I Love Me Some Crazy Women!

If you haven’t come to love the plethora of groundbreaking, funny women who have conquered the last few seasons of network television, then you simply hate America!  Just kidding.  But there’s certainly something wrong with you.

I love humor. I love people.  Therefore, I love funny people.  They make me laugh.  They make me think.  They make me pay attention to the nuances of dialogue.  They inspire me to write scripts that will ultimately get rejected by said ladies.  Nonetheless, here’s my current Top 10 list of crazy-butt women whom I find absolutely hilarious, yet intelligent and powerful in their own ways.*

TINA FEY

Tina Fey (30 Rock, now defunct): La Reina.  Writer.  Producer. Actor.  Author of Bossypants.  Too bad I caught on to her show late in its run, but I found it clever and one of the best-written shows ever.  Period.  Definitely top 20.  As the beloved/behated protagonist, Liz Lemon, Fey is quirky, smart, and adeptly rolls through her comedy interwoven with touchy scenarios of race, politics, sexism, and everyone’s favorite – relationships – without the characters losing focus on what’s most important – themselves.

Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project): witty, loveable, brilliant,

Mindy Kaling

love-obsessed ob/gyn who can’t open her mouth without making me laugh (as long as I can keep up with her frantic pace of speech).  A total screw up.  Love her.

Zoey Deschanel (New Girl): her quirkiness – you either love it or

Zoey Deschanel

hate it.  No in-between.  The look in her eyes tells you she means well whenever she ruins whatever she ruins.

Sherri Shepherd

Sherri Shepherd (no current sitcom, Newlywed Game): this one’s a dark horse (no, not because of her color) because she is really a laid back, genuine, pleasant person with a permanent smile of devilish ooze.  I’d like to see her flee from daytime talk back to the sitcoms!

Kat Dennings (2 Broke Girls): such vulnerable irreverence.  With

Kat Dennings

her, you know what’s coming, but you never know what you’re gonna get.

Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly): Once her show got past the obligatory fat jokes, it got wicked funny.  McCarthy possesses a soft

Melissa McCarthy

poise that quickly erupts into wild antics and clever quips that play off quite well against her co-stars.  I think she shows a certain depth, a range not present in many half-hour shows today.

Aisha Tyler

Aisha Tyler (comedienne): first discovered her hosting Talk Soup back when my hair was naturally one color.  Speaking of color, she was the first African-American and female to host Talk Soup as well as appear in a recurring role on Friends.  Nice.  She’s one of those people that I just plain like, but can’t explain why.  Haven’t kept up with her as of late.  I’m sure she’s busy breaking new ground somewhere nearby.

Kristin Chenoweth (GCB, now defunct): a firecracker with a mountain

Kristin Chenoweth

peak soprano voice.  Born for comedy.  She does it all – act, sing, dance.  And I like that she’s a Believer too.

Rebel Wilson (Super Fun Night): Hee-layer-rhee-us!  Wilson came out of nowhere and pulled no punches to hit me in the gut.  Another hopeless romantic,

Rebel Wilson

Wilson pokes hecka fun at herself and her loser gal pals and is probably the bravest person on this list for bucking convention.  She’s not afraid to show off her curves in skirt-ripping “wardrobe malfunctions” without being a size -1.

Wanda Sykes (comedienne): her tone, pace, and delivery suggest a discombobulated know-nothing with a gift for satire. You can’t help but laugh with her… and at her.

Wanda Sykes

Honorable Mention: Xosha Roquemore (The Mindy Project).  The sassy, self-assured nurse comes packed with a knack for entering the room, blowing it up, then slipping outta there.  Stitches for us all.  I would love to see her get more air time.  She’ll be comin’ around the mountain when she comes.

Xosha Roquemore

And as an added bonus…

Best Ensemble Cast: Parks & Recreation  

This is chemistry at its best.  They are like a big dysFUNctional family, but they somehow deliver the goods on what at first seems like a dull premise.

Parks & Rec, led by Amy Poehler (center)

Coming Soon: Funny Dudes!

*This writing recognizes their talent and is not an endorsement of the totality of their shows’ content.  That should go without saying, but I’m just saying.

The Juice - Week of Jan 5-11, 2013

Each week, perhaps each month (depending on how I feel and when I get to it), I am posting my favorite quotes, in no particular order.  I might have read them, heard them, or spoken them (unlikely).  They might be funny.  They might be thoughtful.  They might be weird.  But they fuel me on some level.  Hence, "The Juice".

