Adam Barnett

Pretty Quiet Thunder

We went to the OKC Thunder (former SuperSonics) season opener last night vs. the Bucks and lost 98-87. It was easy to see how they were 20-62 last year.  Last year's Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant (left) didn't play well at all.  He didn't shoot the ball well and turned it over a few times the same way an overly confident 7th grade basketball player would.  HOWEVER, it is a pretty cool thing to finally have a pro sports team in OKC.  Should be fun having superstars coming through our city!  Andrea and I bought a mini-package of tickets so we'll go to some games this year, including the Spurs, Celtics, Mavericks, Bulls and Suns, to name a few!  Let's hope that with a name like Thunder, we're able to dominate some!

Come on, Starbuck's... Really?

I've been known to "speak my mind" quite a bit on this blog, and here I go again!  I don't mean to get on a negative rant, but recently I've looked into Starbuck's partnership with Ethos Water.  First of all, I do respect anyone's attempt to offer aid to the less-fortunate around the world.  However, I have to admit this one ticks me off.  Ethos donates 5 cents of every bottle sold to "help children get clean water."  However, the bottle itself costs $1.85 before tax.  Their ultimate goal by 2010 is to donate $10 Million towards providing clean water.  To do that, they have to sell 200 Million bottles of water.  (which multiplying that times the $1.80 revenue gives Ethos a whopping $360 Million profit, or maybe a little less due to the cheap cost of filtering water and plastic bottles).  My problem with all of this - don't exploit the needs of people internationally and make your company look like the solution to water-issues by donating a stinkin' nickel to your cause.  This makes me sick.  On a side note, The Republic of Tea is promoting their tins of tea that go to support cancer research.  What do they donate - $1.00 per tin sold.  Much better, right?  What do you think about this?  Share your opinions please!

How Would Jesus Vote?

I've been reading a book that has challenged me more than anything I've ever read before when its comes to politics and my view on culture.  How Would Jesus Vote? by Dr. James Kennedy has really taught me to ignore things about McCain vs. Obama and Republican vs. Democrat and instead, turn my attention on to what the Word of God says about the issues we're facing in society.  I feel like the most disappointing thing about elections is the promises and direction each candidate offers when scripture already shows and determines these things in our lives. 

Here's a list of the topics discussed in this book:

• Do Jesus and Politics Mix?
• Abortion, Stem Cells, Suicide and Euthanasia
• Crime and Punishment: Judging the Death Penalty
• War: Is it ever justified?
• Education, Economic Concerns and Health-Care Issues
• The Environment, Immigration and Racial Prejudice
• Marriage: Society's Smallest Unit
• The Problem of Political Compromise

So, as you can see, it covers all bases!  Here's a few lines from the book:

"The clear biblical teaching is that God is the giver of life; it is created by Him and is, therefore, sacred.  Life and death are in His hands."  (p. 48)

"While more than a trillion dollars has been poured into the secular public-education system in America and Christ has been taken out of it, the illiteracy rate has increased thirty-two times."  (p. 86)

"One of America's leading economists, Professor Thomas Sowell of Stanford University, observed: 'The amount of money necessary to lift every man, woman and child in America above the poverty line is one-third of what, in fact, is being spent on poverty programs.  Clearly, much of the transfer ends up in the pockets of highly paid administrators, consultants and staff."  (p. 105)

"I believe (Jesus) would not favor governmental welfare programs.  Such programs have a vested interest in the continuation of poverty, because if the problem of poverty is solved, then the money is no longer needed and the program might end.  Let the government get out of the charity business, and let the family, churches, and communities be free to take care of the less fortunate."  (p. 118)

This is a GOOD book that will help you understand the biblical perspective to these very issues we're about to vote on.  Choose wisely.  Observe scripture.  Don't be bound by a certain party simply because it "sounds" better or wiser.  And, in the deepest sense of this statement, may the Lord bless America.

By the way, this picture has nothing to do with my political preferences.  I simply wanted to show how pitiful we (people in general) look when we assume how Jesus would vote without first looking at what His Word has to say about it...

