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If Southwest Worked Like a Newborn

As most of you know, Southwest Airlines is a model of efficiency copied by low cost carriers around the world. As the father of a newborn, I am finding a plethora of inefficient aspects of life with a baby. That got me thinking: what would Southwest be like if our 737s operated like a newborn?

1. Our fuelers would load the required amount of fuel onto the plane. Then the Captain would open the dump valve and pour a couple thousand pounds of fuel overboard just after departure. A few minutes later, he would dump another thousand.
2. Because of these fuel dumps, the flight would now be short of fuel and unable to reach its destination, necessitating either a midair refueling or diversion.
3. On-time departures and arrivals would be a thing of the past. The published schedule would be more of a suggestion. A flight is successful if it gets there at all.
4. Instead of going several weeks between cleanings, our planes would need a thorough cleaning after every flight, both inside and out.
5. Every passenger would talk on their cell phone at the top of their lungs for the entire flight.
6. Both lavs are inop. Always. Hope you brought a really big diaper bag!

Female Preachers

On Sunday, for the first time a female preacher will deliver the sermon at Irving Bible. Controversy abounds within the Christian community regarding whether it’s appropriate for a woman to serve in this role. The Dallas Morning News wrote an interesting article considering the two sides of the argument. The elders of IBC spents 18 months studying this issue and finally concluded that although the Bible specifies that only men should serve as elders of a church, it does not prohibit women from teaching men. The oft-cited passages in 1 Corinthians and I Timothy, they say, reflects a cultural issue rather than a theological one. Since women in Paul’s day were prohibited from studying the Scriptures, they had no authority to teach. The elders published a description of their position on the IBC website.

Having grown up Baptist, I’ve always struggled with this issue, especially as more and more churches and denominations start giving women more prominent roles. On one hand, if I solely use a literal reading of those “problem passages” and others, the traditional prohibition of women in ministry seems appropriate. That’s not because women are somehow lacking or inferior, but simply because God arranged a chain of command for certain situations with men at the head. However, if I consider the context of those passages, and the wonderful gifts for ministry and teaching that God has given to women, I can see where IBC’s elders are coming from. I have personally met and learned from many wise women. The preacher for Sunday, Jackie Roese, helps lead the women’s ministry at IBC, and Jenny says she is one of the best teachers she has ever heard. Although we’ve missed the last few Sundays taking care of Brenden, we hope to attend this weekend to hear Jackie’s sermon and see how IBC handles it.

Tell me, faithful readers, what are your thoughts on this issue? Is this a wise and helpful move by IBC? Or are we going off the deep end?

Poetic Justice

American Airlines’ pilots’ union (APA) has 23 employees who formed their own union. After months of trying unsuccessfully to work out a new contract with APA, they decided to picket their employer on Thursday. So one union is “management” for another union and is getting picketed. That cracks me up. I wonder how it feels for APA. Read the story on Yahoo.

Thoughts on the Olympics

I have devoted a large part of the last two weeks to watching the Olympics. At home with Jenny and Brenden. With friends. At work. At Sam’s. In our apartment clubhouse. I’ve seen marquee events like Phelps’ races and gymnastics. I’ve seen weird events like table tennis, handball, and BMX racing. I’m having a blast! Here are a few thoughts:

