Tuesday's 10: 10 popular versions of Tuesday's 10

1.  Answers to Questions About the Book I'm Writing

2. Hopes for the next 40

3. Favorite Foods

4. Advice I Wish I Could Send Back to a 19 Year Old Me

5.  Things I Say to My Wife That Make Our Marriage Great

6. Reasons to Read Flannery O'Connor

7. Sandwiches I Wish I was Eating

8. Reflections After A Week of Banking

9.  Reasons to Read Jane Austen's Novels

10.  Books I read Over and Over

Seeing The Chieftains

One day I was in the living room and going through the sideboard drawers where my mom stored dishes only brought out when company came over. I'm not sure why I was looking through there. Probably looking for rubber bands or whatever would induce a boy around the age of ten to go looking through such furniture. In there I found a - not sure what to call it - a banner...small quilt, whatever, with these symbols lined across it in rows. There were dozens of them all over and they were all - for the most part - white and laid upon the red of the banner, they looked royal. Each one had some name upon it. One of them immediately caught my eye and caused me no small excitement because of the name on it.

"Redmond"

Come to find out, these were family crests. "Wait, we have a family crest?! And we are Irish?"

"Where is Ireland?" was most likely my first question.

Since that day, I've been fascinated by all things Irish. Books and music have fed my imagination for years. And we once even considered doing missions in Ireland. It was short-lived but serious, nevertheless.

On Saturday night, my wife and I saw The Chieftains in concert thanks to the generosity of a friend. After the show as we were driving home, I hesitated to, but went ahead and told my wife how I felt. From about 3 minutes into their playing, I got strangely emotional. Wet eyes emotional. We were only a few feet from the stage and you could not only see these traditional Irish musicians who have been doing this for 50 years, and hear them, but you could also feel them. Anyway, it affected in a way I did not expect. We've been listening to their music for about 12 years now but I was surprised at how much I was being moved by the music, singing, and dancing. 

So I told my wife, she said she felt the same and then proceeded to tell me a story. When her parents went to Scotland for the first time, her mom said that even though she had never been there before it felt familiar, it felt like home. And that was my first thought when during the concert I became overcome with a painfully beautiful longing I could not explain except to say it felt like home - a home, that Emerald Isle - I've never been to but would know by feel if not by sight.

Thursday's Random Thoughts

1. Looking forward to a two day weekend.

2. I would like to thank all of you who contributed to global warming for the high of 75 today. No really, thanks!

3. Saw a picture of Pujols in a Halos uni. Still hurts.

4. Why do we call them "train whistles" and not" train horns"?

5. I can't remember the last time I had breakfast meat.

6. All of you trying to reduce global warming, thanks for nothing. Meh.

7. When I was a kid, my favorite part of the day was lunch. Nothing's changed.

8. Reading Moneyball right now and found myself pulling for a University of Alabama catcher. Felt weird.

9. If Pujols had stayed in STL for the rest of his career, it would have been one of the greatest baseball stories of all time.

10. I feel so well-ordered, random thoughts are hard to come by.

Tuesday's 10: Reasons not to do a Tuesday's 10

I don't feel like blogging at all this week. It's gonna be a chore. All I wanna do is read and complain about work and get ready for the Chieftains concert on Saturday night.

But the crowds will demand a Tuesday's 10. So here we go - ten reasons to not do Tuesday's 10.

1. I have to count all day at work. It's hard, counting. Why would I want to do it on my blog?

2. Today is Fat Tuesday and I have a lot of indulgent reveling to do.

3. Pitchers and Catchers have reported to camp. I have no idea why this would mean no blogging, I'm just glad they have done so.

4. To spite all of you read only my funny and controversial stuff and never the essays of literary greatness destined to be enshrined in the halls of obscure blogdom.

5. I am under church discipline at Mars Hill and have yet to sign the contract.

6. If I blog, it will take away from time telling you on facebook and twitter how difficult Lent will be for me.

7. Blogging is narcissistic. (I, of course, don't believe this.)

8. I have 4,763 articles on Jeremy Lin in my blog reader.

9. If I blog today and it's awesome, you will miss out on all the other great blogs out there. You know, the ones talking about the noetic, redemptive, eschatological effect of the new film directed by Sean Penn's son's dentist's dog's former owner's best friend. Hermeneutically speaking, of course.

10.  There is a new indie band with a ridiculously weird name and quirky lyrics dealing with "faith" I need to listen to. This never happens, so I must leave off blogging.

Linkage

1. Megadeath's frontman likes Santorum.

2. C.S. Lewis' 10 favorite books.

3. Solving the mystery of the blue-faced Appalachian family

4. John Stott, David Brooks and Paul Simon (Great story even if you are like me, not a fan of David Brooks.)

5. New app looks at 60 years of Rock history.

6. Why I quit following celebrity pastors on Twitter

7. N.C. Preschooler is not allowed to eat lunch because it was not nutritious enough.

8. An iMonk classic: Our Problem with Grace

9. Education Official says teachers know what's best for children, not parents. And then the video is yanked.

10. One of my childhood heros died on Thursday. 

Thursday's Random Thoughts

1. I never can remember the rules for placing my children on eBay.

2. Can we stop pretending Christian rap is sensible?

3. I may lose man points when I watch Downton Abbey. But I will be comforted knowing I can listen to Adele when the sadness sets in.

4. Prediction: At some point in the near future there will be a government program to provide mp3 players and free music to those who cannot afford them.

5. The present peddlers of religious goods and services employ the bait and switch of grace to draw you in and law to keep you there.

6. Got really upset at Lord Grantham while watching the latest Downton Abbey episode. But then I realized, he's just a character in a show. So now I'm mad at Hugh Bonneville.

7. Baseball season is so close I can almost taste the overpriced nachos.

8. Did you know that if you ignore discouraging emails, they don't disappear?

9. Eugene Peterson is wood, steel, and stone in a plastic religious culture.

10. "Come to me, all who are weary and I will ask you to sign a contract."

Tuesday's 55

Today my parents celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary. Or 56th. They couldn't remember.

Regardless, I'm thankful for their marriage - theirs lives intertwined. Their example of selfless love for one another. My mother's admiration and respect for my father is fixed forever upon me. And my father's deep joy in the presence of my mother is a portrait hung upon the walls of my soul.

For what was annoying as a child - their constant physical and vocal affection for each other - is now a boon for my own marriage. I always assumed my parents wanted to be with each other more than anyone else. Even us kids. I'm thankful for that too.

55 years is a long time to love someone so close to you. But apparently not long enough for my parents.

I hope and have no doubt they will have a Happy Anniversary.