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I went to eat at a restaurant this past Friday night with a group of friends. There were 12-15 of us so it was a larger than normal crowd, but I had been to this same restaurant the previous week with a group of 11 and the service was great for the most part.

But not this time.

This restaurant is known for having peanuts on the table and bringing bread shortly after you arrive. Well, peanuts were on the table, but they were wet, so we requested a new bucket. As for the bread…well…we’ll get back to that.

The waitress started off by taking our drink orders. And then she disappeared. Twenty minutes passed and no one had seen her. My girlfriend even got up to look for her and couldn’t find her. She had to tell someone else working.

Time elapsed: 25 minutes

After about 25 minutes, our drinks arrived. Still no peanuts. Still no bread. But we kindly asked her about those things again. The waitress then took our orders and disappeared again for another 20 minutes.

Time elapsed: 45 minutes

At this point, the main courses started coming out. Still no bread. Still no peanuts. We kindly asked her about those things again. Over the next 10 minutes, everyone got their food except for me. I had ordered a burger, but it was nowhere to be found. Other people at the table got their burgers, salads, steaks, etc. but not me.

Time elapsed: 50 minutes

We finally receive bread and peanuts. I still do not have my food.

Time elapsed: 65 minutes

I finally receive my food. Other people at the table have already finished their meals. To make matters worse, my order is WRONG. It’s the wrong type of burger, the wrong type of toppings, and contains some weird sauce that seemed like salad dressing. I notify the waitress of the error. She informs me it’s the kitchen’s fault because she specifically told them about my order. She takes my entire plate and says she will bring me a new burger and fresh fries.

Time elapsed: 80 minutes

Everyone at the table is finished eating except for me and maybe 1 or 2 other people. I haven’t even started because the only thing in front of me is bread. The waitress brings me my food. But, the order is WRONG again. She brought me the same exact burger as the first time, but the cheese has been removed (I ordered a specialty cheeseburger). Not only that, but half of my fries are gone…and they’re lukewarm at best. I tell the waitress about this and she admits that it’s been her fault all along. She didn’t pay attention to me the first time when I ordered and didn’t pay attention to me the second time when I told her what my order was supposed to be. I tell her that since I’m hungry and everyone else is finished, I’ll just eat what’s in front of me. I do ask, however, if she can bring me a slice of cheese so I can make this burger (which contained a runny fried egg…yuck) into a cheeseburger. She told me she’d have the kitchen prepare one for me right away.

Time elapsed: 90 minutes

The waitress returns with takeout boxes for everyone. Has not brought cheese for me. She tells me she’s working on it.

Time elapsed: 95 minutes

Still no cheese. Everyone else is finished, has their food in takeout boxes, and is getting out their forms of payment. I decide to go ahead and eat because I’m still very very hungry. As I’m biting into my burger, the waitress walks up, still without the cheese I requested, and says to me, “Really? I have them preparing cheese for you in the kitchen and you’re gonna go ahead and eat anyway?!?!” And then she walks off. Remember, we’re talking about a single slice of cheese, not a new burger.

Time elapsed: 105 minutes

I’m not sure if someone in my group tipped him off or he noticed the back-and-forth from the waitress and the kitchen, but the manager of the restaurant comes over to speak with me about what happened.

Before I tell you what the manager did, let me ask you what YOU would do if you were the manager in this situation? How would you make things right in this situation?

TUESDAY UPDATE: Here’s how the manager responded to what happened: He came over and asked me what had happened. As I explained the situation to him, he gave me a quick apology and said my meal would be taken care of. He left for a few minutes and came back with the check. My girlfriend and I were on the same ticket. My meal was free but as I expected, her’s was still on the bill (even though she let her food sit and get cold because she was waiting to eat with me). The manager then proceeded to hand me two cards. At first I thought they were gift cards. Nope. They were cards that are good for a free appetizer, sort of. “Valid with purchase of any entree. Not to be combined with any other Offer, Discount or Promotion, including: 2 Full Meals, 3 Course Deal, 3 Course Steak Dinner For 2, $7.99 Full Meals, $14.99 Steak & Lobster, $14.99 Steak & Seafood Combo, 4-Course Deal or other Limited Time Offers.” Oh yeah…and the cards were EXPIRED!!!

