Kansas Bob

Confronting a Scary Diagnosis

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:52:00 +0000

Lew Alcindor (aka Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) was playing basketball for Power Memorial High School when I was attending Brooklyn Technical High School in the 1960s. His prowess on the court was legendary even back then. I loved watching Kareem play college and pro basketball.. he always reminded me of my New York roots.

So I was saddened today when I heard that he has been diagnosed with leukemia. According to this LA Times article:

The disease was diagnosed in December. But Abdul-Jabbar said his condition can be managed by taking oral medication daily, seeing his specialist every other month and getting his blood analyzed regularly. He said he expects to lead a healthy life.

Abdul-Jabbar acknowledged he was scared after visiting his doctor and learning of the diagnosis.

"The word 'leukemia' is a very frightening word," he said in a phone interview from New York. "In many instances, it's a killer and it's something that you have to deal with in a very serious and determined way if you're going to beat it."

I can so resonate with a scary diagnosis.. we were scared last year when Ann was diagnosed with Devics Disease.. living with things like cancer, ALS and other life threatening diseases can do a job on your brain. It causes you to confront the fleeting aspects of this thing called life.. it sometimes refocuses your attentions to things like prayer and worship that transcend life.

Have you ever been given a scary diagnosis? How did you react? Do you have any suggestions for others in similar situations?

Celebrating the Fall of the Wall

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:08:00 +0000

Today Germany and the world celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Lech Walesa, the former head of the Polish Solidarity movement, spoke to the gathering (along with others world leaders) and then toppled the first of a chain of giant colored dominoes set up along a 1.5 km (0.9 mile) stretch where the Wall once stood. The first 2 minute video sets up the second 3 minute recording of the dominoes falling.

One Year Later: Politics As Usual

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:24:00 +0000

It has been a year since our country elected Barack Obama president. I remember how I naively thought he would bring a new era of consensus and bipartisanship to our country. I remember the atmosphere of hope that seemed to permeate the airwaves of our country.. he really seemed to be a different kind of leader.

The following excerpt from an opinion piece by Doyle McManus this week in the Los Angeles Times describes where many of us are a year later:

When the Gallup Poll asked voters last month if Obama had kept "the promises he made during his presidential campaign," only 48% said yes. And when the pollsters asked whether voters considered Obama a liberal or a moderate, 54% called him a liberal -- a big jump from the 43% who gave that answer on election day in 2008.

Many of those disillusioned voters are moderates and independents, people who voted for Obama not because they supported liberal programs but because they responded to his call for a post-partisan politics. To be sure, Republicans in Congress haven't given Obama many chances to pass bipartisan legislation; they have opted instead for drawing sharp contrasts. At least in the short run, that strategy appears to be working.

Instead of a new centrist consensus, Obama's first year has produced a backlash -- and not only among zealots of the Republican right. Polls show conservative views up across the entire electorate.

My first reaction to the clip is to wonder why the Republicans are painted as the folks not wanting and blocking bipartisan legislation.. like the president and the Democrats want it but they do not. It seems that this is a subtle way to give the president a pass and not paint him as a leader who is either unable or unwanting to achieve bipartisanship.

The reality of Barack Obama's presidency is that it is politics as usual. Democrats are in power these days and they certainly are acting like it. When Republicans had the presidency and a majority in congress they also acted liked it. All the talk of bipartisanship is hollow rhetoric. Nothing has changed much in our capitol.. lobbyists still lobby.. backroom deals are still made.. cynicism rules the day and hope is no where to be found.

It has been a disappointing year for independents and centrists who supported President Obama last year thinking things would be different.

Have A Little Faith

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:19:00 +0000

An inspirational 5 minute interview with best selling author Mitch Albom.
You can get his new book "Have A Little Faith" at Amazon and other places.

Pensions up for Greedy Weasels

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:19:00 +0000

With the country experiencing record levels of unemployment this Wall Street Journal article titled Pensions for Executives on Rise (Arcane Techniques, Generous Formulas Boost Payouts as Share Prices Fall) caught my attention. Here are a few clips from it:

Pensions for top executives rose an average of 19% in 2008, with more than 200 executives seeing pensions increase more than 50%, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.
...
Executive pensions rose even as the share prices at the companies declined an average of 37% in 2008 and many firms froze employee pensions and suspended retirement-plan contributions.

The article goes on to detail the great deals of execs at Merck, Connoco Phillips, Exxon Mobil and other benevolent entities. I know that some folks feel that corporate executives are entitled to lavish benefits like these pensions.. heck.. folks in our congress get great lifetime pensions after just a few years of "service".. but I mean really.. what is it going to take to change the executive weasel compensation culture in Corporate America?

