Adventures in Syberspace

The Parables of the Kingdom, Part Three

Here's the sermon I preached yesterday at Christ Church on The Parables of the Kingdom, the third of three sermons from Matthew 13. You can hear Parts One and Two by clicking on an earlier post. Just click "Continue Reading" to get to the sermon. Or you can listen at cclf.org. (As with the previous sermon, you'll understand the picture if you listen to the sermon).

A full day

Some days, you know how you look back and go: what did I do? Did I do anything today? Today was not one of those days. As I was reflecting back on it, I realized I did a lot. I did all of the following 25 things today except one. Can you pick it out?
Today, I...

~Ran 3.5 miles

~Helped an elderly man move his trash cans down his driveway

~Got the oil changed on the minivan
~Captured a chipmunk in my garage and released it in the Open Lands

~Burned a CD of sermons to give a friend

~Found a babysitter to watch the kids for my sick wife, set them up to see a movie (WALL-E for the 2^nd time)

~Took my kids to the library

~On the way to the library, stopped at the bank to get money, and someone who knows me, but not well, saw me and the four kids and couldn't believe I have four kids; she thought I was 25.

~Saw the acronym for my old youth camp on the license plate of a car in Lake Forest: LLYC, took a picture of it to send to Britt.
~Took a train to the city, along with my bike

~Missed the first train I intended to take, went to Einstein’s for an hour, saw friend I hadn't seen in a while.

~Got information at a store about a possible new cell phone

~Stopped by my good friend PJ’s theater where he was having auditions; left him a note (his intern told him his good friend Celise stopped by to say hello)
~Saw a person in Chicago wearing a Lake Bluff t-shirt that she got at a thrift store. She’s from Racine, Wisconsin, so we naturally had a conversation about how Racine is the home of the only Chick-Fil-A within an hour of Chicago.

~Bought my wife a surprise birthday present

~Stopped into an American Apparel store for the first time

~Read 25 pages of Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw

~Worked on my sermon for Sunday

~Ate my favorite sandwich (Turkey Pesto Melt) at Cosi in Lincoln Park
~Ate a Potbelly chocolate chip cookie
~Got a message from my dad, who happened to be in Los Angeles in the trailer of his good friend, actor G.W. Bailey, on the set of the hit TNT show The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick (wife of Kevin Bacon, who was also on set, as he's directing the episode being filmed)
~Portrayed Jesus in a play at the Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater

~Rode furiously to the train station from the theater, and approached the station just as the train got there. Fell off my bike as I was attempting to dismount, and was stuck on the ground for a few frightening seconds. Looked like a moron, I'm sure.

~Talked to Graham Hallen, who happened to be at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, watching the fountain show, one of my favorite things in the world

~Came home and blogged about it all

The All-Star Game that Wouldn't End

I lasted till the 12th, then watched the rest in the morning. I just love that the numbers and figures below (called a box score, for the uninitiated) is the longest box score in the history of Major League Baseba. Every available player was used, and if it went any longer, the non-pitchers would have been pitching, which would have been really entertaining. Final score might have been 15-14. For all the geeky baseball number nerds like me, reading this is such fun...

