your New Year, here's a link that provides you with a dozen or more different ideas. Enjoy!

Sunday Night

Everyone has headed to bed, and I'm enjoying the last hour of this Christmas, reflecting over the weekend. The Christmas Eve service was very special. Thanks to our roaming carolers, Richard, Dave, Shari, Katie and Jodi. Yours was a very special gift to the rest of us. Words cannot express the tremendous effort of our children in their production. Thanks to Kari-Lynn and Alicia for the work to bring the program to life. And, the children - WOW!

It was wonderful to have so many of our extended family 'home' for the holiday too. How about the Christmas gift of having Todd Johnson back with us from Tikrit, Iraq. Todd, welcome home. You're a hero of mine.

Christmas Day was every bit as incredible to me. Like many families, the Shaws rather enjoyed including an hour of worshipping with our church family into the Christmas Day schedule. As I've noted in earlier postings, there has been much debate about whether services should have been cancelled. One of my peers who decided not to have services this morning actually said, "Let's see how well you do?" His point was that no one would be in attendance. Well let me tell you I was blown away to see nearly a full house this morning. Thank you for gathering to worship. Thanks to Shari and our music team this morning for a wonderful worship music set - everything from traditional hymns to contemporary arrangements of familiar carols, and prelude and postlude music from Trans Siberian Orchestra. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for the wonderful gifted musicians the Lord has blessed us with. Thanks to all of you that we call Christ's Church! What a glorious weekend. Merry Christmas from your very grateful pastor.

Come And Worship

Much has been made about Christmas Day services this year, some congregations opting to cancel services while others plan services as usual. Let me run through the services we will share at Christ's Church this weekend.

Tonight we will celebrate Christmas Eve at 6pm. The service tonight will include an acoustic set of Christmas Carols, a production from our Kid's Connection kids, and a brief devotional message. We will end by candlelight singing Silent Night. I do not expect the service to last more than one hour. Come a little early and you may just catch a few carolers roaming the building.

Tomorrow morning, Christmas Day, we will have only one service at 11am. The musicians are here now preparing as I type this. In addition to a few favorite carols and worship choruses, the musicians are preparing special prelude and postlude music (music to be played before we start and after we end the worship service) from Trans Siberian Orchestra. I'd come early and plan not to run right out the door if I were you. I look forward to sharing Christmas with you!

The Long Lost Art: Listening

From Matthew Turner's book 'The Coffeehouse Gospel':
"When Christians walk into an environment - any environment - our ears should be perked to the social, emotional and spiritual temperature of the room. We should be asking ourselves questions like these: Who is here? Where are the needs? What is my responsibility? How can my story have an impact on the lives God has put in front of me today?"

I recently spoke with a young man who calls Christ's Church home. He remarked that he often feels ignored, that people don't notice his presence or worse, that they choose to walk right by him.

I've concluded that Turner's admonition above is worthwhile to consider. Everywhere we go there are people whose stories cross our paths. As I've intentionally turned up my radar (seeking to be a little more aware of what's happening around me), it has been a blessing affording me conversation opportunities and simply opportunities to bless others. What do you think?

Along The Way (23/December/2005)

Friday... Merry Christmas to you all. First of all, let me ask you to pray for me. I've contracted what is either a pretty bad cold or a case of something flu-like - I feel like I've been run over by a truck. I'm very worried about the state of my health headed into Christmas Eve service tomorrow night at 6pm and our Christmas Day worship service at 11am on Sunday. I suppose the thought of being under the weather through Christmas just makes me blue all around.

Other than that, I am looking forward to these next several days. Obviously celebrating Christmas with Shari and our girls and my sister Debbie and Ralph is a great time in the making for us. Celebrating with our church family Saturday night and Sunday morning is also going to be a great treat for me this Christmas. Then, next week, we are headed to Florida to see my Mom, brother Dave and sister Diann and their families, as well as to officiate a dear friends wedding (pray now that I don't cry during the ceremony - this one has great potential to do me in emotionally, this friend has been like a daughter or little sister to Shari and I for as long as we can remember). What joy fills our hearts as this day arrives!

We managed to complete all our shopping and I feel good about it. We have not gone overboard, and that is always a temptation for us. I think that the gifts we selected to exchange with our loved ones will all demonstrate our love and care for them. My attention now has turned to THE gift of this season - Jesus. Thank you Lord for your indescribable gift!

For those of you who desire an advance look, on Christmas Eve I will not be sharing a sermon, so to speak, but rather a brief devotional thought after the children's presentation. My thought will be on the theme of 'God's indescribable gift' out of 2 Corinthians 9:15. On Sunday morning I will share from Romans 5:1-11. Here's a hint: as you read thru that Romans 5 passage note where you see references to hope, peace, joy and love - the four themes we've concentrated on leading up to Christmas. I cherish the opportunity to worship with you this Christmas season!

Another Tragedy

We talk about all the joy, hope, peace and love of the Christmas season that we have in Christ. Yet, we also recognize that for many Christmas can be a very painful time. In the past couple of months there seem to have been a number of untimely deaths. The latest to grieve my heart is news today of Indianapolis Colts' Head Coach Tony Dungy's 18 year old son James having been found dead in his Tampa, FL apartment. This article on the Buccaneers' website speaks of James, Coach Dungy's time in Tampa (1996-2001) and especially speaks of Coach Dungy's faith in Christ.

As a Buccaneers fan I have fond memories of Coach Dungy's time in Tampa, and of seeing James shadowing his dad on the sideline during games. I remember during games I attended seeing James (at about 12 or so) running out on the field after kick-offs to retrieve the kicking tee. I remember one day that I attended a training camp practice when I noticed James was dressed exactly like his dad, wearing the same team baseball cap, and following his dad around with a clipboard on the practice field. I even remember a game on television where James was run into on the sideline as a tackle took players out of bounds, watching him get up and shake off the hit to continue at his dad's side.