Christena Cleveland's speech: "Loving Well Across Cultures" 
Talk is from 11/3/2013, but I just found it.  Very insightful Christian social psychologist.
"As a non-group member, I don't think about the variability and diversity within another group."
"On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit empowered not the outsider to speak the church's language, but the church to speak the world's language."

Mother Theresa:
If you really love one another, you will not be able to avoid making sacrifices.

Henri Nouwen:
What else is anger than the impulsive response to the experience of being deprived.

Florence Littauer, "Words of Kindness, Source of Healing":
Not a direct quote and it aired 12/23/2013 (but I didn't listen 'til today).  She beautifully sums up Ephesians 4:9 rather well in saying that "edifying" and "to minister grace" means "to build up...give a favor like giving a present" with our words.  Our words are to be like silver boxes with bows on top.

Littauer also says "Mother was afraid we'd be humiliated, so she never encouraged us to take risks.... Many die with the music still in them."

Gates Foundation's post "On Miracles and Justice Through Community"
The redefinition of family and responsibility for our fellow human beings is at the very heart of the Kingdom Jesus preached.  He scandalized his listeners by declaring that his mother and brother and sisters were not merely his biological kin, but included all those who did the will of God.  He revolutionized our concept of the "neighbor" whom we are to love as we love ourselves to include not just those who are ethnically, religiously, or geographically close to us, but even those who are our enemies.  Many people were offended by these teachings because they believed that Jesus was devaluing the relationships between parents and children, or between people of the same nation or religion.  Those people didn't understand him.  He was actually telling us that we owe that same level of committed care and compassion to whoever is in need of it, whether they're biologically family or not.

Larry James, "Wendy"
"She resisted shelters, mainly because submitting to their rules and routine would have meant surrendering the last vestige of dignity and self-respect that remained in her life." 

Later, after securing housing of her own, Wendy's daily visits to the streets reveals yet another insight.  "Homeless persons who work out housing, often simply cannot just walk away from their friends no matter how good their personal fortunes may have turned.  Community trumps personal progress on the streets."

Bianca Winfrey, "battle of the bulge [again]..."
"We as Christians tout being honest and vulnerable with our struggles, but mostly in retrospect.  Rarely do we stand up and say, Hey, listen, this is what I'm struggling with right now.  See, it's easy to talk about our issues once we have victory over them.  But what about the pain of being in the middle of it?  Shouldn't we share in or struggles as well as our victory?"


Charlie Strong, newly-hired Head Football Coach, Texas Longhorns
"I don't care if I was the 15th choice, I'm the head coach at the University of Texas."

Ken Sande, "Successfully Managing Family Conflicts"
"What we are to grieve are the murders that take place in 1 John 3:15.  If you hate your brother in your heart, you're a murderer.  And by that definition, every Sunday there's a group people sitting there, glaring at the pastor - some disappointment over what he's done or not done - or the elders, deacons, or someone else - murdering them in their hearts.  AND THAT GRIEVES GOD. [emphasis mine]"

Kate Harris, discussing the language of "Calling"
"Learning to see the heart of God in what it is that we're doing, no matter how ordinary or random it might feel to us.  It's watching for hints about what is the little piece of God's heart that He has set in us as His image-bearer to curate, convene, heal, clarify, or nurture, or establish order. ... The work that God calls us to is often work that heals the wounds in our own souls."

Alison Vesterfelt on missing our calling, "Are You Living Your Plan B Life?" 
What I really wanted to be was a writer, but if you asked me I wouldn’t have told you that. I would have told you I wanted to be a writing teacher. Do you see the connection there? Because I couldn’t conceptualize what it would look like to become a professional writer, I chose to find a way to express my passion and dreams within a life I could conceptualize... Writing teacher was so much easier for me to conceptualize than professional writer.  I didn’t know how to achieve Plan A, so I accepted Plan B instead.

Bye Bye Hot Summer

Summer ended about a week ago.

It was HOT.

Very hot.

So hot that we came within two days of breaking the annual record for triple-digit temperatures. How many triple-digit temperature days did we have? 67, 68?

Summer was odd too. Freaky.

