Tim Keel's Blog

A Few "End of the Season" Reflections

Alas, the Kansas University Jayhawks basketball season came to an end last night.

After the game, I had that sad, heart-sick feeling realizing that the season was over, that I might not see some of these players in a Jayhawk uniform again, that I would be waiting a long-time to see my favorite team to play again. Then I realized that I had felt this way before, but not in awhile...

I have been a Jayhawk fan since 1987, when I enrolled at KU as a freshmen. That, by the way, was Danny Manning's senior year - the same year we won the 1988 national championship against Oklahoma. Every year after that blissful experience, I got used to the Jayhawks falling short, of ending the season too soon. Some of those teams truly broke my heart - read this post to see what I am talking about. Then last year, exactly twenty years after "Danny and the Miracles" won the last KU national title, we won it again against Memphis. What a game. No broken-heart, no untapped potential, a season that ended, not wistfully, or tragically, but joyfully, with promise realized.

After the Jayhawks got knocked out of the tournament in their "Sweet Sixteen" match-up again Michigan State last night, I came to the realization that I was feeling an emotion that I had had plenty of experience with - but none of in the last year: BECAUSE WE ARE THE DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPS. So, I am content. Especially when I read Martin Manley's entry on last night's game from the KC Star sports blog, Upon Further Review. A few choice highlights from his post:

"A 60-55 lead with 3:10 left deteriorated into to 60-63 deficit (0-8 anti-run) and the rest is history. So, ends the somewhat unlikely 27-win season for the Jayhawks. I doubt if many expected 27 victories (I predicted 24) or coming this close to the Elite Eight. Still, once you get near, you hate to see it end. Even so, who believed we would have beaten Louisville anyway? Not me."

I had KU beating MSU, then losing to Louisville in the "Elite Eight." Manley goes on to talk about the fact that KU lost five starters to the NBA draft. He writes the following and includes a interesting chart detailing how each team fared the year after they won the national title.

"Shown below are the eight teams in history who lost 4 or 5 players to the NBA draft, their record the year after, and their finish in the tournament. Only one team went farther in the tournament and KU was the best of the three teams that lost five players to the draft."

1991	UNLV	4	26-2	Probation
1996	Kentucky	4	35-5	NCAA Runner-up
1999	Duke	4	29-5	Sweet 16
2001	Arizona	4	24-10	Sweet 16
2005	N Carolina	4	24-9	Round of 32
2006	Connecticut	5	17-14	No tournament
2007	Florida	5	24-12	No tournament
2008	Kansas	5	27-8	Sweet 16

So that is incredible and obviously the Jayhawk's team performance is to be commended. I am happy with our season as Big 12 regular season champions. And to be honest, I am really excited to watch and cheer for Missouri and Oklahoma as they continue in the tournament. What a game both those teams played! So, as Manley says, and I agree:

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk! Go KU!

Rock Chalk, Tigers! Go MU!

Rock Chalk, Sooners! Go OU!

Here's to a BIG 12 National Champion two years in-a-row!

Have You Seen This?

I loved this book when I was a child. I love this first trailer for the Spike Jonze directed version of Where the Wild Things Are - complete with "Wake Up," the fantastic Arcade Fire song - check this amazing version of the same song. I can't wait to see this. Enjoy.

Brian Hull is a friend of mine who, along with his family, was a part of the community of Jacob's Well. I say "was," but I still consider the Hulls as part of the community even though they recently moved out of Kansas City so that Brian could take position teaching at a seminary. I received an email from Brian a couple of days ago checking in and sharing a quote that has been helpful and moving to him. When I read it, my eyes filled with tears.

How baffling you are, oh Church, and yet how I love you!

You have made me suffer, and yet how much I owe you!

I should like to see you destroyed and yet I need your presence.

You have given me so much scandal and yet you have made me understand sanctity.

I have seen nothing in the world more devoted to obscurity, more compromised, more false, and I have touched nothing more pure, more generous, more beautiful. How often I have wanted to shut the doors of my soul in your face, and how often I have prayed to die in the safety of your arms.

