Archive for the ‘DFW’ Category
THIS KISS – North Texas Version
Notable North Texas athletes, mayors, and personalities offered their singing talents (or at least singing efforts!) to recreate Faith Hill’s hit single “This Kiss.” This must-see video debuted before Faith Hill’s concert at Bass Hall in Fort Worth for the opening concert of the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee’s Kick-off Concert Series.
How did Scott Murray sneak onto the set?
The Headline Made Me Think . . .
So I’m checking out the local news on the Dallas Morning News website, trying to navigate my way through all the flash advertisements (that deserves its own post) and run across this article: Dallas businessman arrested, barred from SMU over student complaints
At the end of the article, it states that this guy was a staffer for both the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and is the chairman of the Texas Commission on the Arts.
So I wonder why they didn’t go for a catchier headline, like : Former White House staffer, chairman of the Texas Commission on the Arts, arrested, barred from SMU over student complains. That headline might be a little long, but not sure why with those credentials the decided to use the generic “Dallas businessman” moniker.
Southwest Airlines ranks No. 2 on list of ‘best companies for leadership’
Bloomberg BusinessWeek.com and management consultanting firm Hay Grouphas come up with a Top 20 list of companies for leadership and how they develop leaders. Southwest Airlines ranks second on the list, behind General Electric.
25 Amazing Snow Sculptures From Texas Snowstorm
I know most of you cold weather folks are just shaking your at us North Texans when it comes to our record snow fall, but this stuff has just been a dream to us, and we’re soaking up every minute of this once in a lifetime event.
More pictures at topcultured.com
Ed Young addresses the WFAA report
One of my readers alerted me that Ed Young addressed the WFAA report in front of his church. I listened to a lot of it, and here are some notes in case you are interested:
- The plane is addressed around the 5:00 mark
- The house around 7:00
- Retirement and investments around 8:24
- His publishing company around 9:20
- Salary around 10:20
- Members of the board addresses the issue around the 12:00 mark
Even though he discusses his salary, he doesn’t mention exactly what the church pays him or if he is allowed a parsonage allowance, but then again I didn’t listen to the entire 25 minute clip, so maybe he or the two board members addressed it, and I think it would be something one could find on the church’s website.
Fellowship Church and Pastor Ed Young Luxury Cover-Up?
Of course the private jet is extravagant, and in my view so is a $240,000 a year for a parsonage allowance, which is not part of what sources say is part of his $1 million pastoral salary. I’m thinking the salary thing should be easy to find out, as just about all churches make staff salaries available, but I wonder if that salary is addition to work he does outside of the church, like writing books and speaking engagements.
As I’ve written before, I’m often torn when it comes to the salary of pastors. Of course I don’t expect them to live in poverty, and I certainly want them to be compensated fairly, it’s just I don’t know how to define fairly. I remember once being asked if I thought a pastor that does the same amount of work as a CEO of a large corporation should get paid the same as that kind of CEO, since the work is about the same in terms of scope and managerial manpower. And I still don’t feel like they should, just as a generals and commanders in the military have similar roles as a CEO or a mayor and governor yet get paid well less, because they do it out of love for country.
I took at look at the church’s website and there is no official response, but Young did make an entry on his blog where he seems to be dismissive of the report he hasn’t even seen. Part of it is posted below:
A local reporter has spent what seems to be a great deal of time investigating me concerning my integrity as the leader of Fellowship Church. We have not seen the piece that was aired, nor will we give credence to it by watching. We do know that the report is scathing and creates the idea that I, along with my wife Lisa, have been dishonest in our business dealings and with our use of Fellowship Church as a means of obtaining personal wealth.
The reporter sent an email request for information, but refused to give us any details or information that he obtained from an anonymous source. He only said that he has spoken with former staff members about us. But we have no verification of who he has spoken with. We do not know his source(s) and it is irrelevant to us. What we do know is that this report was made based on fragments of information gathered out of context and anonymously, and that it disregarded documented information that the Board of Directors for Fellowship Church is privy to and that is known by legal counsel and accounting audits.
The piece insinuates that I keep secrets from the congregation of Fellowship Church and that I use Fellowship Church to create personal wealth. Let me say very clearly, Lisa and I have no secrets.
My life is lived in an aquarium, and I am not ashamed of that fact.
How to get North Texas Super Bowl Tickets for next year
MIAMI — Fans will have a chance to purchase tickets for next season’s Super Bowl at Cowboys Stadium through a lottery.
Fans can send a letter to be entered into a lottery through June 1. The NFL will pick 500 to 1,000 names from the list. Those chosen can purchase a pair of Super Bowl tickets at Cowboys Stadium at face value.
