The Dying of Childhood

For anyone from Minnesota, Kirby Puckett was at the very least a well know sports figure. For a kid who grew up playing baseball everychance he could get, Kirby Puckett was the symbol of everything a kid hoped to be. In small towns all over Minnesota, a whole generation of kids fought over "who got to be Kiby" when they played ball games in their parks and backyards. They would imitate his batting style, or pretend to "rob a home run" from an opponent. My first memory of being at a baseball game was hearing the anouncer call out. "Now batting, the center fielder! Ker-beeee Puckett!" In my home, going to a baseball game was as much of a family event as Christmas. There was presents, food, and family time, who cares about santa clause, we wanted to see Kirby Puckett!
Perhaps this saddness is increased by the way the memories ended for me. They faded as his life dispeared from the public scene in recent years. They also faded during a time which my life changed. Kirby became a star when I was just old enough to play ball in 1986, he retired my senior year of highschool as my ball playing were at an end. I have grown up and made friends who for the most part have no connection to this enormous part of my years. The icon of my childhood is dead.

Circle of Hope

I am really excited to go meet with this church called "Circle of Hope" next week in Philly. I love what they have to say about themselves on their web page.

"The next generation is not a mass market, and we didn’t want to treat it like a market, at all. Yes, yes, making church like a TV show “works.” A lot of things work that we wish did not work because people still don’t seem to understand what will kill them. Sometimes it seems pigheaded, but we don’t like to pander to people’s worst instincts just so they’ll come to a meeting, give money, or just like us. What we are trying to do instead is deliver the life and message of Jesus as a community in Christ. We want to be a safe place for people to explore God’s love as they are now. And we want to be discerning enough to keep our eyes open for where they are going to be next. We’re relevant and predictable at the same time. God knows how to speak everyone’s language, but that never makes the message inconsistent. Some people have thought it is a little suspicious when they realize that we’re hard to “pin down.” We may not have as well-developed and consistent character as we would like, but we are who God has. We accept that like he does. We’re not advertising ourselves. We are not a product. We’re a people."
Circle of Hope-Philadelphia PA