Dan Cooley's Blog, page 14

The King of Torts: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good:

John Grisham is back to writing his more typical legal thrillers. It’s a great way to waste some time when nothing is pressing and The Bachelor is the only thing on TV. Until you get to “the ugly” that is

The Bad:

The good guy is… rather yuck. It’s hard to feel bad when the good guy falls – and lands in his $45-million-dollar jet.

The Ugly:

At the end of the book there is a trial at the Coconino County Courthouse in Flagstaff AZ. The book says it was the second week in September that morning, and temperature was already pushing 105F. Not likely. I grew up in Northern Arizona. When Jesus returns, I figure He will set up camp in Flagstaff. Maybe.

Flagstaff is 7000’ above sea level, making it 2000’ higher than Denver. It has NEVER hit 100F. Ever. It’s most extreme temperatures range from -30F in January of 1937 to 97F in July of 1973. It has an annual snowfall average of over 100 inches, making it one of the snowiest cities in the USA.

OK, so it was a pretty good book and this is just a glitch. But little things like a revolver that has a magazine, emergency brakes that lock up the front wheels, and cities described incorrectly somehow jerk me out of the story. So John, if you’re googling your name on a boring day when The Bachelor is the only thing on TV, and find this blog, I hope you’re listening.

 

 

 

Nothing to Lose: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

(Jack Reacher book 12) BY LEE CHILD

The Good:

I love Lee Child’s writing style. His descriptions draw you in instead of bore you, and he has a way of keeping the suspense building. But, for this book, the writing style is the best thing about it.

The Bad:

Reacher’s political views must be the author’s views, because they just don’t fit a guy like Reacher. And to see our current middle east military actions as unjust and, in comparison, our previous ones as just – this made no sense to me. Had Reacher never heard of Vietnam? And then there was Reacher picking fights and maybe killing people that didn’t seem to deserve it. And our hero Reacher talking a married woman into sleeping with him because her husband was comatose. But, the worst part of all was the religious lie. That was flat ugly.

The Ugly:

Lee lied. Well, not exactly, instead he had an Anglican minister lie in a convincing way to make the Bible seem foolish. And his argument is, well, a lie. Attacking people’s beliefs, attacking the Bible is fair game. However, lying to do it is a cheap shot.

In talking about the book of Revelation, Lee has the Anglican minister say, “It was written either in Ancient Hebrew or Aramaic, and copied by hand many times, and then translated into Koine Greek, and copied by hand many times, and then translated into Latin, and copied by hand many times, and then translated into Elizabethan English and printed, with opportunities for error and confusion at every single stage. Now it reads like a bad acid trip…”

No Anglican pastor could be so ignorant. Nor should an author be that ignorant, even if this is fiction.

This paragraph makes it sound like our English Bible is so many copies removed from the original languages that it is unreliable. It’s a lie. I have, in my office, a Greek to English translation of the entire NT. And, shock to Lee Child and his Anglican pastor, although people spoke in many languages (including Hebrew or Aramaic) at the time of Christ, Greek had been the common written language (the lingua-franca) since the conquests of Alexander the Great around 330BC.

So, John’s original writing of Revelation was in Greek – and we currently have Greek to English direct translations. What we have is reliable copy of what he wrote. Maybe you believe it and maybe you think it is a bad acid trip – but it is reliable. Where Lee got this copy to a copy to a copy idea and why he put it in is a mystery. I hate it when fiction slides into the realm of non-fiction so the author can “prove” his point. It’s just ugly.

 

Cooley 2015 End of Year Letter

Emerson’s first REAL Christmas

COOLEY CHRISTMAS LETTER 2015 – written by our son Micah

So you know how we always get me [Micah], your favorite grandson/nephew/cousin/somehow related person, to write the Christmas letter, and how it’s always stupid, and how I always procrastinate to the last minute and it winds up being a “Year in Review” letter rather than a “Christmas” letter, and how it’s always a bad idea?

We did it again.