1. Too much death. In June, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson died unexpectedly...as did many other high profile celebrities: actress Farrah Fawcett, tv personality Ed McMahon, journalist Walter Cronkite, Senator Ted Kennedy, his sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver (founder of Special Olympics), director John Hughes (directed films I enjoyed in my teens), singer Mary Travers, and actor Patrick Swayze.

2. Too much wonder. I love watching Chloe and Sophia slowly discover the world around them. Chloe is very physically active, rambunctious, and expressive. Screams suffice for a lack of words. Sophia is now alert and responds with smiles and giggles. Beautiful.

3. Too much disrespect. Summer went out in poor style as tennis star Serena Williams, in a fit of rage, berated a line judge...badly... and acted very nonchalant when interviewed about the incident. Teen queen Taylor Swift won and MTV Video Award and was rudely interrupted when rapper Kanye West dashed upon stage, took her mike, and shouted that Beyonce should have won instead. Tacky. To his credit, he did apologize and Ms. Swift graciously accepted. And Congressman Joe Wilson, during President Obama's speech about health care, shouts out, "Liar!" Irrational. At least he apologized and the President graciously accepted. And so continues our world of rage, selfishness, fear, all of which lead to outrageous behavior.

Speaking of Joe Wilson, former President Jimmy Carter said he believes the attacks on Obama are "overwhelmingly" due to racism. Well, that certainly set off a firestorm. I think Carter should have said "some" of the attacks are motivated by racism. That would be true, considering the racial caricatures that conservatives levied throughout the campaign and continue to do so today (illustrations of water melons on the White House lawn, Obama's head on a monkey, Obama made out to appear as an African savage, etc). I can say so much more about fear tactics that prey on white fear about black anger, threats to white privilege, and fear of Muslims (one of whom Obama is not). Anyway, there's no denying the racial element. At the same time, I believe the bigots are on the fringes.

Did I not say it was a hot summer?

4. You know what I love about the coming of fall? College Football!! My Texas Longhorns are off to a 4-0 start, having knocked off Texas Tech. Now on to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and everyone else this season! And then...the National Championship!!

Sophia Noelle!

Life continues to amaze me...bless me...challenge me.

Wednesday, April 22, gifted me with the lovely Sophia Noelle.
6lbs, 15 ounces. 19 inches.

Enjoy!

Rare Repentance: An Attacker Apologizes

I love a good reconciliation story. Humility is a good thing. Repentance is a good thing. Forgiveness is a good thing. The Lord requireth all.

"Godly sorrow leads to repentance."
"Forgive one another..."
"Confess your faults to one another, pray for one another, so that you may be healed"


While I didn't live through the world-shaking sixties decade, I admire the many stories of courage and sacrifice that marked the era. What also moves me is the courage of people who perpetrated atrocities, but have sought to redress their behavior. It takes guts to admit wrong and apologize. It takes guts to accept an apology and forgive. Can't do any of that without humility. May God bless both of these men. May we all learn something.

http://blog.sojo.net/2009/02/17/john-lewis-receives-apology-from-attacker

In case you can't access the link, here's a summary of the story:

The year: 1961. The place: Rock Hills, South Carolina. A group of Freedom Riders associated with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) rides into town and attempts to enter a "whites only" waiting room at the bus station. Seeing them enter, Ku Klux Klansman Elwin Wilson launches an attack. The man he pummels is John Lewis. At the time, Lewis is but a young civil rights worker. He responds with nonviolence. Lewis would suffer many more beatings throughout the sixties. However, according to Lewis, none of the men who beat and abused him have ever apologized -- until now.

The year: 2009. Decades later, Elwin Wilson contacts John Lewis (now an elected official to the U.S. House of Representatives) to apologize for the beating. Wilson also apologizes to citizens in his hometown for his numerous acts of racial hatred. He has the guts to say, "I'm sorry." Representative Lewis responds to his former abuser with mercy, grace, forgiveness, and now refers to Wilson as a friend.

"The power of forgiveness and healing found in their recent encounter is the Gospel at work in a broken and fallen world. ... If we are to continue to come to terms with our tragic racial history, Wilson cannot be the last to have the courage to say "I'm sorry." I pray we will be encouraged and challenged by Wilson's repentance and Lewis's forgiveness in all areas of our lives... As Jesus is fond of saying, "Go and do likewise." "

(quoted commentary by Troy Jackson, Sr. Pastor of University Christian Church in Cincinnati)

Dear Mr. President:

Jim Wallis posted a really good letter on sojourners.com that expresses a number of important concerns held by Christians who find themselves deeply concerned about human rights and justice. I like what he has to say. However, as for what he says about the death penalty, I don't really care either way. I also think this letter is appropriate for any president, not just the President-elect. Good job, nonetheless.


