Allen Hunt's Blog

By popular demand, here is my top 10 list I shared on air.
Michael Phelps has been touted by NBC, Sports Illustrated, and Time as the "greatest athlete ever." No way!
Greatness involves more than on-field or on-court accomplishments. That is part of greatness. But real Greatness would also include faith, generosity, intelligence, family and marriage, and citizenship contributions to the nation. THAT is greatness.
Phelps is just 23 years old. Other than Olympic achievement, we have little else to measure him with. It is too early to tell whether he will become truly great.
Here are my top 10 greatest athletes ever:
10)Andre Agassi – 8 Grand Slam titles and launched a $50MM foundation to serve kids in poverty
9)Roberto Clemente - 3000 hits, family man, great right-fielder, and sacrificed his life on a mission of mercy to assist earthquake victims in Nicaragua
8) Hank Aaron - 755 HR, Hall of Famer, successful businessman, strong character
7) Tiger Woods - What can you say about his golfing? Then he gives away $9.5MM in 2006
6) Dikembe Mutombo - Given and raised a total of $20MM for Congo hospital, NBA defensive player of the year on multiple occasions, strong marriage, speaks 9 languages, and a degree from Georgetown
5) Charlie Ward – Heisman Trophy winner, NBA player for 10+ years, MLB draftee. Quite a combo. Plus won a national champ in football, FCA giant, strong marriage, and the list goes on
4) Warrick Dunn – Homes for 74 single moms and their 197 dependents, Katrina relief, humility, national champ at FSU, and met on death row with murderer of his mother
3) Jackie Robinson – changed the face of America, endured persecution with grace, MVP, World Series champ, Hall of Famer, solid marriage, activist
2) Jesse Owens – Olympic success in Berlin, rebuke of Hitler, winner in charity and citizenship
1) David Robinson Get this:
Naval Academy degree in math
Healthy Marriage and family life
Faith giant
National player of year in college, NBA MVP, 2X NBA champ
2 Olympic Gold medals
2 years active military service
AND
$11MM gift to create Carver Academy for kids in poverty in San Antonio– perhaps largest gift ever by athlete at one time

Hands down. Worst movie of the year.....
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

My wife and I took her uncle to see it. He and she had gone to the first three Indiana Jones movies when she was a teenager. So we thought it would be fun to have a "reunion" viewing.
Being with him was great. We had a marvelous time.
The movie, on the other hand, was anything but great. Predictable, lacking in plot, and overdone chase/fight scenes that bordered on the absurdly banal. Not a good cocktail.
For the first time ever on this blog, I give a movie an
F

We returned last night from our week together at the beach with long-time friends.
I got a chance to read 4 books. What a pleasure! Undistracted time to read things I would not ordinarily make the time for.
To add to your own summer reading list, consider

1) A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken. B+
This is Andy's favorite book, and he told me to read it while I was away. So I did!
A very lovely personal account of the deep love between a man and a woman and how that love ultimately merges into the love of God. Autobiographical and great story-telling.
Vanauken corresponded regularly with CS Lewis, and he includes some of those letters to enrich the story of the depth and character of human love and God's love.

2) The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder B
I always like to take at least one classic that I have never read. This one is very good.
Had no idea what it was about. Just remembered the title from days gone by.
Wilder is a deeply insightful writer and this short mini-novel shares poignant vignettes about 5 people who died when a bridge collapsed. Wilder dives into how or why God would cause/allow this to happen.
Did not expect a good novel with theological currents but this turned out to be another good exploration of the mystery of the will of God and the love of God.

3) The Shack by William Young B-
A book that has really caught on on the viral word-of-mouth grapevine.
Very interesting tale of a man's encounter with God in the aftermath of his daughter's abduction and murder.
At times, a bit pedantic, but Young shares some marvelous angles on the sovereign will of God, the love of God and the Trinity. A good read.

4) Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali A-
Happened upon this book in the store when I had finished the 3 above.
Autobiographical account of perhaps the strongest and most courageous woman of this decade. Survivor of the brutalities of Islam, including genocide in her homeland, genital mutilation and arranged marriages, and the like, Ali escapes to become an advocate for human rights and the dignity of women. She co-produced with Theo van Gogh the film that changed everything in the Netherlands.
As a result, she still lives today under 24 hour protection because of the death threats from the followers of the religion of peace.
Powerful. Detailed. Spellbinding.

OK, the binge is over.
We rented that heap of movies (see earlier blog), and the mania has finally ended.
Here are the last two ratings:

Bella - B
Not the most sophisticated or developed plot but a compelling story of tragedy and redemption. Soccer star makes mistake, lives in spiritual exile, and ultimately finds renewed hope and a reinvigorated life.
Spiritual tale filled with teaching moments as well as solid acting. I recommend it.

