Super Bowl Flub and Sufficient Grace

by Bob Setzer, Jr.

As someone who offers up the high-wire act of public performance every Sunday, I have more sympathy than most for Christina Aguilera’s widely publicized flubbing of the national anthem at the Super Bowl. What appears so easy from the comfort of one’s stadium seat or pew, can become nearly impossible when adrenalin or anxiety sabotages the brain’s ability to do its job.

The question as to why a wildly successful pop singer can’t belt out the national anthem, without forgetting the words, is easy enough to answer: she was trying to sing a song with a daunting vocal range before the glare of spotlights and cameras, more than 100,000 fans, and viewers from half the civilized world.  Further, she felt the need (shared by most performers at the Super Bowl, it seems) to strut her vocal talents instead of simply offering up the stirring beauty of the song.

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Founders and Football

by Bob Setzer, Jr. 
With Super Bowl XLV almost upon us, much is being made of the matchup between two storied franchises: The Green Bay Packers who dominated pro football in the 1960s and the Pittsburgh Steelers who reigned supreme in the 1970s.

As a kid, I watched mesmerized as Vince Lombardi paced up and down the sidelines in that gray fedora and overcoat, always conjuring up a way to win. A decade later, the Pittsburgh Steerlers were at their manliest and meanest just as the steel industry was tanking. It gave the locals--and the nation--something to cheer about during a trying economic downturn. Now having returned to their former greatness, these two larger-than-life sports franchises are poised to battle it out on the gridiron.

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Recreation Retreat

Check out the photos from the retreat.

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Defining Spam?

by Bob Setzer, Jr.
Recently, I came across a software jewel that has made my life in cyberspace much easier. It is a utility that nests in my email program called “Unsubscribe.” This little ditty makes “un-subscribing” to emails from marketers, organizations, or news providers wonderfully easy.

Often, stopping subscriptions to an e-newsletter or weekly email flyer is a laborious process. The user must email the marketer or news provider and ask to be removed from the distribution list. The other party then sends an email confirming one really wants to stop their incoming messages. The user must send yet another email confirming, “Yes, I really want to stop your service!” Most of the time, this works, and one’s inbox is not quite so crammed with SPAM.

But with my new favorite program, “Unsubscribe,” one just hits the magic onscreen button that says “Unsubscribe” and Voila, the offending marketer is gone!

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Better to Give

by Bob Setzer
At our most recent Wednesday night’s conference (January 5), we did some celebrating. The celebrating was spontaneous and deeply felt as we received the news our church ended 2010 in the black. 2010 was a difficult year financially for many people in our church and community. As one person at conference observed, “It’s tough out there.” But despite the trying economic climate, our church rose to the challenge of vanquishing our deficit and starting the new year on a firm, financial footing.

Our budget gifts for 2010 totaled $684,665.19 with income exceeding expenses by a little over thirty-five hundred dollars. Of the $684,665.19 given to the mission and ministry of our church, 10.1% of those receipts (a tithe) was directed to missions beyond the local church, primarily through our partnership with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. In addition, another $47,032.52 was given to special missions causes such as Haiti Relief, Habitat for Humanity, the Crisis Closet, the Liberian Student Fund, Ricks Institute, the Circle of Hope, and more besides.

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From Ephesus to Tucson

by Bob Setzer, Jr.
The book of Acts is dotted with riots caused by Paul. Then as now, Paul had a finely-honed knack for annoying people.

In Acts chapter 19, Paul and his helpers, Gaius and Aristarchus,  incite another riot. Paul’s preaching is causing a dip in sales of silver idols of the local goddess, Artemis. Some enraged silversmiths drag Gaius and Aristarchus into a 25,000 seat amphitheater. The theater is soon packed with a raging mob that shrieks, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Things are about to get ugly for Gaius and Aristarchus. Paul is restrained by friends from entering the theater, lest he inflame the situation even further.

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Why Does Change Have To Be So Hard?

by Bob Setzer, Jr.

One week into the New Year, much January 1 resolve is flagging fast. What seemed so easy when greeting the new year has now turned into the daily grind of fighting temptation. The reservoirs of will power are draining at an alarming rate. It won’t be long before the thin, svelte new You--so clear in the mind’s eye--will perish in the greedy grab for another donut. Or the heartfelt promise to rise early and knock out 30 minutes on the treadmill will be squashed with one thump of the alarm’s snooze button.

Some people have wised up and learned to “win” the game of New Year’s resolutions by never making any. At least they don’t have to face the looming spectacle of failure. And a few people succeed in making needed changes: they go cold turkey and quit smoking or drinking, or begin a diet/exercise regimen that keeps the pounds off for good. But in early January, most of us find ourselves stranded in the netherworld of dreams: we can imagine a new, improved Self but seem powerless to create one. Why does this have to be so hard?

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