One of my fondest memories of Coach Dungy's time in Florida was a video spot he did for the Promise Keeper's event in Tampa that I attended with a group of men, where he spoke of his faith in Christ and the importance of being a father, and spoke particularly of his relationship with James. Join me in praying for Tony and Lauren and their household.

Oops! We regret to inform you…

The NFL announced their AFC & NFC Pro-Bowl rosters yesterday. A league leading eight Indianapolis Colts were selected to the AFC team. Coach Tony Dungy shared that news with his team and as congratulatory ‘Alohas’ were shared, players called family and friends with the news. Then the Colts telephone rang again. It appears that ‘upon further review’ the league made a mistake and OT Tarik Glenn’s name was added erroneously. Make that seven Colts headed to Hawaii. Tarik, who had already called loved ones to alert them to his selection, was left to reconnect with those loved ones and say that it was all in error. Even Coach Dungy, always a league guy, shook his head in disbelief and disgust.

Some playoff scenarios could come to a similar conclusion this weekend. The game between San Diego and Kansas City will end the playoff chances of the loser, while keeping the winner’s chances on life support. Atlanta, Washington, Dallas and Minnesota are all standing on very thin ice, and combinations of their losing and the outcomes of one or more other games could seal their fate.

I dare say some Head Coaches are also on the verge of hearing ‘we regret to inform you’. Say goodbye to Norv Turner in Oakland. The big wager is whether or not he actually finishes the season or if Raiders’ owner Al Davis puts him out of his misery mercifully. Dom Capers in Houston, Mike Mularky in Buffalo and Interim Coach Dick Jauron in Detroit will be casualties within 48 hours of the season’s end. Saints Coach Jim Haslett is up in the air – I’d bet that the Saints might actually hear from Haslett ‘I regret to inform you’ before Haslett hears it from the Saints’ owner Tom Benson. And here’s a little tidbit for you: Don’t be surprised if Jaguars Head Coach Jack Del Rio regretfully informs the Jags that he’s leaving. Remember, you heard it here first.

History shows that a loss, even an ugly loss just a few weeks before season’s end, can be a good thing for a playoff team. It seems to give a reality check and refocus the team’s attention to detail at just the right time. That having been said, keep your eye on those Colts, though not perfect, still the class of the AFC. And, who in the NFC took a timely stumble? None other than the last NFC team to win a Super Bowl. Hmmm. Yes, the Guru took a stumble last weekend, falling to a disappointing 9-7 win/loss total. Look for that renewed attention to detail this week, and my gelling at just the right time to finish on top. So, take note of this week’s picks.

Here are my ‘it’s-not-if-you-get-knocked-down-it’s-whether-you-get-back-up, returning-to-the-top-of-my-game, take-these-locks-er-stick-em-in-the-pipe-and-smoke-it-baby’ picks for week 16: Bucs over Falcons; Bengals over Bills; Panthers over Cowboys; Saints over Lions; Jaguars over Texans; Native Americans over East Rutherford Giants; Steelers over Browns; Chargers over Chiefs; Rams over 49ers; Dolphins over Titans; Eagles over Cardinals; Seahawks over Colts; Broncos over Raiders; Bears over Packers; Vikings over Ravens; Patriots over Jets; and in 2006, the Red Sox over traitor Johnny Damon and the rest of the Yankee$.

Parson to Person

#8 - An ongoing 'imaginative/non-fictional' series.

My conversation with the Dukes continued for quite a while. We moved point by point through the email that they had sent me. It occurred to me that in speaking to Robin I listened more and offered less in the way of answers. Yet with the Dukes answers seemed to come very easily and clearly to me. I was pretty happy with the answers I gave them, but I was sure that they weren’t satisfied.

A letter that arrived a few days later addressed to the Board of Elders confirmed my suspicions. It began, “We regret to inform you that we will be leaving Covenant”. Included in the letter were their concerns – everything that we had spoken about – in bullet points. I had to laugh as I read, “the Pastor evidently believes that it’s okay to use sexually suggestive language to make the Word of God culturally relevant”. How they twisted that out of our conversation I’ll never know.

Sunday came and the Dukes did not come to church.

Quite a pleasant surprise, Robin did. She looked uncomfortable as she arrived, but recognizing a number of folks that were customers at the diner she appeared to relax. When Sarah and our girls arrived they asked her to sit with our family. Our youngest Abby pretty much attached herself to Robin. After all, Robin is the lady who gets the cook to sneak a few chocolate chips into her pancakes at the diner.

I found myself taking in the entire service through Robin’s eyes and ears. As our song leader spoke of God’s sovereignty, I wondered if Robin understood. As he introduced a song as having come from Psalm 25, I wondered if she knew what a Psalm was. During the prayer time I wondered if she was uncomfortable. And when it was time for my sermon I found myself thinking through my words as I spoke them, as I hadn’t ever done before. I pretty much decided, as the service drew to a close, that Robin would have been bored, confused and desiring to run for the parking lot the moment I said ‘Amen’.

Again, to my surprise, nothing like that happened. I noticed Robin talking to many people. I overheard – let me be honest, I eavesdropped to hear – her talking with Sarah about how much she liked the music and how different the experience of hearing so many people sing was for her. Staying for coffee and sharing, she was one of the last to leave.

“Brian, this was a wonderful experience for me. It was not at all what I expected. There are a couple of questions that I have about the service. Do you suppose I can drop you an email or something?”

“Sure”, I replied. “Or perhaps we can chat at the diner.”

“I’ll send you an email”, she concluded.