No, I cannot free myself from you, because I am you, although not completely.

And where should I go?

This quote comes from Carlo Carretto and is found in his book, The God Who Comes.

Anyone who has sought to live out their life of faith in the midst of a particular community, who has sought to be a Jesus-person with other Jesus-people, knows both the highs and the lows of true, as opposed to idealized, community. I think this reality is what underpins what Carretto has written.

Reading Carretto here reminds me of both the joys and costs of discipleship. As I read and re-read this quote, I find that the divine tension that he describes to be incredibly compelling. Some might read it and be discouraged by the first and very human halves of each of his propositions. Many people allow themselves to be taken out of play by such things. Rather than discouraging me, though, I find that I am pulled forward by the beauty and promise of the second, divine half of the equation. And let me also say I am stirred not in spite of the limitations of the first-half statements but because it is God who enters those very limited, human, and broken places to claim, transform, and make them holy. It is this hope and reality that ignites and fuels my desire to be bound again and again to God, to Christ, and to his bride, the church - a broken, messy, beautiful, glorious Church/church filled with broken, messy, beautiful, and glorious people.

My friend and YouthFront CEO, Mike King (also a JW elder) has written a great post on his blog about the use of fear as a means of raising money to fund youth ministry, among many other things. Mike has worked with youth and within youth culture for over 30 years. Take a minute and read his post. It is very thoughtful, wise, and instructive. Here is the opening salvo:

"Unfortunately, one of the most successful strategies for funding youth ministry involves demonizing young people. This process involves painting a picture using statistics, stories, and alarmist scare tactics in order to convince adults to give money to help reach the youth culture because 'it's never been worse.' This strategy works for fund-raising, but I don't think this posture of viewing teenagers as the most evil demographic group creates an environment that results in genuine salvation and the biblical Christian formation of young people as disciples of Jesus Christ."

Due to our vacation last week and Monday morning's early departure, I didn't get to follow up with some further reflections from the message on Sunday. I had talked about greed, the third sin in our Lenten series on the seven deadly sins.  

Towards the end of the message I made the comment that one of the reasons we give money to the poor and to the church is because it lessens the power that Mammon (the spiritual entity we worship when greed is at work) has on us. Greed is so much about possession - having possessions, possessing our possessions, being possessed by our possessions. Gratitude and generosity effects in us a declaration of independence, of defiance and rebellion against the fear and idolatry that greed leverages in our lives. Gratitude and generosity act to exorcise the false god Mammon, reminding us that all we have is the blessing of a gracious and generous God. When that becomes our orientation, we stop seeing giving as sacrifice or a loss to our bottom line and see it instead as a way to joyfully participate in the life of God as He himself lives it - graciously and generously self-giving.

Following the worship gathering Sunday night, I returned to my office and found that someone had placed a note in my door. On the 3x5 card, there was written a wonderful quote from George MacDonald that I would like to share with you. While it doesn't address greed specifically, it gets at the heart of what I was trying to communicate. Thanks to whoever left this for me.

"Love of thy neighbor is the only way out of the dungeon of self."

Yes.

Last week was spring break for my kids, so we took the week off and drove our car nearly eight hours due south to camp for the week. It was really fun. We went to DeGray State Park, outside of Arkadelphia, AR. What a beautiful place. The reason we drove so far? Camping in March is generally an iffy proposition and we figured the further south we got, the greater chance we had to remain thawed. And for the most part, we were right. I think the coldest it got was the low 40s/upper 30s.

One of the highlights of the trip for me was driving into Hot Springs. Hot Springs is a cool town, and also the home to a national park. I am a nerd that way, by the way - I love to go to national historic sites, parks, memorials, etc. I began collecting site cancellation stamps in the early 90s (Big Bend National Park was the first one in 1992) and have been doing so ever since. About four years ago, I finally bought the National Park Passport and have been subsequently filling it, rather than my journals, with stamps. And so, I got another park cancellation stamp, which now raises my nerd quotient another degree or ten.