Mama and Papa Cooley: Mama Cooley is working for the first time since having a chipmunk-cheeked baby in 1985. So, for the first time since the Reagan administration, Mama Cooley is employed as a Patient and Family Advocate at Presbyterian Hospital. No, I don’t know what that means, but she’s making more money than the rest of us. The shocker is, she somehow found gainful employment doing something other than quilting.

Papa Cooley spent most of this year doing Papa Cooley things, primarily not going on his sabbatical, because life is awful. I can’t remember if Bizarre Bible Stories 2 came out this year or last year, but go buy a copy. All the proceeds go to the Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation. Read it in your Prius, while drinking your fair-trade coffee in your fair-wage clothing, while feeling superior to all your friends – because you are.

Megan and Jon: MEGAN IS SUPER PREGNANT. She still has like, three months or something to go, so not super super pregnant, but she’s getting there. She’s not quite to the point where you can start making fat jokes (which is by far the best part), but she’s on her way. The kid will inevitably be a boy, because that’s the way life works.

Jon is graduating next semester, right after the littlest Penner pops out, so that’s pretty much right on time. Good for him and his flawless punctuality on obtaining that degree in… something. No one gets a job in their degree anyway.

Amanda and Jake: I FINALLY GET TO WRITE A CHRISTMAS LETTER WHERE AMANDA ISN’T PREGNANT OR HAS RECENTLY GIVEN BIRTH. Unfortunately, that means I’m out of joke material. She was a gold mine for barely-appropriate-for-a-Christmas-letter humor. In August Amanda and Jake moved into our house on account of the fact that she’s having seizures now, so uh, not a lot of joke material there either. Please pray with us as she seeks a second opinion with a neurological clinic that specializes in seizures.

Fortunately, having Jake and Amanda here means we also have Emerson and Oliver in the house. Today I discovered the joy of buying a two-year-old his first lightsaber. Oliver is smashing up the house as I write. It’s hilarious. I love being an uncle. Amanda and Jake seem less enthused.

Myself and Caleb: We’re still not married, so we’re both here. With parents. Still. It’s totally gonna suck when one of us does get married, and the other one of us is written about in a lonely section, all alone, at the bottom of the annual Christmas letter.

FORTUNATELY, NOT YET. We’re both still single, alone, and crying often. It is very sad.

What isn’t sad is that I am only one class short of graduating from UNM. I also move out next month. So hey, moving out at 24 is right on time! Right? I hope you’re nodding yes, wherever you are. I know mom is.

Caleb is back in community college and then after next semester… you’re guess is as good as mine. Which is probably a guess as good as his. I’ll let you know next year in the next letter. The next six months of his life is always a surprise. He doesn’t get bored.

John 1:14 (NLT) So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. James 1:17 (NLT) Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father.

Merry Christmas! Well, Happy New Year.

Micah (and parent appropriateness editors) for all.

Prescott Template

Prescott Arizona (where I grew up) has I believe, the most beautiful Christmas courthouse in the galaxy. It has now become my template for decorating our house in 2016.

Pray for my marriage.

Thanks

Christmas: Bring on the Muslims

I wrote this for our church blog this week – thought I’d reprint it here with a few more personal thoughts.

When I was a kid a I wanted a cowboy outfit for Christmas. Later it was a 10-speed bike. Then a horse, then a Ferrari. Santa was good for 3 out of 4.

What does Jesus want this Christmas? Maybe Muslims.

I’m concerned where all this talk of refugees, Muslims, the church and politics is going. At the risk of being hated for being a bit political in a blog – off I go.

TWO FACTS TO REMEMBER

1 – Mary, Joseph, and Refugee Status: Comparing current political refugees to Mary and Joseph entering Bethlehem is a misuse of Scripture. Mary and Joseph were keeping the tax laws, not running for their lives from political oppression. However, when they ran to Egypt they were escaping Herod to protect the life of their son. At that point they were refugees, and we are all grateful Egypt took them in. So, we do have a similar issue between the holy family and today’s refugees.