Tuesday Morning Quarterback (wk. 15)

"Hold on Bessie, the wheels are falling off!" No doubt about it, in many an NFL city, and in one certain Guru's den, things took an ugly turn this past weekend. Let's review the damage. The worst of it might have been felt in Houston, where the hapless Texans actually won a game. That allowed the 49ers to slip into a tie with them for the most futile franchise, and made for an all important last two games to decide the Reggie Bush derby. Oops. Better get back to those losing ways! In Kansas City, Tampa, Dallas, Minnesota, and Atlanta the playoff paths thru up a curve, as all these teams lost their games this weekend making for even more confusion playoff scenarios. The biggest heartbreak, however, may just wind up being the one still developing in San Diego. The Chargers brought an end to the Colts hopes for a perfect season, but are still needing all sorts of help to even catch a glimpse of playoff hope thanks to the loss last week to Miami. The Chargers may well win the title of 'Best team in 2005 not to make the playoffs'.

Cheers: The New England Patriots for being back on stride and for giving Peyton Manning a reason to start losing sleep at night. Cheers also to my friends Brian, Kevin and Gary for taking me to the Pats/Bucs game Saturday and being gentle with me as the Pats dismantled my beloved Bucs. My Hero of the Week: Giants RB Tiki Barber for another 200 yard rushing effort, and for being one of the NFL's true good guys.

Jeers: Saints Coach Jim Haslett for deciding to bench QB Aaron Brooks last week in favor of Todd Bouman. You think Bouman gives you a better chance to win? And jeers to Packers Coach Mike Sherman for not benching QB Brett Favre and replacing him with Aaron Rogers. It seems to me to be a no-brainer that the Packers are rebuilding, so why not give some snaps to your future rather than letting the future Hall of Famer take the beating he is taking? While we're on the subject, jeers to Bill Belichek for sending in QB Doug Flutie to execute the last two plays of the Patriots 28-0 demolition of the Bucs - both kneel downs. Were we concerned Brady might get hurt kneeling or that at his age (rumored to be 57) Flutie needed to practice bending his knees? My Goat of the Week: Me... speaking of the wheels falling off, how about my pathetic 9-7 slide this past weekend? I know you've come to expect better - and I plan to step it up and deliver. Check in Thursday and we'll get back on track.

Bad Santa?

I ran across this story thru Drudge about badly behaving Santas. Since I myself had a run in with a bad Santa in Florida a decade ago (I'm guessing that where old bad Santas go to retire), I've been keeping a keen eye on those with white whiskers and red clothing. Of course the article is sad, but as I imagined a few of the scenes in my head I had to smile - a drunken flashing Santa? I'll bet some broadcast exec somewhere is thinking 'reality TV' hit. So, chime in with a story of your own 'bad Santa' sightings by posting comments.

Along The Way (19/December/2005)

Monday... I think today might just be the last of my Christmas shopping. Having previously discovered snowstorms were a perfect time to hit the stores, last night we discovered that very late on Sunday night isn't bad either. Shari and I snuck out last night on a little late night shopping date and found Toys-R-Us and Barnes & Noble almost vacant of shoppers on the later side.

Our venture last Friday night to see Trans Siberian Orchestra was definitely a great time. They are in Manchester next week, I recommend them if you are adventurous. Something about an orchestra with electric guitars (and very hairy men in tuxedos playing them) that defies description. It becomes all the more bizarre as they rock into something like Pachelbel's Canon.

I'm looking forward to next weekend. The Christmas Eve service will include a special production many of the children have prepared as well as an acoustic set of carols for us to sing together, a candlelight ending and some marvelous family times. On Sunday we will have only one service at 11AM. All I can promise is that the service will be celebratory - in our Savior's birth we have much for which to praise our God.

Let me encourage you again, take time to enjoy this week. Shari and I are planning some special times with our girls. We've found that if we don't plan the time and set it aside it is likely not to happen. Listen to some great Christmas music. In our house (and in the cars) we've been listening to everything from Trans Siberian to Nat King Cole, WOW Christmas to Amy Grant. Often the songs give us opportunities to talk about Christmas, and more importantly Christ.

It's a pleasure to share this Christmas with you... a pleasure to share the journey with you.

For Our Saturday Night Readers

I hope that you're enjoying this Christmas Season. The days seem to be flying by. Tomorrow is already the fourth Sunday in Advent. We will consider the love of God demonstrated in the birth of our Savior. If you like to get an advance look, read Psalm 80. You might also read thru 1 Corinthians 13 to give some thought to God's definition of love compared to that of society.

There are some great Christmas carols on the list for tomorrow. Come prepared to lend your voice to worship the Lord in song.

Here at my house tonight almost everyone is going to bed early. My plan is to sit up a little later and read thru sermon notes by the lights on our Christmas tree. I look forward to seeing you in the morning.

Along The Way (16/December/2005)

Friday morning... snow and icy rain, oh joy! I'm out to clear the driveway and cars and really loving every moment of it. There's something fascinating about winter to a kid who grew up in Florida. As I'm working I'm singing 'Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow'. Yes, I know. You think I need my head examined.

How is your Christmas season going? Have you been able to slow down and enjoy any of it? Today Shari and I are planning to start our Christmas shopping (we don't do all that much, so it's really not a late start for us). Tonight we are going to Hartford to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra. Yes, I know they will be in Manchester in a couple of weeks but we have a schedule conflict that night. So, I intend to enjoy a few hours in the car with my wife, and some wonderful, albeit amped-up Christmas music tonight.

Last night I spent some time reading by our Christmas Tree - reading in the gospel of Luke concerning the birth of Christ. How I marvel at God's love for us. I hope you'll take my advice and slow this season down - spend a night or two looking at Christmas lights with your loved ones, sip some hot cocoa with the kids and talk about the real gift of Christmas, go shopping - not in an all out rush to get gifts, but to spend some time together.

Hey, and then you can always say "Merry Christmas" to someone just to tick off the politically correct. Uh hem... Merry Christmas!

Closed for the Holidays

In an article entitled 'The Battle Over Christmas' I posted on 12/12, I shared with you the brewing controversy over many churches in America choosing to cancel their services on Sunday December 25th. As the week has gone on this issue has exploded across the blogosphere with many of the church leaders who have chosen to cancel services sounding off, and others opposed to that thinking becoming even more critical in their comments. I've a few more thoughts to include.

