Pardon me: Iraq and Bin Laden

Pardon me for the seemingly "random' nature of this entry in light of my wife's previous Halloween post but I have to mention something I have thinking a lot about lately: Iraq and Bin Laden.

What is REALLY going on? HOW did we get here? Where did Bin Laden come from and what's his problem anyway? HOW did we decide to go into Iraq anyway - I mean, what were the detailed sources of evidence (and lack of) that we purportedly had?

I have watched CNN. I have read the paper. I have discussed the subjects with friends and aquaintances but even after a few years of Bin Laden and Iraq becoming household names, I still haven't felt informed enough to have a grasp on these two subjects.

Oh I have EMOTIONAL opinions about them but not detailed understandings where I could speak with even pseudo authority.

So, I have read these two books over the last two months and I HIGHLY recommend both of them in getting a grasp of the subjects aforementioned.

Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq by Thomas E. Ricks

I found myself saying "AHA" or "OHHHHH" as the journalistic testomonies illuminated the leadership decisions, flops and lessons in the US deciding to invade and through the occupation of Iraq.

Suspend your rightist or leftist judgements. This book is about costs - not that avoiding costs was/is the solution to Iraq, but that the costs of poor planning, communication and leadership have contributed to the present mire. A key takeaway for me was the profound leadership errors - large and small - made by good people who, at pivotal times, made decisions not taking into account their own blindspots or mistaking humility with cowardice. Not all of the book was negative - there are some refreshing examples of military and civilian leaders that responded in this fog of uncertainty - with courageous leadership and tremendous sacrifice. A very helpful read.

The Looming Tower: Al Quaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright

As for Bin Laden, this books is so much more than just about him. It provides the overall worldview and context that led to 9/11. I could NOT PUT IT DOWN - little did I know that the Al Qaeda belief in takfir - 'a license to kill' interpretation of the Quran - found its inspiration in the writings of Sayyd Qutb in the 1940s as he visited the U.S. - specifically Greeley, CO of all places! Like most of history, stuff just doesn't happen but is a culmination of individual choices based on beliefs, socio-economic events or conditions, disasters and paradigm shifts - this is a tragic and fascinating account of the emerging extremists the US faces.

I don't know if I can say 'enjoy' but definitely 'dive in' and be better informed - it's worth it.

A substitute in Mrs. Kerr's class

A little late...but definitely worth it! On Halloween the students were definitely surprised to see a strange but familiar person come hobbling up to the classroom. Students and parents alike were whispering "Is that Mrs. Kerr?" "It is Mrs. Kerr!" "No, it's not!" She stepped up to the very curious students in line for the day (stifling a burst of laughter) and said: "Is this Mrs. Kerr's class?? I'll be your substitute for the day."
Yes, it's true, I dressed up like an old lady for Halloween and surprised not only my students but my entire staff and parents! The inspiration was the gray wig I was given several years back and a pair of old reading glasses. The rest just came together the night before (with a little help from my friend Christy). The makeup was one of the best parts since I made my skin super pale and used eye shadow to exaggerate lines of aging all over my face. Erin was out of the house bright and early that day, but nevertheless, I was literally cracking myself up getting ready in the morning. My ultimate goal was to remain in "substitute" character all day long and I did well until my students realized it was me (10 minutes into the day!) For the parade, I had one of my students, Brett (who dressed up as a girl) escort me around the school since I was quite feeble and unstable...luckily I had a cane!
The day was unforgettable and I couldn't stop laughing. Finally, at the end of the day Colton said "Enough already Mrs. Kerr! We know it's you! You can take your wig off now!" Hilarious! Oh, and the icing on the cake was getting to visit my sweet Jessie at her home after school where I acted in character saying: "I've aged a bit since you last saw me." To which she replied: "I know it's you Mrs. Kerr!" between precious chuckles and smiles. -Joy

Guys Weekend

Once a year in October - a bunch of buddies from college get together to descend upon a hapless beachside village and corrupt it with non-stop rotations of stuffing our faces, playing xbox, sharing stories and an occasional football toss before we all keel over from pulled hamstrings... this year: MISSION BAY, SAN DIEGO.





Vorbau, Westphal, Eakin, Irons, Lang and Kerr in the mix.

It was actually more hilarious and fun than these photos seem but don't take our melancholic stares too literally... they are merely a restrained veneer so that our wonderful families at home won't be too jealous while our spouses take care of all the kiddos for 3-4 days!

Thank you women - we appreciate it deeply!

PS: Thanks to ALEX and CHRIS for their great pictures (all the good ones are theirs -most from ALEX).

