I’ve often joked that I like my women the same way I like my coffee - strong, black, and hot!

But it is true that I like strong women. Not necessarily physically. But strong in spirit: she’s confident, spunky, and don’t take no beef from nobody.

But there’s always a ditch on both sides of the road. So what happens when “strong” goes too far?

Short version
http://failblog.org/2009/11/17/sportsmanship-fail/
Full version
http://beltwayblips.dailyradar.com/video/feisty-play-mars-byu-vs-new-mexico-womens-soccer/

Lambert is quoted as saying:
“I let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation.”

Uh huh, I’d say. Kinda like the chick that broke my nose last month… slightly over the line of unbecoming behavior.

So to the women I know, I bless you, “may you be strong while always retaining your femininity; spunky while never compromising dignity; and glowing in confidence without being unruly.” That, my friends, is glorious and beautiful.

P.S. As I prepare for a strong Mrs. Kaleb Captain in my life, I am very proud of the strong women already represented by the Captain clan (inherited greatly from the Cowart nobility). My five young nieces can all hold their own - let me tell you what! I can’t have favorites, but I will tell you I have a special place in my heart for my karate girl, Miss Riley Marie. I tell her how lovely and beautiful she is and then she blushes, turns a cute scowl, and proceeds to act like I’m making fun of her - “stop it Uncle Kaleb”, “nuh uh”, elbows to the stomach, “you be quiet”! Anyway, all the girls get their strength from their grandma who leads the way: exploring through central Florida, following Ponce de Leon in discovering a fountain.

I am listening to the radio via Internet as I work today. The station that I’m on was having a giveaway for caller #X. It reminded me of a story.

My brother Kevin must have been about six years old. A local radio station was giving away some grand package (I don’t remember the details). Anyway, Kevin called in at the serendipitous moment and - voila’ - he won!!

Now you have to understand that Kevin has always been the coolest out of us four boys. Plus, when he was younger he had a cute lisp such that we would make him repeat certain words or phrases for our own gleeful pleasure. People loved to talk to Kevin, and Kevin didn’t know a stranger.

So, when he called into the radio station that day, the host immediately took a liking to and actually made quite a conversation with Kevin. Wrapping the conversation up the host built the monumental climax, “so, Kevin, what is your FAVORITE radio station?”

Kevin: “I don’t really have one”

…out of the mouths of babes!! Haha, you can’t make that stuff up.

Two hour sanctuary

…had a great breakfast time with a dear friend this morning.

I taught him growing up; now he teaches me. We’ve both made mistakes - grace.

Computer repair, fail. Pancakes, win. Dialogue, out of this world.

I don’t spend nearly enough time with him. What would be enough time? Eternity.

I’m a reformer; he’s a revolutionary - two different ways, both focused on the same outcome: a coming glory.

We both love art, music, beauty.
- moreso we both love justice and mercy.
- moreso we both love freedom and life.
- even moreso, and under girding it all, we both love each other.
…and that is why, my friends, he and I are going to change this world!

For your consideration:

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.

So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.

Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.
Listen to carrion - put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

- Wendell Berry, “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” from The Country of Marriage, copyright © 1973

So, I have been preaching to others the virtue, as citizens of this information-overloaded generation, of gaining the skill of filtering/discernment/prioritizing. Lest I preach to others and be disqualified myself, I am forced to admit that I have far to go in this quest myself. Throw into the mix my predilection of becoming paralyzed when making an important choice that will, by decision, exclude many other desirable choices. Ah, like Jon Foreman, I’m a crooked soul trying to stand up straight - learning what it is to be human, a man, a lover, a hard worker, a worshipper of Almighty.

Today was weird at work. After a very productive day on Tuesday, today felt most-oppositely unproductive. I even found myself badmouthing a client (not the best attitude to have toward someone who is paying you to help them)!

I made it to the gym for an appointment with my trainer. But he must have double booked me because he was helping someone else the whole time. So I worked out by myself and remembered the workout sessions with Libertini, Thomack, and McNeal in Missouri. Building strength and conditioning within our bodies is such a good picture of most good things in life - there are no shortcuts - it takes maximum effort (and then just a little extra). But, as with life, it is somehow easier (or at least more memorable) when we have another person accompanying us. I need to find a workout partner.

…I need to find a life partner!!

Ha, I don’t usually talk - and never blog - about my romantic life. (That is the only thing I have ever been able to keep a “real” journal of). But, as they say, desperate times call for… Well, I don’t know what to say. I recognize that whatever I’m doing isn’t working. But I don’t know what else to do. I feel like I’ve been serious about a marriage and family since my teenage years. My approach has been to try to befriend as many eligible young women as I cross paths with* and see if anything develops further. But I have my upbringing, quirks, issues, and communication deficiencies to deal with. Plus, I have been interested in pursuing only five of all the maidens I’ve met (Eccl. 7:28. Lauren, what’s your exegesis of that?).

Anyway, I’ve been asking counsel from people who know me very well - and are sure to be straight with me and not flatter - to help me see what ways I should strengthen and what ways I should rid. So far, the advice has been as varied as the number of individuals I’ve queried: pray, vigilantly in prayer for her/me/us; wait, God has perfect timing; go, noble men pursue hard their plans; plan, prepare a home that will be attractive/ready; choose, marriage/family is not about pleasing yourself; hope, follow your heart. Seriously, I am thinking about writing a book - or at least a blog series. I’m planning to call it “I kissed dating hello”. Keep your eye out for it, since it is sure to be a best seller!

