Hurt

Wow. I just finished watching one of the most visually powerful videos I have seen in quite some time. It is Johnny Cash's rendition of "Hurt", the old Nine Inch Nails song. Click on the link to take a moment and watch it.

The song, albeit written by someone else, still expresses the deep sense of regret that Cash has for the lifetime of bad decisions he has made. In a voice sapped of its volume, he speaks more clearly than I've ever heard him about his faith, his life and the regrets he has at the end of his life. I was in tears as I watched this moving performance.

What spoke to me most was his sense of regret. For all the hurt he had caused others. I share that too, and hopefully I am not near the end of my days. There are a lot of things I regret - things I've said, not said, done and not done.

What really spoke to me was our ability to change that life of regret before we get old and broken down. If we turn from our own path and follow what God has for us, we can begin to live a life we will not regret. It will still have hurts, but we have One who can heal the hurts walking with us.

Fun

Have you followed the antics of the elected officials in Detroit lately? After successfully hosting a Super Bowl, they have managed to regress to schoolyard antics in just two weeks. And the public is outraged, as evidenced by their comments.

It seems that Detroit has a $300 million budget shortfall. So, the Detroit Zoological Society agreed to take the operations of the Detroit Zoo off of the city's budget. The state of Michigan offered a $4 million grant to help with the process.

Here is where it gets really weird. According to news reports, the mayor's office took months to get the plan to the City Council. The plan arrived to the Council late Friday and they debated the issue well into Saturday before voting 7-2 to not turn over control. The grant offer expired Sunday morning and the Mayor's office immediately announced that they would begin closing the zoo.

Public outrage ensued.

Then race entered the picture. Quoting from the Detroit News:
Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson stoked the fire by saying the council itself should be placed in a zoo. Councilwoman Barbara-Rose Collins said white people don't own black people anymore. Patterson said he'd rather own a 1948 Buick than Collins.

You can't make this stuff up.

Let me get this straight. You (Detroit) can't afford the zoo. Group offers to run zoo, take over operating costs. You reject offer because it didn't meet your timetable. Then you invoke slavery?

The Detroit City Council needs a new motto. I propose "City Council - putting the fun back in dysfunctional."

This is so embarrassing.