I know. I know. Sometimes on the blog I tend to give more exposure to problems than solutions. (Consequently, if one dwells too long on what is wrong and broken rather than what is right and working, that person can become awfully bitter in life. Ironically, this is not my natural disposition, as I’m generally a guy who is classified as “easy going.”)
At any rate, I’ve decided to compile a list of a five of my favorite people in the world. These are people who inspire me, make me laugh, or, as my wife put it, one of my “man crushes”.
Without further ado, here’s the list (in no particular order):
Keith Murphy (man crush): Topping the list is WHO-TV’s very own sports extraordinaire. Rumors have been floating around the DeMo for years that Keith has been offered positions on SportsCenter, bigger markets, more money, etc. I don’t know if they’re true or not, but I do know that we’re lucky to have him. He’s funny, fair, and likable. Sports Sound Off on Sunday nights is one of the few things that I stay up late for anymore, and nothing gets a smile on my face quicker than watching Murph try and hold it together after a particularly sharp “What’s Bugging Andy”.
Shawn Johnson: “Iowa’s Golden Girl” grew up in the same city as me, West Des Moines, and also goes to the same high school I graduated from, Valley High School. We’ve immortalized her in various statue forms – everything from bronze to butter – and with good reason, she’s a peach. It’s refreshing to see a young person who speaks honestly about their talent. Shawn will tell you, she wants to win at the Beijing Olympics and wants to win big. But that desire doesn’t crowd out a humility that is hard to find in athletes, much less talented ones. Everyone here knows she’s the real deal – Go Shawn Go!
My Wife: Not only did I put this on here because I know she’ll be reading it (hi, Sweetie), but because I really do mean it! I just turned 28 and my wife planned a herculean effort with my family to pool all of the birthday resources to get me an iPhone. The gift is great (I just found an app that lets me load an iTune track and scratch over it – as in turntable scratch! Wicked cool.), but the fact that she was willing to think ahead and plan this out for me was better. She has made me a better man inside and out and I love her for it.
Dan Jass: Dan is a professor of mine at Bethel Seminary and I recently just had a week long intensive with him and the rest of my class. Dan challenged all of us in class to look at how and why we believe what we believe what we believe. The goal was not to make value judgments on those values, but to simply see how they came to be formed. (Coincidentally, once you begin to see how some of your beliefs came to be formed, you must necessarily change [or at least reorder] them in order to continue to hold them with a clear conscience.) Dan takes a lot of heat for his methods, but he is a prophetic voice that the Church desperately needs in this hour.
Kay Kinkel: For those of you who know Kay, you know how great she is. I am in the process of becoming ordained in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America) and would not be able to do it without Kay’s support. She has been a lighthouse in the oftentimes foggy process of becoming an ordained pastor. Her willingness to go the extra mile has made all the difference.
Bonus Person – Tom Green: “The Bum Bum Song”? Are you kidding me? How awesome was that?! The guy gets away with so much in the name of humor! Observational humor at its finest.
Who are some of your favorite people? What makes them favorites for you? Let us know in the comments.
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Contributor: Justin Wise
I am a religious deviant who enjoys coffee, collared shirts, spending time with my wife and son, learning about quantum physics and creatively exploring the riches of the Spirit of Christ. Find more here: JustinWise.me-
Laura Jacobsen
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