And in a related NY Times article titled 23 Private College Presidents Made More Than $1 Million reported "The presidents of the nation’s major private research universities were paid a median compensation of $627,750 in the 2007-8 fiscal year — a 5.5 percent increase from the previous year".. hmmm.. a few academic weasels?

iPhone Bacon Case

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:03:00 +0000

Thanks to my friend crownring I finally found a reason to want an iPhone!
Click on the photo to see many other great bacon treats :)

Awesome Clichés - or are they Awful?

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:27:00 +0000

This cartoon got me thinking about the clichés that I seem to use on a regular basis. Some are good ones (I think) because they communicate ideas effectively but some are just silly or simply untrue. Here are a few.. with comments :)

Time heals all wounds - maybe patience more than time.
Can't see the forest for the trees - I thought the forest was the trees.
Look what the cat dragged in - now that is never good news.
As hot as hell - and how hot would that be?
God's green earth - isn't the desert His too?
Between a rock and a hard place - why not between two rocks?
Blood is thicker than water - not always.
If it ain't broke don't fix it - get an annual physical anyway!
I wash my hand of the whole matter - you better if you are a cook.
As American as Apple Pie - I prefer lemon cream pie.

What is your favorite cliché? Your least favorite?

Prayer Blogoversary Invitation

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:51:00 +0000

One year ago today I sat in a hospital room watching my wife Ann receive a chemotherapy treatment. Feeling a bit prayerful I started a new blog and called it Daily Prayer. Now 52 weeks and 187 posts later I find that I no longer post there every day. I still regularly pray but don't always feel like writing about what I pray.

So I thought that I would invite you to write a prayer or devotional thought on prayer to be posted there with a link back to your blog. I would also be open to making it a group authored site if anyone would commit to posting once a week. If you are interested please email me and let me know how you would like to be involved.

Meatball Wars

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:42:00 +0000

In this picture taken on Sunday Chef Matthew Mitnitsky of Concord, NH celebrates after his meatball weighed in at 225.5 pounds and broke the world record for the largest meatball. The competition was set off in August when someone in Mexico set the record with a 109 pound meatball and was advanced by Talk Show host Jimmy Kimmel in Los Angeles with a 198.6 pound meatball. Chef Mitnitsky said he got involved "to bring the meatball back to the East Coast because that's where it originated."

I do suspect the record might be a bit of a PR stunt for Nonni's Italian Eatery

Afghanistan: Why Are We There?

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:30:00 +0000

Matthew Hoh was a 36-year-old foreign service officer serving in Afghanistan until he resigned his post last week. Mr Hoh is a former Marine Corps captain who served multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He received citations for uncommon bravery. He seems to be a credible voice in the Afghanistan discussion.

I found this call-in interview session with Mr Hoh to be an informative one and considered Hoh's thoughts about our efforts in Afghanistan to be insightful. Here are a few excerpts of his responses to questions:

I resigned because I reached a point in my conscience where I could not support the loss of American lives for a goal I don't believe serves strategic US interests. If I agreed with this policy, I would have remained working in Afghanistan at the provincial level.
I was hired as a limited non-career foreign service officer. I was sworn into the foreign service as as foreign service officer for at temporary period of time. The US government "deputizes" people in such manner to make up for shortfalls in manning or to bring in people with specialized experience.
Upon arriving in Afghanistan and serving in both the East and the South (and particularly speaking with local Afghans), I found that the majority of those who were fighting us and the Afghan central government were fighting us because they felt occupied.
I feel that our two goals in that region should be the defeat of al-Qaeda and the stabilization of Pakistan ... If anything, evidence suggests our presence in Afghanistan has destabilized Pakistan.
The people we are fighting, for the most part, in Afghanistan are fighting us because they do not want to be occupied by either a foreign army or a central government force. Simply put, al-Qaeda does not exist in Afghanistan and 60,000 troops with the hope of stabilizing the Afghan central government which may or may not succeed in 5-10 years time will not defeat al-Qaeda.

I find the views of Mr Hoh to be compelling ones. I admire his resolve and his courage of convictions. I hope he will be heard by those who influence policy in Afghanistan.

I think that the questions we need to ask in Afghanistan are the whys and not the whats or the hows. I think that if we focus on how to win and what we need to do to succeed we will miss asking the question of why are we there. I am hoping that our president is asking the right questions.