For more information, write: Super Bowl Random Drawing, P.O. Box 49140, Strongville, Ohio 44149-0140. The letter must be certified or sent by registered mail.
Coexisting in North Texas
Years ago a friend of mine sent me an article from a young adult Christian magazine about Bono and how he was saying that all faiths lead to Heaven during the Vertigo tour. In particular, the magazine referenced this part of the concert in which Bono says (in his over-dramatic kind of way), “Jesus, Jew, Mohammad . . . it’s true . . all sons of Abraham.” As you can tell from the footage Bono was not saying that all faiths lead to Heaven, but was stating how the Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths have Abraham in a progenitor role, how Abraham is considered the father of the people of Israel. In short, he just wanted people of these faiths to get along, you know, coexist.
It’s funny, but that article lead me to the author’s website where I engaged in some interesting conversations in a comment forum, and out of that mess I ended up creating an invaluable friendship with someone who lives half a country away. Heck, now it’s one of those as iron sharpens iron friendships. But that’s a story for some other time.
I’m reminded of all this because one of my faithful readers was nice enough to inform me that the pastor of his church put together a multi-faith weekend with his church, Temple Shalom in Dallas, and the Islamic Center of Irving.
My first thought . . . man, this guy has balls, big giant brass balls. Maybe I didn’t have a ‘typical’ evangelical experience, but I always felt that evangelicals really didn’t think it was a good idea to mix and mingle with other faiths, and for those that did, many frowned upon them if they did so without the intent of leading them to Christ. I may not be explaining myself real clear here, but I think you get the general idea of what I’m saying.
But I keep thinking about this pastor and the extreme risk he is taking, and I applaud him for it. I’m sure many of his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ at first may have been worried or skeptical about this, but the man is clear about the overall intent of attending two different non-Christian services as evident by this blog post of his that I slightly edited:
First, it wasn’t an interfaith worship service. Last night was the Jewish worship service and we Christians and Muslims watched – and, where we were comfortable, participated. If we wanted that, we would have one service – but that would not be honest to who we each were. I LOVED the music, the recitations – keep in mind they use, for us Christians, the Old Testament – so obviously I was OK with that. So whether I read Psalms in my church or in their synagogue – it touched me. I’ve never been to a synagogue – so watching people worship in the faith of my ancient roots and history was very moving to me. I did feel a connection.
Second, the people were so gracious at Temple Shalom. They went out of their way to welcome us – I felt like they probably felt overrun by us – we had a few hundred there – not sure how many – but lots. They kept coming up to our members and introducing themselves to us.
They thanked us for coming – I was told again and again they never dreamed an evangelical pastor from Dallas would ever enter a synagogue let alone with his congregation. It made me sad – what impression have we given these people?
Third, this was about our 3 congregations members – not religious leaders, theologians, etc., so the conversation was so different from what I’ve experienced when we bring together religious leaders of different faiths. Everyone wanted to get to know one another. No one was positioning for anything – they’d probably never see one another again – they simply wanted to talk. And talk they did – asking every conceivable question possible before the service and then during the Q & A.
Fourth, we positioned it as multi-faith. So it was not impolite to disagree and anything was up for grabs. They started with me – the first question was do I believe in eternity and how do you get there? My answer: yes – and Jesus. The Imam – yes – heaven or hell – and you believe in one God, and follow the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed. The rabbi – only 1% in the Bible talks about life after death – if you were living in the past you offer sacrifices. We all disagreed and no one got upset or uptight. They asked about the Bible, the Trinity, why do think we can’t get along. It was more of a “relational” conversation than a “theological” conversation – I believe that’s what’s been missing and is exactly why religious leaders on interfaith can’t make much headway. We need to live with the differences and be OK with them.
It’s amazing what can happen when you decide to extend a little grace.
If you are interested, here’s a Dallas Morning News article and a CBS11 television report about the event, and here’s Pastor Roberts’ blog where he details more about the event and other services.
I’m sure some of you will also applaud this effort, and some of you may frown upon it, but I think it’s important to actually reach out, extend grace, show respect towards one another, and despite any differences, love one another. This stuff wouldn’t have meant much to me when I thought the whole world existed only around Mineral Wells and Abilene, but now that I’m in a culture pot, I’m learning the importance of not only extending grace, but respect, despite any differences. Perhaps by acting like Christ, I can draw them closer to Christ.
OMG – Storm Unleashes Tiger On Northeast Texas
A possible tornado in Van Zandt County Wednesday may have unleashed a different kind of threat on the community, a loose tiger.
The 400 pound tiger was housed in a barn in Sand Flat community between Van and Grand Saline. The barn was in the path of Wednesday evening’s storms, which damaged over 440 acres of land in Northeast Texas.