I mentioned this to the manager and he just laughed. He then said, “Sorry about that. Would you prefer I got you some that weren’t expired?” I said, “Well, yeah, that would make me feel better—” He then cut me off and said, “You know what, it’s not a big deal. I work here and at the restaurant out in Smyrna. If I’m working, we’ll take them. If I’m not, they’ll probably take them anyway. We don’t reject coupons too often.”

So here I am…with two expired coupons that can only be used when I purchase (aka spend money) at that restaurant. And on top of that, I have to put my trust in “probably” and “don’t reject…too often.”

If you read Jean’s comment below, you’ll notice that the service was pretty bad for others as well. The only thing they walked away with were checks that were rounded up. As for me, I received two expired coupons!

THURSDAY UPDATE: A few days after the whole debacle, I sent an email to the “Contact Us” address listed on the company’s website. I essentially included all of the details listed above. Last night I received a call from one of the top guys in the company. He apologized many times for the errors and said that never should have happened nor should the follow-up from the manager have been handled like it was. He explained that when he called the restaurant to ask about the situation, no one knew anything about it. In fact, no one could even pinpoint the manager who was working Friday night. After doing some digging, he figured out it was a fill-in manager who was only there for a few days. (He was even candid enough to tell me that fill-in manager hadn’t returned his calls.) He told me that if one of his guys had been managing that night, none of that would have happened. He went on to tell me that the restaurant had just hired a new General Manager so they were in the process of making changes. Also, the restaurant currently does not have a Kitchen Manager, which may explain the problems with the food orders.

The executive thanked me for sending a detailed email. He said the specifics would help him get things fixed. He also said he was sending me vouchers for two free meals so my girlfriend and I could return to the restaurant, eat free of charge, and hopefully have a better experience. He also asked me to keep his cell phone number and to call him after my next visit to the restaurant. He wants me to keep him informed of any problems or praise I have for the restaurant.

[By the way, as crazy as this story may sound, there are about 10 people who can back me up on the details. I was even conservative in the times I gave. It was about 2 1/2 hours from the time we sat down until the last person received his credit card back. And to make things even more sketchy, the waitress told those who paid with cash that the restaurant didn't have any change, so the checks were rounded up.]

Photo source: http://bit.ly/QxNtzz

I’m passionate about a lot of things. In fact, you could say I’m passionate about being passionate.

I’m passionate about my favorite sports teams. I’m passionate about new superhero movies (minus those that start with “The Green…”). I’m passionate about the magazines I work on at my job. I’m even passionate about searching the Internet to find incredible bargains, coupons, discounts, and rebates (Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-Ray for $18. Boom!)

Aside from realizing I’m a huge nerd, I’ve also discovered something else about my passion: I want others to share that passion with me.

When I’m watching a Cardinals game and Daniel Descalso drops down a sacrifice bunt, I feel the need to text my girlfriend, somehow hoping that she’ll share my excitement that a runner is in scoring position.

When I see a movie that absolutely blows me away, I tell everyone I know about it, and maybe even imply that they’re obligated to see it and appreciate it in the same way I did.

When I find an online method of shopping that will save me $0.05 each month, I want others to jump for joy just like I do, and hope they’ll follow the 15-step process to save that nickel.

Those examples may be a bit exaggerated, but I think you see my point: I want others to be passionate about the things I’m passionate about, and I think many people out there feel the same way.

While passion can be good, healthy, and proactive, we have to remember to channel it properly when it comes to ministry, especially regarding other people. When we’re passionate about a certain cause, we yearn for others to join with us in that cause. We know that together we’re stronger and can do more.

Unfortunately, we often forget that not everyone shares our passions, at least not yet. And when we forget that, it may cause us to become angry, bitter, and throw guilt trips on people who are not of the same mindset.

Whether you’re passionate about ending poverty, starting a children’s ministry at your church, providing water to Africa, giving money to missionaries, or anything worthy of a Kickstarter campaign, don’t forget that at one point in your life, you probably weren’t as passionate about that thing as you are now. At some point, someone or some thing came along that sparked your interest in a particular need and over time that interest evolved into passion.