So, I was on my way up to visit Adam and Allie after SSS’ing up** after my workout. I was passing 116′th on Meridian St, heading north, when I saw a guy at the intersection holding a sign “North for Jesus” and wearing a huge smile. How can I pass that up?! So, I doubled back and picked him up and headed for his destination, Kokomo. This guy, Brother Christopher, was a delight! He definitely had some oddities going on and it took him awhile to return eye contact, but once he warmed up… watch out. When he found out that I also love talking about, enjoying, and praising Jesus we had a really good time of fellowship. He told me about his ministry: he is homeless and can live off of $25-$30 per month, but he ministers to truckers and hobos around truck stops teaching them survival skills, making meals for them, providing for their physical needs, and loving them like Jesus to help them get rid of destructive demonic vices in their lives. He shared some of his survival tips: good socks & shoes; collecting, drying, and eating echinacea; buying from the Mennonite food outlet stores; mass-filtration of pennies (pre-1982 pennies are fully copper so 87 of them are worth $3.22 on the copper market). He told me that I should start gathering extra rice/beans/staples for the soon-coming great tribulation (I didn’t mention my preterist leaning). Anyway, before we parted, he and I shared a great time of prayer in Yeshua (but Yeshua doesn’t mind if you call him “Jesus”). Both of us were very encouraged, he gave me some blessed salt (which I can mix with other salt to also become blessed) and I gave him my address and an idea that I would forego pleasure coffee for a few months and donate the savings to benefit his cooking ministry (he can make a mean 2 gallon of chicken goulash for just over $8)! I love uniquity***, eccentricity, and Imago Dei being themselves - this guy had it!! I was blessed and humbled to meet him.

Once I finally made to Adam and Allie’s house after 9 o’clock, I finished watching some ‘American Idol’-like dancing show with them before Allie turned in for the evening. Normally I’m the one keeping Adam up, but tonight he was the culprit - he had a lot to share - which was refreshing (since I am always worried that I am infringing on spouses’ time). My admiration and respect for Adam grows every time I see him, and he is a huge refreshment to my life and ministry. Check out this short clip of Brennan Manning that Adam and I watched:

After 11:30 I left Adam’s, met my brother Kit to drop some stuff off for him, talked to him for awhile, and then headed home. Man’s best laid plans… I had planned to spend the evening fixing up the Manse - oh well. It seems that “relationships” are the cream that always floats to the top in my life. I’m not sure sometimes if I am deceiving myself - using relationships as an excuse for not be diligent in other areas of life. Too bad we only have so many hours. Whatever, I take that last statement back: the best thing we can do is work, eat, drink, and enjoy the lot God has apportioned to each one of us.

Greetings to all my friends, far and wide.

Brother Kaleb

* they don’t have to be young but they do have to be eligible = a woman, available to marry, loves Jesus!
** as they say in the U.S. Army - shit, shave, and shine.
*** not a word, i know, but you have to admit it “looks” cool!

Kevin Craig blogs -

The Denver Post is reporting a proposed Constitutional Amendment which would define unborn children as “persons” under the law.

Unborn Personhood on November Ballot - The Denver Post

DENVER, May 30, 2008/Covenant News Wire Service/
“For the first time in forty years of ‘legalized’ child killing, pro-lifers have moved an entire state to consider the God-given right to life of the unborn,” said Brian Rohrbough, president of American RTL.

The Colorado Secretary of State’s office validated 103,000 signatures on human life petitions, 27,000 more than required to force a statewide vote. If passed, the Colorado constitution would define ‘person’ as “any human being from the moment of fertilization.”

“Abortion is wrong because it’s a baby; it’s always wrong to intentionally kill a baby,” said Rohrbough, “even when its father is a criminal, as with incest.”

American RTL has launched its Colorado personhood campaign with a rebuttal to the so-called ‘hard cases’ of abortion for incest.

“The abortion clinic covers up the crime of incest, and typically sends the victim back home to her rapist,” the group’s website states. “Even worse, they often send her home with her rapist, the criminal who brought her to the clinic.”

“There are no ‘hard cases,’” said Steve Curtis, the group’s vice president and former chair of the Colorado Republican Party. “Abortion for incest
компютриemboldens a criminal to rape his young relative, helps him escape being caught, tempts him to repeat his crime, and is not compassionate because it kills a baby and increases the woman’s suffering.”

Rohrbough added, “Personhood for the unborn helps people understand there are no hard cases when deciding to protect a baby; you don’t kill the baby because her father is a criminal.”

“Abortion clinics nationwide refuse to comply with mandatory reporting laws for suspected child rape,” said Jo Scott, director of Pro-Life Colorado. “We
brought audio taped evidence provided by Life Dynamics of that failure to the Colorado attorney general’s office, and they choose to look the other way; personhood for the unborn will reduce crimes against women and children.”

“American RTL applauds the dozens of Colorado politicians and candidates who have publicly endorsed the personhood amendment,” says AmericanRTL.org, “and urges all Christians, pro-life leaders and organizations to support personhood as the only foundation on which to reverse the de-criminalization of killing unborn children.”

www.personhood2008.com