And This is the Problem

From a federal report put out today by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention:

Attitudes about pregnancy are also changing. Nearly 64 percent of teenage boys think it’s acceptable for a teen to have a baby, compared with 50 percent in 2002. Among girls, more than 70 percent now approve, compared with 65 percent in 2002.

After dropping steadily for more than a decade, the teen birth rate in the U.S. rose between 2005 and 2007. Compared with other developed countries, the U.S. posted the remarkably high rate in 2007 of 42 babies per 1,000 teen girls. In Canada, by contrast, only 13 babies are born per 1,000 teen girls.

70% of girls approve of teenage pregnancies!

It Was Just a Bad Call

[This blog post has "factual errors."  :-)  (as do many I'm sure).  Please read "David's" correction in comment section.]

There have only been 21 “perfect games” in MLB.  Only 21 no-hitters in the HISTORY of the sport.  Last night was almost 22.  Armando Galarraga pitched a perfect game going into the 9th inning with 2 outs.  And then, a hit…and a TERRIBLE call.

What is amazing is the way Armando Galarraga handled the situation.  Pure class.  And what is even more amazing is the swift apology and total responsibility taken by Jim Joyce, the umpire who made the call (when does that ever happen?).  The dude was teary-eyed sorry and knew what he had done.

Jim Joyce is human.  He made a mistake.  What now?  I don’t want “replay” in baseball…the games are ALREADY long enough.  Can the commissioner overturn this?  Yes.  But what a dangerous precedent.  But man…it is HISTORY we’re talking about!!

Poor Armando Galarraga.  Poor Jim Joyce.  Go Cubs!!!!

Dear Ted Haggard

I believe in grace and I believe in second chances.  Your name is tossed out by critics of the church as the epitome of hypocrisy.  Public denouncing (and with a pulpit much larger than the norm) the sins in which you were committing in secret…until that dude came forward and outed you.

14,000 people at New Life Church (not to mention your wife and family) in Colorado Springs were affected by this.  Sad.  Traumatic.  Painful.  Embarrassing.

And now, you have publicly announced that you are going to start a new church in your home, IN COLORADO SPRINGS!!  This after you promised the leadership of New Life that you would undergo counseling (which you backed out of) and that you wouldn’t start a rival church in Colorado Springs (which you are again backing out of).

I believe in second chances and grace.  I don’t believe you have to be barred from ministry forever.

But this stinks – the publicity, the media circus, the press releases and the broken promises.  Move to another city and just quietly minister to broken and hurting people.  You don’t need Oprah, or an HBO special, just go serve…in a city that isn’t called Colorado Springs.