Compassion for Christmas

This year we decided to have a special emphasis in our singles ministry for the month called "Compassion for Christmas." The idea is pretty simple: Christ's coming to earth was the ultimate act of compassion and love by God for humanity. The Father saw our needs and sent Jesus to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. As followers of Christ, we are to grow to be increasingly more like our Lord.

For this reason, we will be collecting funds all month long to provide food parcels for Zimbabwe, a nation which has been racked with inflation and famine. It is our desire that as we cut unnecessary expenses and share out of the abundance that we have, that God would shape our hearts to be more like His. If you would like to join us in this venture, click here for more information.

Christmas in a Cup

This year I believe I am more inspired and prepared for the Christmas season than ever before. This has led to far more blog ideas than I generally come up with. Check back often this month for more Yuletide ponderings and observations.

Today I want to highlight my favorite beverage for Christmas 2008, the Espresso Truffle from Starbucks. Not only is this delicious elixir a joy-inducing concoction beyond expectation, it is also a "compassionate-consumer" product. Teaming with the ( )red initiative to provide care and medicine for AIDS victims in Africa, Starbucks donates a nickel for every one they sell. You can click here to see how many days of medicine have been provided by other consumers. If the winter weather is chilling your bones, go treat yourself to an Espresso Truffle. (Before 6:00pm, that is. You want to allow some time for your metabolism to burn this sucker off!)

Now we can celebrate

I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to getting things in the right order. I never eat dessert before the entree. I do not read the end of a book before I get there; I refuse to edge the lawn before I mow it. I would not think of proposing to my bride to be before I had purchased the ring and had talked to her father. I will not leave a football game before it ends, and I always shave the right side of my face before the left.

That being said, I have a very strong conviction that Christmas music and Christmas paraphernalia should not be used or exhibited until after Thanksgiving. Growing up, I always anticipated the drive home from Thanksgivings in San Antonio, for then we would be allowed to begin playing the Christmas music. So now, it is official. Let the Christmas celebration begin.

(Be sure to turn up the volume on your computer and listen to the festive background music I've selected.)

Fellowship of the Hunters

This past weekend marked one of my favorite holidays-- the opening weekend of deer season. For years this has been one of the most special weekends on my calendar. Each November, I head back to my parents' home in south Arkansas for several days of jam-packed fun. Here's how it went this year:

On Thursday I arrived at Mom and Dad's place around 8:30pm to find a full pot of my mom's homemade chicken 'n' dumplins. Each spoonful is an emotional experience, one which words simply cannot describe.

On Friday, Dad and I test fired our rifles, and then we enjoyed lunch at the Backyard BBQ. You'll not find a better kept secret in slow-smoked delight. After lunch we went out to the farm to put out some persimmons and to do a final check of our stands. My cousin David and his son Ryan met us there, as did my buddy Nathan. Once we got everything ready for the big hunt, we all went home to another inspiring meal by Mom.

Saturday we arose at 4:00am and headed out into the fresh, cool dark to prepare for the hunt. Though we all saw deer, Ryan was the only one to bring one home on this morning. We got off the stand for a great lunch that my mom and aunt made for us. We then all headed back out for the rest of the day, making time for Dad and me to grab a quick nap. The afternoon brought no reward for our efforts.

Nathan and I then headed out to our buddy Andy's deer camp. We stayed out there on Saturday night and arose at 5:00am the next morning. This day was also packed; in addition to all our stand time, we also had a Bible study after lunch. We even managed to have a little more success than the day before. I killed a little doe, but Nathan really stole the show. He killed a doe in the morning, a doe at lunch (while we were all sitting around talking!), and then a huge 6point that evening.

All told, it was a great weekend! For those of us who participate, it really is about a lot more than simply getting a deer. The times of raucous laughter, shared meals, working together, catching up with each other and old-fashioned storytelling make the Fellowship one of the most special things I get to experience. (Sorry I don't have a pic of Dad, Andy, David or Ryan).

Presidential Options

With the come of election day, I want to again offer a word of perspective. As a follower of Jesus Christ, my vote was not cast on a whim, but rather based on deeply held convictions. At the same time, I must make it clear that my wagon of hope was not and is not hitched to these two or any other presidential candidates. Only a fool would put so much stock in mere men.

