Dirk Hayhurst

I’ve weighed in on the Tebow issue before, several times in fact. But, it really is like the gift that keeps on giving… reasons for me to rant about in print.

I got on the Twitter last night and fired out a couple of comments I would like to hear Tim Tebow say. Now, to be clear, I’m not anti-Tebow. I’m anti-Tebowmania. I like the guy. I think he’s doing the best he can with what he’s got, and I don’t think that it’s his fault that all this religious scrutiny is thrust on his shoulders. He’s passionate, young, zealous, and trying to live his faith the way he believes it should be lived.

That’s actually what gets me worked up, that Tim is doing what he believes he should be, expressing his faith the way he feels an athlete should— a belief that is really not his own, but the prevailing belief of Christianity in America: if you can become relevant enough through what the world thinks is important—fame, money, power—you can become a much better mouthpiece for God. It’s as if we feel God is a god of pop culture, and he needs to be at the forefront of it to make an impact; that the most holy thing we can do is get ahold of the mic for fifteen minutes. (more…)

In a recent talk with a friend, the subject of the great Tim Tebow came up. No, no, not his amazing football season this year. I don’t pay attention to football whatsoever, so trying to talk about the mechanics of the game with me would be a fruitless endeavor. Instead, the conversation was about religion in sports, and the amazing amount of attention Tim Tebow has been able to bring to his chosen faith, Christianity, by being a sports super star.

It’s not a problem to me that Tim Tebow uses near cultish amounts of Christian rhetoric when he communicates with his teammates or the media. In fact, I think it’s kind of gutsy, and I can appreciate his zeal. It’s not a problem for me that he likes to sing praise songs during the game, or remain in constant communiqué with his divine coach. It’s kind of a problem that he tells people God is going to make certain plays happen, but I can get over that, because, well, it’s not like he’s saying the end of the world is nigh, or drink this punch with me or anything. Tim is obviously enjoying his right to religious freedom to the fullest extent and I don’t, personal evangelism choices aside, begrudge him one bit. The ubiquitous presence of the camera has a way of blowing out of proportion any personal quirks, religious or otherwise. (more…)

I’ve been thinking a lot about music, the brain, and memories. I know: an odd thing to simply wake up one day and start pondering. Hear me out. You may have had the satisfaction of watching the 20/20 piece on Gabby Giffords recently, where in it showed her therapist using music to help her get her abilities back? It was a touching piece, and there were several amazing scenes with Gabby in a hospital or treatment facility surrounded by musicians. Why musicians? Well, this is because the brain responds very powerfully to music. Furthermore, not all music related functions, like language related functions, are stored in one specific place. When brain trauma occurs, and one part is damaged, music lets the brain access other parts of the brain, and other emotions, skills, and memories stored there. It’s really quite astounding. (more…)

“Hey Driftwood, how are ya?” Said an excited Sid.

“What?” I said, getting off my twelve-speed and shaking Sid’s hand.

“Driftwood,” he repeated, “or would you prefer Castaway?”

“Your puns are usually bad but at least they’re decipherable. This one, however, has got me completely baffled.”

“You know, your new name, ‘cuase you’re all washed up.” (more…)

“Did you see Manny got arrested?” I asked my dearest Bonnie, presently standing at my side with matching coffee cup and pajamas.

“Shocker,” she said

“Yeah,” I took a sip, “I guess. Though I was kinda surprised. He wasn’t the smartest guy I played with, but he didn’t seem like the violent type either, especially not with all those female fertility drugs in his system. I thought he’d be more inclined to cry during a fight than smack his wife around?”

“Nothing he does surprises me anymore,” said Bonnie. (more…)

“If I tried to lift that over my head, the weight would crush me like one of those Super Mario Goombas,” I said, making a raspberry noise.

Big J, laughed at me as he stepped out from under the weight rack. He always laughs at me when I say stuff like that. I didn’t mind because saying I was weak in comparison to him was not only true, but also a testament to how okay I was with my manhood not revolving around this obsession with lifting large piles off heavy stuff for hours of a day like Big J’s did. It was a very liberating sense of inadequacy. (more…)

Honestly, I took History of Jazz because it was an easy A. In fact, the instructor knew this was why most kids took it; one of the reasons he didn’t take attendance and kept his tests relatively idiot proof. He wasn’t tenured yet and needed students to pass the class so he could keep his job.

Easy A classes are students dream, right up there with the “10 minute rule.” You know, that rule about how if an instructor doesn’t show up to the class after 10 minutes of its scheduled start time everyone can leave? Well, that was the case in my History of Jazz class the morning of September 11^th, 2001, though no one in the class left. (more…)

I was asked to write this as the personal reflection for my senior seminar portfolio for graduation… I wanted to share it with you.

Becoming Someone.

Unlike many who write this personal reflection, I have the luxury of writing about life in college from the years following it. That is to say, I have retrospect on my side. However, if I could somehow go back to those befuddled days of ignorance, hormones and crude, unflinching self-obsession, I might be tempted to write something about how my college career made me ready for professional success. Thankfully, I am in no danger of time travel, and consequently, no danger of lying to you.

I’m happy here in the present, from where I can look back and smile about all the stupid things I thought and did. Things like, “All my classroom learning makes me more than ready for what the real world has to offer.” Actually, I couldn’t say that even if I believed it — I skipped too much class to know. (more…)

I was in the bookstore today. I love bookstores, I love the feel of them, I love how you walk around surrounded by knowledge, and, if you’ve written anything yourself, the feeling of being ensconced by the fruit of days, months, and years of work crafted into print. There really is nothing quite like a book; it’s one of the oldest art forms through which knowledge is recorded in our civilization, and you can pick it off a shelf and hold it in your hands.

Today I was looking for a Christian book. Nothing in particular, really. I was simply hoping something would stand out to me. That the Spirit would lead me, as they say, and I’d select a book that would challenge me and nourish me at the same time. Well, something did stand out to me, just not what I was hoping for.

(more…)

I’ve been out of church for about a year now. I can’t tell you why I’ve been gone so long, at least not concisely, anyway. I think that’s because I don’t really know why I left myself. Even if I had to stand before the Big Man and give Him an account on why, my best reasoning wouldn’t rhapsodize in a way that could save me from someone’s insistence I was a back sliding, no good, wayward, excuse making, sinner.

Call it a New Year’s resolution, call it a penitent change of behavior, call it whatever you want; the fact of the matter is, these last few weeks I’ve been returning to church, looking for some answers. Not the typical, “who is God” stuff. No, more like and understanding of why I felt the need to leave church in the first place. (more…)