Jimmy Clausen was punched in the face at 2:00 a.m. at C.J.’s Pub in downtown South Bend Sunday morning.  Apparently it was an altercation that involved someone mistreating his girlfriend.  The result…two black eyes for Jimmy Clausen.  In Charlie Weis’s Tuesday press conference he refused to answer questions about the altercation and in practice Jimmy was wearing a tinted visor on his helmet to keep anyone from seeing his two black eyes.  Come on Jimmy…could it have really looked worse than what we witnessed on Saturday?

My first thought – why would you be in downtown South Bend eating a cheeseburger at 2:00 a.m. if you are the starting quarterback at Notre Dame and you just lost a game to Connecticut?!?!  Then again, have you ever had a C.J. Pub cheeseburger?!?!  If you were looking for consolation food...it is a most excellent choice!!  They are my second favorite cheeseburgers.

And what was he supposed to do?!  He was defending his girlfriend’s honor!

Yesterday my blog lit up looking for information on Jimmy Clausen’s girlfriend!  Apparently my blog post in regards to his hair (from last year) seems to have captured the attention of “Jimmy Clausen girlfriend seekers.”  If he still had this hair style, then I can understand why someone punched him.

OR – if he showed up to CJ’s Pub like this:

I can understand why someone punched him.

But come on South Bend.  Take a chill pill. Don’t be punching the 4th ranked quarterback in college football.

Today I had the honor of being treated to some lunch at Five Guys for a delicious bacon-burger and fries by Jeff Hammett (Jeff…I’m sorry if the fry distribution was unbalanced).  I’d never been there.  Delicious.  It was also the first time that I had been to the new Eddy Street Commons.  Wow.  Very nice.  Loved the look of the place.  That area REALLY looks different.

But, now I’m back on the South Side.  I like it here (even if we don’t have a Chipotle, Outpost Sports, Five Guys, blah, blah, blah).  [By the way, I saw another Pastor friend from the West Side hanging out at the same Five Guys.  I don’t want to blow his cover, so I’ll call him by a cryptic pseudonym – bRyan Yazel.

Sidenote:  Last night Alex (my 8 year old daughter) and Kelly were having a conversation and in the conversation Alex asked a question about a woman that Kelly had done some work for.  In the conversation, Kelly told Alex this woman whom Alex was asking about had moved to Granger.  After telling Alex this, she squinted her eyes, bunched up her nose and said, “mmm…Granger…nope…never heard of it.”  South side baby.  South side.

I’m holding a report put out by the South Bend Police Department with the details of crimes committed on the South Side of South Bend.  Tons of cars being broken into (including several home burglaries).

Sunday morning at 6:10 a.m. I was on my way to the church.  I turned the corner from the street I live on and two police officers had arrested two dudes (a 17 year old and an 18 year old) who were caught in my neighborhood stealing things.  They were cuffing them and patting them down when I pulled up.  They had on their possession cell phones, wallets, etc.  I wanted to get out of my car and punch them.  But I figured that wouldn’t go over very well (I’ve watched a lot of COPS episodes) .

One of my neighbors was up early to begin the hunting season, noticed them, and called the police.  They’re lucky he didn’t begin hunting season on our cul-de-sac!

Lock your doors.

The Blockbuster on the South Side of South Bend is closing.  Bummer for the South Side.  I wonder if they just couldn’t keep up with the competition from Redbox, online streaming via the internet, and other online options.  Does anyone still go to the actual store?  (I know we did from time to time).  So…another business on the South Side…GONE!

five other

I know Cold Stone Creamery didn’t make it.  In the same space has now opened Pop Style (three weeks today).  I LOVE their popcorn.  Love it!!  So does Caleb.  My favorite – the caramel/cheesy mix.  Of course, I’ve not really had the other flavors.  But they have 1,230,517 other flavors.  They don’t have a sign out front (which I hope they remedy for their sake), but it is goooooood!!  I was pleased that when we walked in they had about five other customers before us!!  I’m thinking about moving all Living Stones Church meetings to Pop Style.  Go South Side!!!