I also have to say that I have found it difficult to be faced with these two men as the only real choices. I respect John McCain's service and Barack Obama's political skill, but from a leadership stand point I have a real issue with both. Senators, by the necessity of their role, are compromisers; they work to build consensus to get things done. This is drastically different from Executives, who are given the responsibility to make the right decision no matter the resistance. For this reason, I just want to put forward a few last minute write-ins for the 2008 election. (In no particular order.)


1. Howard Schultz-the CEO and Chairman of Starbucks led the Seattle coffee shop to international exposure. It was not until his hiatus from the CEO position that the company overextended itself, leading to sigificant drop in stock prices. With Schultz's return to the helm, he has made the humbling decision to close some stores in order get the company back on track.

2. Carly Fiorina- the former CEO and Chairman of Hewlett-Packard successfully led a dramatic rebuilding effort at HP, including a highly controversial merger with Compaq. While her dismissal from HP was less than gracious, she has taken the high road when discussing those involved. Though she was polarizing at HP, particularly among the establishment, she has a proven track record at getting things done.

3. Colleen Barrett-the former President of Southwest Airlines began with the company in 1971 as a secretary before moving up the executive level. While all the other airlines struggled to avoid filing for bankruptcy, Southwest grew from an in-state commuter airline to become the most profitable airline in the nation. Barrett's pragmatism and down-to-earth demeanor greatly influenced Southwest's unexpected success.

So, which of these would you like to vote for?

Autumn Air

Last night, I turned on the heat at our home for the first time. Now, this makes it official to me: Fall is here! Now, I'm not one of the legalists who say it's not really Fall/Autumn until September 21. On the contrary, summer ends with August. Get over it.

But, when it's 95 degrees outside, you can't rightly say it's fall either. It's just "not summer." It's almost like purgatory- just kind of an unhappy middle ground. But, no longer. Now it's Fall, and with Fall comes some of my favorite things:

1. Cool, refreshing days and even cooler nights.

2. Real football weather (This would mean more if the Razorbacks or the Cowboys were playing well.)

3. The coming of Deer and Duck Hunting Season, one of my favorite yearly holidays!

4. Leaves changing colors. (Though I'm not looking forward to raking them this year. What the heck... at least I own these leaves!)

5. The anticipation of total surrender to gluttony on Thanksgiving Day! Good idea, Pilgrims!

Thought of the Day

At least Nero's not on the ballot.

Reveal

I returned late last night from one of the most intense conferences I've been to. Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago hosted the Reveal Conference, which focused on recent findings in some research they have done regarding spiritual formation. The whole study is nothing short of fascinating. What began as an evaluation of their church grew into a study of over 250,000 people in 800 churches. The conference highlighted some of their key findings about what facilitates spiritual formation, and it also studied 15 churches that ranked in the top 5% in helping their members grow. To learn more, check out Reveal.

While there, I was motivated to do a little research of my own. In my short trip there, I did a comparative analysis of 2 of Chicago's most famous pizza places, Gino's East and Lou Malnati's. (I also tried Reggio's Pizza in the airport, but they weren't worthy of this list.) Here's what I found:

1. Both pizza's take a long time (over 30 minutes) to come out.

2. Gino's East clearly has the thicker crust, by about 1/4 inch at the edge.

3. Gino's East also has more sauce (on top, of course), making it seem a little more balanced.

4. Lou Malnati's has a crisper crust, and a disproportionate amount of cheese.

5. Gino's East tastes slightly better when hot, Lou Malnati's is much better out of the fridge the next morning.

6. Finally, Gino's East cost about $1 more per pizza than Lou Malnati's.

While these facts are quite revealing, more research must be done to make a more conclusive statement. Also, to be thorough, future studies also need to include Giordano's and Uno's in the mix.

Class of '98

This weekend is my 10 year reunion at Magnolia High School. Although we were unable to attend, the idea of it all did cause me to look back. Here's a glimpse back at my life a decade ago:

My ride: 1991 Chevrolet S10 Ext. Cab (AKA The White Knight). It was white with a blue interior, and had a custom rims and fat tires. It also had a 4.3L V6. Not quite the race car that I imagined it to be, but it could scoot.

My crew: Nathan, Andy, Charlie, Matt and Craig. We're all a little older, a little heavier, and some have less hair, but we still love hanging out together.

My income: While still enjoying the financial support of my parents, I did lawns and other odd jobs to put away some coin for $1.13 gasoline and fun stuff. (I actually made 33% more per hour back then than I did working the landscaping crew at seminary...with a college degree!)

My tunes: Collective Soul(check the playlist), Van Halen, Whitecross, and DC Talk. Still good stuff. Unfortunately, my Sony CD player would skip anytime I even drove close to a bump or pothole.