NL All-Stars AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Ramirez, H, SS 3 1 2 0 0 1 0 .667   Tejada, SS 3 1 2 0 1 0 0 .667 Utley, 2B 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .333   Uggla, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 3 6 .000 Berkman, 1B 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 .000   Gonzalez, A, 1B 3 0 1 1 0 1 3 .333 Pujols, DH 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 .667   a-Wright, PH-DH 3 0 1 0 1 2 1 .333 Jones, C, 3B 3 0 1 0 0 1 2 .333   Ramirez, A, 3B 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000   1-Guzman, PR-3B 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 Holliday, RF 3 1 1 1 0 0 3 .333   Hart, C, RF 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 .000 Braun, LF 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 .000   Ludwick, LF 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 .000 Fukudome, CF 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000   McLouth, CF 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 .250 Soto, C 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000   Martin, C 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .333   McCann, C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 52 3 13 3 4 17 25   a-Struck out for Pujols in the 8th. 1-Ran for Ramirez, A in the 9th. BATTING HR: Holliday (1, 5th inning off Santana, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Ramirez, H 2; Tejada 2; Utley; Gonzalez, A; Pujols 2; Wright; Jones, C; Holliday 4; McLouth; Martin. RBI: Holliday (1), Berkman (1), Gonzalez, A (1). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Braun; Holliday; Gonzalez, A 2. S: Martin. SF: Berkman; Gonzalez, A. GIDP: Uggla. Team LOB: 11. BASERUNNING SB: Tejada (1, 2nd base off Papelbon/Navarro). CS: Guzman (1, 2nd base by Rivera/Navarro). FIELDING E: Ramirez, H (1, throw), Uggla 3 (3, fielding, fielding, fielding). Outfield assists: McLouth (Navarro at home). DP: (Ramirez, H-Utley-Berkman). Pickoffs: Zambrano (Bradley at 1st base).		AL All-Stars AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Suzuki, RF 3 0 1 0 0 1 2 .333   Drew, RF 4 1 2 2 1 1 0 .500 Jeter, SS 3 0 1 0 0 0 3 .333   Young, SS 4 0 1 1 0 2 1 .250 Hamilton, CF-LF 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .333   Quentin, LF 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 .000 Rodriguez, A, 3B 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000   Crede, 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000   b-Guillen, PH-3B 3 0 1 0 1 1 0 .333 Ramirez, M, LF 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000   Sizemore, CF 5 1 1 0 0 2 5 .200 Bradley, DH 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 .000   c-Longoria, PH-DH 4 0 1 1 0 2 4 .250 Youkilis, 1B 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000   Morneau, 1B 4 2 2 0 1 0 4 .500 Mauer, C 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1.000   1-Kinsler, PR-2B 5 0 1 0 0 1 4 .200 Pedroia, 2B 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 .000   Varitek, C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000   a-Navarro, PH-C 4 0 1 0 1 2 1 .250 Totals 57 4 14 4 7 17 34   a-Struck out for Varitek in the 7th. b-Struck out for Crede in the 8th. c-Doubled for Bradley in the 8th. 1-Ran for Mauer in the 5th. BATTING 2B: Morneau (1, Volquez), Longoria (1, Wagner), Guillen (1, Cook). HR: Drew (1, 7th inning off Volquez, 1 on, 2 out). TB: Suzuki; Drew 5; Jeter; Young; Hamilton; Guillen 2; Sizemore; Longoria 2; Morneau 3; Mauer; Kinsler; Navarro. RBI: Drew 2 (2), Longoria (1), Young (1). 2-out RBI: Drew 2; Longoria. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Rodriguez, A; Pedroia; Jeter; Bradley; Morneau 3; Quentin 3; Kinsler 2. SF: Young. GIDP: Jeter. Team LOB: 17. BASERUNNING SB: Drew (1, 2nd base off Marmol/Martin), Sizemore (1, 2nd base off Wagner/Martin), Jeter (1, 2nd base off Sheets/Soto), Hamilton (1, 2nd base off Haren/Martin), Bradley (1, 2nd base off Sheets/Soto), Kinsler (1, 2nd base off Haren/Martin). CS: Kinsler (1, 2nd base by Cook/Martin). PO: Bradley (1st base by Zambrano). FIELDING E: Navarro (1, throw). Outfield assists: Suzuki (Pujols at 2nd base). DP: 2 (Navarro-Kinsler, Kinsler-Young-Morneau).
NL All-Stars IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Sheets 2.0 1 0 0 2 3 0 0.00 Zambrano 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Haren (H, 1) 2.0 2 0 0 1 2 0 0.00 Volquez (BS, 1) 1.0 2 2 2 0 2 1 18.00 Wilson (H, 1) 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Wagner (BS, 1) 0.1 2 1 1 0 0 0 27.00 Dempster 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0.00 Cook 3.0 4 0 0 3 1 0 0.00 Marmol 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 Webb 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 Lidge (L, 0-1) 0.2 2 1 1 1 0 0 13.50		AL All-Stars IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Lee 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0.00 Saunders 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Halladay 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Santana 1.0 1 1 1 0 2 1 9.00 Duchscherer 1.0 3 1 1 0 1 0 9.00 Nathan 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Papelbon 1.0 1 1 0 0 2 0 0.00 Rodriguez, F 0.1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 Rivera 1.2 2 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 Soria 1.2 2 0 0 2 2 0 0.00 Sherrill 2.1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 Kazmir (W, 1-0) 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.00
IBB: Guillen (by Cook), Morneau (by Cook), Tejada (by Soria). Pitches-strikes: Sheets 42-24, Zambrano 20-12, Haren 36-22, Volquez 18-11, Wilson 12-7, Wagner 9-6, Dempster 18-10, Cook 42-21, Marmol 19-12, Webb 13-8, Lidge 19-12, Lee 20-16, Saunders 12-8, Halladay 9-8, Santana 20-15, Duchscherer 22-15, Nathan 8-5, Papelbon 11-9, Rodriguez, F 8-4, Rivera 26-18, Soria 30-17, Sherrill 25-18, Kazmir 14-7. Ground outs-fly outs: Sheets 0-3, Zambrano 4-0, Haren 1-3, Volquez 1-0, Wilson 0-1, Wagner 1-0, Dempster 0-0, Cook 6-0, Marmol 1-0, Webb 0-1, Lidge 0-2, Lee 2-1, Saunders 2-1, Halladay 1-0, Santana 1-0, Duchscherer 0-2, Nathan 0-2, Papelbon 0-1, Rodriguez, F 0-1, Rivera 2-0, Soria 1-2, Sherrill 2-3, Kazmir 1-1. Batters faced: Sheets 9, Zambrano 6, Haren 9, Volquez 5, Wilson 2, Wagner 3, Dempster 3, Cook 16, Marmol 4, Webb 3, Lidge 5, Lee 7, Saunders 4, Halladay 3, Santana 4, Duchscherer 6, Nathan 3, Papelbon 4, Rodriguez, F 2, Rivera 5, Soria 9, Sherrill 8, Kazmir 4. Inherited runners-scored: Rivera 1-0, Sherrill 3-0. Umpires: HP: Derryl Cousins. 1B: Ed Rapuano. 2B: Tom Hallion. 3B: Mark Wegner. LF: Greg Gibson. RF: Phil Cuzzi. Weather: 82 degrees, clear. Wind: 8 mph, Out to CF. T: 4:50. Att: 55,632.

