The Best Show on Television

When the television is on at our house it is usually sports and news with an occasional cooking show. While watching my favorite sport program (PTI with Wilbon and Kornheiser), I heard mention of a new reality show with NBA mega star Shaquille O’Neal and a group of overweight kids. Shaq selected six overweight middle school students for a special challenge of achieving better physical fitness by losing weight. The show is called Shaq’s Big Challenge and is on ABC Tuesday nights 8/7c.

This is why I think it is the best show on television:

1. Shaquille O’Neal – This guy has proven that his heart is as big as his impressive seven foot plus stature. Shaq takes a semi trailer full of toys into the projects every year at Christmas and plays Shaq O’Claus. If every athlete would use his time and resources like Shaq then the world would be a better place. I live in Dallas and I am a huge Dallas Mavericks fan. Unless He is playing the Mavericks I am pulling for Shaq. I do not know about Shaq’s faith. His mother is a Baptist and his step-father is a Muslim, but there is something about this guy that makes you like him even if you only know him from television.

2. The Positive Message of Encouragement – My favorite kid on this program is Walter. When Shaq visited Walter’s house to sign him up for the program, Walter was playing video games and would not even get out of his seat to answer the door. One of the first tests was to get the gang of obese kids to take the presidential fitness test. None of them passed. When they were asked to run a mile, Walter was still on the track after all the others had finished. Shaq told all of the other kids to go out and get behind Walter and cheer him on to the finish line. When Walter finished he was exhausted but had a huge grin on his face and said, “No one has ever cheered for me for anything in my entire life, it felt good.” Shaq has consistently encouraged Walter and it is so exciting to see his entire personality transforming in front of your eyes.

3. America’s Obesity Problem – Shaq has a passion for the overweight kids in America. The facts are staggering. One out of every six young people is obese, many of them morbidly obese. This is the first generation of young people who because of obesity related problems will not be expected to live as long as their parents. Shaq exposes and offers solutions to the all too often unhealthy school lunches and what is usually a joke of a physical education class at school, if it even exists.

America has an obesity problem. Just this week a John Hopkins study was released that reported that 75% of all Americans will be overweight and 41% will be classified as obese by the year 2015 if we do not change. Shaquille O’Neal is doing something about this problem.

My Favorite View in the Whole World

I have traveled around the world but I have yet to find a spot I like more than the Caribbean Island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin. Amy and I have enjoyed some genuine relaxation the few times we have been able to come to this island.

It is the smallest landmass in the world that is shared by two nations. The Dutch and the French bring something unusual to this small Caribbean island. The food is great, the sunset over Grand Case spectacular and the beach is the best in the world as far as I am concerned.

I am thankful for a few days of rest and renewal in my favorite place with my favorite view and of course with my favorite person.

The American Revolution and my Family

The above picture is of my ancestor, William Clingan (1721-1790). He was one of the founding fathers of our country. He was a member of the Continental Congress and was a signer of The Articles of Confederation for the United States as a representative from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He served alongside Benjamin Franklin, also from Pennsylvania.

I am a seventh generation American. My roots are Scotch-Irish. My great (x7) grandfather, George Clingan immigrated to this country from Ireland. He was one of three brothers who came to this country with their Presbyterian pastor, The Rev. John Roan.

A Memorable Fourth of July
In the summer of 2000 I took my family to Washington D.C. for the Fourth of July. It was one of our most memorable family trips. We traveled up into Lancaster, Pennsylvania and found the grave site of the above William Clingan. We also discovered the Donegal Presbyterian Church which was founded in the early 1700’s and was home to many of my early ancestors. We were surprised to find the church is still very much alive today. The current pastor of the church gave us an extended tour and a history lesson we would never forget. He showed us an early drawing of the layout of the sanctuary and I was glad to see the Clingans paid their tithes and thus owned a pew.

The Witness Tree
It seems that in September of 1777 Lord Howe invaded Pennsylvania and the word was traveling quickly by horseback through each township to muster the militia. The Revolution had come to Pennsylvania. The story goes that when the messengers arrived at the Donegal Presbyterian Church, services were in progress. The congregation quickly assembled outside and gathered around an oak tree at the front of the church. The current pastor had offered prayers each Sunday for the King and the people knew his inclinations were toward the British. The assembled church told their pastor it was decision time. He quickly and wholeheartedly joined them. The church gathered around the tree, held hands and vowed allegiance to the Patriot cause. Thus the tree would be known as the “Witness Tree.”

The huge oak tree stood in front of this church for 260 years until it succumbed to drought and old age and was taken down in 1991. All that was left was this giant stump and several seedlings that the current pastor hoped would survive. I set my camcorder on a nearby fence and made my family stand around the tree holding hands just like our ancestors and together we confessed we would be spiritual patriots for the cause of Christ and our country on that very hot afternoon in July of 2000.