Thursday, March 30, 2006

It's Not Like the Movies

I just had the opportunity to hear Professor Stephen Carter of Yale Law School speak during the ACU Centennial Speaker Series.

One of the strongest points that Carter made during his speech, and one that he has made for many years as the author of numerous books and articles on the topic of civility and integrity in American life, is that a democracy is not defined by the fact that we are able to vote for politician or party that we support, but when we vote, we are willing to lose.

As Carter noted,when Bill Clinton won the 1992 Presidential election, George H.W. Bush did not refuse to leave the White House, but instead participated in the inaugural ceremonies, because one of the hallmarks of democracy is having the explicit knowledge that our side could be defeated in an election and to still operate as a functional society.

Professor Carter also noted that the rise of vicious partisanship on our national political landscape has fundamentally changed how we interact with those whom we disagree. The word partisanship implies that above anything else "my side" must win. The most important thing is not necessarily the good of the nation, state, or collective body politic, but the elevation of one's political affiliations.

This does not mean the end of ideological discussions, but an acknowledgement that the ultimate end of political conversation is to bring all sides closer to an understanding of the common good and to put aside a needless scrambling over political power.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

I Think You're Crazy, Maybe

Well, thanks to the photography work of Mr. William Austin Riggs, I have a few more photos of the bike ride to share with all of you. I am really glad that Will was taking pictures at the send-off because all of us who were about to start riding were not thinking very clearly that afternoon. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Doing a little reading before heading out on the trip.

Kyle Miller: The Man, The Myth, the Legend.

MT: A Man Constantly in Motion.

Mason has the wrong t-shirt on for this event.

Talking with Matt.

The Big Brother and Little Brother converse in the calm before the storm.

Mr. Matt Phillips

Katy and Cole talking with Matt.

Katy talking to Matt.

This should be some kind of postcard.

The crowd gathers for the send-off.

The tools of the trade.

This one's for you Weck.

Browder gears up for the big ride.

A few final instructions.

Time to hop on the Trek for a nice spin to the coast.

In this picture it looks like either one of the Matt's could be praying, but it was Matt Boisvert.

Mason's ready to go.

Mason and Browder debate about who has to ride with D.

The time has come for the grand adventure.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

I'd Really Like to Help You Man

Bill, I thought the same thing about Adam's Glass Case of Emotion.

I'm really proud that I made the same comparision last Thursday night. A little too proud probably.

This One Went to Market

I guess this is a little bit more important than being quoted in the Optimist. For all the current Optimist members and alumni out there, I mean that in the most respectful manner possible. You can never be too careful now about what people read on this blog.

Since this seems like a good post to provide another link to one of the stories that I have been following, here's a column from Gene Wojciechowski at ESPN.com about the improbable run of the George Mason Patriots to the Final Four.
If George Mason can make it to the Final Four, what else is possible?
  • The Texas Rangers end next October as World Series Champions?
  • The Whitehouse Wildcats as State 4A Football victors?
  • Al Franken and Bill O'Reilly hugging and sitting down to a nice cup of joe?
  • Elvis is actually alive and taking pictures with people in front of Mann's Chinese Theater?

My friends, welcome to a world where anything is possible.

Monday, March 27, 2006

I Will See You in the Next Life

News of the Day:

"Dear Mr. Scott:

We are pleased to offer you admission as a first-year student to Pepperdine University School of Law for the 2006-2007 academic year. We are also pleased to offer you a Dean's Scholarship in the amount of $10,000. Dean's Scholarships are awarded to those applicants who have demonstrated outstanding potential for law study."

I was very excited to receive that information in the mail today, but waiting is not over quite yet. I'm still waiting to hear from Baylor, because if I am accepted there could be a similar scholarship waiting in Waco. If all things were equal, I would probably have to choose Baylor over Pepperdine, but we will see if that is a decision that I have to make. It does make things easier to know that doors are opening for the future and one of those might have an ocean-front view.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Help Me Get Back to Your Arms

This could be the very moment that I realize I'm alive. The moment where I'm stuck in between. In between the life that I have built in 4 very quick years here and the life that is to come. Realizing that I could paralyze myself and not worry about the people here because I know I will be moving on in a very short time, but choosing something else.

Choosing to take each and every moment of this time of "waiting" to realize that if I don't stay awake all of my life will seem like waiting. There's always something new coming down the pipe and if that is my focus, I'll never wake up to see what is here today. Here right NOW.

"When you come to the edge of all the light you know...And you are about to step off into the darkness... Faith is believing one of two things will happen... There will be something solid to stand on...or you will learn to fly."

Thursday, March 23, 2006

I Walk Through Walls

I would like to offer congratulations to Teresa for correctly naming "In a Matter of Days" by ACU's very own Homer Hiccolm and the Rocket Boys as the most recent Song of the Day.
Thanks to the filming of Jim Kizer, Kyle Miller, and the filming/editing of Mr. Hutton Harris, you can enjoy this video about the bike ride.