I read Andy Stanley's comments on one site (Andy is the Senior Pastor at Northpointe Community Church in Amaretto, GA). He explained that for 10 years Northpointe has cancelled Sunday services the weekend after Christmas. He says that he made this decision as an employer, not as a pastor - for when Northpointe holds services, more than 100 employees have to 'come to work'. He wondered why no one has ever criticized that decision before, but now this year when that Sunday happens to be December 25th, it receives so much attention. He said that his decision is not about canceling church services but about allowing his employees to enjoy the holiday without having to work.

This week I also had occasion to speak to a couple of my peers who have decided to cancel services on Christmas Day. By my peers I mean pastors of congregations of 250 or less, or those of us that don't rely on 100 employees coming to work on Sunday but rather a handfull of volunteers who diligently and selflessly serve. I have to be honest and tell you that in each of those conversations the numbers of it all did come up: "You're holding services on Christmas? See how well you do."

I'm under no illusion. I'm sure many will opt not to come to church Christmas morning. There are other days when people opt not to come, whether it's a great day in the summer to be on the lake, or a three-day weekend when it's convenient to go away, or whatever. But I ask, is coming together on Sunday mornings as the Body of Christ about our numbers?

One of the supreme privileges we have is when the church comes together, in the Lord's presence, to worship Him on the Lord's Day. Large crowd or small, the most important presence is His. I think it is important enough that I prioritize gathering with my brothers and sisters in His presence to unite our hearts in worship. And, as I said in the previous posting, because the Sunday we are talking about happens to be Christmas Day, we have a special privilege to show the world that, for us, Christmas is about Christ's birth (no matter the origins of the holiday, or in what month Jesus may or may not have been born).

If I were in Andy Stanley's shoes, I'd try to find another way to bless my employees, or perhaps scale back the services, but still have them. With the couple of my peers I mentioned, I can only disagree. But in the end, we're all the Body of Christ, and we all have different opinions on these things. So, I'll disagree respectfully and in love, and continue to be encouraged and enthused at what the Lord is doing in and through all of our congregations.

For those of you who agree that Sunday December 25th is a great day to worship the Lord together, I'll see you Christmas morning at 11AM. And if it is just me, my family and the world famous Christ's Church Worship Band, that's quite enough, because God Himself never fails to show up when we gather - and that's what it's all about.

Playoff Atmosphere

It's that time of year where many games take on a 'playoff feel'. Many teams are jockeying for seeds and homefield advantage while others are grasping to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Let me attempt to set the field for you. If the playoffs began today (one of the most overused and meaningless cliches in all of sports - of course the playoffs don't begin today) some very good teams would be sitting at home watching the action on TV. The Chargers, Chiefs, Falcons and Vikings would all come up short. A couple of teams that are still numerically in the hunt, the Dolphins and Redskins need a lot of things to happen to stay alive beyond their own control. Not to mention that only the Colts and Seahawks have won their divisions, leaving 6 of the 8 division races still being contested. Almost every game has deep playoff implications.

It's also that time of year where the teams that have been in decline tend to speed their descent. Three teams fit that description to a tee: the Saints, Raiders and Bills. The Saints benched starting QB Aaron Brooks in favor of Todd Bauman this week. Brooks play had been ineffective, but one has to wonder whether his oft-spoken, off field criticism of the team's coaching staff and administration has helped pave the way to his demotion. With the Raiders, put a fork in Coach Norv Turner - he's done. Last week he benched starting QB Kerry Collins for Marcus Tuiososopo. That experiment went so well that this week he's going back to Collins. Coach, Joe Montana couldn't save your job. And with the Bills, they go back to Kelly Holcomb at QB thanks to a slight injury to J.P. Losman. The Guru has said it before, had they stuck with Holcomb all year Coach Mike Mularky's job wouldn't be in jeopardy.

I know the 'Cheers & Jeers' section of my football musings is usually included Tuesdays, but I have to add a couple in as things have developed this past week. Cheers to Eagles QB Donovan McNabb for being a class act amid the circus that has enveloped the Eagles this year. Jeers to J. Whyatt Mondeshire, the head of Philadephia's branch office of the NAACP, who this week took aim at McNabb, accusing him of 'selling out his race' for not scrambling as much this year as in past years and for not deciding to give some of his signing bonus money to Terrell Owens to help make him happy. What???? If a white person said those same comments it would be called racism (just ask Rush Limbaugh). McNabb's reply: "I thought the NAACP existed to support African Americans."

Enough of this, let's get to the picks in an all important, playoff atmosphere, weekend. One pearl of wisdom from the Guru as you look into the playoff crystal ball: teams that are real playoff contenders win big games on the road in December. Keep that in mind.
Here are my 'with-friends-like-this-who-needs-enemies?, ratchet-down-the-playoff-scenario-hatches' picks for week 15: Bucs over Patriots; Chiefs over Giants; Broncos over Bills; Cardinals over Texans; Panthers over Saints; Dolphins over Jets; Rams over Eagles; Steelers over Vikings; Colts over Chargers; Seahawks over Titans; Jaguars over 49ers; Bengals over Lions; Browns over Raiders; Cowboys over Native Americans; Bears over Falcons; Packers over Ravens

Ode to Whack (Writing Contest)

April 1, 2005 ~ December 14, 2005

This is, or um... was, Whack (as in Whack-a-mole). He was Christ’s Church’s resident mole. He met an accidental and untimely end earlier today when Mike tried to safely remove him from the building with a snow shovel. If you work with an animal rights group, please take note of the word ‘accidental’.

We invite you to tap your creative juices and to eulogize Whack in story or poem. Entry postings should be 100 words or less and posted here in ‘comments’ before December 21st. A winner will be chosen and prizes awarded soon thereafter.