Mr. Bean's Holiday - D
A mistake. My mistake for renting it. The producers' mistake for making it.
We wanted a comedy, a little light-hearted fun. We got the worst of Bean's productions.
Rowan Atkinson is a funny dude, and his facial contortions are unparalleled. Unfortunately, that does not a 90 minute movie make.
Would be a nice 22 minute sitcom episode. Any more is the debacle that this movie is.
Thumbs down (I know you are surprised)

Enjoying some good free time with my family as my wife is on vacation and my schedule is a little more free. Wonderful.
We rented a heap of movies yesterday and watched two.

The Other Boleyn Girl - really good - B +
Very creative expression of one novelist's interpretation of how things went down in King Henry VIII's court. Proposes that one very ambitious family, the Boleyns, used its women to exploit Queen Catherine's infertility and the lack of a male heir. Amazing how so much of Western history has changed because of Henry and his zipper problem. I had always thought of Henry's problem as an overweening sense of self and pride. The writer here proposes that it may have been his lust that was his undoing. Deadly sins sure are deadly.
Entertaining and provocative. Nataline Portman portrays Anne Boleyn with passion and depth.

27 Dresses - predictable, trite, and very, very average. D
The creators were not creative. Replicators is more like it. The script from every romantic comedy ever written has been plagiarized and piecemealed into this 90 minute movie that felt like 4 hours. Plus, we are asked to believe that Katharine Heigl has been the unnoticed also-ran sister for her entire life of 30+/- years. Not even worthy of being called a chick flick. More like a dud.

Got to a movie for the first time in a while last night. My younger daughter and I went to Get Smart.
Loved it! Funny and sarcastic - just like I like it. Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway were superb. Good chemistry. Very dry humor just like the old sitcom from my childhood.
I highly recommend it.
A- on the Allen Hunt Show grading scale.
Still trying to get to Prince Caspian, but I may have to wait for the DVD. It seems to be disappearing from theaters.

OK - I am shallow. I admit it. And I am good with it.
My younger daughter and I invested three hours of our lives, that we will never get back, to watch Deanna choose Jesse over Jason to be her husband on the Bachelorette.
Thank goodness. Jason was a loser, a recent divorcee who just wanted another woman in his life. Jesse - time will tell - but at least he was himself.
Call me shallow - I accept it.
But at least she picked the better of the two.

Face it: most of the news is not good

Consumer confidence at 16 year low

Gas = $4 a gallon

Home prices falling

Debt levels astronomical

Polar bears endangered

War drags on – 4000+ dead

Americans are the most pessimistic they have been in decades. An AP/Ipsos poll reached its 5 year nadir. Check it out

I drive a 10 year old truck – so I am certainly not enjoying gas prices. At all.

But I feel more positive now than I ever have in my life.

2 Reasons:

a) Because the media dwells on the negative – sells papers


We have it better than anyone ever before in history

You and I have clean water to drink – 40% of world does not.

Infant mortality Life expectancy – are both the best they have ever been across the globe.


b) My faith teaches me that our lives belongs to God

Our lives have a purpose and a destiny

Regardless of temporary economic circumstances – life is good.

As Reagan once said, "Enjoy life; it's ungrateful not to."

What a weird week.

George Carlin died. One of my top 3 comedians ever (after Seinfeld and Larry the Cable Guy but just before Jim Gaffigan).

And a Pew study showed that most Americans, and most Christians, believe that believers of all religions will be in heaven.

Really? Wow.

Ok - so here's the question. Is George Carlin in heaven now?

Carlin was an outspoken critic of religion, and Christianity in general. Called it all B.S. Mocked the Church and the very notion of faith.

So is the funny, sarcastic one in heaven?

I hope so, but I doubt it.

PS - My favorite bit by Carlin is "Stuff." Great commentary on us Americans and our love for our stuff. Second place would be his self-referential piece on being an alpha male on beta blockers, an overachiever and a non-believer.

I rarely get angry, but it often happens in the car. Not sure why, but traffic brings out the worst in me.
And the problem is not traffic. The problem is in me. Most of the time, self-control helps me overcome anger and prevents me from lashing out at others or doing things I will later regret.
Last night, I filled in for Herman Cain on his show. Our focus: road rage. Why do we get angry while in the car? One study says it is because of bumper stickers. Check it out - http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080613/full/news.2008.889.html

This guy says that those of us who personalize our cars with decals and bumper stickers feel more territorial when we are in our cars. This is "my space." So when someone cuts us off, we are more likely to respond with anger, honking, and even aggressive behavior.
What is the cure for anger? Self-control. It is a fruit of God's Spirit. The more we live in God's Spirit, the more we will have self-control in our lives. "But the fruit of the Spirit is this: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and SELF-CONTROL." (Galatians 5.22-3).
In other words, self-control comes from ABOVE not from WITHIN.
Happy Driving!

Over the weekend, I shared a simple faith inventory I developed to help you evaluate the quality and strength of your faith life.

1) The Fruit Test - Galatians 5.22-23 shows us that our spiritual lives should bear at least 9 fruit.
Love, joy, peace
Patience, kindness, goodness
Faithfulness, gentleness and self-control
Do you see more of these fruit in your life than you did a year ago? If so, your faith life is getting stronger. If not, there is a problem.
Which of these fruit are most plentiful in your spirit? Take an inventory.

