Timothy's Thoughts

The Olympics are over. As we look back at it, what is it about the Olympics that made it so special? Is it because it brings the world together for two weeks of peace? No, there was no peace. Even at the Olympic games President Bush was talking to the Russians about a war with Georgia. A Cuban athlete and his coach were barred from a sport for life because the athlete kicked an official in the face. There were questions about judging practices and questions remain over whether the host country, China, cheated to obtain some of their many medals. Peace? There was no peace. Was it special because of how much China put into it? Maybe if you went, but for those of us at home it wasn’t so impressive. Sure, they threw many resources and many people at it, but what good is numbers when it lacks beauty? The 2008 Olympics were held in some of the ugliest buildings in the world. No, it wasn’t the resources they threw at it. The thing that makes the Olympics special is the celebration of our simi...

On the surface, when we consider the difference between guy fiction and gal fiction, we might say that guy fiction is about blowing things up and gal fiction is about relationships, but if we look at a guy movie like Die Hard we can see that the main character just wants to rebuild his relationship with his wife and the bad guys are getting in the way. In other words, guy fiction is about some of the same things gal fiction is. The true difference, if there is one, is in how the protagonist solves the problem. In both, the protagonist will debate until he or she figures out what action to take, but that is where things change. In guy fiction, the action that the protagonist takes tends to be more physical. He might not blow something up, but he might build something or go somewhere or stand in front of thousands of people to ask his girlfriend to marry him. In gal fiction, the action is more subdued. The action she takes might be to talk to someone, even though she fears how he will r...

Not having anything better to do, I decided to celebrate our country's independence with these people. I was surprised to learn that some people camp out all day just to get a good view of the fireworks in the evening. I took the photo below at about 9:30 in the morning. The laser show started at 9:30 at night. It wasn't until about an hour and a half before that show when I realized that there was no room to put a lawn chair if I had had one that I understood why people would spend all day starring at a giant rock. I climbed that big rock and along the way I saw the kids below, trying to get closer to one of the buzzards that landed near us. After having worn myself out climbing, I chose to ride the lift back down. I ate dinner at Miss Katie's. The food was good and there was plenty of it, but their concept of throwed rolls is laughable. Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston, Missouri started this throwed roll craze. I've been there and it made sense. A guy is walking ar...

I suppose they got to where they were going. Last Friday, I saw about forty kids and five teachers get off a plane in the Atlanta airport. They all wore brightly colored T-shirts. "Stay with your groups. Stay in this terminal area and don't go out past baggage claim," the older of the two male teachers said loudly. Concourse D, where we were, is big enough as it is to lose a few kids if they failed to check in as they were instructed. Baggage claim is about a mile from gate D2. In between there are several concourses the look very similar. I was just glad that I was getting on the plane they had left and not responsible for getting them all on another plane three hours later.

Today Rachelle Gardner posted a brief blog post written by yours truly. It deals with the discussions writers have with each other. It was an honor to be asked to share my thoughts on her blog, so please go check it out and leave your thoughts there.

I was in Atlanta on Thursday, waiting for a flight back to Fort Worth. I was standing, watching out the window at gate D-4 as a plane prepared for departure. Apparently, the windows were dirty or something because, while I watched, one of the pilots opened the left cockpit window and climbed partially out of the Boeing 737. In his hand he held a one liter bottle of Dasani water, which he poured on the windshield. They used the wipers to wipe it off before he poured more of it on. He eventually emptied the whole bottle. I assume they were able to get the window clean. The next time you get on a plane, you can feel safe because the pilots have cleaned there windshield with bottled water.

I just got back from the annual meeting of the Baptist Missionary Association of America (BMA). I went as a messenger from my church and I am also the Secretary/Treasurer for the Baptist Music Fellowship. Overall, the meeting was very harmonious. There was disagreement, but no one was disagreeable. When the BMA meets each year, it brings together many churches that agree on doctrine, but have different opinions on many other things, such as worship styles and preferences of Bible translations. It is good to see that these people can work together to accomplish a greater good.