2 – Church and State: The responsibilities of the State and the Church are different. The State exists to protect it’s people, and must answer to them (Romans 13). The Church exists to make followers of Christ, and we answer to Him (Matthew 28). So, the church needs to be prepared to follow Christ, regardless of what the State does.

TWO QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

1 – Should the United States close its boarders to Muslim refugees in an effort to protect its people from another act of terrorism? Answer: That’s the State’s problem.

Here’s my concern. In Matthew chapter 7 Jesus said, “do not judge others,” and then a few sentences later said we should judge people by the way they act.  In context He was teaching that we can’t accurately judge motives, as only God knows the heart, thus such judgment is left to Him. However, we can and should judge actions. I get the safety issue, and the frustration, and thankfully it’s not my call. Just remember, a government that can make laws judging Muslims because it thinks it knows what is in their hearts can do the same thing with Christians.

Some governments already do.

An additional thought for this blog: as a result of what Jesus said in Matthew 7, I can support a country stopping immigration for a time from, say, a country with which we are at war. But to try to figure out what is in a persons head is messed up. It’s like hate crime legislation – a mistake. Murder is murder – whether it was for money or hate or not liking a person’s nose. Punish the crime, not the motive. Leave that to God.

2 – Should the church open its doors to incoming refugees, provide them refuge and introduce them to Christ? Answer: Absolutely, that’s what we’re here for!

The last thing Jesus told His disciples before going to heaven was, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NLT)

God may be bringing the ends of the earth to us.

What does Jesus want this Christmas? Maybe Muslims.

Lets be ready.

The Lost Scientist

An explanation of the 3 Wise Men that even kids can understand. Merry Christmas

STORY 5: The Lost Scientist

The Passage: Matthew 2:1-12

Who were the three kings that came to see Jesus in the manger?

We sing the song “We Three Kings” at Christmastime, but the sad truth is, no kings came to see Jesus at his birth. King Herod was only about five miles away, but he stayed home. And the Wise Men, who are sometimes called kings, they didn’t see Jesus in the manger either. They asked King Herod for directions, but that is as close as Jesus came to any earthly kings. So, who were these Wise Men, where did they come from, and why did they come?

LET’S FIND OUT. . .

Matthew chapter two says “Mt 2:1 (NLT) Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some Wise Men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

The word for “wise men” or “magi” can also be translated “scientist, astrologer,” or “magician.” We don’t know much about the wise men, but what we do know is petty cool. We know they were a kind of scientist, that they descended from a priestly tribe from a people called the “Medes,” and that they studied stars. Some were probably into strange religions like the occult, and yet others must have been believers.

If we go back in time to about 500 years before Jesus was born, we can learn more about the wise men. So, lets hop in our time machine and back we go.

Have you ever had a nightmare that was so scary that when you woke up you were afraid to go back to sleep? What was it about?

500 years before Jesus, Nebuchadnezzar (we will call him King Neb) was king of Babylon. King Neb went to war against Israel, and brought Daniel and some other teenagers back as prisoners. Daniel and other young prisoners were sent to wise man school to be trained to serve King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel was just graduating from wise man training when King Neb had a dream. The dream totally freaked King Neb out – he must have woken up all scared and sweaty – so he yelled for his magi to interpret the dream for him.

“OK King, we will do our best.” they said, “just tell us the dream and we will tell you what it means.”

But King Neb had forgotten his dream! No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember it – but the harder he tried to remember the dream, the more terrified he became. So he told his magi, “I can’t remember it – so you must tell me both the dream I had and what it means.”

“What? We can’t do that! We’d have to be a god to do that! No king has ever asked such a thing before, and no one can tell you what you dreamed!” they answered.

But King Neb wasn’t backing down. He said, “I am serious about this. If you don’t tell me what my dream was and what it means, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be turned into heaps of rubble! But if you tell me what I dreamed and what the dream means, I will give you many wonderful gifts and honors. Just tell me the dream and what it means!” Daniel 2:5-6 (NLT)

Have you ever felt like everyone was against you? Without hope? When? Why? Were you really without hope?