The Ginormous Oasis of the Seas

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:30:00 +0000

This 2 minute video (above) shows the Oasis going under the Danish Great Belt bridge. Even with its smokestacks retracted there was only two feet of clearance between the highest point of the ship and the bridge.. to make it even scarier the ship moved through at 20 knots/hour to make sure it was sitting deeper in the water.

The Oasis of the Seas is an amazing cruise ship. It sails 20 stories high and, set on end, is equivalent to the height of the Empire State building.. it is 5 times as large as the Titanic. It set sail today and will face it's first obstacle today when it exits the Baltic Sea and must squeeze under the Great Belt Bridge, which is just 1 foot taller than the ship — even after its telescopic smokestacks are lowered. Simply an amazing ship.. there are several videos on YouTube if you are interested in viewing the features of the ship.

Living to Learn

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:29:00 +0000

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. -Mohandas Gandhi

I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma. -Eartha Kitt

It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. -Attributed to Harry S. Truman

Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned. -Mark Twain

You learn something every day if you pay attention. -Ray LeBlond

I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. -Abraham Lincoln

I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught. -Winston Churchill

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. -Henry Ford

Here I Stand

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:01:00 +0000

Martin Luther's famous statement to the Imperial Diets of Worms as presented in the 2003 movie titled Luther. Inspiring response regardless of your religious persuasion.

An Opportunity to Love Kids

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:52:00 +0000

Halloween.. a somewhat controversial day in some Christian circles. I love what my blog friend Amber wrote about the topic last year. A few excerpts from her excellent posting:

I love Halloween. :) Its fun. I'm not worshiping Satan when I dress up and give kids candy. Its an opportunity to love kids. For some of us, it may be the only contact we have with our neighbors. For me, its a way to relate to kids where they're at.
...
I'm going to give them candy and be friendly to them and dress up with them and play with them because that's how you communicate love to a kid at Halloween time. And isn't communicating Love what we're supposed to be about?
...
Its all about where your heart is. I think kids get that. They understand the difference between real and make-believe. Its the adults that have the issues with it.

I love that idea about it being an opportunity to love kids.. it is a positive way to view the day. What other positive ways do you celebrate the day?

The Religion of Not

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:05:00 +0000

Commenting on the Atheist Alliance International convention in Burbank, California this month Rice University humanities professor Anthony Pinn reflects here that atheists:

Share with fundamentalists of any religion an inability for critical self-reflection and critique.
Have formed, in effect, the religion of "not," defined by what they refuse and rebuke.
Believe that religion is the single most dangerous human creation.

I have understood for some time that fundamentalism is something that knows no ideology.. in a sense it can only be escaped when you escape the extremes of ideology. So it is no surprise to me that others like Pinn see fundamentalist traits in atheism. Interesting how he characterizes atheism as a religion in reverse calling it one of "not".

And it did not surprise me to hear that folks like Bill Maher and Christopher Hitchens consider religion to be dangerous. Right here in Kansas City religion has had a negative influence in our city.. all but one of our hospitals were started by religious folks.. homeless shelters and soup kitchens are run by those evil religious folks.. and many religious groups have food pantries.. they are quite a dangerous lot.

Why Would Anyone Kindle?

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:26:00 +0000

Many of us who are a bit geeky have thought for a long time that one day paper would be replaced with digitized versions of those things that are on paper. We have already seem much of the "news" captured in RSS feeds and websites. We have also seen postal letters and cards replaced by email and e-cards. I love the advantages that we get from electronic media.. I like the speed of delivery and the cost.. we get the news 24/7 and don't have to wait days to get a note from a friend.. and it is mostly free.

So this morning I get a tweet from Scot McKnight telling me his book Jesus Creed is now selling at Amazon in Kindle form. So I check it out and find the Kindle version is selling for $9.99. That seemed a bit high to me (after all I am used to "free") so I checked out the paper version and found it on Amazon on sale for $11.55. Hmmm.. that just didn't seem to make sense to me. It seems that the cost of the paper, printing and distribution would be more than $1.56?

Of course Amazon also sells the Kindle device.. you can get one for a mere $259. So I think that I am missing something. Can someone tell me why anyone would buy a Kindle? Is it just not waiting a couple of days to get the paper version? It seems one could get the book from a local store if they need it right away.

So why would anyone Kindle?

What's Up with Lucrative Book Deals?

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:07:00 +0000

Just heard that Sarah Palin was advanced 1.25 million dollars for her new "Going Rogue" book. Got me to wondering how much other folks have made from book deals. Here is an unsubstantiated list of a few other book deals:

Senator Ted Kennedy received a $2 million advance for his memoirs in 2008.
Singer Britney Spears signed a $14 million publishing deal to write a no-holds-barred account of her career last January.

