Creating Memories

We made a quick trip to Oklahoma to visit Ryan and Natalie this past week. We had a great time and packed a lot into three days.

Natalie ran the Half Marathon in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Sunday morning. She did an awesome job and ran a 2.04.09! Great job Natalie! You can see a short slide show of Natalie running the marathon here. She was the cutest runner on the course! I'm sure you would agree!

The marathon ended near the Oklahoma City National Memorial. This was my first visit to the Memorial and it was a powerful experience. 168 children and adults lost their lives on April 19, 1995 when the Alfred P. Murrah building was bombed. You can see a short slide show of the Memorial here. I encourage you to view the virtual tour here even if you have seen the Memorial. Hans and Torrey Butzer, the Memorial designers, explain the symbolism and meaning of the Memorial. Very powerful.

On Thursday we toured and explored Bricktown, the older section of Oklahoma City. The stream running through the area, outside shops, benches, public spaces and recreational venues make this a fun place to explore. We can only hope that Cedar Rapids is able to do something similar along the Cedar River in the future. You can see a slide show of Bricktown here.

And no trip would be complete with a baseball game! We got to see the Oklahoma City RedHawks play the Omaha Royals. The game was so-so, but we had a lot of fun. Will and Ginny Davis, Natalie's parents, joined us for the game and we enjoyed a good cup of Starbucks and dish of Cold Stone ice cream after the game.

It was quite a trip! We put some miles on the van, walked a ton, and laughed a lot! All part of creating memories!

The Courage to Believe

Jackie Robinson broke into major league baseball 62 years ago today. In memory of that event all major league players are wearing Jackie Robinson's No. 42. Two years ago, on the 60th anniversary of Robinson's big-league debut, one player on each team symbolically wore No. 42.

Introduced to a standing ovation, Rachel Robinson stepped to the podium at Citi Field, the new home of the New York Mets, and smiled as she gazed around the regal new rotunda that bears her husband's name. Before Monday's 6-5 loss to San Diego, the Mets unveiled the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, a sprawling marble and granite tribute to Robinson that adorns the entrance of the new $800 million park. Much of Citi Field serves as an architectural homage to Robinson's home park, Ebbets Field.

High above the ballpark entrance, an inscription of his famous quote: "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." At the other end of the room, an 8-foot, blue sculpture of his No. 42.

Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars read aloud his nine values, articulated in a book written by his daughter, Sharon, and now etched around the rotunda: courage, excellence, persistence, justice, teamwork, commitment, citizenship, determination, integrity.

Jackie Robinson was an incredible man. I wrote about him two years ago here.

In our Lead Like Jesus group this morning we discussed our life mission, vision and value statements. The older I get the more I desire to make a lasting impact on people. To live a life that intentionally connects with God's purpose and mission. To make a difference and to leave the world a better place.

Jackie just didn't talk about a life mission, he lived it. Jackie didn't discuss the values that shaped his life, he lived them. Today baseball honors a man who helped change not only the game, but our nation. Today we honor the memory of a true American hero who had the courage to believe that one person can make a difference.

Death and Taxes

As Easter and April 15 approach, it's appropriate that we talk about death and taxes. We may not agree on either. But this much is sure, both are a reality! Much too real!

If you're like me, you're wondering what in the world is the government doing with all the monies they collect from me? Well, they didn't collect all that much from me this year. Two boys in college helps with deductions but that also puts stress on the old budget! You get the point. Show me the money already!

Well, now that you've asked, I will do just that. If your a policy and finance nerd you can go to the Office of Management and Budget and take a look at the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget for yourself! Not interested. I can't say I blame you.

Enter Jess Bachman and WallStats. Bachman transforms reams of boring data into posters for your wall. The newest poster outlines the 2009 budget. The entire poster is six square feet, but you can see a detailed, zoomable version here. Place your cursor on the map and controls appear that allow you to scroll in close. The size of each circle represents the size of each agency-and there are over 500 of them in total.

Take a close look and you will see that in 2009 we spent $2.054 billion for Humvees used in Iraq and $3.230 billion for New Orleans Storm Protection.

And where did all this money come from? I'm glad you asked! For every $1 billion of federal spending:

• Every tax payer has to pay $4 on average ($550 million total)
• Every employer has to pay $1 per employee on average ($150 million total)
• Every corporation has to pay $20 on average ($110 million total)
• $40 million is collected in estate, gift, excise and other taxes
• $140 million is borrowed

Are you wondering what the 2010 budget looks like? As you can imagine, Bachman is still working on that poster. Rumor has it that the 2010 version will be a wall-sized mural! You can get a preview of the size of the spending and deficit here. We are looking at a $1.2 trillion deficit or 8% of our gross domestic product. And this deficit spending adds to the size of our rapidly growing national debt, which is now at over $11 trillion and rapidly climbing!

By the way, I have the National Debt Clock module on the right hand column of my blog for your viewing pleasure. Watching that Debt Clock spin is a good reality check and a reminder to not spend more than what I make.

Death and taxes, both are a reality. You can get mad, you can protest and you can live in denial. But Father Time and Uncle Sam bow to no one. Try to ignore them and before you know it they will be knocking at your door. Both demand payment in full.