Ever heard of a 'trap game'?

Definition: A game between a supposed 'dominant' team (Cowboys) and a 'weaker' opponent (Bills) where although all odds are in favor of the superior team to DOMINATE, they succumb to little mistakes [5 interceptions, 1 fumble, a kick return for TD, TO dropped passes] and cause faithful cowboy fans to go into what some would call 'pensive moments' about life, love and football... for example:

1st Quarter




2nd Quarter



3rd Quarter



4th Quarter



4th Quarter 00:02 left - when Nick Folk kicks the winning 53 yard field goal



I'll be honest - I was a little worried there for a minute.

Cowboys 25 Bills 24

Great, now New England.

Game Time

The Cowboys are playing the Bills in less than an hour and frankly I am scared. Why should I be scared - with the number one offense in the league in TDS, YDS and POINTS as of last week... playing against the young, inexperienced and depleted Bills... it should be a Romofest.

BUT crazy things happen... Notre Dame seriously upset UCLA and USC (2) lost to bottom of the barrel, Stanford and my wife regularly beats me in Bocce Ball.

Somethings SHOULDN'T happen but they do. Stay tuned for my mood update in a few hours.

In other news, reading Renovation of the Heart by Willard (again) - Chapter 3 is amazing to me.

Do you Barf at "Being Religous"? I do.

My friend just became a follower of Jesus a few weeks ago. It was a process involving months of dialogue, questioning, reading the bible - answering difficult questions - some which had simple answers and some had answers he wasn't expecting.

And then, almost anti-climactically one day he simply said - "Well, I was expecting it to be an emotional moment but... I just believe." I asked him what he meant. He clarified - "Yep, God - Jesus dying and being raised for me... I believe."

He then prayed to acknowledge his need for Jesus Christ - for His forgiveness and his desire to make Him his life leader. It was so simple and genuine. It was awesome. (Here's a brief video that explains this - Watch here.)


We were talking a few weeks later, reviewing now what it meant to follow Christ daily. In that discussion he mentioned he thought of things differently "now that he was 'religous'."

I chuckled silently - knowing what he meant but proceeded to VOMIT on the inside against the term: "being religous." He genuinely was experiencing life changing perspectives - he didn't know how to articulate it so that is what he said. I got it - but...

I think many people still get "being religous" mixed up with following Christ.

As Brennan Manning put it in his book, The Signature of Jesus:

"Religiosity per se is not discipleship; in fact, it may be a safe refuge from the revolutionary lifestyle proposed by Jesus."

"Being religous", as used by people in culture, usually connotes... doing "religous things" like going to church, praying or wearing Jesus t-shirts. In other words, being religous focuses on outward signs or activities that display ones piety. And 99.9% of the time, if we are focused on the outward signs it isn't for God - but for others who are watching us.

Interestingly, Jesus' harshest words came to those who thought of themselves as pious or religous in this sense. Jesus made it clear that this understanding of "religion" would only impress some people but not God. God sees into our heart - bummer for us, if we care more about what others think than God himself. In contrast, when we acknowledge our heart's deceitfulness and impurity (sin) before God, His grace can activate us with resources of love we don't have on our own. So not "acts" of religion, but abundant love flows, founded on God's truth in Christ.

The truth is we all follow something or someone. The question is who or what (money, relationship, Buddha, 'religion', atheism, capitalism). One of my greatest fears is for people in my life to make the mistake of thinking of me as a "religous" guy. Please don't make me barf. My sole desire is to be known as "a guy who loves and follows Jesus".

Motherly Encouragement

I love my Mom. She has a distinctive and unique way of connecting with her son. She pays close attention weekly to an area of the paper that she normally doesn't read - all because she loves him - she actually reads the sports page.

Why? So she can see how the Cowboys did this week and relate to her son.

I can tell you story after story of my Mom over the years offering me motherly encouragement:

"I was really hurt the way that guy tackled Troy Aikman honey. Are they allowed to do that?"

"Yes Mom, that's called a sack."

Or when my Mom was working at a Christian bookstore and saw a guy with a Cowboys shirt on, she immediately called me at college:

"Honey, I have someone who wants to talk with you."

"Uh, hello?" says a strange, confused voice on the line.

"Hello?" I say, not knowing who my Mom handed the phone to.

"Yeah, I just walked into the store and I guess your mom wanted us to talk because I'm Cowboy fan too."

Yep, that's my Mom! And look at how thoughtful she was in congratulating me on the Cowboy win yesterday.

A pink ecard.

Thanks Mom! You are the best!