The one down-side to our trip? Missing the first two days of the NCAA basketball tournament. Everyone filled out a bracket and we kept refreshing the feed on my phone to see how we were doing. The hardest part was driving home on Friday when the Jayhawks were playing North Dakota State University. I had hoped to find the game somewhere on the AM dial, but the only stations available broadcast either conservative and/or religious shows. Which is fine - except when the Jayhawks are playing! So picture it: me driving on two-lane winding and mountainous Arkansas highways constantly updating my phone to stay current with the game. When it was finally over and the Jayhawks had prevailed, I was exhausted and my neck, shoulders, and back were in knots. I think Mimi thinks I am nuts. She is supportive though, and for that I am grateful. Ahh, the glory of being a fan.

My bracket looks pretty good, by the way. I went 24-8 in the first round, which is 75%. But round two was stellar: 15-1! We'll see how I continue to do. Until then, go Big 12: Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma!

Anyone do any spring break travel? How is your bracket looking?

Two words: flip flops.

We are currently doing a sermon series at Jacob's Well on the seven deadly sins. Last week, we addressed two of the seven sins: gluttony and lust. I dealt with them together because these two sins are conceived as carnal, as opposed to, spiritual sins - that is they are sins connected to our bodies and their appetites. But after setting them up as two manifestations of fleshly sins, I talked about each separately. I have since discovered that the distinction is unnecessary.

Beth Mercer, source of all good C.S. Lewis quotes, found this gem today, and forwarded it to me.

"He that looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it, hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart." - from Letters to an American Lady

See what I mean? Ahh, Mr. Lewis, you know us too well.

I was just on Mike Kruse's blog, The Kruse Khronicle, and found this cool little link:

THE NO.1 SONG ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY

What this site does is give you the number one song from the Billboard charts for any date you pick.

The number one song the day I was born? "Hey Jude," by the Beatles. Nice.

The number one song on Mimi's birthday? "Hello, I Love You," by the Doors. Enough said.

The number one song when I graduated from college? "With or Without You," by U2. It is only right that this would be so.

And on my wedding day? What else? "Justify My Love," by Madonna. Of course.

Finally, today is my youngest son's 8th birthday. What tune welcomed him into the world and our lives? "Stutter [Double Take Remix]," by Joe featuring Mystikal. Help.

What about you?

Last night, Mimi and I started the Italian film Il Postino. I say we started the film because only one of us finished it. Ahem. Anyway, it is an amazing film. Caught me off guard, really. Here is a description from IMDb:

"The plot is fairly simple, but loaded with subtleties that allow, and even encourage, multiple viewings. Mario (Massimo Troisi) longs for something more than his simple fisherman life on an Italian island. He takes a small job as a postman, delivering mail to famed romantic poet Pablo Neruda (Phillipe Noiret), who is living on the same island, in exile from Chile. Over time, they develop a relationship that is based on Neruda aiding Mario in wooing his beloved Beatrice (Maria Grazia Cucinotta)."

I had heard of it, but hadn't thought much about it. Then a year ago last spring, I saw one scene from the movie that I thought was really intriguing. I was teaching a class on preaching for Nazarene Theological Seminary. One of the requirements for the class was that each student pick a film clip that somehow could be used to help tell a story. It was fun to see what my students came up with. It is in this context that one student showed a clip from Il Postino.

So anyway, I finally got around to putting it on my Netflix queue and like I said, watched it last night. If you haven't seen it, and you don't mind subtitles, you might give it a try. Anyone this film from 1995? Did you like it?

Isn't She Lovely?

Brian Hull is a friend of mine who, along with his family, was a part of the community of Jacob's Well. I say "was," but I still consider the Hulls as part of the community even though they recently moved out of Kansas City so that Brian could take position teaching at a seminary. I received an email from Brian a couple of days ago checking in and sharing a quote that has been helpful and moving to him. When I read it, my eyes filled with tears.

How baffling you are, oh Church, and yet how I love you!

You have made me suffer, and yet how much I owe you!

