Invisible Children

I just spent a couple of hours with some of the youth from our church who were showing a movie regarding the Invisible Children of Uganda. This is a documentary showing the suffering and plight of children who run from their rural homes to the cities to escape the atrocities of being abducted and forced into slavery, raped, turned into soldiers, or even worse, killed.

It seems impossible for me to express the impact this had on me, so I invite you to look at the InvisibleChildren.com website.

The documentary was very moving and made me wonder what I could do. I’m just one man and these kids are on the other side of the earth. Can I really make a difference?

And then I watch my daughter and her friends as they work to raise awareness of this African tragedy. Tonight they are recreating the 5-mile walk many of these kids take each day and night to go to school and then back to the safety of hospitals and other public places. They will sleep at the local hospital and then walk 5 miles back to school tomorrow morning.

These kids are putting action to their beliefs that we should do something. And while it may seem insignificant, they are jumping into action with the resources they have. So when did I become complacent and think that I couldn’t make a difference any longer? I fear I am making myself invisible out of ignorance and lack of action.

This... is American Idol

As I watched tonight’s American Idol, I was like a giddy school kid to hear that Scott Krippayne was co-writer of the winning song in the new songwriter competition portion of the show. It has been fun over the past couple of years to see Christian music show up on this popular reality show. Season 4 had Nadia Turner sing “The Power of Love” by Ashley Cleveland. This year Chris Sligh sang dc Talk’s “Wanna Be Loved.” And who can miss 3rd place finisher Melinda Doolittle who has done some impressive backing vocals on albums by Charlie Peacock and others.

I am glad that music made by Christians AND Christian music is finding its way into the mainstream. There are so many components to why this is happening (society’s spiritual hunger, disgust with inappropriate lyrics, and quality production in recent years in the CCM industry to name a few.) But regardless of the reasons, I’m thankful that people in the high profile entertainment industry are staying true to God’s command to be salt and light to our world.

Benny's Back!

When I was a much younger lad, and before I knew what an audiophile was, I really enjoyed the music of Benny Hester. Not only did he have a great sound, he wrote songs that really affected me during various times of my life. “Nobody Knows Me Like You,” was important during the break-up of a relationship. “When God Ran” helped during a difficult time in college. I even got to promote a concert with Benny when I was first starting my concert promotion business.Benny took a break for a while and worked in TV. From 1993 to 1996 he was a Music Producer and Songwriter for the Nickelodeon show Roundhouse (which incidentally starred an up-and-coming Crystal Lewis.)I’m happy to report that after a nearly 17 year break, Benny is working on a new record. Check out his new songs on his web site.

Bigger and Better

"Now with twice the calcium!"
"Home of the largest airplane in the world."
"More horsepower than our competitors."

I’m struck by society’s need to out-do everyone. We want “new and improved.” We have to have more capacity. A large soda isn’t enough, we have to upgrade to an extra large.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that technology allows us to create more for less money in less time. I’m aware that innovation spawns growth.

But sometimes I wish that we could all just enjoy status quo. That keeping up with the Joneses would mean staying in touch with them as individuals, not trying to buy a better boat or a bigger lawn mower. How can I make “bigger and better” refer to my relationship with people, and not with things? Is it possible to connect with people without having to compare ourselves with their things or their status?

I hope so…

A Hard Act To Follow

When I started this blogging adventure, I had grandiose ideas of documenting my thoughts on a daily basis. But to be quite truthful, I’ve found it difficult to come up with anything interesting to say the past couple of days. I long for the skill to be witty and clever and to change the world with my thoughts [insert maniacal laugh of Dr. Evil here].


I have been inspired by several folks who blog nearly daily. These people write about their observations, feelings, and opinions.

My favorite is a second cousin whose nearly daily entries are succinct, entertaining, and thought provoking.

I also enjoy reading the thoughts from our music pastor and church secretary (yes, they are married… to each other).

My goal is to be more aware of my surroundings and document the things I care about. I think that means taking a more active, intentional role in my day-to-day activities.

It's OK...

.... to be in a bad mood.

You know, growing up I thought that bad moods were supposed to be pushed down inside and covered with a fake smile. Being upset was a bad thing. My parents never really taught that in words, but that is what our family did in action. I've lived under that motto for nearly 3 1/2 decades.

Then I met the woman of my dreams. And she explained... no encouraged me to own my bad moods. All I have to tell her is that I'm mad, or grumpy, or sad. And I'm free to vent that emotion. I can't tell you how freeing that is. I'm no longer an emotional pressure cooker, shoving more anger and frustration inside, waiting for the top to blow. Now I just express my moods and let them desolve away. At least that is the goal. 35+ years of stuffing practice is a hard habit to break.

That being said... I'm in a funky mood. And its OK.

MMMM

So, I've been watching several of my friends’ blogs and they have inspired me to attempt a daily routine of documenting some of my thoughts. I've been impressed by some of the clever names people give their blogs, and I knew I had to come up with something clever as well.

Problem: I don't consider myself to be very creative. In fact, I'm a numbers guy and do better with the constancy of numbers. (You only have to count to 10 as an accountant, you know.) Not necessarily part of the standard creative mind.

Solution: When I was a kid in high school, I published a monthly newsletter that I sent to all my friends as a way of keeping in touch (this was way before the advent of e-mail.) One of my friends came up with the name Mischievous Maurer's Miscellaneous Misquotes as the title of this weak attempt at communication. As I contemplated the name of this small space of internet real estate, I thought the title would fit here as well.

Finally, I decided to create a blog category called MMMM for the completely random and uncatagorizeable drivel I will spill on these pages; very miscellaneous, slightly mischievous, and largely misquotable.

So, I've succeeded in a couple of things today. I've created another entry into the public online diary that is my blog. I've been ever so slightly creative by giving homage to a historical burst of creativity (unfortunately not mine). And I've given myself yet one more opportunity to elaborate effusively on inconsequential topics.

Boy, isn't that a hook to keep you coming back for more!