Coach Mark Richt spoke at our Allen Hunt Show luncheon on Thursday. I had never met him before.

The room was full, and anticipation buzzed in the room. While folks enjoyed discovering the virtually unknown, but extraordinarily important, ministry at Murphy Harpst Children's Center (www.murphyharpst.org), nearly everyone attended to hear Richt.

Coach Richt graciously signed autographs and posed for photos at the VIP reception before the luncheon. Watching him do that, I realized one of his most uncommon qualities. The guy has the rare ability to be completely present with whomever he is talking or posing. No distractions, no thinking about all the other things he needed to be doing, no worrying about the time. When I get in crowds and have a schedule to meet, my mind gets to spinning a million miles a second. Not Richt.

We enjoyed lunch. While the rest of us ate, Coach Richt would take a bite or two, converse with one of the folks on his left or right, and then pick up his Bible, find something, make a note or two, and then go back to eating. I have to admit - I was very curious what he would say.

Richt's talk focused on faith as we had requested. The first ten minutes were devoted to walking the audience through the Bible on the faith of Abraham in Genesis and Hebrews. He took his time. He apologized for taking so long to get to his point but reassured us that he was getting there. Nearly the entire first half of his talk made the crowd restless as he poked through the Old Testament. Frankly, I had never seen anyone do what he was doing. Richt was unfazed. He unknowingly was making it OK for the men in that audience to delve into faith, the Bible, and even feel uncomfortable in doing so.

And then he came on strong.

By the end, after he had moved from the lessons of Genesis, to the real-life examples from his own life, marriage, family, and career, I found myself moved by the Spirit of God. Here was a man of considerable prominence who openly and rawly shared his own faith journey, warts, muscles and all. The raw honesty in sharing some of his deepest reflections and experiences stirred a lot of us. I am still receiving emails from folks who were moved by his remarks. Believers and non-believers alike. Very impressive.

Unfiltered, raw, honest, and real. Very impressive indeed. We hope to have the audio posted on the web site this week.

Well done, Coach Richt. Go Dawgs!

Chester Cook graciously invited me to emcee the benefit luncheon today for the chaplaincy ministry at the Atlanta airport. He leads a remarkable group of folks who volunteer at the airport as chaplains, making themselves available as resources and guides to travelers in all kinds of situations, not to mention the homeless population that often seeks refuge in the busiest 24 hour airport in the world. Almost 100 MM passengers a year.

Anyway, Mayor Shirley Franklin of Atlanta addressed the 400 people at the luncheon. She is one impressive woman. I was very impressed with her in a number of ways. Best of all, she shared her faith, including the moral formation she received in the church as a child, the spiritual sustenance she has derived from her faith as a public figure and politician, and her lifelong experiences with an alcoholic father who ultimately conquered his addiction through the power of faith.

Her speech was impressive. No notes. Heartfelt. Direct. And moving.

I already believed that we had one of the finest mayors in America. She inherited quite a few messes and has addressed them head-on. But after hearing her speak today about her faith, I now have an even greater appreciation for her not only as a leader but as a person. Quite simply, she is the best!

Andy, Phil and I just spent the last three days in Phoenix for the news talk show conference. I'm in the airport now awaiting a plane flight that has already been delayed for an hour. So I have some time to reflect.

The three days were filled with highs and lows

Top 3 Highs:

1) We met lots of great folks. Dave Ramsey and his team were most gracious and generous with us as they always have been since we started our show. They are fine people and we are blessed to learn from them.

2) More great people. I love conferences and conventions because I love meeting people. This week I got to meet program directors from stations around the country, people who do talk shows, folks who have been doing this a long time, and people who syndicate and support talk shows. This was my first experience in this arena. I've been to countless church meetings over the past 20 years so this was a different experience. And I like that.

3) Phoenix. I'd never been here before. Interesting city. I could not live here - I'm a Southerner and I like colors and trees and green stuff. Phoenix has lots of brown - sand, cactus, barren hills. But the people have been warm and the evenings have been cool. Nice to have a new city experience.

LOWS

1) The Scottsdale Plaza Resort. Overpriced and underperforms. E.g., Phil's room was charged a "maid gratuity charge" each day. That charge did not prevent Phil's finding one of the least desirable objects imaginable under his bed. No more details other than to say it had already been used. All in all, the resort felt like it promised and charged more than it delivered.

2) Long periods of time sitting in a room listening to a person stand and talk. Admittedly, I do not do well with that. Little interactive engagement and long talks bring out the worst in my ADD.

3) Again, as mentioned the other day, flying in America has become almost unbearable. Ridiculous lines for security, small seats on crowded planes, high cost food with low quality, and weather delays all make me glad that I spend most of my time at home rather than on the road. Folks who travel a lot for business have my admiration, respect, and condolences!

I will be glad to get home.

Contrary to country music beliefs, there is an Arizona.

Our team (Andy, Phil, and I) have made our way today to Scottsdale to share in the Talk Media Conference with Dan Patrick, Dave Ramsey, Kim Komando and others. It promises to be a fun week for us as newcomers to the talk radio field.

I will post observations and experiences over these three days.