Others may not share your same passion right now, but don’t give up. Some may dive in head first and join you, but there are others that you will have to bring along slowly. That’s okay. Don’t lose your passion but also don’t ride them with guilt if they’re not on the same page with you right now. Help spark that interest and lovingly walk with them. Hopefully in time their interest will turn into passion.

Image source: http://bit.ly/T6zErJ

I’m paid to be trusted.

As an Editor who dabbles in the field of journalism, I have an obligation to uphold journalistic integrity. Some of this involves protecting sources that wish to remain anonymous and refraining from publishing confidential information that a person declares “off the record.”

In a sense it’s quite amazing to think that a complete stranger would trust me with information that is not for public consumption. The person is not simply putting trust in me as a person, but trust in my title. This also puts massive pressure on me and those in similar positions because we have been entrusted with knowledge that has tight boundaries.

Consider the example of Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada. These men, reporters for the San Francisco Chronicle and authors of Game of Shadows, were some of the first to report information about individual steroid use in professional sports, with much of the information allegedly coming from leaked grand jury testimony. Although they were subpoenaed before a federal grand jury, they refused to reveal the names of their sources and stated they would go to prison before giving up the identities.

While some may debate their investigative methods, there’s no doubt that these men were willing to go to great lengths to protect their sources. They were willing to spend 18 months in prison simply to protect the people they said they would protect.

When I look at the issue of trust and integrity, sometimes I question if journalistic integrity trumps Christian integrity. Journalists will sacrifice their paychecks, their jobs, and even their freedom to keep trust intact, sometimes even for random strangers they’ve never met. Yet sadly, when I look at the relationships between many Christians, it seems we can’t even trust each other enough to confess our temptations, sins, and struggles to one another.

James 5:16 exhorts us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another. But how many of us actually have relationships where we can be honest with our friends and our community and discuss our sins and temptations? In my estimation, very few of us. We’re able to confess “certain” sins–the “little” ones that are culturally acceptable–but we’re scared to peel back too many layers and reveal our true nature because frankly, we’re not sure if others can be trusted. Every sin and temptation we’ve confessed in private that’s been transformed into public gossip has made us increasingly skeptical and reluctant to share what desperately needs to be confessed. Every hope of trust that has turned into a self-righteous judgmental finger has further built an inner defense mechanism, deceitfully telling us keep quiet and deal with things on our own, because after all, “You’re alone in this struggle. No true Christian struggles with this!”

If we wear the name of Jesus and call ourselves Christians, then people need to be able to put their trust in that title. Whether it’s friends, family, or even the occasional stranger, people need to see our Christian integrity–an integrity that’s based in love, sacrifice, trust, and even our own transparency. The pressure we face may be massive and the responsibility of maintaining our integrity may seem daunting at times, but the results of true confession, honest prayer, and authentic community are well worth the price.

A journalist has an obligation to uphold journalistic integrity? Shouldn’t our responsibility to uphold Christian integrity be so much greater?

Photo source: http://bit.ly/PGTpVY

If you’ve been keeping your eyes and ears open in recent months, you’re well aware of the semi-sexual revolution for women that’s been taking place in mainstream media. Fueled by the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy and Magic Mike, there’s a good chance this “liberation” will become more intensified as TV shows begin to follow suit and the Fifty Shades of Grey movie goes into production. For awhile I just shook my head, rolled my eyes, and kept my mouth shut. After all, I’ve had discussions/disagreements with atheists, political radicals, people of different religions, and Calvinists, and yet I’ve found no one to be as defensive and argumentative as those who feel you’ve insulted their favorite book or movie. However, I heard something this weekend that blew my mind and has taken a seal off these lips.

While doing some reading, I came across a woman’s statement about why she was seeing Magic Mike. I’m paraphrasing, but her statement essentially said:

“The men have had their fun; now it’s time for us to have ours!”

If you view sex using logic, in some ways that makes sense. If you see sex as a mathematical equation, then it’s only necessary to balance the scales to even things out.