That Thomas Syler is a sharp fella...

So I was taking Kaila's bike to Kiddles in Lake Forest's Market Square today and I got stopped for an interview by a CBS-Channel 2 reporter about possible pay raises for state senators. I shared my thoughts and it was on tonight's news. I very clearly told him my name: "Syler Thomas," I said, then I spelled "Syler." But they still called me Thomas Syler. Oh well. If you want to see it, including a nice butt shot of me walking my bike away after the interview, click here, and click on the video link in the upper-right hand corner.

Vote for Chris Thile on ESPN.com

The best mandolinist in the world needs your help. Chris Thile (pronounced THE as in theory, lee as in...Lee), formerly of Nickel Creek, and currently with The Punch Brothers, is one of three finalists to win a "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" rendition contest. They've already taken down REO Speedwagon so I'd say the hard work is over.

To listen to and vote for his rendition, go here. To read an internet chat he did today on ESPN.com, go here. He's a huge Cubs fan...note that he sings "root, root, root for the Cubbies."

Pixar does it again

I suppose it's possible that Pixar will make a bad movie one of these days, but it hasn't happened yet. In my opinion, the closest they came to a "miss" was with Cars. Gorgeous animation, but it was a little long, and not as compelling as some of the others. Let me give you my thoughts on WALL·E and I'll close with my top 5 Pixar movies.