This is Oklahoma

I had lunch yesterday with my good buddy Mike.  On our way back to the church, we ran into this 5-foot rattlesnake.  Boys will be boys, so we taunted and aggrivated it a little bit by talking trash to it.  This led to us discussing how awesome it would be to say, "I've been bit by a rattlesnake."  Then, Mike said, "Ok, I'm going to grab it by the tale."  I responded, "You're an idiot... I'm getting in the truck."

There's a Booger in my Sprite

If you're thinking about flying with American Airlines, think again.  In all the traveling I've done, I've never been so disappointed in an airline company.  I'll explain in a little detail what our trip to Key West this week entailed...

1. There is a $15.00/bag charge, round trip.  So, for Andrea and I to take luggage on a trip, we had to fork over $60.00 (on top of our flight costs).
2. Our flight attendant made up some excuses about why she couldn't serve beverages on our flights (twice!).  My explaination - Laziness.
3. We missed our flight from Miami to Key West due to a delay in Dallas.
4. We were issued the wrong tickets to our new flight.  If I didn't look closely, we would have ended up in a hotel that night in Miami due to their mistake.
5. When you miss a flight, you have to eat in the airport.  I will inform you that Andrea and I will go broke if we continue eating in airports!
6. As I slept on my way home today, the flight attendant, named Dotty, elbowed the crud out of the back of my head as she walked up the isle.  She didn't even say sorry.
7. In our Houston to OKC flight today, we did get beverages.  I only took two sips of mine, though, due to the nasty things floating in my Sprite.  They seriously looked like boogers and it almost made Andrea and I vomit.
8. Our luggage is lost.  It will potentially be delivered this evening. 

To avoid being too negative, here's the good in our trip to Key West:

1. Got to perform a wedding in a beautiful beach setting.
2. Any time I spend with Andrea away from our daily routine is awesome!
3. Got to hang with my mother-in-law and father-in-law a ton!
4. Ton's of delicious food... most of which was fish and sea-food!
5. Sleep - a foreign concept back home, but we got plenty!
6. We drove mopeds around the island all week.  I'm a bit obsessed!
7. Day-cruise - scuba-diving with sea turtles! (And we saw dolphins!)
8. The absense of my blackberry, texts, emails and my to-do list!!!

My Yearbook...

You can click here to go to a website that allows you to see yourself as a high school graduate throughout the past 5 decades.  Here's me in 1952, 1984, 1988, 1990... Please don't laugh too hard!

    

  

Global Emphasis Night - 2009 Trips

Tonight at Lifestream is our Global Emphasis Night... I'm excited for this opportunity to speak tonight to help college students understand the needs around our world.  Lord willing, we'll send over 100 college students overseas in 2009!  I'll go ahead and let the cat out of the bag... the trips we're offering in 2009 include: Cancun, Nicaragua (x2), Oklahoma City, Albania/Kosovo, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Mozambique (x2), India, Nepal and Vietnam!!! 

Still Hope?

OU got beat by Texas Saturday, 45-35.  It set a record for the most points scored in a game in the Red River Rivalry (80).  So here we are again, hoping Missouri beats Texas and we find a way to beat OSU, giving us a chance to play in the Big XII Championship in December.  Who knows... there's always hope after considering the way last season went and this season's started. 

For those of you who think I'm just a hater... BOOMER!  (Again, I'm only honest!)

Ministry is Tiring!

Sometimes in ministry, you can get exhausted.  And when you get exhausted, the quickest way to get yourself back on track is to laugh, joke around and play a little.  Today, our entire office hit a 10-minute funk together, which resulted in Alan on his back on the floor.  It feels good to stop, take a deep breath and laugh!  So, have some fun at work today!

Iris Ministries - Maputo, Mozambique

Mark Nehrenz, a student at the University of Oklahoma, recently traveled to Maputo, Mozambique and did a documentary film on Iris Ministries.  It is an incredible video with many faces on it that I miss very much!  I hope you can take time to watch it and it blesses you! 

CLICK HERE to watch the documentary and CLICK HERE to see Mark's website.