But the reality is that type of thinking isn’t justifiable, beneficial, or accurate in any way. Essentially, the core of that thinking says two wrongs make a right and put the world back in order. Its message preaches that to make things balanced and healthy, both men and women should be allowed to expose themselves to the desensitization of sexual things. How’s that type of thinking working out for our culture? Not too well…

• We live in a culture that has a divorce rate of 40-50% (Divorcerate.org).
• According to sociologist Jill Manning, pornography consumption is associated with increased marital distress, risk of separation and divorce, as well as infidelity.
• According to a Focus on the Family poll, 47% of families said pornography is a problem in their home.
• In a 2004 survey, 42% of adults indicated that their partner’s use of pornography made them feel insecure, and 41% admitted that they felt less attractive due to their partner’s pornography use.
• 34% of female readers of Today’s Christian Woman’s online newsletter admitted to intentionally accessing Internet porn.
• According to a Zogby International survey, 17% of the female population are regular users of pornography (Covenant Eyes).

I’ll leave it to others to decide if these types of books and movies should be considered pornography because that’s not my point. My point is that somehow and in some way our culture has allowed itself to justify its behavior by looking at the behavior of others, all the while ignoring the devastating consequences that come with our choices.

We say that if men can do it, then women can do it. It won’t be long before that mindset is flipped around and men are justifying their actions based on what women are doing or have done. The sad truth is we’re more concerned about justifying why we’re allowed to do something than we are how that something will affect our lives.

Justifying our actions based on someone else doesn’t balance the scales; it only tips them even farther in the opposite direction. It brings no balance. It brings no happiness. It only brings a downward spiral of destruction.

Sources:

First bullet comes from Divorcerate.org
Next five bullets come from Covenant Eyes.

If you’re not familiar with the name “Jeremy Lin,” then it’s likely you haven’t turned on ESPN, Twitter, or Facebook in the past week. For those who aren’t quite up to date on the “Linsanity,” Jeremy Lin is a point guard for the New York Knicks. Until two weeks ago, he was virtually unheard of in the sports world. After graduating from Harvard in 2010, Lin went undrafted and bounced around several NBA teams. His whole world changed on February 4. Despite sitting at the end of the Knicks’ bench and facing the possibility of being released, Lin got a chance to play against the Nets. Coming off the bench, Lin scored 25 points and had 7 assists. In the next game, Lin made his first start for the team and came away with 28 points and 8 assists. Since that time, Lin’s “out of nowhere” fame has continued to rise as he has guided the Knicks to a 7-1 record in games he has started.

Lin’s play has resulted in round the clock coverage and more puns and plays on words than any presidential election or Gene Shalit review. The NBA is talking about him, the NFL is talking about him, Saturday Night Live is spoofing the coverage from other networks, and even President Obama has given his stamp of approval on Lin’s play. To put it another way, the coverage of Jeremy Lin = coverage of Tim Tebow x 100.

But why? Why has Jeremy Lin stirred up so much attention? What has caused the entire sports world to turn their attention to this 6’3 undrafted point guard? What has caused “Linsanity” to take hold of millions and even Lee Strobel to tweet about it as I’m typing this very sentence?

I see 4 reasons why we are so obsessed with Jeremy Lin:

1) We Love Underdog Stories
Our country has fallen in love with the underdog. Whether it’s the Cinderella mid-major upsetting a powerhouse, a USA hockey team fighting hard against Canada, “Rocky” taking down the bigger man, or any team knocking the Yankees out of the playoffs, we love to see the “nobody” become a “somebody” by knocking off the champ. Think about all the sports movies you’ve seen growing up. Who’s the hero? The underdog. Who’s the villain? The top-rated team or individual of course. After all, no one rooted for the Cowboys in The Little Giants. No one cheered on Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. And no person in his right mind was hoping Jimmy Chitwood would miss the last shot in Hoosiers. We love the underdog, and Jeremy Lin is no exception. As a Harvard grad who only stands 6’3, Lin is in many ways the anti-LeBron. Coming out of high school, he had no hype, no height, and no offer to go straight into the NBA. Instead, he’s got an Ivy league education and the humility of a kid who got cut from his high school team, not a kid who’s knocking down 3′s over Dirk. And whether we admit it or not, the fact that Lin is Asian does play a role in this. While Lin was born in Los Angeles, his parents emigrated from Taiwan many years before he was born. The simple fact is there are not many Asians in the NBA today. Lin’s race has absolutely nothing to do with his overall play, but it does present a new element for many NBA fans. Sports fans love what we perceive to be an underdog story, and Jeremy Lin is living that out right in front of us.