My classes: I loved Physics, hated Trigonometry, excelled in Composition and totally goofed off in Art and Speech. But at least I gave a speech. Would you like a Zero, Andy? "That's ok, I don't mind."

My Obsession: Football. I have been and will always be a Magnolia Panther at heart. Too bad we went 3-7.

Ode to Dreams

In honor of football season, I've selected some special music for the blog for this week. Please un-mute your computer and turn up the volume as you read the previous post.

The Power of Conversation

Conversations happen all the time. They occur in virtually every corner of the world; they are quite common. Sometimes, though, we may fail to realize the potential value of something so utterly ordinary. Sunday I had several unrelated conversations at church, each of which with special significance in its own right. Taken together, they seemed to act as a neon sign saying, "Pay attention! You've got something to learn here!"

1. On the way to Bible study I ran into a dear woman whose husband passed away this week. Though I was a bit shocked to see her there so soon, I went and gave her a hug and expressed our love and concern for her. She mentioned her appreciation, and then we relived a few good memories. It was a short moment, but it occurred to me that this sort of love and support is exactly what compeled her to get up and make the drive to church just 2 days after her husband's funeral.

2. Walking out the door, I passed one of our welcome team members. I don't know this man well, but I felt prompted just to let him know that I appreciated him serving in this way, and what a big help his service was to our guests. He seemed genuinely touched. He found me 2 days later to thank me personally for my word of encouragement.

3. In the hall, I ran into a woman whose son got back from Iraq months ago and is now preparing to go to Afghanistan in the near future. She asked that I remember to pray for the situation in that part of the world, that peace would come. She obviously bore the kind of burden I have never experienced, and she needed to share it with her church family.

4. After the service, I got to speak and pray with a friend having a particularly difficult challenge. When I asked how he was doing, he tested the waters to see if I really wanted to know. When I demonstrated my genuine concern, he invited me to join him in the struggle.

5. On my way out, I ran into a man who just started coming to our church earlier in the summer. He's had some tough times, and when he first showed up, he didn't look like he "belonged" in church. We talked and I showed him to a seat in the worship service. The next week he was back, and we got to talk again. This past week, he thanked me for welcoming him and speaking to him, explaining that he's not been good at relating to people throughout his life. He's now found a church home and is growing relationally as well as spiritually.

Frankly, this past Sunday was not the norm; too often I tend to focus on the next thing I need to get done. The Lord really used these examples to remind me that He works in those ordinary conversations, using ordinary folks like you and me to build His community of faith and expand his Kingdom.

Beijing: A Look to the Future

Like so many millions around the world, I was thoroughly drawn in by the 2008 Olympic Games, enthralled by the spectacles and inspired by the performances. In fact, never before have I been held with such rapt attention by an Olympiad. Perhaps it was the stunning Opening Ceremonies that captivated me so; possibly the Michael Phelps phenomenon is the reason for my unprecedented interest. Maybe I just finally realized the significance of the Olympics.

As I watched the Closing Ceremony last night, I was impressed at the wonder of such an event, not just in the remarkable artistic expressions, but in the global scope. For 17 days the nations of the world set aside their differences and had fun together. Certainly, the competition was fierce and national pride rose to new heights; yet, people came together and played games. Taiwanese athletes came to China to compete. The Putins and the Bushes sat in the bleachers together. And the little island nation of Jamaica wowed the world.

We saw that people really are people no matter what colors they wear. We heard shouts of celebration in languages we don't know, but we all could understand. We saw tears of heartache and disappointment, as well as tears of joy. We saw mistakes and failures, victories and stunning upsets. We saw fear and courage, sportsmanship as well as disrespect.

We also saw the yearning for more. Though with the Closing Ceremonies the politics and struggles of the world will again take center stage, we saw the hopeful vision of humanity expressed in Beijing. Deep down, we all long for that mysterious and majestic land, that place of wonder and delight. We long to peak inside the gates and get a look with our own eyes. We all long to gather with people from every tribe and nation and celebrate as never before. Yes, we long for something more.

Food for thought?

One of the great joys of American living is the countless number of buffets available around the country. One of the staples of our culture is the pizza buffet. From Chuck E. Cheese to CiCi's to Sbarro's, one can enjoy a multitude of styles, settings and economic tiers of pizza buffets in this great land of ours.