Whack is survived by numerous siblings, cousins and friends. He will be missed.

Food For Thought

This is from Matthew Paul Turner's book The Coffeehouse Gospel. I'd recommend it.

"The end goal of my relationships with non-believers is not to share the Romans Road with them. The gospel is not the end of anything. It is the beginning of everything. It is in the middle of everything. Therefore I find that as I begin relationships, I am opening up the opportunity to share the gospel. As I merely dialogue with people on a real and honest basis, I am sharing the gospel. As I simply sit and listen to people I am sharing the gospel. One of my favorite quotes is from St. Francis of Assisi. He said, 'At all times share the gospel; when necessary, use words.'"

What do you think?

Parson to Person

#7 - An ongoing 'imaginative/non-fictional' series.

Robin and I spoke for the better part of an hour. As she left I revisited our conversation in my mind. I don’t know that I provided any answers for her. I found myself listening, and when I did speak, agreeing with her – there are many times when I don’t understand God. I was thankful that she asked me about my faith. I was glad to be able to tell her that I don’t have all the answers and that much about God remains a mystery to me. I shared my conclusion with her that, if He weren’t mysterious to me, He would be more a product of my imagination than God. She laughed and her mood lightened greatly when I assured her that, from the sounds of it, there was probably little about my life that would pass mustard with her aunt’s religious virtues. Our conversation ended on the topic of coincidence. I agreed with Robin – I don’t believe that all she is going through and that our meeting was a coincidence. I believe it is God desiring for her to know His love.

I was startled out of my thoughts by a voice, “Good afternoon Pastor.”
Standing in the doorway were Jay and Evelyn Dukes. “We didn’t see Lois. Would you have a few minutes for us?”

I rose to greet them. “Please come in and take a seat.”
Evelyn began, “Pastor, this is awkward. I don’t know where to begin.”

Jay took over, “I do! Pastor, we’re concerned that we’ve become very lax here at Covenant. We’re concerned that the gospel is being watered down. We’re concerned about compromise.”

Evelyn spoke up, “Pastor, what have you done about the unmarried couple with the illegitimate children we warned you about?”

“Done? Evelyn, what is it that you think I should have done? I sent them a letter thanking them for visiting the church. If they show up again next week I’ll likely ask them if they received my letter and invite them to my next Pizza with the Pastor luncheon in January. And I suppose I will ask them how their children (it took every ounce of restraint I could muster to keep from sarcastically mirroring their use of the word ‘illegitimate’) have liked our children’s program.”

You could have cut the tension in the air. Uncomfortable with the momentary silence, I asked, “Is this what you have in mind when you say that we’re lax, or watering down the gospel, or compromising?”

Tuesday Morning Quarterback (wk. 14)

Greetings my fellow fanatics! The season is winding down and the playoff scenarios are heating up. Many games this past weekend had playoff implications. A few teams took steps in the right direction and a few teams stumbled. The Colts – well they beat the Guru! I was sure the Jags were the ones to give Manning and company game. Alas, the Colts made it to 13-0, but I still say the ’72 Dolphins will be sipping champagne before long. The Giants, Cowboys, and Bucs all came through with big wins in their respective playoff hunts. The Steelers and Vikings wins improved their chances at squeaking in. The Panthers, Chiefs and Chargers all stumbled, and time will tell how significant those losses will be. We’re at that great point in the season where almost every game has significance. And the Guru finished 11-5 this weekend - respectable, but a little short of Guru standards. I will pick it up.

Cheers: The Houston Texans for adding true NFL genius, hiring Dan Reeves on Monday to join the team as a consultant. The owner claims Reeves will “observe the situation and give some recommendations that we will, in turn, follow”. I bet it doesn’t take Reeves long to suggest, “fire them all and let’s start over”. The real question is, after the team follows that advice will they hand the coaching headset to Reeves? Hmmm. Cheers to Giants PK Jay Feely for his game winning kick to beat the Eagles Sunday. After the struggles he had a few weeks ago and his courageously meeting the press, to see him win one for the team this week was a pleasure. My Heroes of the Week: The 42 Philadelphia Eagles players who did not attend Terrell Owens’ birthday bash on Monday night in Atlantic City. You guys understand ‘team’.

Jeers: The Houston Texans (yes, they deserve cheers for hiring Dan Reeves on Monday, but a day earlier they were earning jeers) for finding yet another way to lose a game. Down 12-10 to the Titans, the game came to an end with a defensive penalty – which by rule allows the offense one more un-timed down. This one happened to be at the 13 yard line, so the Texans set up for a 30 yard field goal to win the game. Stop and understand that the Guru can kick a 30 yard field goal - shoot, the Guru's wife (Wife of Guru) can probably kick a 30 yard field goal. Come on! The Budweiser Clydesdales kicked a 30 yard field goal on a commercial once. (I wonder if Dan Reeves has seen the commercial?) Well Texans' PK Kris Brown couldn’t. And, it wasn’t even close. Brown mis-hit the ball so badly that it hooked left and actually crossed the sideline before it reached the endzone! It wasn’t ‘wide left’, it was ‘dead left’. Camera men and cheerleaders on the sideline were diving for cover. Heisman winner Reggie Bush ought to be considering staying in college for one more year. My Goat of the Week: T.O. Throwing yourself a birthday party and inviting every celebrity under the sun to guarantee some press coverage was pretty shameless. Inviting all of your former teammates when they are still trying to remove your scent from the locker room was even more distasteful. How appropriate that only 11 Eagles showed up. Shame on them, too – they deserve to be co-Goats. Check back on Thursday when I will set the playoff scenarios for you.

The Battle Over Christmas

Christ's Church will gather for one worship service on Sunday December 25th, at 11AM.