2) Humility Is a Rare Concept…Especially Among Pro Athletes
We live in an age where players demand their money and will hold out if they don’t get it. If a college player is about to be drafted by a team he doesn’t like, he can simply tell them he won’t play for them if he’s drafted. It can be difficult for pro athletes to be humble, and oftentimes it’s extremely impossible for the public to believe that humility is genuine. After all, remember when Latrell Sprewell complained about his $14.6 million contract because, “I’m at risk. I have a lot of risk here. I got my family to feed”? When a superstar has genuine humility, it will come out. The reverse is true as well. Many people wonder if Tim Tebow is all talk in front of the cameras or if he’s actually the same man behind the scenes. Simply talk to the kids he spends time with before and after the games to find out the real answer. In many ways, Jeremy Lin is the same way. No, I don’t know about his charities or foundations. But I do know this guy was sleeping on his brother’s couch one week ago and uses every opportunity he has to put the praise on God and his teammates. When you hear him interviewed, he doesn’t talk or act like a guy who’s knocking down 3′s at Madison Square Garden. No, he sounds like a high school kid who is happy and even surprised that he’s playing on the national stage. His humility seems genuine. A rarity in sports today. And we as a culture are drawn to this treasure that is becoming so rare in the world of athletics.

3) The Media Says So
Let’s be honest; the media plays a big role in our obsession of Jeremy Lin. Why are we obsessed? Well, a big reason is because the media is obsessed. Lin is playing on a big stage in New York City. If this was Milwaukee, I don’t know if people would care. If he was playing in Miami, he might actually be hated. But the media has taken this story and crafted it into a national obsession that people can rally behind. To be fair, there are many professional athletes who have the attitude of Jeremy Lin and are doing great things for their team, their community, their charities, etc. However, for the most part, the media only acknowledges star power. No sports network will create a phenomenon out of a guy who’s scoring 6.8 ppg. The media is in love with Lin because he’s a superstar, at least in a small stat sample. Sadly, the media also has the power to destroy. If Lin starts having more turnovers than points, don’t think for a second that the media will go easy on him. When I think about the media’s influence on making and breaking superstars, I always go back to a line from The Dark Knight. When speaking to Bruce Wayne, Harvey Dent mentions, “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” Sadly, this is often true in sports, but more from a statistical standpoint than a moral standpoint. When a guy plays well, he’s the darling of the media. When those numbers start to fail, he gets crushed by the media and fans alike. Case and point: the Denver Broncos. Many Broncos fans were elated to have Kyle Orton as their QB. But once he struggled a bit, the media and then the fans were calling for Tebow. And what happened when Tebow started to struggle? Networks started dangling the name of “Brady Quinn” as a possible fixture. The media controls a lot of how we think and feel about sports. Right now they’re in love with Jeremy Lin, and consequentially, so are we.

4) The Superstars Have “Dropped the Ball” on Leadership
Stay with me because this is going to get crazy. Let me take you back to July 7, 1996. The event was WCW’s “Bash at the Beach,” a wrestling pay-per-view. That night changed the landscape of professional wrestling forever. During that event, Hulk Hogan, wrestling’s American hero and poster boy, ran down to the ring and turned on the “good guys” to form the NWO. The world’s most popular wrestler had turned heel and become one of the bad guys. Many have said that event was the night when wrestling went from “Good vs. Bad” to “Bad vs. Badder.” The “hero” and “role model” was dead. A corrupt human was left in its place. While that may seem like a very weird and extreme example, it’s not too far from what has happened in the reality of professional sports. Before the days of social media, TMZ, Deadspin, and other intrusive media outlets, we didn’t know much about professional athletes. We saw them on the court and field, but their personal lives were their personal lives. Sure, there was promiscuity, gambling, drug use, and other things going on behind the scenes, but we didn’t see it and we didn’t know about it. Professional athletes were heroes and role models, no matter if they liked it or not. Today our eyes have been opened to the ever-changing sports world. Our favorite athletes are not always the “good guys.” In fact, many of them are the “bad” or “badder” guys. Team/brand loyalty is dead or at least on life support, and for many it’s all about the money. Guys who were once loved like LeBron, Tiger, Kobe, and Ovechkin have turned “heel” in the eyes of many sports fans. They’re not heroes. They’re not role models. And outside of their team clubhouses, they don’t seem like strong leaders either. This is not to say that these athletes have a responsibility to be leaders. But the truth is, fans have taken a glimpse into the on and off the field dealings of professional athletes, and we don’t like what we see. So is Jeremy Lin the next great leader and role model? Not necessarily, but in a sense he’s already claimed that role by default. When those with great influence drop the ball on leadership, it is passed on to others.