• Phelps is amazing but somehow kept his head from getting too big. He values his teammates. He respects his competitors. He loves his mom. I like him.
• Bolt is amazing but too cocky. I hope someone beats him soon to remind him what it feels like. Then I want to see him break 9.5 in the 100 and 19 in the 200. I think he can do it. If I were that much better than everyone else in my events, I might get a little cocky, too.
• It seems there are two different approaches to any competition, or to life in general. You can either try to beat your opponents or try to chase some established standard, such as a personal best time or a world record. I think most of the athletes are focused on trying to beat their opponents since they want the medal. To me, though, it makes more sense to simply do your personal best toward the goal of the event and let the chips fall where they may. If I’ve done my absolute best, I shouldn’t be disappointed if that effort wins me a silver instead of gold. I can’t control what anyone else does. I can barely even control what I do.
• The lowlight of NBC’s otherwise great Olympics coverage is the interviewers who corner athletes after each event. Paraphrased example: “So, how does it feel to let your entire country down by not winning gold?”
• I can’t tell you how fun it is to watch the Olympics in HD after watching the 2004 games on a fuzzy picture through rabbit ears at our house.
• A wise person once said, “Some days you’re the dog. Some days you’re the hydrant.” Team USA has been both in Beijing.
• I wish I had half the discipline that these athletes possess. It’s a beautiful thing when preparation and talent meet opportunity.
• I’m still a bit upset with the IOC for giving the Games to China. I hope that all this attention will persuade them respect human rights better and give their people more freedom.
• If I could be a Summer Olympian, I’d probably be either a distance runner (5k or 10k perhaps) or a swimmer. I like the swimmer’s build. If I could be a Winter Olympian, I’d pick either ice hockey or long track speed skating. I would probably need specially made jeans to accommodate my massive legs.

What are your thoughts as you watch the Olympics? You are watching, right?

Chronological Bible

I’m stealing this link from BagOfNothing.com, one of the most interesting blogs around. One of the major Christian publishing houses plans to publish a new version of the Bible this fall that reorganizes the entire text into roughly chronological order. USA Today has a detailed article on the new edition. For example, it moves David’s psalms near the narrative of David’s life that’s traditionally in I and II Samuel. That way as you read about his adventures with Goliath, Saul, and Bathsheba, you can easily find the psalms that he wrote during those periods as well. It also combines the four Gospels into a single long book.

Certainly some Biblical purists will object, but I think it’s a fascinating and helpful idea and might get a copy for myself. For me, one of the challenging parts about studying the Word is how its timeline jumps around so much, especially in the Old Testament and in the Gospels when you switch from one book to another. Many of the stories get retold in multiple books, usually with slightly different details or a different perspective. This new edition puts everything in order, which soothes my concrete sequential brain. It’s available for preorder on Amazon.

First Date Night

Our first Date Night as parents was a lot of fun! In case you missed the first post, we went to Pappas Bros. Steakhouse for a special dinner to celebrate Brenden’s birth and spend some time together. We believe that other than teaching him to love and serve God, the most important thing we can do for Brenden is to keep our marriage strong. Brenden and Grammy hung out and had a good time while we were out, with only a little fussiness.

Dinner was fabulous! We both enjoyed some of the best steaks we have ever had along with excellent mashed potatoes, bread, and desserts and one of the best rieslings we’ve ever had. Pappa’s is definitely expensive, even during Restaurant Week, but it was a great experience.

10 More Random Facts About Me

This is fun…

1. My greatest athletic success came in my junior year of high school, when my doubles partner Jon and I placed 2nd in district in tennis. My pride prevents me from discussing the regional tournament.
2. I had moderate to severe asthma in elementary school, so bad that I had to sit out some of the runs and other activities, especially in winter. I took allergy shots for years. The older I got, the stronger my lungs became. Now my asthma is very mild, and my limiting factor in athletics is generally my knees, stamina, or talent.
3. Even though it’s environmentally irresponsible, I love a good steak.
4. I prefer listening over talking.
5. I sang in a mostly black gospel choir in my senior year of high school. We performed for the City Council. It was great to see how music and faith can make race a non-issue.
6. I have degrees in writing and business but use neither. The only license I currently use was the easiest and cheapest to obtain.
7. My last professional football game was the 1993 Super Bowl, where the Cowboys dismantled the Bills and Michael Jackson provided an excellent halftime show.
8. I wish drug companies weren’t allowed to advertise prescription drugs.
9. I replenish my t-shirt supply by donating blood, which I did on Sunday.
10. Purell is one of my favorite products. I can’t stand for my hands to be greasy or sticky.

FAILBLOG

From the creators of I Can Has Cheezburger, one of the funniest websites I’ve ever seen, I present unto you FailBlog. Trying to explain it would only be annoying. Just click and enjoy.