Author Archives

sgtwolvehttp://blog.burrillstrong.com/

I am so confident in my identity that I want to fix it

When I drive to work, I listen to the radio so I can stay awake.  Typically, I listen to WMUZ, an advertiser-supported religious radio station.  I have my issues with several WMUZ advertisers; this time I want to address one commercial I’ve been hearing more recently.  The advertiser?  A cosmetic surgery establishment.

The commercial started positively enough, with a woman saying, “I’m confident in who I am in Christ.”  This is a good and worthy sentiment; the problem was that it was not the end statement, but simply a means to an end.  She then used that confidence to explain that her decision to utilize the services of the surgeon was a “personal decision” between her and God.  After that, she was done with God-related statements; the rest of the commercial was, obviously, centered on the establishment and its excellence.

Perhaps I am a dense man, but I cannot yet understand how confidence in identity in Christ connects to cosmetic surgery.  Does cosmetic surgery for those with no genuine physical problems originate from or demonstrate true confidence in Christ?  I have a hard time believing that concept.

Needless cosmetic surgery seems to be an effort to remake ourselves in our own images — not our God-given images, but the images we’ve created in your head, the images influenced by the societies around us.  Altering ourselves to generate happiness with our physical appearance communicates not “I praise you, God, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” but something more like, “God, thanks, but I think You didn’t quite get this right.”  That is not an expression of full confidence; if it expresses anything, it is heavily qualified confidence at best.

If we believe confidence in Christ requires alteration, these changes ought to occur not in our appearance, but in our perceptions and values.

On a different, but related, topic, the beginning of this advertisement highlights another problem: needless commercial invocation of God.  Please, advertisers, do not gratuitously invoke God in spots for bankruptcy attorneys, cosmetic surgeons or malpractice attorneys.

Important note: I do not know the woman who chose to participate in an advertisement for the cosmetic surgeon; this post is not meant to suggest that she is somehow a horrible person.  Her comments in the advertisement simply sparked a lot of thought in my mind.

SUV tricycles; Hail to the Wheaties Valiant

1)SUV tricycles
I’ve heard of independent suspensions, but GM has produced an independent front wheel on the H2.

It seems a defect in some Hummers has caused front wheels to flee the vehicle, much to the surprise of the drivers.  GM is reluctant to acknowledge the defect, saying such failures are bound to happen when the vehicle structure is overloaded in a collision; the government is not convinced.  After one vehicle failure that occurred after a wheel bumped a post in a drive-thru, GM’s contention seems a bit less credible.

2)Hail to the Wheaties Valiant
Wheaties announced three special-edition boxes honoring football programs at Michigan, Notre Dame and Georgia, thus making it the Breakfast of Victors.

In a curious contrast, the Michigan and Notre Dame boxes feature their respective stadiums on the front while the Georgia box features coach Mark Richt.  What’s wrong with Georgia’s stadium?

In every game, be this our aim, V-I-C-T-O-R-Y: Week 4 vs. Adrian

Chelsea High School Football record through week 3: 9-3 (2-1 week 3; 7-2 SEC).

Big set of games this week:

The freshmen lost to Adrian; this was not unexpected. The freshmen have always had a difficult time with the Maples. But the JV pulled out a close 14-12 victory, with the margin of victory being provided by Adrian’s lack of a JV kicking game. They went for two points after both touchdowns, and they failed both times. Let this be a lesson to you: find someone who can make an extra point. You may need it.

The varsity game was the biggest game in the area, featuring two of the area’s top teams; it has been widely acknowledged that Chelsea has a wealth of offensive talent, and Adrian’s quarterback has committed to Georgia Tech. To add to the game’s excitement, it was also the first varsity game at renovated Niehaus Field. An estimated 5,000 people turned out for the game, which many expected to be a tough, close game; through the first quarter, it looked as though the game would meet those expectations, with Adrian leading 15-14. But then something came alive for Chelsea, and Adrian never again had the lead. Chelsea dominated the last three quarters and left with a convincing 40-21 victory.

Eye-catching: Connell’s diving catch early in the game. Truly eye-catching! The Ann Arbor News photographer caught a great image of his catch. On that same drive, he made a nice grab in the end zone, too.

Also notable was the defense’s performance against a divsion 1a-bound quarterback. Chelsea’s offense gets a lot of attention, but the defense did a fine job of shutting down Adrian’s offense.

I do not think that word means what you think it means

On the radio these days, you might hear Jill Phillips singing a Pierce Pettis song called “God Believes in You.”  Pettis has written some beautiful lyrics, but this particular song makes me scratch my head.  I’m not sure what he means when he says God believes in me.

Merriam-Webster‘s definition for “believe“:
intransitive verb
1 a : to have a firm religious faith b : to accept as true, genuine, or real (ideals we believe in) (believes in ghosts)
2 : to have a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability of something (believe in exercise)
3 : to hold an opinion : THINK (I believe so)
transitive verb
1 a : to consider to be true or honest (believe the reports) (you wouldn’t believe how long it took) b : to accept the word or evidence of (I believe you) (couldn’t believe my ears)
2 : to hold as an opinion : SUPPOSE (I believe it will rain soon)

God has a firm religious faith in us?  God accepts us as true, genuine or real?  God has a firm conviction as to our goodness, efficacy, or ability?  God holds an opinion on us?  God considers us to be true and honest?  God holds us as an opinion?

None of the above?

I get the feeling Pettis had good intentions when he wrote those lyrics, but I think they communicate the wrong idea.  It sounds like a song that says God is a bit of a cheerleader rather than our sole source of strength.

Am I misreading the song?  If so, what do you think Pettis meant when he wrote the song?  Is there Biblical support for the idea that God “believes in” us?

How would you rewrite that line?

I’m in-de-pen-dent!

On Wednesday morning, the Gideons were on campus at the University of Michigan, distributing Bibles. These distributions tend to generate worthwhile anecdotes, and Wednesday was no exception. This one is short, but it’s thought-provoking:

A Gideon offered a Bible to a passing student, and the student declined, saying, “I don’t need that; I’m a scientist.”

Strike that

The district and the union reached a tentative agreement yesterday; the teachers approved the new contract this morning.

The Detroit News feels the agreement doesn’t really solve any underlying problems.  It’s a good point.  The contract gets the teachers back in the classrooms, but it doesn’t do much more than that.

The new deal is a three-year contract; 2009 could be exciting.  Assuming, of course, both that the district and city do not experience a miraculous turnaround (economically and in administrative competence) and that the teachers do not gain realistic perspective.

But at least students matter again, for another three years.

One of these things is not like the others

When the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup, their celebration in Detroit drew around 1 million fans.

When the Pistons won an NBA championship, their celebration in Detroit also drew around 1 million fans.

When Detroit’s WNBA team, the Shock, recently won a WNBA championship, their celebration in Detroit drew … “more than 300 fans.”

I am not against the existence of the WNBA; I just don’t want to see anyone pretend that it is a major pro sports league.  There are many high school teams that likely would draw at least 300 to a championship celebration.