So why are we so obsessed with Jeremy Lin? Well, it could be for the reasons I’ve listed or it could be for reasons not even named. But nevertheless, as of today, the country and sports world is in love with Jeremy Lin, and we’ll just have to wait and see how much longer the “Linsanity” obsession will last.

[Photo source: thegospelcoalition.org]

Have you noticed that Facebook is getting “older?” Due to privacy changes and the overwhelming influx of helicopter parents and grandparents, many teens have left the world of Zuckerberg behind and have migrated to different forms of social media. That leaves many Facebook users who are old in age, but new into the world social media. Because of this digital dynamic, Jeremy Crittenden and I thought it would be a good idea to offer some Facebook etiquette for old people. And just how do we define “old?” Well, we’ll leave that up to you. But if you find yourself guilty of many of the things we list, there’s your answer!

Facebook Etiquette for Old People:

*When commenting on a status, make sure your comment pertains to the status. If I’m asking what people thought of last night’s debate, a comment is not the place for you to ask me how my parents are doing.

*Commenting on a status is different than posting a status. Double check before you start having a conversation with yourself.

*If you are unsure if something is sarcasm, chances are it probably is.

*It’s okay to NOT post a comment on every single status you read.

*When someone’s status changes from “In a Relationship” to “Single” you don’t need to comment and ask, “What happened?”

*If you tag me in a picture, make sure it’s actually me and not your nephew with the same first name.

*Chain statuses are just as annoying as chain emails.

*For the 100th time, stop inviting me to play Facebook Games. I know you’re just using me for free coins and cows.

*We don’t want to see immodest pictures of 20 year olds. We DEFINITELY don’t want to see immodest pictures of you.

*Prayer requests are fine. Gory details are not.

*A status should be a short quip concerning what you’re thinking or what’s going on in your life. It doesn’t need to be a running commentary that’s updated every hour that reads like a Hemingway novel. That’s why Twitter exists.

*If you comment on a status I posted six weeks ago, chances are I’m not going to jump back in to that conversation.

*The ads on your page are not the same as the ads on my page. I honestly have no idea what you’re referring to.

*Under no circumstance are you allowed to make up an online acronym. You might get away with using “BRB” as “Bathroom Break,” but chances are you’ll really cause chaos at some point.

*If you don’t know her, don’t accept her friend request!

*There is a point when cat videos from YouTube stop being funny.

*If I update my status to let you know one of my family members is suffering from a serious illness, you probably shouldn’t “Like” it.

*There is a way to delete statuses with misspelled words. Utilize that feature! There’s no need for your status to be like the voicemail of an elderly couple in 1995. (“Which button do I press? Did it beep? Huh? What? How do you stop this thing?”)

*No one is giving away $500 gift cards for Pizza Hut, Victoria’s Secret, Best Buy, Southwest, or anything else. If you signed up, you probably just got “phished” (Google it) and need to change your password.

[Photo source: facebook.com]

“What if $21 was the difference in someone hearing the gospel?”

That question has been running through my head all weekend. If I really thought $21 would make a difference in someone hearing the gospel, would I give it? Absolutely. While that may seem like a hypothetical situation, it’s not far from the truth.

Following a December board meeting, the board of Free Will Baptist International Missions made a difficult decision: In an ongoing effort to end financial shortfalls and rebuild cash reserves, the board voted to postpone sending all new missionaries—as well as veteran missionaries currently on stateside assignment—to their fields of service until “cash reserves reach a sustainable level of 10% of the operational budget (fwbgo.com).