I really appreciated the fact that I hadn't seen any trailers for the movie before I saw it. I don't have to with Pixar movies, and with 4 children in the house who I know will want to see it. The thing that sets this movie apart (as with any really good movie) is a compelling story. There's very little dialogue in the first thirty minutes, and it's a very similar feel to I Am Legend: earth is abandoned, save for one cockroach and one robot who is cleaning up the trash. But was I bored by this? Hardly.

We discover that Earth is in the shape she's in because of a giant conglomerate called Buy N Large (a swipe at Costco, perhaps?) which has basically screwed everything up. It could become JUST an anti-big company, eco-friendly movie, but it doesn't. It's actually an eco-friendly, social-commentary, robo-romantic comedy, science-fiction movie. And probably the best one of that genre so far this summer.

Michael Phillips' review in the Tribune says it well: "it's remarkable to see any film, in any genre, blend honest sentiment with genuine wit and a visual landscape unlike any other." You should go see it. It's not perfect, and probably not the best Pixar movie, but it's good. And now for The List:

Top Pixar Movies
1. Finding Nemo (the underwater animation is breath-taking, the story is touching, Ellen DeGeneres is hysterical)
2. Monsters, Inc. (funny, inventive, touching, always keeps you entertained)
3. Toy Story (hard to believe this was Pixar's first full-length movie. Groundbreaking animation, funny, heart-warming, great story, several false endings keep you on the edge of your seat. Great lesson on feeling replaced)
4. The Incredibles (compelling story, cleverly done, great lesson on doing what gives you joy)
5. WALL·E (see comments above)
The final four I'd rank in this order: Ratatouille, Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life, Cars
Honorable mention, non-Pixar category: "Surf's Up". The best non-Pixar movie of the past several years. It's a mockumentary penguin movie, featuring Jeff Bridges as a kind of "The Dude" character from Big Lebowski character, plus Zooey Deschanel, Shia LeBeouf, and Napoleon and Rex from Napoleon Dynamite, playing penguin versions of Napoleon and Rex.

Last chance to see me as Jesus

Most of you already know about this, but I've been playing Jesus in a play called The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at the Gift Theatre on the northwest side of Chicago (that's me there on the left, about to be betrayed with a kiss). It ran throughout my sabbatical, and was one of the most successful shows in the history of the company. So they decided to move it to the Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theatre in Lincoln Park for a 2-month summer run. And I will be doing nine of the 20 shows: tonight, June 12 (our 2nd Opening Night) and July 3-6 and 17-20. If you haven't been able to see it but would like to, let me know. Below is a video that one of our cast member's, Lindsey Pearlman, put together as a promo piece for the move. The play is hysterically funny, profoundly moving, thought-provoking, conversation-starting, and vulgar. It would definitely be rated R were it a movie. So be warned. How can a Christian youth pastor be in a play like this? I'll blog on that later. (Note: music by Sigur Rós).

The Parables of the Kingdom, Part Two

Here's the sermon I preached today at Christ Church on The Parables of the Kingdom from Matthew 13. You can hear Part One by clicking on an earlier post. Part Three will come July 20th. Just click "Continue Reading" to get there. Or you can listen at cclf.org. (You'll understand the picture if you listen to the sermon).

Phinally new Photos!

Thanks to the stinging rebuke of my dear friend Franny P, I have added three new albums of pictures (available on the right sidebar) including from our recent trip to Walt Disney World, which I found to be shockingly wonderful. I guess I thought it would just be cheesy, and that I was kind of a tool for going. But the joke was on me. We all had an amazing time. Enjoy the pics!

How many five year olds could YOU take?

Thanks to Graham for passing this along. Take the quiz and find out if you beat me. Remember: you have to be honest here. I feel like the number is pretty accurate (sorry, Foster, but yes, I might resort to biting or eye-gouging if threatened)...

25