I should like to see you destroyed and yet I need your presence.

You have given me so much scandal and yet you have made me understand sanctity.

I have seen nothing in the world more devoted to obscurity, more compromised, more false, and I have touched nothing more pure, more generous, more beautiful. How often I have wanted to shut the doors of my soul in your face, and how often I have prayed to die in the safety of your arms.

No, I cannot free myself from you, because I am you, although not completely.

And where should I go?

This quote comes from Carlo Carretto and is found in his book, The God Who Comes.

Anyone who has sought to live out their life of faith in the midst of a particular community, who has sought to be a Jesus-person with other Jesus-people, knows both the highs and the lows of true, as opposed to idealized, community. I think this reality is what underpins what Carretto has written.

Reading Carretto here reminds me of both the joys and costs of discipleship. As I read and re-read this quote, I find that the divine tension that he describes to be incredibly compelling. Some might read it and be discouraged by the first and very human halves of each of his propositions. Many people allow themselves to be taken out of play by such things. Rather than discouraging me, though, I find that I am pulled forward by the beauty and promise of the second, divine half of the equation. And let me also say I am stirred not in spite of the limitations of the first-half statements but because it is God who enters those very limited, human, and broken places to claim, transform, and make them holy. It is this hope and reality that ignites and fuels my desire to be bound again and again to God, to Christ, and to his bride, the church - a broken, messy, beautiful, glorious Church/church filled with broken, messy, beautiful, and glorious people.

The Demonization of Teenagers

My friend and YouthFront CEO, Mike King (also a JW elder) has written a great post on his blog about the use of fear as a means of raising money to fund youth ministry, among many other things. Mike has worked with youth and within youth culture for over 30 years. Take a minute and read his post. It is very thoughtful, wise, and instructive. Here is the opening salvo:

"Unfortunately, one of the most successful strategies for funding youth ministry involves demonizing young people. This process involves painting a picture using statistics, stories, and alarmist scare tactics in order to convince adults to give money to help reach the youth culture because 'it's never been worse.' This strategy works for fund-raising, but I don't think this posture of viewing teenagers as the most evil demographic group creates an environment that results in genuine salvation and the biblical Christian formation of young people as disciples of Jesus Christ."

Greed and George MacDonald

Due to our vacation last week and Monday morning's early departure, I didn't get to follow up with some further reflections from the message on Sunday. I had talked about greed, the third sin in our Lenten series on the seven deadly sins.  

Towards the end of the message I made the comment that one of the reasons we give money to the poor and to the church is because it lessens the power that Mammon (the spiritual entity we worship when greed is at work) has on us. Greed is so much about possession - having possessions, possessing our possessions, being possessed by our possessions. Gratitude and generosity effects in us a declaration of independence, of defiance and rebellion against the fear and idolatry that greed leverages in our lives. Gratitude and generosity act to exorcise the false god Mammon, reminding us that all we have is the blessing of a gracious and generous God. When that becomes our orientation, we stop seeing giving as sacrifice or a loss to our bottom line and see it instead as a way to joyfully participate in the life of God as He himself lives it - graciously and generously self-giving.

Following the worship gathering Sunday night, I returned to my office and found that someone had placed a note in my door. On the 3x5 card, there was written a wonderful quote from George MacDonald that I would like to share with you. While it doesn't address greed specifically, it gets at the heart of what I was trying to communicate. Thanks to whoever left this for me.

"Love of thy neighbor is the only way out of the dungeon of self."

Yes.

Getting Caught Up

Last week was spring break for my kids, so we took the week off and drove our car nearly eight hours due south to camp for the week. It was really fun. We went to DeGray State Park, outside of Arkadelphia, AR. What a beautiful place. The reason we drove so far? Camping in March is generally an iffy proposition and we figured the further south we got, the greater chance we had to remain thawed. And for the most part, we were right. I think the coldest it got was the low 40s/upper 30s.