What does that mean? It simply means this:

As of the Summer of 2012, there will be 18 missionary families that cannot serve in their field because of a lack of funding.

It’s not due to a lack of willingness. It’s not due to a lack of accommodations. It’s simply because of a lack of money. Families are ready and willing to go overseas to share the good news of Jesus Christ…we simply haven’t provided them with the financial resources to do so.

But it doesn’t have to be that way!

Let me introduce you to Pledge21K, an initiative to get missionaries back on the field.

Pledge21k is challenging 1,000 Free Will Baptists to give $21 per month to send these missionaries back to their field and the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Simple math will tell you that 1,000 people giving $21 = $21,000 a month and $252,000 a year.

Does that sound crazy and impossible? Absolutely. But our God does the crazy and impossible for His glory.

So here’s your challenge: Get involved with Pledge21K. How do you do it? Simple:

1) Visit the Pledge21K Cause group by clicking on this link. Join the Cause.

2) Click on the “Give” tab and sign up to give $21/month.

3) Invite your friends to join the initiative and tell them about what is happening.

4) Use Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc. to spread word about Pledge21K.

5) Pray for our missionaries and pray for financial supporters.

6) Follow @Pledge21K on Twitter for updates.

This is a great day for Free Will Baptists and God’s Church.

I am 1 of the 1,000. Will you be one?

I woke up this morning and realized yesterday wasn’t a bad dream. It was true: Albert Pujols signed with the Anaheim Angels. I also realized something else: any anger and frustration I felt yesterday had turned to sadness.

I can’t blame Pujols for heading to Anaheim. He was offered a ridiculous contract that could make or break a franchise. I also can’t blame the Cardinals for not matching the contract. I will always hold a franchise above a player, and I never want to see a player cripple a team for 10 years because of a bad contract.

But I’m still sad.

Why? Well the answer to that probably seems obvious, but let me explain some reasons that go a little bit deeper than the surface.

Since I have been alive, the St. Louis Cardinals have always had that “iconic” player who was a future Hall of Famer. From 1982-1996 it was Ozzie Smith. From late 1997-2001 it was Mark McGwire (and if steroids wouldn’t have gotten involved he’d be in the Hall today). And from 2001-2011 it was Albert Pujols. These three guys have been the face of the franchise as long as I have been alive. With the exception of a short stint in 2007, one of these three guys has always worn a Cardinals jersey for the lifetime of my generation.

Until now.

I woke up this morning questioning, “Who is the face of the St. Louis Cardinals?” To be honest, I don’t know. There is no one on the roster right now who is guaranteed a spot in Cooperstown. Maybe Adam Wainwright will bounce back and become the best pitcher since Bob Gibson. But I don’t know. Maybe David Freese will continue where he left off in the World Series and become the next Redbird batting champ, but there are no guarantees.

It’s sad to say, but there is no “face” of the Cardinals right now, which is shocking to say since the team won the World Series less than 50 days ago.

I know someone will step up and take that role. Maybe it will be Holliday. Maybe it’s Wainwright. Maybe Yadi or Freese. It will happen. But for the first time in almost 30 years, Cardinal fans are asking, “Who will it be?”

Cardinal fans were blessed to see the greatest hitter of this generation play in St. Louis. By the end of things, he may be one of the three greatest hitters of all-time. And I think that’s why it hurts. We’ve seen the best and know there will never be another Albert Pujols. If baseball history repeats itself, we know we will never see another hitter like him in our lifetime. And so we begged and pleaded for him to wear the birds on the bat just several more years so we could see one of the greatest in history do what he does best. And yet we now realize that won’t happen. Not this year. Not next year. Never again.

Reality has set in. We’ve realized the best has been taken away from us.

And so we’re sad.

If you happen to be one of the brave who journeys out Thanksgiving night and into Friday morning to buy Gigli on Blu-Ray for $7.99 or a Coby DVD player for $39.99, chances are you will hear a store employee utter those two little infamous words: “Happy Holidays.”

Some see this as a polite greeting and meet it with a smile and return the gesture with a similar expression. However, when some hear those two little words their blood begins to boil and the evolution of Bruce Banner into the Incredible Hulk takes place right in the checkout line at Macy’s. Why do those words cause so much anger? Maybe because we think “Happy Holidays” has become a substitute for “Merry Christmas.”