Right now, I find myself in a very familiar position. After Insanity for Humanity last year, I was probably a very annoying person to converse with. Because of the mental focus that it takes to do something for a very long time, I began to turn every conversation into one that was about the softball game. Now, it seems that I talk about the bike ride with everyone that I meet. People ask me about the ride, ask me if I am sore, ask me how Clark Packer did not die, but most importantly they ask why we did it.

For a few days I'll be glad to sacrifice the possibility of annoying those that I talk with if I can communicate that our ride really had nothing to do with bicycles and everything to do with giving someone hope.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

The Moment's Already Passed

I hope you guys have enjoyed the photos over the last few days. The cliche says that a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes even our greatest digital technology still fails miserably to capture the joy, excitement, or sorrow of a moment.

Even with only the blessing of a few days to gain perspective on the trip, I know that I will remember our trip to California for the rest of my life. Part of that recognition comes from seeing the faces of people when we told them what we were doing, but most of it comes from knowing the difference that our small effort might be able to make in the life of this amazing young man.
This is Matt Phillips. He is the son of ACU Professors Julie and Mark Phillips and Matt has OI. After the Phillips approached Patrick and Cole last fall to see if we were planning another large event like Insanity for Humanity, we knew that whatever we did had to benefit the OI Foundation.

The Phillips family came out to the Bible building steps to see us off for the trip on the afternoon of the 10th, but we hope that our small effort will have monumental effects in the world of research to find a cure for OI.

Thanks to all of you who read this blog and asked about the trip or how you could be involved. I'm so glad that God finds a way to use something as ultimately meaningless as this blog to draw people into the work that he is doing to heal a broken world.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Fireworks and Hurricanes

Nothing like a little victory cigar with the boys.

Pepperdine vs. UCLA Men's Volleyball. #3 vs. #9 respectively.

Andrew showing off his NWA shirt in the whitest pose possible.

The Cali Crew

From a different angle

This is the northern edge of the mountain range we rode over outside of Palm Springs.

Heading into the Wind Farm on I-10 outside of Palm Springs.

MT all tuckered out.

The Wind Farm

A surreal sight

A well-earned sleep after a job well done.

I'll have the written wrap-up tomorrow. I know you are all waiting with bated breath.

Monday, March 20, 2006

Strobe Lights and Blown Speakers

Andrew is enjoying Chinatown a little bit too much.

Heath Huston: The only Ninja ever seen with red hair.

The best part about this picture is the advertisement for Chu Chow in the background.

Ladies and gentlemen, this man represented Gamma Sigma Phi on national television.

Adam's about to end it all after hearing a lifetime of jokes about his last name being Manlove.

This woman could probably kill me.

If Cole was shopping for shoes in Chinatown, he must be more whipped by Katy than we thought.

So Dorothy was Chinese.

MT looks really creepy in this picture or it could just be the fact that I caught him off-guard.

Manlove on a rampage.

Coleman, still shopping for shoes.

This picture reminds me of the album cover for "What's the Story (Morning Glory)?"

The madness.

"Yanni for only $2?"

"You mean these aren't really Oakleys?"

Haggling with an Arab guy in Chinatown.

Straight outta Compton.

Brooks Brothers it is not.

Heading into the mouth of the beast.

I know what you're thinking and no, this isn't a perspective shot.

It looks like I'm throwing up the Wildcat hand signal over this lion, but I know my animals way better than that.

I memorized this in about 2.7 seconds

Alright, I can't resist the "Enter the Dragon" comment. So sue me.

This is either about karate or Elaine Benes dancing. I can't figure out which though.

The most troubling aspect of this picture is the fact that I'm wearing paraphenalia from two different colleges in this picture and I attend neither.

If you are offended by this picture, I'm sorry. And it was all his idea.

Getting ready for the watermelon rush in the fall.

Mason is usually tall, but in Chinatown kids wouldn't even talk to him.

"So your last name is Manlove, eh?"

Looking for the ghost of Bruce Lee

The resemblance is stunning.

A Long Day's Journey into Night

Silly Andrew. He doesn't even have the hand motions right.

Again, I'm sorry.

We have now destroyed all relations between Anglos and the Asian population. Congratulations Blake.

Heath is more into this shot than Elvis.

Did they have to be showing something as sorry as 16 Blocks at the Chinese Theater when I was there? 16 Blocks????????

A little one on one time.

Heath, Angelina is not walking through the door any time soon.

I know it's cliche, but we had too. Don't lie and say you wouldn't.

I don't watch this show and I really don't know why I took this picture except to honor Bill Simmons.

Thank you comedy gods.

Homer Simpson was wearing dish gloves on his hands. Talk about a big letdown.