The Wise Men didn’t want to be torn limb from limb, but they also couldn’t do what the king wanted. So, King Neb rounded all the magi up to kill them – including Daniel who had just graduated from Wise Men school. What could Daniel do? He was a teenager in a foreign jail in line to be torn apart. His parents were dead or back in Israel. All hope was gone.

Except for God. All Daniel could do was pray. So he did.

That night God answered Daniel’s prayer, telling him both what the king had dreamt, and what the dream meant. The next day, Daniel asked to speak to the king. There were probably wiser people than King Neb around. They were glad to stop the killing of the Wise Men – so they brought Daniel to the king. When Daniel explained things to the Neb, Neb was blown away! Daniel must have become a hero not only to the king, but also to all the wise men. He saved them from a gruesome death!

When Daniel was older, God told him when the Messiah King Jesus would be born (Daniel chapter 9). Jerusalem and all Israel had been destroyed by Babylon, but God said Jerusalem would be rebuilt, and that the Messiah would come 434 years (62 weeks of years) later. It’s probable that many Wise Men became followers of Daniel’s God, as they must have loved Daniel since he saved their lives. If that is true, then they were looking forward to the coming Messiah. It wasn’t long after Daniel died that Jerusalem was rebuilt.

And the Wise Men starting counting down the 434 years.

If you had a time machine, where would you go? When would you go?

Now we will skim over the 500 years from Daniel to Jesus.

History seems to indicate that after Daniel died, the Wise Men lived east of Israel and the Roman Empire (in the Parthian empire) During these years, kings would hire the Wise Men as their counselors. When kingdoms were between kings, they would use the Wise Men to help choose their next leaders. They were the kingmakers.

The Wise Men pop up after Daniel in the book of Esther, when that king consulted with his “wise advisers” in Esther 1:13. That king trusted his Wise Men to help him choose the new Queen of Persia. Then the Bible goes silent until. . .

Mt 2:1 (NLT) Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some Wise Men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him. . . ”

7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

9 After this interview the Wise Men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 1

When the Wise Men came to see Jesus, they weren’t coming to help interpret a dream like Daniel did for King Neb. They weren’t coming to help choose a queen like they did for Esther. They were the kingmakers, and they were coming to worship the new King.

It’s possible that 500 years before Jesus was born, God chose some wise men, a group of scientists, to get special insight from Daniel about when the Messiah Jesus would be born. These Wise Men passed down this information from one generation to the next. When these scientists saw the strange light in the sky, and counted down 434 years since Jerusalem had been rebuilt, they knew it was time to go worship the coming King.

Not being sure exactly where to go to find Jesus, they stopped at Herod’s house. Surely King Herod would know where the baby had been born. But, of course, Herod had no clue.

No important people from Israel came to worship King Jesus. King Herod and the religious leaders in Jerusalem didn’t bother to go five miles to what might be happening in Bethlehem. . So, God went back 500 years to bring some of the smartest men on the planet, the kingmakers – men who counseled kings and chose queens – to travel across from the east to worship Him.

So what should I do?

Worship Him.

Where else is this taught?

Jer 29:13 (NLT) If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

2Ki 17:36 (NLT) But worship only the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt with great strength and a powerful arm. Bow down to him alone, and offer sacrifices only to him.

Ps 33:18 (NLT) The LORD watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.

 

DETOUR

danielcooleyblog:

A terrific blog about tears, frustration, and roadblocks in life. LOVED IT!

Originally posted on Heartline Haiti Blog:

Our grown daughter and her family came to visit us last week for a friend’s wedding here in Haiti. She brought with her a husband, a father-in-law, one baby, one toddler and one niece, our oldest granddaughter. Morgan grew up knowing important things, one being how to pack a multitude of American items in several suitcases bound for the third world. She is expert. She did this countless times growing up. It was more fun than Christmas morning opening frozen foods, fresh foods, supplies and fun things. Our children know their parents well. Both of our kids went on shopping sprees to bring home the loot. We raised them well.