While some may disagree with me entirely, the phrase “Happy Holidays” does not bother me. Here are 3 reasons why:

1. We’re in the middle of 3 “holidays”
The 5 weeks between November 24 and January 1 give us 3 different holidays. November 24 is Thanksgiving. December 25 is Christmas. And January 1 is New Year’s Day. When someone tells you “Happy Holidays” it doesn’t necessarily mean he or she is saying “I’m being politically correct and taking Christ out of Christmas.” Maybe he or she is just saying an abbreviated version of “I hope you had a great Thanksgiving, have a great Christmas, and have a great New Year.” After all, holidays is plural, so it’s inferring more than one. Think about the song, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” We don’t cut off the last line and say, “We wish you a Merry Christmas and…yeah, that’s it.” So before you get too upset, consider that the phrase “Happy Holidays” may not be an attack on your spiritual beliefs; maybe it’s just a way to incorporate all 3 holidays into 1.

2. “Happy Holidays” is a friendly greeting
I doubt there are many people in this world who utter “Happy Holidays” just to stir up trouble. Sure, groups like the ACLU may try to do it, but for most people saying “Happy Holidays” is a friendly gesture. And let’s be honest, I’ve said it, you’ve said it, and many others have said it without even thinking. When I say it to a friend or a store employee I don’t think, “I don’t want to offend him so I’ll go neutral with my greeting.” No, my actual intent is to genuinely wish someone happiness. So whether you like the phrase or not, remember that the person saying it is likely doing it out of goodwill, not ill-intent.

3. The phrase may have been authorized by a “higher-up”
I hate political correctness as much as anyone, and I honestly don’t like it when I hear people say their managers have warned them against mentioning “Christmas” and have even threatened their jobs. Yes, that bugs me. But it’s important for us to remember that the “higher-ups” may be the ones making that call, not necessarily the employees. Believe it or not, there are retail employees who say “Happy Holidays” who also celebrate Christmas. Before you jump all over the high school kid who is working a seasonal job to pay for college, consider that he or she may only be doing what was asked. If you’re upset, your fight is with management, not the worker.

Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, and my opinion is that “Happy Holidays” really doesn’t bother me. However, what does bother me is seeing people jump down the throats of the workers who utter that phrase. When you talk back to the 17 year old who works at Best Buy or go off on the 25 year old working at Walmart, you’re doing everything BUT showing the spirit of Christmas…and THAT bothers me!

[Photo source: http://bit.ly/sQNAkk]

pla·gia·rism: the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own original work, as by not crediting the author (from Dictionary.com).

A frustrating thing happened to me not so long ago. I posted an original tweet and Facebook status and within minutes saw it copied by another person. However, there was no “RT” leading the tweet, no “Share” that led to the posting, no quotation marks around the words, nor credit within the post. This person had copied my exact original words and posted them as his/her own. When I asked this person why he/she did so, I received an, “It’s no big deal” type of response void of any apology and void of any effort to give proper credit.

While that incident bothered me, soon I saw it happen again and again and again, not just with me, but with many others as well.

When I think about those incidents, they still bother me because someone was willing to take my original words and claim them as their own.

But should it bother me?

With the advancement of social media, we’ve made it easy to post our thoughts, quotes, and happenings with the click of a mouse and push of a button. This also allows us to take the words of others and do anything with them that we wish.

So is this plagiarism or just social sharing?

According to its definition, it definitely seems like stealing i.e. plagiarism (or “poaching” as Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch would call it). When we take someone’s exact words and thoughts and claim them as our own, we become part of this unethical landslide. It probably won’t land anyone in jail, but the severity of the consequences should never be our motivation for doing what is right.

Twitter provides ways to retweet (RT) someone. Facebook allows you to “Share” things or even tag others. And there’s always the good ‘ole quotation marks as well.

There is no reason to steal (or “borrow” or “copy and paste”) someone’s status/tweet and claim it as your own, no matter if that person is a celebrity with 24 million followers or a friend from high school who has 347 friends. It’s unethical and in very poor taste.

What are your thoughts on the matter?

[Photo source: http://bit.ly/v38JpC]