A PRAYER & PLEDGE FOR REAL CHANGE

Dear Mr. President-elect Obama:

I want personally to offer you my prayers as you embark on the enormous challenge of leading our country in a time of great crisis and crossroads. While our ultimate hope is our faith in God, we also have high hopes for your administration.

I am one member of a growing movement of Christians and people of faith who support a broad moral agenda that includes a deep concern for poverty, peacemaking, a consistent ethic of life, and care for creation. During the campaign, you said that, if elected, you would face powerful special interests trying to block change. You said you would need a citizen movement to support and push you.

Today, I am pledging to be part of that movement. It will be a movement that will both pray for you and hold you accountable to the things you promised. So I urge you to give high priority to:

• Overcome poverty, both here in our rich nation and globally. Your efforts to resolve the economic crisis must include those at the bottom, the poorest among us. You pledged during the campaign to mobilize the nation to cut domestic poverty in half in ten years and to implement the Millennium Development Goals to cut extreme global poverty in half.
  
• Find better ways than war to resolve the inevitable conflicts in the world. It is time to end the war in Iraq and emphasize diplomacy over military action in resolving problems in Iran and Afghanistan. We need better and smarter foreign policy that is more consistent with our best national values.
  
• Promote a consistent ethic of life that addresses all threats to life and dignity. We must end genocide in Darfur, the use of torture, and the death penalty. I urge you to pursue common ground policies which can dramatically reduce abortions in America, and help bring us together on this divisive issue.
  
• Reverse the effects of climate change on God’s creation. We must learn a new way of living in America to end our dangerous dependence on Middle East oil. We need a spiritual commitment to stewardship and national policies that promote safe, clean, and renewable energy. You spoke of job creation and economic renewal with a new “green economy.”
  

We need your presidential leadership for this type of societal transformation, but I promise also to do my part.

I will pray for you as you assume the awesome responsibility of leading our nation. To be the best president you can be, you will need both the support and the push of the faith community. I pledge to help build the movement that will keep your administration accountable and faithful.

Blessings,

[Your name]

Lies, Darned Lies, and E-Lies

Blown here and there by deceitfulness…Do we really care about truth?

Last month’s Christian Chronicle included a very good op-ed piece from Erik Tryggestad. In it he talks about how we just forward scandalous emails, often paying little mind as to the truthfulness of its content. Read it here: http://www.christianchronicle.org/article2158347~E-mail:_Speak_-_and_forward_-_the_truth_in_love


My favorite quote from his article is:

…I suspect the intent of forwarded e-mail – just like gossip – has little to do with facts. We all bring preexisting biases to what we read. When we find a piece of information that fits our view of the world, we forward it to other, like-minded believers. We take comfort in our preconceptions – even if they have little basis in truth.

Hear. Hear.

It’s a very timely and worthwhile read, especially in today’s politically-charged atmosphere. I find it disturbing how many of us Christians fall into the trap of digesting, believing, and propulgating information that has been twisted and misconstrued by all of the political parties for their own gain. That’s why I am so appreciative of MSN for examining the statements made during the Obama-McCain and Biden-Palin debates, and publishing what the whole truth is. It kept both parties in check.

While Tryggestad’s writing references the current political landscape, I believe the sentiments he expresses easily apply to other segments of life. For example, I can’t count how many times I’ve received email chains from fellow believers forwarding information about a Tommy Hilfiger and Oprah Winfrey incident in which the latter kicks the former off of her show on account of his stating that his clothing line is not meant to be worn by non-whites. Come to find out, Hilfiger has never been a guest on Oprah, and the racial statement never happened. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves.

As with everything, I try to bring my point of view under the authority of scripture. “Speak the truth in love.” “Whatever is lovely, noble, of good report, think on those things.” “Love your enemies. Bless those who persecute you. Do not return evil for evil.” “You are the salt of the earth. If the salt loses its saltiness, of what value is it?”

Stay Salty. The world will thirst, and we’ll serve a cool glass of Living Water.