According to the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office, the damage to the barn allowed the tiger to escape into the heavily wooded area around the community.
The Sheriff’s office did not have more specific information on the tiger, but advised anyone who comes across it to call 911 and to not approach the animal.
My in-laws kinda live in that area . . . I won’t be visiting for a while.
Update: Possible tiger sighting
Plano-based Cookies by Design sued over smiley-face sweet
Depending on how the cookie crumbles, a Plano company may not be all smiles.
Eat’n Park, a Pennsylvania bakery and restaurant chain, says it has caught Plano-based Cookies by Design selling smiley-face cookies that it says are “confusingly similar” to its own.
And it’s suing.
Eat’n Park says it has a trademark from 1987 for the “sugar cookie having raised design of a smiling face.” In its lawsuit filed in a federal court in Pennsylvania on Dec. 31, the company asks that Cookies by Design stop selling its version of smiley cookies and pay an undisclosed amount of dough in damages.
A key ingredient of Eat’n Park’s case is the lawsuit’s Exhibit A, which shows a circle with two round eyes, a dot for a nose and a perky smile.
Here’s the Eat ‘n Park Smiley cookie
and here’s the Cookies by Design cookie:
At the beginning of the school year I usually send WifeGeeding and her team a cookie bouquet from a local store. I just looked up smiley faces on their website to see how close they could be to being sued.
Nobel Prize with every oil change
In Rockwall County, a place known for its conservative politics, one mechanic is getting a lot of attention for his latest promotion: a Nobel Peace Prize, free with every oil change.
The offer, which pokes fun at President Barack Obama’s recent Nobel Prize win, sits on a 4-by-10-foot sign in front of Horizon Auto Center on the outskirts of Rockwall.
Owner Ken Sterling says that since he put it there, response has been overwhelming. A photo of the sign was posted online and has gone viral, appearing on blogs, conservative Web sites and Twitter feeds.
“We’ve had more than 400 calls and e-mails,” Sterling said, adding that only two callers thought the sign was in poor taste.
Conservatives and others have been critical of Obama’s winning the award, saying he won it in his first year of office before he accomplished anything substantial. (In Oslo, Norway, Obama said he accepted the award as a call to action.)
In Rockwall County, Obama critics are easy to find.
The county is home to some of North Texas’ most ardent Tea Party Patriots, and it was home to multiple Tea Party events the last several months.
List of top U.S. places to work 2009
The following are the top 50 companies to work for, according to Glassdoor.com, an online jobs site which collected and compiled reviews from U.S.-based company employees throughout 2009.
1. Southwest Airlines Co
2. General Mills Inc
3. Slalom Consulting
4. Bain & Company
5. McKinsey & Company
6. MITRE
7. Boston Consulting
8. Continental Airlines Inc
9. Procter & Gamble Co
10. Juniper Networks Inc
Let’s just say that I don’t miss that work culture anymore
Fidelity fires four for playing fantasy football
Cameron Pettigrew called himself the “Fidelity Man.”
Working as a relationship manager in the private client group at Fidelity Investments’ Westlake office, Pettigrew says he looked forward to work every day. He even remembers telling co-workers and friends that he planned to retire someday from Fidelity, the country’s biggest mutual fund sponsor and one of the world’s largest providers of financial services.
But that isn’t going to happen. Pettigrew and three other Fidelity employees were fired for playing fantasy football.
“Firing a guy for being in a $20 fantasy league? Let’s be honest; that’s a complete overreaction,” said Pettigrew, who lives in Grapevine and has an MBA from the University of Texas at Arlington. “In this economic time, especially. To fire people over something like this, it’s just cold.”
Said Fidelity spokesman Vin Loporchio: “We have clear policies that relate to gambling. Participation in any form of gambling through the use of Fidelity time or equipment or any other company resource is prohibited. In addition to being illegal in a lot of places, it can also be disruptive. We want our employees to be focused on our customers and clients.”
Pettigrew, who was the commissioner of his league, knew Fidelity had a policy against playing fantasy football at the office. But he said the policy was poorly communicated and ignored by leadership. Pettigrew said there were at least 10 fantasy leagues in which leaders and managers played.
Good people, bad management and business philosophy when it comes to work culture.
Volleyball coach benched her over pregnancy
A pregnant high-school student who filed a civil rights complaint after being benched by her school’s volleyball coach says she is now facing reprisals from her classmates.
Mackenzie McCollum, 17, filed a Title IX complaint against Arlington Heights High School in October, claiming her coach kept her benched after he learned she was in her first trimester. Students cannot be excluded from activities based on pregnancy, according to federal law.
The most interesting part: “Students cannot be excluded from activities based on pregnancy, according to federal law.”
Full Dallas Morning News Article
(Hat tip, Barry)