2) The Prayer Test - Do you have a regular prayer life? A regular way of connecting with God and being in His presence? That is the lifeline for any faith life. Without that, your faith life will continually struggle. Describe and evaluate your prayer life. Doing so will help you rate the quality of your faith life right now.

3) The Generosity Test - Do you give generously? To causes and ministries that are important to you. To people in need. Generosity grows your faith life. Giving causes you to depend more on God and trust Him for your life. Giving generously also helps you experience the grace of God in becoming less self-centered and more focused on the lives of others. A great way to test yourself - look at your tax returns and see if you gave away more of your income this year than last year. Did you? If so, your faith life is probably growing forward. If not, take steps to grow in generosity.

Good to see the provocative blog dialogue (blogalog) while I was away. But we are back!

Back from our vacation to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. Both our daughters went with us as traveled with some of our dearest friends to Italy for a week. It was great. Got to see the Sistine chapel, the first century tomb of Peter, the frescoes at Arezzo, the remarkable San Clemente Church, the ruins in Pompeii, and the Vatican museum. Even got to attend the papal audience on Wednesday in St. Peter's Square. What a cool scene of the universality of the Church as people from all over the globe gathered together. Good stuff! Look for video updates in the coming weeks - we used the cell phone to capture a few of the best moments and will post those soon.

Back to work tonight - live shows this weekend. Even Andy will be back from his protracted vacation. And Ron will be manning the phones - he was in Ohio last week to celebrate his mom's 65th birthday.

It is good to be home.

The note arrived in the mail on Monday. And it hit me like a freight train. My good friend, and a man with a darn fine mind, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He is in his 60's.

Not long ago, a news report shared that Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's husband had been institutionalized with Alzheimer's. In his new home, he had found a new girlfriend and no longer recognized Justice O'Connor or their children. She had had a number of years to watch his decline, so the justice was accepting the news with grace and dignity. We all know Alzheimer's is a tragic disease - but it is tragic both for those who have it and for those who love them.

As a pastor, I watched many families lose a loved one or dear friend slowly over time. Helplessly watching as the person faded away in tiny increments each day or week.

I give thanks for the people who are doing hard work and research to find the root causes and/or cures for this awful disease. And I give thanks for my good friend, whom I love very much. He has shaped my life in remarkable ways for 20 years. And he continues to do so in a new way.

I continue to hold myself accountable in public regarding my 6 resolutions for 2008. The resolutions and a first accounting have already been given. By occasionally updating on this blog, I hold myself accountable so that I work as hard as possible to accomplish all 6 this year.

So here's the progress:

1) Weight - Slowing progress but still progress! I have lost 11 of the 20 pounds that I am trying to lose this year. Lots of exercise and better nutrition have made a world of difference in how I feel.

2) Book - My wife and I have now gotten started on this project. We have generated a first outline and sketching out of the book on helpful ways to cultivate faith in your children.

3) 20th anniversary - The plans are set! Resolution accomplished!

4) 50th - Still in the beginning phases of planning to help my in-laws celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. They are a huge blessing, so I want to help the family make this a banner event. Much work still to do - need to turn up the pace on this one.

5) College - Daughter 2 continues to refine her list of 5 colleges she is most interested in. The list changes weekly, and we are having fun with it. A summer visit to campuses will follow.

6) 100 affiliates for the Allen Hunt Show. Actually, the team's goal is 75 while my personal goal is 100. Our team is now fully assembled. We are working hard and have grown past 20 affiliates as of this weekend.

I was weak. We were on vacation, visiting my mother in Florida. All women plus me - I was outnumbered. So I did it.

I agreed to go see "Definitely, Maybe." Not sure if this qualifies as a chick flick or not, but it provides a really sad commentary on where adult life in America is. Like Juno, the only mature, wise person in the film is a child. At least with Juno, the child was a 16 year old. In Definitely, Maybe, the child is about 10 years old.

The 10 year old girl is the key to the narrative when she wants to discover how her mom and dad actually met. She asks this after learning that her parents are getting divorced. The rest of the movie is the unfolding of her father's sexual exploits with various women before he got married and the girl guessing which one of these women is the one who became her mother.

So we get to hear about one young man's coming of age, through varying gradations of desperation, loneliness, addiction, and depresstion, and the women who accompany, and occasionally accelerate, him through these stages.

In sum, "Dad" comes off as one lost dude. And the women who populate his life (and bed) are rather diverse to say the least.

The plot is interesting. That is one good thing. But all in all, the flick leaves you with a very empty feeling - the feeling of a fellow who traveled a long distance, never quite sure where he was going, and arrived somewhere that he was not sure he wanted to be. Empty.

And sadly, the adults in the film all appear sexually obsessed to the point of having little else in their lives. While one little girl tries to figure out how she fits into this world. Empty.

Overall, a C.