One of the highlights of the trip for me was driving into Hot Springs. Hot Springs is a cool town, and also the home to a national park. I am a nerd that way, by the way - I love to go to national historic sites, parks, memorials, etc. I began collecting site cancellation stamps in the early 90s (Big Bend National Park was the first one in 1992) and have been doing so ever since. About four years ago, I finally bought the National Park Passport and have been subsequently filling it, rather than my journals, with stamps. And so, I got another park cancellation stamp, which now raises my nerd quotient another degree or ten.

The one down-side to our trip? Missing the first two days of the NCAA basketball tournament. Everyone filled out a bracket and we kept refreshing the feed on my phone to see how we were doing. The hardest part was driving home on Friday when the Jayhawks were playing North Dakota State University. I had hoped to find the game somewhere on the AM dial, but the only stations available broadcast either conservative and/or religious shows. Which is fine - except when the Jayhawks are playing! So picture it: me driving on two-lane winding and mountainous Arkansas highways constantly updating my phone to stay current with the game. When it was finally over and the Jayhawks had prevailed, I was exhausted and my neck, shoulders, and back were in knots. I think Mimi thinks I am nuts. She is supportive though, and for that I am grateful. Ahh, the glory of being a fan.

My bracket looks pretty good, by the way. I went 24-8 in the first round, which is 75%. But round two was stellar: 15-1! We'll see how I continue to do. Until then, go Big 12: Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma!

Anyone do any spring break travel? How is your bracket looking?

Kansas City - 03/16/09

Two words: flip flops.

Gluttony and Lust, Redux a la Lewis

We are currently doing a sermon series at Jacob's Well on the seven deadly sins. Last week, we addressed two of the seven sins: gluttony and lust. I dealt with them together because these two sins are conceived as carnal, as opposed to, spiritual sins - that is they are sins connected to our bodies and their appetites. But after setting them up as two manifestations of fleshly sins, I talked about each separately. I have since discovered that the distinction is unnecessary.

Beth Mercer, source of all good C.S. Lewis quotes, found this gem today, and forwarded it to me.

"He that looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it, hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart." - from Letters to an American Lady

See what I mean? Ahh, Mr. Lewis, you know us too well.

What Was the #1 Song When...?

I was just on Mike Kruse's blog, The Kruse Khronicle, and found this cool little link:

THE NO.1 SONG ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY

What this site does is give you the number one song from the Billboard charts for any date you pick.

The number one song the day I was born? "Hey Jude," by the Beatles. Nice.

The number one song on Mimi's birthday? "Hello, I Love You," by the Doors. Enough said.

The number one song when I graduated from college? "With or Without You," by U2. It is only right that this would be so.

And on my wedding day? What else? "Justify My Love," by Madonna. Of course.

Finally, today is my youngest son's 8th birthday. What tune welcomed him into the world and our lives? "Stutter [Double Take Remix]," by Joe featuring Mystikal. Help.

What about you?

Il Postino

Last night, Mimi and I started the Italian film Il Postino. I say we started the film because only one of us finished it. Ahem. Anyway, it is an amazing film. Caught me off guard, really. Here is a description from IMDb:

"The plot is fairly simple, but loaded with subtleties that allow, and even encourage, multiple viewings. Mario (Massimo Troisi) longs for something more than his simple fisherman life on an Italian island. He takes a small job as a postman, delivering mail to famed romantic poet Pablo Neruda (Phillipe Noiret), who is living on the same island, in exile from Chile. Over time, they develop a relationship that is based on Neruda aiding Mario in wooing his beloved Beatrice (Maria Grazia Cucinotta)."

I had heard of it, but hadn't thought much about it. Then a year ago last spring, I saw one scene from the movie that I thought was really intriguing. I was teaching a class on preaching for Nazarene Theological Seminary. One of the requirements for the class was that each student pick a film clip that somehow could be used to help tell a story. It was fun to see what my students came up with. It is in this context that one student showed a clip from Il Postino.

So anyway, I finally got around to putting it on my Netflix queue and like I said, watched it last night. If you haven't seen it, and you don't mind subtitles, you might give it a try. Anyone this film from 1995? Did you like it?