Hillary Clinton got an $8 million advance for her book "Living History" in 2000 from Simon and Schuster.
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan got $8.5 million from Penguin Press for his memoir "The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World".
Obama campaign manager David Plouffe signed a seven-figure deal to write “The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory” to be published by Viking Press.
Miley Cyrus signed a $7 million book deal last year with Disney Book Group for her "Mile to Go" book.
Joe The Plumber, aka Samuel Wurzelbacher, signed a deal last year for his book, "Joe the Plumber -- Fighting for the American Dream".
Former GE CEO Jack Welch got $7.1 million from TimeWarner Books.
VP Dick Cheney signed a $2 million deal with Simon and Schuster in June.
President Bill Clinton received a $15 million advance from the Knopf Publishing Group to write "My Life", his 2004 autobiography.

And just out today - Andre Agassi reportedly tells all about his crystal meth addiction in his new book "Open".. he reportedly got $5 million from a Random House affiliate.. guess you have to spice it up when they give you that much dough.

So I just gotta wonder.. why are we so interested in these folks? Do you think that they are really worth the big bucks? Have you read any of these books? I confess that I have not. If you have read any of these please share your perspectives on them. Christmas is coming.. maybe we need to add them to our shopping list?

Cable News Neck Chokers

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:16:00 +0000

One of the great things that Baby Boomers brought to the American business culture was the idea of "Business Casual". Up until 1990 I worked in an environment where guys wore ties and gals dressed to the nines. In the early nineties Baby Boomers began to gain control of the business environment and wool pants gave way to khakis which gave way to "Casual Friday" jeans.

So I gotta ask: "What's up with TV anchors wearing those neck chokers?" Both on a national and local level I am constantly amazed at how the "news" folks still hang on to this aging dress code. Really - who are they trying to impress? If you wear a neck choker in the tech world you are written off as a power-broker bureaucrat that doesn't know much about the work.. and I do wish that the idea is an uninformed one.

So my suggestion is that TV and Cable News Anchors start slowly and get a bit casual on Fridays and weekends. Maybe substitute a sweater or golf shirt for the starched shirt and neck chokers? What do you think? Do you care what they wear?

29-Day Giving Challenge

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:52:00 +0000

I saw MS patient and author Cami Walker on the Today Show this morning and found her story to be inspirational. Here is her story in brief from the 29 Gifts website:

The first day of my personal 29-Day Giving Challenge was preceded by a sleepless night. I was awake all night feeling angry and sorry for myself during a difficult flare up of my Multiple Sclerosis. When insomnia hits, I often go through old journals and read them. I found a note that I'd made during a phone session with one of my spiritual teachers, Mbali Creazzo, two months before. The note said, "Give something away each day for 29 days." It was 3 a.m. and I decided in that moment to take the suggestion.

And so my 29-Day Giving Challenge began that morning as I gave my first gift -- a simple supportive phone call to another friend living with MS. I woke up the next day and the next day after that feeling excited about what I might give away. And I began to notice that the more I gave away, the more abundance I was experiencing for myself.

Dealing with a chronic illness like MS or Devics Disease (my wife's illness) can take everything out of you. I so admire Cami Walker's story.. I appreciated how she struggled.. how she forced herself out of bed to give a small gift each day for 29 days.. and I was amazed to hear her speak of not needing her cane after a few weeks.

I think that I will order the book and hope with Cami.. and maybe even embrace her message of giving something small each day. After all Thanksgiving is next month.

$375,000 Lexus LF-A Roadster

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:24:00 +0000

With Christmas coming up I thought that I would bring this to your attention. According to this USA Today article Toyota became the hit of the Tokyo Motor Show yesterday with the debut of its $375,000 Lexus LFA supercar. You can order one for your favorite guy and they will customize it for you - but hurry because they are only making 500 of them.

God is with us if we are with the Poor

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:27:00 +0000

I loved these things that Bono said:

Love thy neighbor is not a piece of advice, it is a command.

God has a special place for the poor.

Where you live should not decide whether you live
or whether you die.

The poor are where God lives. God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is where the opportunity is lost and lives are shattered. (Standing ovation.) God is with the mother who has infected a child with a virus that will take both their lives. God is under the rubble in the cries we hear during wartime.

God, my friends, is with the poor, and God is with us if we are with them.

Please join me in asking how we can be with God and the poor today.

