Friends, after 5 years of living here on Blogspot, the Grenz is moving. It will now be found at thegrenzian.com as a part of the new RobbRyerse.com. I hope you'll check it out and keep following me over there.
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Friday, October 16, 2009
Friday, September 04, 2009
Ridicule Me 2009
Here is my annual Ridicule Robb post - my picks for the upcoming NFL season.
AFC East: New England Patriots
AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South: Indianapolis Colts
AFC West: San Diego Chargers
AFC Wild Cards: Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC North: Green Bay Packers
NFC South: New Orleans Saints
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers
NFC Wild Card: Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants
The Wild Card races really intrigue me this year. I think there are going to be a lot of teams in both conferences in the Wild Card hunt in December. I wouldn't be surprised to see Baltimore, Houston, Dallas, Minnesota, Chicago, Seattle, Arizona, and even Cleveland fight for those four final spots down the stretch.
Super Bowl -
Green Bay Packers 24
San Diego Super Chargers 20
The Brett Favre demons are finally exorcised ... and he retires ... for good ... maybe.
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AFC East: New England Patriots
AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South: Indianapolis Colts
AFC West: San Diego Chargers
AFC Wild Cards: Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC North: Green Bay Packers
NFC South: New Orleans Saints
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers
NFC Wild Card: Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants
The Wild Card races really intrigue me this year. I think there are going to be a lot of teams in both conferences in the Wild Card hunt in December. I wouldn't be surprised to see Baltimore, Houston, Dallas, Minnesota, Chicago, Seattle, Arizona, and even Cleveland fight for those four final spots down the stretch.
Super Bowl -
Green Bay Packers 24
San Diego Super Chargers 20
The Brett Favre demons are finally exorcised ... and he retires ... for good ... maybe.
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Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Did You Know?
ESPN used to have a segment on Sportscenter called Did You Know? in which they would regale us with obscure statistics. I consider myself a pretty knowledgeable sports fan, but yesterday I learned two things I did not know before. And, frankly, they shocked me.
Did you know that professional football players do not wear cups? I heard Mark Shlareth, Stink, on Mike & Mike say that during his career, he never saw anyone wear a cup. That is shocking!
Did you know that Nascars do not have gas gauges? I heard a driver on Jim Rome talking about how they have to calculate MPGs and hope they run out of gas. That is shocking!
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Did you know that professional football players do not wear cups? I heard Mark Shlareth, Stink, on Mike & Mike say that during his career, he never saw anyone wear a cup. That is shocking!
Did you know that Nascars do not have gas gauges? I heard a driver on Jim Rome talking about how they have to calculate MPGs and hope they run out of gas. That is shocking!
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Monday, August 17, 2009
Big Ups to the VOT
I don't like church business meetings. I have been through more than my fair share of miserable ones.
Once, a lady stood up at a business meeting, read my job description and said, "I don't think Robb is doing his job." that started a 2 hour conversation about whether or not I was doing my job.
I've been dismissed from meetings so that people could discuss whether or not I deserved a raise.
There have been plenty of meetings that felt a lot like being taken out to the woodshed.
I've endured a lot of fair and unfair criticism. Not the constructive kind. To my face and behind my back.
I've had to stand up alone before groups and propose and defend decisions I wasn't really personally on board with.
All of this is why business and board meetings tie me up in knots. I get that pit of the stomach feeling. I get the spastic colon.
Yesterday at Vintage, our Oversight Team met. On the way to church, I said to Vanessa, "Will I always feel like this before meetings?"
Such feelings are totally unwarranted when it comes to the Vintage Oversight Team. Rarely have I ever had the opportunity to serve with such a humble, gracious, and good group of people. They amaze me with their concern for our community and for me and Vanessa.
I just want to say a big THANK YOU to these special people.
Once, a lady stood up at a business meeting, read my job description and said, "I don't think Robb is doing his job." that started a 2 hour conversation about whether or not I was doing my job.
I've been dismissed from meetings so that people could discuss whether or not I deserved a raise.
There have been plenty of meetings that felt a lot like being taken out to the woodshed.
I've endured a lot of fair and unfair criticism. Not the constructive kind. To my face and behind my back.
I've had to stand up alone before groups and propose and defend decisions I wasn't really personally on board with.
All of this is why business and board meetings tie me up in knots. I get that pit of the stomach feeling. I get the spastic colon.
Yesterday at Vintage, our Oversight Team met. On the way to church, I said to Vanessa, "Will I always feel like this before meetings?"
Such feelings are totally unwarranted when it comes to the Vintage Oversight Team. Rarely have I ever had the opportunity to serve with such a humble, gracious, and good group of people. They amaze me with their concern for our community and for me and Vanessa.