The week went perfectly. No car crashes with small children riding on laps instead of car seats. A tough call for parents who are an ER nurse and a fire paramedic. The oldest granddaughter fell in love with our little…

View original 681 more words

John Ortberg and I

John and I, we have so much in common.

Like short names.

Anyhow I was thrilled to learn I was listed with John as recipients of an Evangelical Press award for 2015. So, here is my unashamed bragging blog…

The article states: The Evangelical Press Association is a professional association of more than 300 Christian publications and affiliates—magazines, newspapers and newsletters—and content-rich websites.

[300. You got that, right? OK, on we go.]

In addition to the Award of Excellence, Leadership Journal received nine additional awards.

Art director Doug Fleener received the award for best cover of the year (for the October 2014 issue: “One Church, Many Parts”).

[really was a cool cover]

Our website, LeadershipJournal.net, received an award of merit in the Christian ministry digital category.

[what, pray tell, is the ministry digital category? casting the demons out of Windows 10?]

Managing editor Drew Dyck’s interview with Max Lucado, “Leading in Prayer,” received the award for best interview of the year.

[Way to go Drew. I can’t talk to that guy]

And other awards went to:

Tony Kriz for “That Mysterious Gospel” (Biblical Exposition).

[Tony is into a cult. kidding]

Skye Jethani, Paul Pastor, Drew Dyck, and Tim Gioia for “Parse” (Blog).

Peyton Jones for “My Near Life Experience” (First-Person Article).

[Peyton is mostly dead? Interesting title]

John Ortberg for “When a Pastor Resigns Abruptly” (General Article—short).

Daniel Cooley for “Pastoral Envy” (Humorous Article).

[they keep me away from the serious stuff]

Doug Fleener and Metaleap Creative for Publication Redesign.

“It’s fun to share news like this with our readers,” said managing editor Drew Dyck. “We hope it affirms our readers in their choice of publications. We continue to work hard to provide the best journal we can for church leaders.”

You can read the full article here.

Confessions of an Idiot Pastor

At times I’m an idiot pastor. Often even.

That’s OK, it helps me get published.

The latest that made Leadership Journal is here.

The quote they highlighted was: “Having watched the entire series of “24,” I first checked to make sure I didn’t have a hole in my chest. Surprisingly, I was okay.” I’m glad Leadership has kept a sense of humor. Hope you enjoy it too.

Holy Sexuality Batman!

Today Jon, my awesome son-in-law, and i started a 3-week series called Holy Sexuality. Our topic today was Holy Marriage.

His better be.

The next two weeks – if i don’t get fired – will be Holy Relationships and Holy Response.

I thought it would be fun and helpful to post some of the thoughts on my personal blog. Maybe a healthy conversation can result. I’ll put my church blog about the topic below, then a few slides from the sermon below that. The sermons should get uploaded here.

OK – now for the blog and the slides.

In 2008, when then candidate Obama was interviewed by Pastor Rick Warren; he said he believed marriage was “between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage.” He added that, as a Christian, he believed marriage was a “sacred union – God’s in the mix.”

But opinions change, and other’s opinions become taboo.

Sexuality isn’t a subject covered often in the Bible. That doesn’t mean it isn’t in there, it just isn’t the focus of Scripture. You won’t find much on homosexuality or incest or even if courting will save you from the horrors of dating. However, there is a LOT of information on holiness. This Sunday, we’re launching into a 3-week series on Holy Sexuality: Holy Marriage. Holy Relationships. Holy Response.

It’s my contention that candidate Obama was correct. Marriage is a sacred union. God is in the mix. It’s purpose is to bring God’s culture to earth. You can have a heterosexual marriage, you may have a Christian marriage – and not have a Holy Marriage.

So, come this Sunday for the beginning of a conversation. Holy Sexuality should never become taboo.