And so in March of this year I paid a visit to my tax account to settle my score with Uncle Sam. No one was going to do it for me. I'm accountable and held responsible to pay my taxes annually.

And tomorrow I will celebrate with millions of other followers of Christ around the world. I will remember our Saviors death, burial and resurrection. I'm thankful for a Savior who willingly paid my death sentence for me so that I can live.

Death and taxes. I can't do anything about my tax problem. Uncle Sam has to be paid year after year. But I can do something about my death problem. Father Time is a defeated foe. This is what Easter is all about.

In a year of bad new - the flood of 2009, the economic melt down, vanishing retirement accounts, high unemployment and global terrorist threats - I'm ready to celebrate some good news.

He is not here; he has risen. just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Matthew 28:6

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

Where, O Death, Is Your Sting?

By now you may have heard that 22 year old Anaheim Angel pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in a hit and run car accident yesterday in California. The driver of the minivan that struck the car in which Adenhart was riding, 22-year-old Andrew Thomas Gallo, was later apprehended and was legally intoxicated. He had a suspended license and a previous drunk-driving conviction. Two other passengers in the car were also killed

Nick Adenhart was a 14th round draft pick of the Angels in 2004 and pitched here in Cedar Rapids in 2006, posting a 10-2 record with a 1.95 ERA in sixteen games. He was named to the 2006 Midwest League Western Division All-Star team and also the 2006 Midwest League post-season All-Star team.

This was a tragic and needless death. This being Good Friday, I probably spent more time than I otherwise might have, reflecting on this incident. The thing that absolutely grabs my heart is when I watch the Angel Press Conference with Adenhart's agent, Scott Boras. Please watch the video and the way that Boras breaks down in tears.

Now, if you're not a baseball fan, what you need to know is that Boras is the toughest and most hated negotiator in the sport. In its April, 2001 edition, Esquire writer Scott Raab called Scott Boras the Most Hated Man in Baseball. Slate magazine called him "The Baseball Anti-Christ." Trust me, without going into details, Boras' hard-nose, take no prisoners reputation is well deserved!

To watch a man like Boras break down in tears reminds me that even the strong and powerful are not immune from the tragedies of life. And then I reflect on the tragedy of a young Jewish man who was falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit, cruely punished, publicly humiliated, and brutally beaten and crucified. This is a tragedy of epic proportion.

This tragedy brings me to my knees when I realized that my Savior took my place and paid my penalty. He did for me what I couldn't do for myself!

Friday is a day of tragedy. But I'm thankful for Sunday and the empty tomb. I'm thankful that Jesus Christ hung on a cross and died for my sin. I'm thankful that senseless tragedies will one day be made right. That pain and suffering will be swallowed up by life.

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 1 Corinthians 15:54-55

Hollow Mask

Take a look at the video to see the "hollow mask" optical illusion explained and demonstrated. Even when I know what's happening I'm totally unable to interrupt the illusion. Very powerful stuff. All the more reason we are instructed to walk by faith, not by sight! You can't always trust what you see!

Play Ball!

In case you haven't checked your calendar lately, it's now officially spring. Don't let the threat of a wintry mix of precipitation fool you. Spring is here!

How do I know? Today is Opening Night for the 2009 major league baseball season. It's the Braves versus the Phillies.

So settle in for the evening. Grab your peanuts and popcorn. They're throwing out the first pitch tonight in the city of brotherly love. Play ball!

Digital Collaborator

The Pew Internet and American Life Project just published their latest poll results titled The Mobil Difference. Nothing too shocking here, just a confirmation of what we're seeing regarding the rapid move to digital communication and networking.

I learned that I fall in the category of the Digital Collaborator. 8% of Americans are in this group.

Here is what the Pew report has to say about Digital Collaborators.

As much as this group consumes digital content, it is also very distinct in what it does with digitized information. They create and share it at rates much higher than members of other groups. More than half (54%) of Digital Collaborators have shared some sort of creation with the world using the internet and the same number have posted a comment to a blog or website. One-quarter (27%) have blogs and 24% have taken online material and remixed into some other form. Some 44% have their own web page, and nearly one-fifth (18%) have created an online avatar or graphic image of themselves.

On a typical day, 59% of those in this group with cell phones do at least one of ten non-voice data applications, such as texting or taking a picture (a full list of non-voice data activities asked about can be found in the Appendix). For Digital Collaborators, handheld applications are oriented toward traditional information consumption and exchange. Members of this group are most likely among all adults on the average day to use their cell phone for email (18%) and accessing the internet for information (21%). And members of this group are most likely to have ever used their handheld to get directions or a map (29% have ever done this).

The Digital Collaborator is me. I have a blog, I share my digital photographs online using flickr, I use my cell phone for email when I'm out of the office, I listen to podcasts on my iPod, I read using my Kindle, and I use the web to learn and connect with others.

But here's the funny part. The average age of the Digital Collaborator is 39! Whoops! Someone forgot to tell the Pew organization about old guys like me! I wrote about this in 2006 in a blog post called The Old Man and the Internet. I'm 2 1/2 years older and still digitally connected. In fact, more even more so. In 2006 I didn't have a Kindle and I didn't go online or receive email on my Palm Treo.

You can go here if you would like take a short survey to determine what kind of tech user you are. Me, I'm a Digital Collaborator!