Every year at this time you hear the complaints. So far this year I have received a dozen email forwards urging me to boycott retailers who have replaced the word Christmas with the word Holiday in their advertisements. I've overheard terse words in defiant tones about it being a Christmas tree not a holiday tree, or the Christmas season not the holiday season. I heard one well known Christian leader share with his congregation his offense that a local merchant wished him "Happy Holidays" instead of the preferred "Merry Christmas". He went on in the same message about how offensive the term Xmas should be to Christians. It's all a conspiracy in society to remove Christ from Christmas.

It doesn't surprise me that society would desire to remove Christ from Christmas. It surprises me when the church does.

While Christians are busy rallying against the words Xmas and holiday, many churches, including some of America's largest and most influential, have chosen to close their doors on December 25th. Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington IL, Northpointe Community Church in Amaretto, GA, and even our friends at Northland- A Church Distributed in Longwood, FL have decided not to gather to worship the Lord on Christmas.

The official explanations sound good. One church's website reads: "It is our desire that our staff and volunteers can spend the holiday (oops, there's that offensive word again!) with their loved ones." Let's be honest. Attendance will be down at churches across the board. It is most likely that a good number of Christians, perhaps even many warn out from battling against words like holiday and Xmas, will choose to stay home from church on December 25th. In those larger churches where they run 5 or 6 services every Sunday it would be discouraging to have staff and volunteers work to pull all of that off for only 30% of their normal attendance.

It seems to me that we have a particular gift this year. We have a wonderful opportunity to center Christmas on Christ. I think it's a sad commentary on the church that we will criticize society while many of our own would elect to 'opt out' of making Christmas about Christ! As for me and my house... we are planning on exchanging presents, having Christmas dinner together with loved ones, and enjoying Christmas as a family. Our celebration, however, will include gathering to worship with our family at church. I welcome your comments.

A few quick notes for thought: First, concerning our friends at Northland- A Church Distributed: they have included an invitation for the congregation there to 'be distributed' on Christmas morning, encouraging visiting of other local churches on Sunday December 25th. Secondly, concerning the word 'holiday': the word holiday is derived from the roots 'holy' and 'days', so referencing the holidays we are actually referencing days set apart as holy days of celebrating God. Lastly, concerning the word Xmas: X can be seen in a different light if you consider it is also the Greek letter X (Chi - pronounced 'key') which is the first letter in Christ. In the Koine Greek era it was quite common to shorten names to first letters, and as such Xmas wouldn't offend in the least, but would be recognized as Christmas.

For Our Saturday Night Readers

Tomorrow is the third Sunday in Advent (a season of preparing our hearts to celebrate our Lord's birth). Having considered hope and peace the last two Sundays, tomorrow we will turn our attention to joy. If you want a head start, read thru Psalm 126 tonight before you turn in.

I've looked at the song list our music team is preparing for us. A few favorite Christmas carols are going to be book-ended by a couple of wonderful hymns, one old and one new. The old was written by one of the true great hymn writers in church history, Fanny Crosby. The new one (yes, believe it or not there are such animals as new hymns!) was written by a band called the Newsboys. The 'truth in song' tomorrow ought to inspire us all as it glorifies God. I look forward to uniting my voice with yours tomorrow morning!

Along The Way (9/Dec/2005)

Friday night... I did the midnight premier of The Chronicles of Narnia with Amanda and Katie last night. The movie was very good. The time with the girls and sharing about the movie on the way there and back was very special for me. My favorite line from the book made it into the picture, "He is not tame, but he is good!" I find more theological truth in that statement every time I consider it. I recommend you take in the movie with loved ones or friends, and enjoy the conversation that it prompts.

More computer problems plagued me this week (hence the slow postings). It occurs to me how dependent we become on technology that the world seems to grind to a halt without it. I've felt like Jonah sitting under a wilting vine shaking my fist at God. I think the problems are finally behind me now, thank the Lord.

John Burke's funeral service has been on my mind too. The sharing of one of John's friends Sarah, and John's siblings Sarah, Dan and Jess really touched my heart. I can't help thinking, and I did manage to share it during the service, that John's impact on this world will continue to bear fruit. An evangelist's work is timeless. John's life brought light to so many. Thank you Lord, for even the brief encounter I had with him.

Quandary

kwan-dree n. ~ a state of perplexity or doubt.

Exactly the case in quite a few NFL Team Headquarters this week. In Chicago, Lovie and company are hearing loudly the 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' voices in their heads on whether to stick with the ineffective Kyle Orton at QB or to hand the ball over to Rex Grossman, the man they figured to be their franchise QB before injuries derailed him in each of the three years that he's been in the league. Well, Rex is healthy. But, the Bears are winning ugly. Hmmm. What to do? Down in Houston where the Texans specialize in snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory, they are at least leading the 'Reggie Bush derby'. Do they play to win the rest of the season or send their execs to start working on Bush's contract now? Hmmm. In Minnesota, if you're Zigy Wilf (the NFL owner with the coolest name) and you were within a breath of firing Mike Tice 6 weeks ago, but now the Vikes are 5-0 in their last five games and on the edge of a playoff birth, do you give Tice a stay of execution? Hmmm. In New York, the Jets' braintrust is considering who to start at QB next. The old guy who can't play or the young guy who can't play? Hmmm. And of course, no quandary is more talked about right now than the one facing Colts Coach Tony Dungy. Should he keep the starters playing and risk an injury to try and secure a perfect season, or should he rest his starters to keep them from getting injured before their playoff run? Hmmm.