I believe this very well could be one of the best things the Living Stones Church has ever done!  Even on Sunday everyone was still aglow because of such a GREAT event.  Thank you to Jennae Gee, Jim Ruth, Wally Last, Kristin Harris, Jeff Lentych-Hack, the whole REEF team…and A BUNCH of volunteers.  I am so proud!!  Seriously…I love this church!!

One of the most well-organized and smooth events!!  GREAT response from families from Monroe School.  You can see a few news clips here and here.

Here are some pictures thanks to Heather Donahue:

Well…the Mayor of South Bend officially acknowledged that the College Football Hall of Fame was moving to Atlanta (even though the rest of us heard last night…exclusively…first…on WNDU…does anyone else find that obnoxious?).  It was controversial from the beginning.  It was supposed to be self-sustaining.  Never attained such status.  Required tax payer investment to keep it going.  They projected 200,000 visits per year.  Barely mustered 60,000.  I went once.  It was nice.  Once.  Didn’t really picture myself going again.  But now there is a building that will be vacant (at least by 2010) in the middle of downtown.  Great.  Another vacant building.  And the building isn’t paid off for another eight years.  Another blow to South Bend?  Good news for tax payers in South Bend?  Should Mayor Luecke (and our city government) also leave for Atlanta?

http://www.wndu.com/hometop/headlines/57137957.html

I do not like this.

Happened across the street from one of our beloved Living Stoners!!

Last Friday Jennae Gee and I attended a one-day seminar “Bridges Out of Poverty” at the Century Center.  It was an excellent seminar that for me was full of “Oh…that explains…” moments.  Phillip E. DeVol was the presenter and did a fantastic job.  I especially found helpful his presentation of the hidden mental models of reality that are at work among different social classes.   He broke them down into the classes of poverty, middle-class, and wealthy.  It was amazing the differences of worldview, perspective, and life experience that exists between the three.

Poverty is complicated.  Factors from 1) behaviors of an individual,2) human and social capital in the community, 3) exploitation, and 4) political/economic structures are all involved to produce a complex and systemic problem of poverty.

I would highly recommend this seminar to EVERYONE!!  Ruby Payne is another author in whose research and books I would recommend.

One quick thought that popped into my mind in regards to the South Side of South Bend was the presentation of what businesses look like in impoverished areas vs. middle class areas.  It wasn’t hard to see both on the South Side of South Bend.

Middle-Class areas have (predominantly) the following types of businesses:

• shopping/strip malls
• bookstores
• banks
• fitness centers
• veterinarian clinics
• office complexes
• coffee shops
• restaurants/bars
• golf courses

Areas of poverty have (predominantly) the following types of businesses:

• Pawn stores
• liquor stores
• corner stores
• rent-to-own stores
• laundromats
• fast food
• check-n-cash
• temporary services
• used car lots
• dollar stores

In regards to the South Side, I wonder if you couldn’t draw a line at Ireland Rd. and compare the number of these different businesses south of Ireland Rd. and north of Ireland Rd.

Thanks to a partnership with Samaritan’s Feet (click on the link to check out their website), we are VERY EXCITED about a REEF event taking place here at the Living Stones Church on Saturday, September 19th 11:30-2:30 p.m.  We are giving away an awesome pair of athletic shoes (thanks to a contract Samaritan’s Feet has with the Finish Line) to each student at Monroe Primary Center.  Flyers are out to each family.  It will be an awesome time together as about 360 students (we hope) will come to the Living Stones Church for some butt-kicking shoes (that means…”awesome”).

While here there will be games, fun, food, etc.

Children will have their feet – sized, washed, given new socks & new shoes, prayed for…and then off to play some basketball or other activity.

Sign-ups for some needed volunteer positions is up on the bulletin board lobby.  Swing by and sign up on SUNDAY!!!