MAINTAINING FRIENDSHIPS

From www.daddypundit.blogspot.com:
The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided. Casey Stengel (for young people, he used to be the manager of the New York Mets baseball team)

That, actually, is how I have to manage my friendships. I try to keep those who don't know me too well away from those who do. It makes the friendships last longer.

It reminds me of a conversation I tried to have last week. I was trying to talk to a tall guy (I am not). In mid sentence (mine), he looked over my head to someone else and asked them how their running was going, and they began a conversation about running OVER MY HEAD! Isn't there a manners book for tall people somewhere?

Then, just to pile on. The Little Woman sang with her group, Sound Foundation, Sunday night at church. I came and sat close to the front, by myself. After the concert, I came up to the group to tell them how well they did, and the tenor (never trust a tenor) said "I see you sat with all your friends".

It is a good thing I have high self esteem. Otherwise, I would think all of this indicates some problem on my part.

And I would hate that.

DID THEE FEEL THE EARTH MOVE?

There has been an earthquake in Los Angeles. Contrary to rumors, it was not caused by the Dallas Cowboys coming to town to practice.

Why do I care? I want to experience an earthquake, and I was just there last month. Nothing happened. I have a natural disaster list to experience, my own personal bucket list if you will, but keep missing the earthquake. I have done fire, flood, tornado, and hurricane, but no earthquake or volcano.

(BTW, the title is a literary reference for all you non English majors. It comes from Ernest Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Robert Jordan and Maria are, well you know, and Jordan asked, "Did thee feel the earth move?" And Maria said, "It moved for me." Just so you'll know, you know, next time.)

VOTE MCCAIN, PUT ME ON THE SUPREME COURT

It was nice to see my name at the top of McCain's list of potential nominees for the Supreme Court (really, go look, it says "Larry Thompson" bigger 'n Dallas). So, I was thinking, what if Obama is really not the Antichrist and McCain has a chance to win and, therefore, nominate me for the Supremes. What if I could take my wife so she could kick me under the table while Senator Kennedy asked me questions and I mimicked him in my answers so that my smart mouth did not keep me from getting voted it?

So, here are the best things about me being on the Supreme Court.

1. Having Harvard and Yale graduate law clerks go get me coffee.
2. Calling up congressmen and saying "you know that's never gonna fly over here" when they propose legislation.
3. Knowing you can't be fired no matter how smart your mouth is. I mean, look at Scalia.
4. Having my picture taken with Ruth Ginsberg and a caption on the bottom saying "some of my best friends are Jewish".
5. Getting Clarence Thomas to explain what Natural Law is to me. I thought it was about nudity, but evidently that's not right.
6. Getting a pair of those half glasses that you perch way down on your nose and looking over them at nervous lawyers and saying "do you mean to tell me..."
7. Letting my kids say "my dad's a Supreme Court Justice, what's your dad do?"
8. Wearing a judicial robe on the subway.
9. Having someone tell me what "oyez oyez oyez" means.
10. Going back to law school reunions and saying "nah nah nah nah nah".

CALVIN WAS EVANGELISTIC

“Such is … the import of the term go out; for the prophets under the law had limits assigned to them, but now, the wall of partition having been broken down (Eph. ii. 14) the Lord commands the ministers of the gospel to go to a distance, in order to spread the doctrine of salvation in every part of the world.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, vol. XVII, p.384)

WHOOP

Congratulations to Samantha Kroop, '09, the FIRST EVER, woman drum major of the FIGHTING TEXAS AGGIE BAND.

A father of 3 daughters salutes you.

WHY REPUBLICANS CAN'T GET THE BLACK VOTE

LaShawn Barber nails it.

Christian theology teaches the doctrine of prevenient grace, which briefly stated means this, that before a man can seek God, God must first have sought the man. Before a sinful man can think a right thought of God, there must have been a work of enlightenment done within him; imperfect it may be, but a true work nonetheless, and the secret cause of all desiring and seeking and praying which may follow. A. W. Tozer