If only these quandaried minds would consult the guru! They must not have heard about my 70% win/loss percentage, or my uncanny knack for prognosticating NFL details week in and week out. Let me offer help: Lovie, stay with Orton for now. Rex is still an unknown and he's a rusty unknown at that. Turn the ball over to Grossman only if you wind up down by a couple scores and Orton is not going to lead you back. Texans, first fire Capers and company. Second, send your contract man to USC... give Reggie whatever it takes! You may actually win two games next year. Zigy, keep Tice around. Anyone who can rally a team to play together after the disastrous off-field issues the Vikes faced deserves a mulligan. Jets, go with either, but lose int he process. With the Texans taking Bush #1, you guys are in the drivers seat for taking Matt Linert #2. Then, box up Bollinger, Pennington, Fiedler & Testaverde and send them all to Jon Bon Jovi's New Jersey Arena League team with a card saying "Merry Christmas". Lastly, Coach Dungy, don't worry about it. After all the perfect season talk ends this weekend you can rest or play your starters as you determine and no one will care. What we will all take note of is the way your home-field advantage will take you all the way to Detroit, and how you will be the first African American Head Coach (and one of the classiest men ever) to hoist the Lombardi Trophy!

If you didn't catch it in that last couple of sentences, I've made my first bold prediction for week number 14. Here's the rest - look carefully for a couple more upset picks. You take 'em to the bank.

Here are my 'quandary-schmandary, they-named-their-kid-Zigy?, 72 Dolphins-pop-that-cork, rock-solid' picks for week 14: Steelers over Bears; Bengals over Browns; Titans over Texans; Jaguars 0ver Colts*; Patriots over Bills; Raiders over Jets; Vikings over Rams; Bucs over Panthers*; East Rutherford Giants over Eagles; Seahawks over 49ers; Cardinals over Native Americans*; Broncos over Ravens; Chiefs over Cowboys; Chargers over Dolphins; Packers over Lions; Falcons over Saints.

Tuesday Morning Quarterback (wk. 13)

Did you catch the NFL NETWORK's lead up to last night's Monday Night Football game? How about ESPN's pre-game show? I was so giddy about the news right before the MNF game that I flipped back and forth between the two networks to hear the news twice! "This just in: The Philadelphia Eagles have officially deactivated Terrell Owens for tonight's game." I think I will tune in to Eagles' pre-games the rest of the season to hear that list of game-day inactives read. Unfortunately, that announcement was the highlight of the evening for the Eagles who lost 42-0 on the field. ABC is checking to see if they lost the ratings war to CSPAN last night.

Did you see the 13-3 record this past Sunday. For the year, that arises to 70%. Folks, try to find a pay site on the internet who delivers 70%, regularly marking 12 and 13 wins a week in NFL prognosticating. If I were better looking they'd put me on the NFL NETWORK and ESPN!

Cheers: Broncos Coach Mike Shanahan for risking a major fine from the NFL to try and save one of his players, John Lynch, from getting fined again. Yesterday at his presser, Shanahan invited members of the press to follow him into the team's film room where he had prepared many angles and slow-motion replays of the hit John Lynch put on an opponent Sunday resulting in two 15 yard penalties, and most likely a fine from the NFL to come. It was a BAD call. The Coach made a gutsy, good call yesterday. My hero of the week: Eagles Coach Andy Reid for K.O.ing T.O.

Jeers: Miami Dolphins fans for jeering Head Coach Nick Saban and his decision to give the ball back to QB Gus Ferrotte next week. It's true, the Dolphins were losing 23-3 in the third quarter when Ferrotte took one on the noodle and his replacement Sage Rosenfels (who?) came off the bench to rack up 272 yards, 2 touchdown passes, one of which came as the game winner on forth down with 6 seconds left on the clock to beat Buffalo 24-23. Jeers to Saban if Ferrotte struggles next week and he doesn't have a short leash! And the Goat of the week: Me. I ought to be ashamed of my arrogance over all my 12-4, 13-3, 14-2 weeks of prognosticating. So many well informed guru wannabees are giving it their best and not adding up to my success, though they are paid big dollars by television and radio programs. I ought to have a charitable heart towards them. Maybe I ought to give them a tip. A little inside help. Then again, maybe they ought to catch this space on Thursday and get the guru's good like everyone else!

Parson to Person

#6 - An ongoing 'imaginative/non-fictional' series.

Robin collapsed in the chair across from me and began, “Brian, I’m really messed up. First of all, I don’t know if I believe in God or not. I mean, if God exists, shouldn’t this screwed up world be… well, less screwed up? In moments when I think I do believe, I can’t decide whether to cry out to him or to cuss him out. What kind of a God lets a 17 year old girl lose her Dad? What kind of God lets a daughter walk down the aisle at her wedding without a Dad to give her away? What kind of God lets marriage end in divorce? Where was He when my ex was out sleeping around and ruining me financially? When the bank came and took my car? When the judge gave him the house? Him! The house!”

There was a pause while Robin struggled to compose herself. I didn’t have a fitting word to interject.

She continued, “Then there’s you and your wife… your daughters. I see you all come in the diner. My Dad always said grace. I see you all pray together and it brings back memories. It seems like it’s somehow appealing to me, like it’s God saying, ‘I’m real’. I feel like it isn’t a coincidence.”

Again, silence. Robin fixed her stare on the floor.

“My aunt is one of those born-agains. She always tells me I’m going to hell if I don’t get born-again like her. You know there is nothing in my life that passes mustard with her born-again virtues. The guy I was dating, the music I like, the movies I see, the things I spend money on, the fact that I have to work on Sunday mornings, nothing is ever good enough. To her, it’s all sin.” Her eyes rose to meet mine. “Brian, tell me about your faith. Is your faith like that? Am I going to hell because I sin?”

She paused for a moment. As tears began collecting in her eyes, she muttered, “Do I have cancer because I sin?”

For Our Saturday Night Readers

I am in love with my XM satellite Radio at this time of the year. I have a number of round-the-clock Christmas stations playing Christmas favorites in every genre imaginable. I just heard David Bowie and Bing Crosby singing a duet. I don't know how they recorded it. I am guessing some technician added Bowie's voice to an old Crosby recording. I just had to smile, I wouldn't have thought a classic crooner like Bing and Ziggy Stardust to be duet material. As Bing sang the words to The Little Drummer Boy (pah-rum-pum-pum-pum) Bowie added a 'peace on Earth, goodwill to men' descant.