With that in mind, let me voice a deep disturbance in my mozzarella-loving soul: why are buffets always out of pepperoni pizza!?! Pizza buffets are among the most mismanaged arenas of consumption in the food service business. Think about it. Every time you go up for a slice of pepperoni, disappointment sets in as you see everything else but that which you were hoping to find. Oh, sure, there's always plenty of Canadian bacon and pineapple, an abundance of hamburger, and several slices of vegetarian. Not a sliver of beloved pepperoni.

Let me raise my voice on behalf of my fellow pie-obsessors. Pizza-pushers, lend me your ears! Is it really that hard to get it right? It's simple supply and demand. We demand pepperoni at the buffet; it's your job to supply us with the goods. Keep your trendy, creative attempts on the menu for those who enjoy a taste of the bizarre. I for one will stick to the classic.

Canoe Trip

This week I got to serve as Camp Pastor for a Men's (and Young Men's) Wilderness Canoe Trip. We headed down south for 3 days on the San Marcos River. It was a blast! A few of the guys had virtually no paddling experience, but by the end of the week, we all safely navigated some class 3 whitewater in our two-man canoes. All told, we ended up traveling 20 miles down the river.

On the more meaningful side of things, we spent our time focusing on Peter's call from Jesus to "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." All of the guys, young and old, responded well and were a great encouragement. Thanks for inviting me, guys!

(I'd love to post a picture, but we didn't take any. Ah, the freedom of an all-male excursion!)

Insights from a Homeowner

Just a few changes I've noticed about myself since we officially put down roots:

1. I have the superhero ability to notice every imperfection, even if it doesn't exist.

2. All I really wanted for my birthday was rain (and I got it!). I'm asking for the same thing for Labor Day and Christmas.

3. Having profanity-laced dreams about others breaking things in our house; starting to wonder about my mental health.

4. My slob instinct seems to have dissipated.

5. Blogging has become a much smaller priority.

And so we came to Rome

I've been waiting to post some pictures from my 4th of July weekend. Hopefully, I'll still get to that in the future. In the mean time, I would like to share an insight I received yesterday while doing my Bible reading.

Acts 28 records the last leg of Paul's trip to Rome, culminating in the simple statement at the end of verse 14, "And so we came to Rome." I've read through the book of Acts several times, and so I know that I've rushed past this particular verse before, without so much as a moment to ponder its power. Yesterday, however, I remembered that earlier in chapter 23 the Lord promised Paul that he would one day testify about Jesus in Rome. Acts 28:14 is the statement of fulfillment for that promise...3 years later.

When the Lord Jesus appeared to Paul and promised that he would preach in Rome, Paul had no idea that he would first spend two years in prison; that he would first share his faith with 3 Roman governors; that he would first be shipwrecked; that he would first declare God's promise to save all 276 passengers aboard that doomed ship; that he would first spend 3 more months ministering to the people on the island, and that only then would he be allowed to go to Rome.

We may hear the promise of God or sense where He may be leading us, but rarely do we realize the places He will take us along the way.

The 4th

July 4th is almost here. Time to get out on some water, fish, and then grill.



I like fire.

LOST Fathers

While I was out driving one day last week, a thought began to form in my mind. An observation became theory, and then theory became conviction. Have you ever noticed that almost all of the main characters on Lost have problems with their fathers? Think through it for a bit. Jack's father was an overbearing drunk. Kate killed her father for beating her mother. Sawyer's father killed his mother and then himself. Hurley's father abandoned him when he was a child. Clare's father (same as Jack's) was unknown to her for most of her life due to his "real" family. Aaron's father was a dead-beat. Walt's father Michael has numerous issues in their relationship. Locke's father was a con artist and tormented him. Desmond and Penny were troubled by Penny's father. Jin and Sun's problems mostly all came from her father. Even Ben had problems with his father, the drunk who blamed his son for his mother's death.

So, here's the question: is this "Father Phenomenon" a key part of the script, or is it merely a sad commentary on our society?

By the way, no problems here with my Dad. He's cool.

Quotes

One of the abilities that I've worked diligently to develop over the years is my ability to remember an assortment of quotes from a wide range of sources. I've spent years honing this craft, mostly when I was supposed to be writing a paper. Nevertheless, I feel a moral obligation to challenge you, my faithful readers, to pack your brains with trivial (and not so trivial!) quotes. Therefore, today I am submitting to you a short quiz. I will write out five statements from memory, and I invite you to take a crack at identifying each quote. Whoever correctly identifies all 5 first will receive a free audio copy of one of my recent sermons. (Yes, I do realize that I'm a cheap jerk.)