First on the agenda - I really do hate flying. Not because I am afraid of flying but the whole commercial airline experience is just lousy. From the ridiculous long lines for security (the new normal in a post-9/11 Muslim terror world), to walking through a machine without my belt and shoes, the airport experience is just plain lousy. Makes me realize how much I love my little world at home - full of convenience and control, both of which I lose when traveling aerodynamically

So, we are flying from ATL to Phoenix. Of course, we are flying coach. Of course, as a middle aged man, I have to use the bathroom. I am asked to wait at the entrance to the first class section for the lavatory to become available. Another gentleman has beaten me to the stall. So I stand and wait -not in the first class section where the lavatory actually is - but at the front of the coach section so that my waiting does not annoy the "first class passengers."

The man in the lavatory evidently has much business to tend to. I wait for 5 minutes. Patiently (of course - waiting is a real strength for me - NOT). The coach passengers in the front row are now tired of my waiting in their space. But I persist - I will not be deterred. I am a patient waiter. After 10 minutes, the gentleman emerges from the lavatory. And I gain entrance. God is good.

No point here really. Just venting how very frustrating I find the airline travel industry and experience now. Maybe next time I'll pull a John Madden and use a train or bus.

PS - Forgot to mention before- check out the team photos on the web site. We finally got Ron, our #1 call screener, to pose for a shot. He looks great!

Broadcasting today from 12:00-2:00 pm PT (3-5 ET) on KMJ in Fresno. What a great way to celebrate Presidents' Day - with the folks in the central valley of California!

Many thanks to Ray Appleton, who is graciously allowing us to fill in on his show while he takes a day off.

Here's hoping the folks in Fresno become a regular part of the Allen Hunt Show family on the weekends in the near future!

Went to see "The Bucket List" yesterday. My wife and I had some time off and decided to catch a matinee like a couple of teenagers skipping school.

I love Morgan Freeman and like Jack Nicholson. So "The Bucket List" it was.

What an excellent movie. Great story-telling by Rob Reiner to capture the hearts of two great characters.

Both men are dying of cancer. They meet by happenstance in the hospital where they share a room. Jack plays a man, wealthy and successful by the world's standards, yet meager and broken in relationships and family. Morgan plays a man who has worked as an auto mechanic for 40+ years to support a family with three kids. His life is full but he does not completely recognize it.

The two make a pact to do all the things that will bring them joy before they die. They make a list and begin to work through it one piece by piece.

In the end, a very poignant and moving tale. Well done!

I recommend it to everyone. We all need a little perspective now and then. Some things matter more than others. The Bucket List was a helpful reminder of that.

Should baseball forgive Roger Clemens?
I actually sat and watched a lot of the hearings in Congress today
There they were
Brian McNamee – with nothing to gain, and growing evidence on his side – mildly and politely admitting he had injected clients, including both Mr. and Mrs. Clemens, with steroids or HGH
And there was Roger Clemens – greatest pitcher of all time – desperately clinging to his star – adamantly denying any contact with illegal substances ever
Nearly all Americans believe McNamee – that Clemens used steroids to enhance his Hall of Fame career
And we are upset about it – we feel deceived – we wonder if anything in baseball is real – if Bonds, the greatest HR hitter, and Clemens, the greatest pitcher doped up, what does that say?
We are upset – we are angry – we want justice – where do we go from here?
Unlike Marion Jones, who used steroids, but finally admitted it and asked for forgiveness,
Clemens remains steadfast – he shouts louder, denies emotionally, and refuses to acknowledge anything
Should baseball forgive him? Yes
Should baseball ignore his behavior? No
There is no forgiveness without justice
And Clemens refuses to enter justice honestly
He will now face the consequences
Forgiveness will have to come later

It is official. The Church of England (aka The Anglican Church) has passed away. It no longer serves a useful purpose and has been acting erratically for years. The Church suffered immeasurably over the last 20 years as it endured repeated convulsions and seizures around the ordination of gay priests in the American Episcopal Church and elsewhere. The end result of those seizures was the Church's inability to stand or be ambulatory.

From there, the Church's health declined. Breathing became difficult, and major organs ceased functioning.

The Church officially gave up its last breath this week when its leader, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan WIlliams, uttered its final words. Ironically, those last words were regarding the "inevitability" of Islamic sharia law in England. Clearly, Williams was suffering from dementia in the Church's last days. See his final wods, and those of the Church of England, here: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/02/09/sharia.uk/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Funeral services will be occurring over the next 10 years. It takes a long time to mourn a church.

For the first time ever in my voting career, I am headed to the polls with absolutely no idea how to vote. I have always made fun of folks who went to the polls without a clue, and now I R one.

To be honest, this surprises me a bit since we have had more candidates in the race than ever before. One would think that I could get excited about at least one of them. But I truly have no idea.

For every candidate, I can find something I like and something that turns me off immensely.

By the end of the day, the two big nominations will be all but sealed, I will have contributed to that process as a voter, and yet I head to the polls without a clue. Please pray for me!

If you listened to our show on Saturday, you heard it. I called the Super Bowl - Giants by 3.

No bragging but a little good-natured trash talking never hurt anyone.

Can you imagine how the Mannings feel? Wow. Peyton wins it last year. Eli makes huge plays down the stretch to win it this year. Wow. Well done!

And did I mention - I called it? Giants by 3. 17-14.