It dawns on me that, for the most part, the world we live in underdefines peace. The world thinks, perhaps, of an end to hostility as peace. Sometimes the world speaks of contentment as peace. Many confuse calm with peace. The world speaks of peace in temporal terms.

In the Bible, though, peace (Shalom) speaks of wholeness, completeness and soundness. The Scriptures speak of peace in eternal terms.

Tomorrow morning we will consider peace. We will be reading Psalm 85 together. If you're one to want an advance look, take a peek at these passages that may shed a different light on your definition of peace: Luke 2:14, John 14:25-27, Romans 5:1, 8:6, Ephesians 2:14-15, Galatians 5:22. I hope that you are ready to sing some Christmas carols in the morning! I'll look forward to seeing you then.

I Wonder What PETA Thinks

A blog reader sent word to me of this website. I hope she stumbled upon it by accident. Give it a look when you have a few moments. The FAQ are pretty funny. Bon Apetit'!

Jesus' Prayer Answered

The Christ's Church family grieves with the Burke family at the passing of John Burke Jr. last evening. We rejoice with them, however, at the realization that John is with the Lord.

As I was reading through John 17 this morning, the prayer of our Savior, the words of verse 24 struck me: "Father, I want those You have given me to be with me where I am." Jesus' prayer is answered - another one of Jesus' special ones beholds his Lord and Savior face to face.

As arrangements are made, information will be available through the church office. Thank you for keeping the Burke family in your prayers.

No one will ever be hungry or cold; no one will hurt or ever grow old; no one will die leaving someone alone; that's when I'll know I'm home; forever, no pain or disease; all will be equal and all will be free; True Love is there and we'll fall at His feet; that's when I'll know I'm home.

The Tipping Point

Originally coined by a man named Morton Grodzins in his research on racially integrating neighborhoods in the 1960's, the term 'tipping point' referred to that place where one more racially diverse family moved in, and "there went the neighborhood". Popularized again in the 2000 Best Seller by Malcolm Gladwell, the term 'tipping point' has gone on to be applied in just about every field imaginable; economics, ecology, physics, even in ecclesiology (the study of the church), representing that point where one small occurrence brings the whole past balance, allowing momentum to begin in a certain direction. Well, this week we'll consider the 'tipping point' as related to the 2005 NFL season.

The St. Louis Rams appear to have passed the tipping point last week, momentum carrying them speedily towards ruin. You may be thinking, "Wait, guru, the Rams pulled off an overtime win last week!" True it is. In fact, the 4th string QB who engineered those heroics is a rookie seventh round pick out of Harvard (something tells me a Harvard grad likely understands well the tipping point). Be reminded, my students, THAT was against the Houston Texans. This week, rookie Ryan Fitzpatrick gets to meet the Redskins defense (enter the haunting music from the movie Jaws when someone was about to be eaten). For the Bengals and Steelers the tipping point will be determined at Heinz Field. The Bengals are screaming that they want to be respected. In order to do that they need to get over the Pittsburgh hump. Winner of this game will win the division. In the NFC South (the NASCAR division as we call it), the tipping point will evolve over the next few weeks. Let me give you a clue on how to spot it. First, the facts: Carolina, Tampa Bay and Atlanta are bottlenecked at the top of the division. Numbers suggest two will likely go to the playoffs, one will go home. Oh yes, almost all of these teams' remaining games are divisional games against one another. Here's the rub - demonstrated over the last three seasons, Carolina cannot beat Atlanta; Atlanta cannot beat Tampa Bay; Tampa Bay cannot beat Carolina. The tipping point will be evident when one of these teams breaks from the pattern. Who will it be?

And speaking of tipping points, the guru has quietly climbed to within a breath of that coveted 70% mark on the season. An overall win/loss total of 121-55 on the season equals 69%. Are you watching? Mathematically the mark is in reach. Which of the following predictions will be the difference maker?

My "toss-Harvard-to-the-meat-eaters, just-one-more-week-to-seventy, waive-the-terrible-towel-boys, rock-solid-picks' for week 13: Falcons over Panthers; Dolphins over Bills; Steelers over Bengals; East Rutherford Giants over Cowboys; Bears over Packers; Ravens over Texans (will anyone be in the stands, that's the question!); Jaguars over Browns; Vikings over Lions; Bucs over Saints; Colts over Titans; Cardinals over 49ers; Native Americans over Rams (their D-Line ALL OVER Harvard); Broncos over Chiefs; Patriots over Jets; Chargers over Raiders; Seahawks over Eagles.

FBI's Most Wanted: Me?

During the past week I have received dozens of emails from either the FBI or the CIA, and various other addresses that advise me to open an attached zip file for more info. Beware, it's all another virus spreading scam. I've heard that many people are getting them. I found this on the official FBI website:

FRAUDULENT FBI EMAIL ALERT
The FBI is warning the public to avoid falling victim to an on-going mass email scheme wherein computer users received unsolicited emails purportedly sent by the FBI. These scam emails tell the recipients that their Internet use has been monitored by the FBI and that they have accessed illegal websites. The emails then direct recipients to open an attachment and answer questions.

The email appears to be sent from the email addresses of mail@fbi.gov, post@fbi.gov and admin@fbi.gov. There may be other similarly styled addresses. The recipient is enticed to open the zip attachment which contains a variant of the w32/sober virus. The text of the email is as follows: Dear Sir/Madam, We have logged your IP-address on more than 30 illegal Websites. Important: Please answer our questions! The list of questions are attached. Yours faithfully, Steven Allison Federal Bureau of Investigation-FBI

These emails did not come from the FBI. Recipients of this or similar solicitations should know that the FBI does not engage in the practice of sending unsolicited emails to the public in this manner. The FBI strongly encourages computer users not to open such attachments.