Please identify both the medium (film, book, tv, personal quote) and the title or speaker.

1. "Thrice he was offered the crown, and thrice he denied it. But Brutus has said he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man."

2. "The reports of my death are extremely exaggerated."

3. "In sleep he sang to me; in dreams he came. That voice which calls for me and speaks my name."

4. "You sold my dead bird to a blind kid?"

5. "Who's never wrong, but always right? Who'd never dream of starting a fight? Who get's stuck with all the bad luck?

Six Words

Last week the Fort Worth Star Telegram ran an article challenging readers to think about writing their memoirs in six words. Some were insightful; some were dumb. No matter the case, I simply had to try it out myself.

"Love God. Learning to love people."

Now it's your turn. I'd like to challenge all of you to write your own memoir or motto in six words in the comment box. It's a simple exercise, but I believe you'll find it to be quite thought-provoking.

Oh yeah...

I forgot to announce that we bought a house a couple of weeks ago. We have already gutted the bathroom, removed all the carpet and demo-ed some 70's era brick tile in the inner walkway with a 30 pound jackhammer. I'll post some nice before-during-after pics in the near future. In the mean time, I need to go ice my hands.

C. E. U.

Ok, class, our word for the day is baluchitherium. This word originates from Latin, meaning "beast of Baluchistan." It was a primitive, hornless rhinocerous, and is the the largest known land mammal ever to exist.

It is also the name of one of the coolest instrumental songs ever by Van Halen.

I'm just sayin'...

Three ideas American Evangelicals need to consider:

1. God has not obligated Himself to the United States in Scripture. While there are principles that do apply to every nation, we must recognize that we cannot substitute our country into the promises for Israel in the Bible.

2. The New Testament Church did not view their primary mission to be to lead the charge to bring a resurgence in morality throughout the Roman Empire and the world. They recognized their primary mission was to "make disciples of all nations."

3. Doing God's work means more than just voting "right."

What are the implications for the the American church if these three statements are correct?

Spring Stampede Results

Thanks to everyone who prayed for us as we put on the first annual Spring Stampede Disc Golf Tournament. It went extremely well. We had over 50 participants, along with 15 folks from Travis who came to staff the event. Everything for the event flowed together in an organized way. More important than that was the reception we got from the participants. Everyone expressed their gratitude for our efforts to host the event, and they were quick to ask us if we would make this an annual event. Please pray for us as we now follow up with all those who came out for the tournament. Oh, and here are those pictures I promised.

Spring Stampede

Ok, here's the scoop on my absence. I've been preparing for one of the biggest outreach events our singles ministry has ever done. On Saturday, April 12 we will be hosting the first annual Spring Stampede Disc Golf Tournament. The idea is simple enough: We'll attempt to put on an outstanding event for our community to enjoy, demonstrate our church's love for the community, and pray that the Lord will pave the way for some divine conversations as a result.

We're doing everything that we can to make sure it's a great experience for everyone. We've got some great prizes (top prize is $250 to Best Buy!), great food (catered by Eddie Deen's BBQ), and some great tunes (provided by the PowerMobile from 89.7 PowerFM). Now we are just asking the Lord to bless our efforts and prepare those we'll serve. Since you've got some free time right now (as you most obviously do!) please pray for this event and the follow up in the days to come. I'll be posting some pics and telling the stories after the weekend. Thanks!

Too much

I've not blogged in a while, but I have been doing plenty of writing ( and speaking). This week I have already spoken or taught at three different occasions. I'm also getting ready to preach in the 11:00 service at Travis on Sunday. I'm praying that my cold and sore throat will go away by then! FYI, time change on Saturday.

On-Air

After a 3:45am wake up, I made it to my big radio debut. If you missed it, sorry. Unfortunately, they did not record the whole show. They did, however, record the devotional and the interview. If you would like to listen to these, click here and then scroll down toward the bottom of the page.

Video killed...

The Radio Star!!
(FYI, this was the title for the first video on MTV)

Faithful readers of Still Digging, I have some exciting news. I will be a guest host for the Morning Show on 89.7 PowerFM this coming Friday morning. If you want to listen, click on this, and then click on the "listen online live" tab on the PowerFM website. I'll be on from 6:00am to 9:00am. Can you say Starbucks?

Texas Safari

Here are some pictures from our trip to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center this summer. Enjoy!

