Saturday, February 20, 2010

Why we want to dissect Tiger's apology

I guess when a guy makes his living in the public eye, his life naturally becomes fodder for our conversation.  It's normal curiosity, and to some extent, these public figures do live "in public."

So Tiger Woods has done some things he is not proud of, and which has diminished his image and lessened his worthiness as a role model.  And for this, he was right to apologize.

So he did.

Now, why do so many people then have to spend hours - and likely days - dissecting what he said, trying to decide whether it was sincere, and all that?  Sheesh!  Accept it and leave it alone.

But we won't. 

Because it is always easier to dwell on someone else's sin than on our own.

Posted via email from suedensmore's posterous

What's with our Tiger fascination?

I guess when a guy makes his living in the public eye, his life naturally becomes fodder for our conversation. It's normal curiosity, and to some extent, these public figures do live "in public."

So Tiger Woods has done some things he is not proud of, and this has diminished his image and lessened his worthiness as a role model. And for this, he was right to apologize.

So he did.

Now, why do so many people then have to spend hours - and likely days - dissecting what he said, trying to decide whether it was sincere, and all that? Sheesh! Leave it alone.

But we won't. Because it is always easier to dwell on someone else's sin than on our own.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Now entering...Lent

For Christians, the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter, called Lent, is a time of reflection, repentance, and spiritual renewal. It's an ancient tradition, and whether people realize it or not, has created ramification in surprising places.

I remember, for instance, when I was growing up noticing that the school cafeteria menu on Friday's was always fish. Mostly it was our school's take-off on McDonald's Filet of Fish sandwich, which we called the "Viking Special.". It was a fish patty with cheese in it, fried, served with fries, and cole slaw. I can't imagine they sold too many of them - they never seemed all that appetizing to me, but maybe that was because I was still in my "I hate fish" phase.

Anyway, not growing up Catholic, I had to ask my mom why that Friday menu never varied for such a long period of time. Who knew it was because many people who observed Lent did not eat meat on Friday?

Many people give something up for Lent. I have several friends giving up sweets, or TV, or coffee, or soda.

Some people add something - more prayer, more serving at a local agency.

Some marry the two. Giving up buying morning coffee, and donating the money saved to a homeless shelter, for instance. Giving to the poor is one of the basic four things that Christians tend to observe during Lent.

I confess, I am late deciding how I will observe Lent this year. I wouldn't tell you anyhow - it's not about tooting the horn. Except to say this - I do plan to ask God to show me where I need to repent of something I might not even realize I am doing.

The point is, it's a time to renew our spiritual commitment. It's not about choosing something to be legalistic about, it's about focus, and on getting things which might be distractions to our spiritual growth out of the way.

That's something I could use. How about you?
Schedule a meeting with me! http://tungle.me/SueDensmore
Follow me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/suedensmore

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Monday, February 01, 2010

Once more, with feeling

Friends, once again music is proved to have a positive effect on the learning capabilities, self-confidence, and academic achievement of children.  A study in the UK is outlined in the article to which the link is posted below.  I encourage you to read it and share it!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8485690.stm

Posted via email from suedensmore's posterous