Middletree

I can't define "irony", but I find the following actual true facts to be full of it: 1. Barry Manilow didn't write "I Write the Songs." 2. Westboro Baptist Church is neither Baptist nor a church. 3. Prince Fielder is a great hitter but not a good fielder. 4. Jimmy Fixx helped get the whole nation interested in running for health reasons, but then he died while running, at the too-young age of 52. 5. The song playing in the restaurant on the Italian cruise ship at the moment it hit the rocks? "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion. AKA the theme from "Titanic". 6. The phobia of longs words has a name: Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia 7. Cy Young was a great pitcher, but he never was quite good enough to win a Cy Young award.

The following opinions are my own and are in conflict with conventional thinking, a fact which is not of great concern to me. 1. I'd rather listen to Knopfler than Clapton. 2. The temperature outside is not generally worth talking about. 3. I am surprised when people act surprised that a kid they used to know 15 years ago is now a grown-up. 4. I prefer Van Halen with Sammy over Dave. 5. If I am in a group of guys and the conversation turns to cars, I'm going to find an excuse to leave. 6. In and Out is essentially the same burger as Steak n Shake 7. I've been to Disney Land and Disney World. And I like Six Flags better. 8. Cats: yes. Dogs: can take 'em or leave 'em. 9. I believe Raffy Palmeiro 10. Baseball isn't boring. 11. Bob Dylan: Extremely overrated.

I have established a yearly tradition using Youtube to show my kids why we celebrate the birth of Martin Luther King Jr.   This year, Burnside Writers has published my account: http://burnsidewriters.com/2012/01/16/a-teachable-moment-taking-advantage-of-technology-on-mlk-day/

If you know any Christians, or are one yourself, you may have seen Jefferson Bethke's 4-minute poem titled "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus".  It's become quite popular in just a few days. Bethke is sincere, passionate, and mostly off-track.   The bulk of his message is that old standby "It's not about religion, it's about a relationship", which has been around at least since I  came back to the Lord in 1987. It was refreshing and eye-opening at the time, but here we are a quarter-century later, and it's still being said as if it were a brand new concept.And that would be fine if it were in line with Scripture, but in fact, it's in opposition to what God's word says. I have searched the Bible to see where it says anything negative about Religion, and it isn't in there. It's fairly easy to find a passage where the writer denounces those following a false religion, or not following their religion well. But the...