This guy tried to intimidate me. "You eyeballin' me, bird?"


It was hard not to visualize his head on my wall.


That's not your dang napkin!!


"Please, not the fingers! I want to play the violin!!"

I've Decided

Continuing thoughts from my previous post, it is now my turn to weigh in regarding the involvement of the American church in the political process.

As God's chosen instrument, the Church does have a divine role to play in shaping the moral conscience of the state. It is right for the Church to stand up and speak words of truth, justice and wisdom to the moral questions of our time. We are obligated to raise our voices in defense of the values that the Bible upholds. For example, the Church ought to be the leading advocate for the sanctity of life in every discussion, not only in the abortion controversy, but also when looking at the AIDS pandemic, violence in Kenya, and the extreme lack of clean drinking in many parts of the world. God is the giver of all life; as His people, we should lead the way in protecting the value of it.

In recent years, however, it would seem that many within the Church have gotten so involved in the political process that one would wonder if their title should be changed from pastor to lobbyist. When listening to Christian radio, one who is unfamiliar with the Bible might assume that our Great Commission commanded us to "get the right people elected" rather than "make disciples of all nations." I find this trend troubling.

I also wonder how this looks to nonChristians. Of course, we are not to determine our beliefs based on a poll of what is acceptable to those outside our church, or those inside it for that matter. Our faith will often lead us to take unpopular stands in society. My concern for unbelievers is not whether or not they like the moral position the church takes; my concern is whether or not they believe we take our God-given call to make disciples seriously. If we spend more time talking about who we have to get elected than about our need to share the hope of Christ with the world, our true motivation is exposed. Can you really imagine Peter and Paul sitting around a fire saying, "If we can just hang in until Constantine is in office, everything will be ok"?

Political-action watch groups do serve a purpose. As participating citizens of the United States, many of us are helped by their work. I have no complaint against them. Yet, the Church has a higher calling than that. We have a God-given mission to carry out. We don't have the time or the resources to waste in secondary issues; we must remain mission-focused. We can offer the world much more than a candidate. We can offer the world Jesus.

You Decide...No, Really!

I love Presidential campaigns. I love watching the news each night this time of the season, catching up on the big moments and hot sound-bites of the day. It's fun to sort through the various outcomes of each debate, caucus and primary, imagining all the while what the final ticket might look like. To me, the primary season is better than March Madness.

In recent years I have noticed that the evangelical church in America has become consumed with the political process. More and more we see denominational leaders, pastors, and other respected individuals in evangelical Christianity putting tremendous effort and resources into the political arena. In my next blog I'll share some thoughts on the Church's role in American politics, but today I would like to hear from you.

Does the Church and/or its leaders put too much energy/attention into the political process in America?

Looking Forward

Here's a few quick predictions for 2008:

1. Neither of 2007's Presidential frontrunners, Rudy Guiliani and Hillary Clinton will end up winning the White House. Guiliani won't even get the GOP nomination.

2. Packers QB Brett Favre will win one final Super Bowl over the New England Patriots.

3. The Major League Baseball steroid scandal will spill over into other sports, particularly hockey and basketball.

4. The Arkansas Razorbacks Men's BB team will make it to the Elite Eight.

5. Providing all the rest of these come true, I will pick up a part-time gig as a fortune-cookie writer.

A Look Back

While we live each passing year one day at a time, history has a way of compressing the calendar into cliff-notes form. For this entry, we'll survey a few of the big stories of the past year, and then vote on which one is most likely to be the key moment for which 2007 will be remembered. In no particular order:

1. Filmmakers claim to find the tomb of Jesus Christ, along with his wife and son. This "discovery" was based on names inscripted on the ossuaries (bone boxes). The story was later debunked by a number of theologians, historians, and archaeologists.

2. Al Gore awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to raise awareness about Global Warming.

3. Barry Bonds breaks (*) the all-time Major League home run record. Because of his involvement in the steroid scandal and facing possible perjury charges, Bonds achievement is met with cold recognition. The ball was later branded with an asterisk and sent to the Hall of Fame.

4. U.S. Senator Larry Craig claims to have a wide stance. Enough said.

5. In one of the craziest college football seasons ever, 2007 saw the #1 ranked team fall 4 different times. The "year of the upset" began with #5 Michigan's loss to Division 2 Appalachian State. In the 15 weeks following, a slew of upsets would keep the top 5 rankings in a state of constant change.

So, which of these is the story most likely to go down as the historical marker for 2007?