Soupy Sales, 1926-2009

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:16:00 +0000

I was saddened to hear that Soupy Sales died yesterday at a hospital in the Bronx. I loved to watch the Soupy Sales show when I was growing up in New York. It was so offbeat and unusual. I loved Pookie, White Fang, Black Tooth and his trademark pie in the face.. apparently he took 20,000 of them in his life.. he was so funny. Please join me in asking God to comfort his friends and family.

God, send me angels....

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:53:00 +0000

Last month I wrote about a human-angelic experience I had in an ICU right before my first wife Ellen passed away. Today I bring you a great and inspirational story from my good friend Eileen.

I was flying home from a great week with my Florida family. My emotions were mixed as we said good-bye. It was hard to leave them, but I was really ready to be home again; ready to be back to my husband and my own house.

I’ve flown alone before and everything has always gone well. Still, each trip brings a bit of anxiety. Being wheelchair bound, I am totally dependent on airline and airport personnel to get me on, off, and down long concourses to my next plane. I always wonder, “What if I miss that connecting flight…?” I was about to find out.

My first flight had a problem docking to the jet-way. Many minutes were lost and time was already short. The courier pushing my wheelchair hurried my through the airport as fast as he could, but I was too late. I missed my flight! The courier took me to Customer Service. The next available flight home wouldn’t leave until the following morning. They offered me a hotel room, but without someone to help me, that was an impossible prospect. I knew I needed to stay in the airport.

So, there I was, sitting at my morning gate in a manual wheelchair that I was not strong enough to move. I was confident that I would be OK; that I could sit there for 12 hours and wait patiently. I called Marvin to tell him my situation. Then I began to talk to God. I asked Him to send me angels to keep me company.

Marvin called Jason (Eileen's son) with the news. Jason and Nicole prayed. Nicole asked God to send me angels. Marvin called his Mom. She prayed with Marvin over the phone and asked God to send me angels. Then God began to move! Marvin’s Mom called her niece, Martha. Martha called her daughter, Melissa, who lives in southern Georgia. Melissa called her friend, Missy, who lives in Atlanta. All these followers of Jesus were determined to find a way to help me. Phone calls followed into the night as they went through possibilities.

It was Missy and her friend, Christine, (two women I had never met) who finally drove an hour to the airport late that night. Through sheer determination they finally found someone who could and would find me and push me out of the secured area to them. Missy and Christine were my angels. God had answered our prayers.

Missy and Christine are both mothers of young children who sacrificed a night’s peace and rest and their own priorities to answer God’s call and meet my needs. They spent the night with me, helping me to the bathroom, providing food, and having a lot of fun conversation. To me it seemed like a party! We had fun! In the morning they got me back to my gate before they said good-bye and returned to their families. After they’d gone I realized that I didn’t even know their last names.

It never occurred to me before that night that God uses people to do the angel-thing sometimes. It’s a lesson I want to remember. I’d really like the privilege of being someone’s angel someday. I hope that when the opportunity comes, I will gladly make the sacrifice. Thank you, Missy and Christine!

WWW: Expensive Old Hair

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:17:00 +0000

In this edition of Weird World Wednesday, I submit to you an excerpt from a Forbes article titled Elvis' hair sells for $15K at Chicago auction:

A clump of hair believed to have been trimmed from Elvis Presley's head when he joined the Army in 1958 has sold for $15,000 at a Chicago auction house.

Also among the 200 Elvis-related items up for grabs at the Leslie Hindman Auctioneers in Chicago on Sunday was a shirt that once belonged to the King which sold for $52,000.

The buyer of the hair paid $15,000 plus an additional $3,300 in auction house fees.

In the words of a cliche it seems that some folks have more money than sense.. and don't you think that hair is pretty gross? Wonder what the shirt looked like?

IsTolerance all about Peace?

kansasbob@gmail.com (Kansas Bob) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:18:00 +0000

“When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.” -Peace Pilgrim

“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.” -Friedrich Nietzsche

“The problem to be faced is: how to combine loyalty to one's own tradition with reverence for different traditions.” -Abraham Heschel

“Peace is not won by those who fiercely guard their differences, but by those who with open minds and hearts seek out connections.” -Katherine Paterson

“The capacity for getting along with our neighbor depends to a large extent on the capacity for getting along with ourselves. The self-respecting individual will try to be as tolerant of his neighbor's shortcomings as he is of his own.” -Eric Hoffer

“The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.” -Ralph W. Sockman

“The only way to make sure people you agree with can speak is to support the rights of people you don't agree with.” -Eleanor Holmes Norton

God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. -Jesus Christ (NLT)