Random Friday Plods: sumo, oil spill, Great Commission et al

One thing that the Great Commission Resurgence has already accomplished is to put the phrase “Great Commission” in official use. The North Carolina Baptist Convention has just established the Office of Great Commission Partnerships. One hopes that Southern Baptists, never shy about taking a great phrase or title and running with it ad nauseum, don’t allow “Great Commission” to become as trite as we have “missions” by using it indiscriminately and inappropriately.

Seems the ancient Japanese sport of sumo is having a tough go these days. No, it’s not the rolls of exposed flesh, the bare but-tocks, as Forrest Gump would say it. Neither is it the funky underwear the wrestlers must wear or a shortage of pomade with which the athletes must use to achieve tonsorial uniformity in their topknots. The problem is with gaijin, foreigners, who fail to be Japanese enough and are not respecting the sport. They might have had a clue about one of the best, a Mongolian, whose name is Asashoryu. His behavior is often, well, say the name, think in English, and see if you can get the picture.

Speaking of sumo, have you been to any SBC meetings lately? The SBC, laden with heavyweights (just ask GuideStone),has plenty from which to build its own sumo stable.

I’m trying to cope with the fact that my candidate for Georgia governor – a Maryland transplant, high school-educated woman – narrowly lost the GOP nomination to a good ‘ol north Georgia boy, former congressman with questionable ethics concerning a very sweet, uh, ‘deal’ his business had from the state. Now the good ‘ol boy nominee, who “is counting heavily on strong support from conservative Christians,” says he is “open” to the idea of allowing casino gambling. What a peach of a guy for conservative Christians to support. Voting Democratic hasn’t looked so attractive here in decades.

So, one of five Americans think Barack Obama is a Muslim and about half don’t know his religion at all. Fact is (and the White House said so today), he openly declares himself to have faith in Jesus Christ. Remind me, why do we allow ignorant people to vote in this country?

The gummit and BP say only 20% of the oil leak is still in the gulf, while scientists say 80% of the oil is still there. Eh? They are light years apart on this. Plodder is happy to state the obvious: each is acting in their own self interest and the universe is still in its present fallen order.

Just added to my all-nickname team: The smallish younger brother of Van, a huge high schooler in our student group. The other kids have named the junior sibling, "Mini-van." Clever kids.