I just want to say a big THANK YOU to these special people.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
I Hope No One's Turned Me In Yet
Since when does the White House "keep track" of our "casual conversation" that they might contain "disinformation"?
I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I find this seriously unsettling.
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There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.
I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I find this seriously unsettling.
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Sunday, July 26, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Spiritual Disciplines: Solitude
I posted a new reflection on the spiritual discipline of solitude on the Vintage Fellowship blog. Check it out.
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Blue Skies
I consider myself a cynical optimist. It's a strange mix, I know.
On the one hand I am a very hopeful person with a positive worldview. My theology is very optmistic. I love what Wolfhart Pannenberg said, that God is the power of the future.
On the other hand, I'm pretty cynical. I've been disappointed enough times to be dubious about getting my hopes up about much.
Yesterday at Vintage, we had a time of silence in our worship gathering. I had just spoken very optimistically about how the silence allows us to hear God. During the time of silence, I was struggling with my own cynical self-talk.
In this, for me, typically paradoxical moment, I was standing by the back door, looking out the window. And it was as if God drew my attention to the beautiful blue skies above.
Blue skies have this way of brightening our mood without us even realizing it. They capture our imaginations as we try to make shapes in the clouds floating through them. They symbolize that today is going to be a good day.
Too often, I am "blue skies" about everything but what is happening in my life. I got a sense yesterday that God was calling me to a better version of myself, one that is less cynical and more hopeful.
God has interesting timing.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
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On the one hand I am a very hopeful person with a positive worldview. My theology is very optmistic. I love what Wolfhart Pannenberg said, that God is the power of the future.
On the other hand, I'm pretty cynical. I've been disappointed enough times to be dubious about getting my hopes up about much.
Yesterday at Vintage, we had a time of silence in our worship gathering. I had just spoken very optimistically about how the silence allows us to hear God. During the time of silence, I was struggling with my own cynical self-talk.
In this, for me, typically paradoxical moment, I was standing by the back door, looking out the window. And it was as if God drew my attention to the beautiful blue skies above.
Blue skies have this way of brightening our mood without us even realizing it. They capture our imaginations as we try to make shapes in the clouds floating through them. They symbolize that today is going to be a good day.
Too often, I am "blue skies" about everything but what is happening in my life. I got a sense yesterday that God was calling me to a better version of myself, one that is less cynical and more hopeful.
God has interesting timing.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
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Saturday, July 18, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Book Review: Nickel and Dimed
I don't know if would be too self-indulgent of me, bit I thought I would make some comments about the latest book I've read, Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich.
In her story, Ehrenreich tells of trying to live as a member of the working poor. She tries several jobs, such as waitressing, cleaning, and retail, in hopes of making enough in a month to buy food and pay her rent. She experiments in Key West FL, Maine, and Minneapolis. And she doesn't have much success.
I am left with a couple of fairly obvious observations. First, being poor sucks. My mom says that God teaches us lessons, regardless of whether we are rich or poor. Then she jokes that she's ready to learn some of those lessons that rich people learn. I think a lot of us think of ourselves as poor. But how many of us have really been in the quicksand of poverty? If Ehrenreich's experience is true, it is a scary place.
My second thought is that I don't know what the solution is. I've always been skeptical of government solutions to problems. But I also recognize that the market has gaps. Ideally, the church and other faith-based groups could fill those gaps, I suppose. But the problem of deep poverty is so big that I am uncharacteristically pessimistic about it.
At the very least, Nickel and Dimed gave me more exposure to the problem. And that is a good thing.
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In her story, Ehrenreich tells of trying to live as a member of the working poor. She tries several jobs, such as waitressing, cleaning, and retail, in hopes of making enough in a month to buy food and pay her rent. She experiments in Key West FL, Maine, and Minneapolis. And she doesn't have much success. I am left with a couple of fairly obvious observations. First, being poor sucks. My mom says that God teaches us lessons, regardless of whether we are rich or poor. Then she jokes that she's ready to learn some of those lessons that rich people learn. I think a lot of us think of ourselves as poor. But how many of us have really been in the quicksand of poverty? If Ehrenreich's experience is true, it is a scary place.
My second thought is that I don't know what the solution is. I've always been skeptical of government solutions to problems. But I also recognize that the market has gaps. Ideally, the church and other faith-based groups could fill those gaps, I suppose. But the problem of deep poverty is so big that I am uncharacteristically pessimistic about it.
At the very least, Nickel and Dimed gave me more exposure to the problem. And that is a good thing.
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Monday, July 13, 2009
Spiritual Disciplines
As a part of our new series at Vintage, There's An App For That, I've posted a new entry on the Vintage blog about spiritual disciplines. Check it out here.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
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