however, those fears can be reasonably set aside for the moment, because its that magical time of year, again. and, the 7th Annual – My Princess Dance is upon us! it is! so, mark your calendars! guard the date, and fiercely so! Saturday, February 18th at 630pm to 9pm at The Foundry at Puritan Hill. stand firm, goodly men, and register, here.

to be sure, you’ve read earlier stories on this Blog from last year, God gave me daughters. What did He give you?, Its time for a Princess to Dance!, the Princess and the me, and, investing in my daughters.

consider forging a few stories of your own.

I have three Princesses in my immediate family with the girl of my dreams at my side, and two daughters that I’m determined will realize their own.

I coach a good number of princesses in soccer. but, that is different. and, the stuff of other stories. you can always read about those adventures, here. now, I’m also coaching young lads in Lacrosse with the best hopes of influencing them to be gallant around any right Princess. more on all that, to be certain.

Haley Anne and I went to the first “Daddy/ Daughter Dance” six short years ago after a heads-up from Woody Faulk (a father of four girls of his own) let me know he would be hosting this inspiring event. it has quickly became an Atlanta-area tradition. Last year the event was renamed, and aptly so, “My Princess Dance,” and held at the InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead. More than five hundred fathers and daughters came to that My Princess Dance, and they are, and all of them, forever changed. complete with princesses, carriages, chocolate fountains, and a knighting ceremony, the evening was spectacular.

Haley Anne kicked me to the curb after seventh grade and I started taking Emma Jo to the dance. the experience has been brilliant for us all, and I’m keen to share it with any man that understands how important he is in the life of his daughter. I’m convinced this is a vital bond where God really trusts some of us with daughters. the anticipation builds with talks about pretty dresses and an afternoon getting hair and nails done (or, Mommy can certainly do that!). it’s dancing practice and perhaps a special dinner. then come the shared secrets and the memories that enchant a life-time realized in only the span of a few hours that leave us all the more excited about the next year.

the My Princess Dance is all about the importance of family by stopping the busy-ness of life, and spending time with those we love, and cherish, the most.

read more about My Princess Dance in this story, printed by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution: bit.ly/fLhOUt. do it!

and, then watch the video below for a sense of what is yet to come (sorry if it’s bleeding over on this blog page. it’s videos fault, and not mine own – yet, I’ll forgive almost anything that helps me share this wondrous event with you all.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

my Blog posting has certainly realized itself a rare effort, lame and uninspired of late.

my only excuse has been the holidays and coaching an indoor and a Select Field Lacrosse team.

but, I did find the time to revisit a book that reminded me how much I have always favored alternative music, especially that from the ’80′s and early 90′s. in particular, I’ll have to mention and lift-up The Smiths. and, one of the best chronicles of their significant contribution was, and remains, Johnny Rogan’s Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance.

that was a powerful, charismatic, dynamic and  creative team. likely on-par with Lennon and Mccarthy (Beatles). and, their crushing falling-out was equally telling within the history of musical collaboration.

to wit…

Rogan has offered us an account of the rise and inevitably agonizing fall of English indie phenom The Smiths that is a must-read for any music fan that understands how this band forever changed the music industry by pioneering the alternative recording scene. the book dives deep offering us insight within the steady development of the bands brilliant four albums. you’ll also have an accurate insight into the lives and thinking that drove an unprecedented string of hit singles.

NOTE: what is a bit unusual is this is a partial rewrite of the original book. the first effort famously drove Morrissey, himself, to publicly state that he wished Rogan would “…perish in a car crash”.

charming. but, so Morrissey.

a must read. do it!

meanwhile, enjoy How Soon Is Now by, by (the very same) The Smiths. the tune was recoded in 1984, the year I graduated from University, and released in 1985, the year I stormed Southern California. originally released as a B-side single to William, It Was Really Nothing, it soon after found a home on the Smiths album, Hatful of Hollow. more recently it’s showed-up on the refreshed the eponymously named album, The Sound of the Smiths. I tell you all of this because I suspect you should be wondering.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

I started this post abut a week ago, but kept losing both my enthusiasm and focus.

that was until I ran towards a thought, as opposed to from one.

Emma Jo still exhibits too much wonder and joy this time of year, and I worked hard to savor every moment of that. then I saw an article reminding us, collectively, that there is no validated evidence that Jesus Christ was, in truth, born on December 25th. that started to really bug me. however, Saturday I had a very good run at North Park. I started out a bit sore and thinking I might want to dial it back a bit. but, by the second circuit I was feeling pretty light-footed and decided to put some steam into play. the “zone” realized itself and my mind wandered with my good form. that’s when I was (thunder) struck by the notion that I believed Christ rose from the dead.

just like that.

no justification. no debate. not even a “why not”, to allow for some wiggle-room.

there was this sense that I could not prove it did not happen. and, I’d been playing the Heterodox card so long I had forgotten the circular argument that, ultimately, believing in a thing (any thing) is potentially much like believing in oneself. there are times when we prevail against great odds. and, I’m certain faith has it’s role in that.

so, I’ve elected to keep some of the early thinking alive in this post. however, now you know, as do I.

meanwhile, I fully understand that this post is going to generate a great deal of consternation. I expect the shaking of fists, and possibly teeth gnashing. lofty-minded opinions may be hurled my way.

so… was Jesus really born on December 25th?

does it matter?

so… perhaps the headline should read, instead, “Apple Wins Partial Victory on Patent Claim Over Android Features”.

the ITC said in a final ruling that HTC may import some refurbished phones to offer customers as replacements under warranties and insurance plans. HTC, which is based in Taiwan, is a major maker of phones that use Google Inc.’s Android operating software.

the ban takes effect April 19, 2012 so that wireless carriers will have time to adjust their plans. but, it also means customers have an open-door to bail on HTC devices, and that has grim ramifications for Google, that is again caught in the midst of “evil” /1. this involves a set of important features commonly found in smartphones that are obviously protected by an Apple patent, a decision that could force changes in the way Google’s Android phones function.

Apple spokeswoman Kristen Huguet reiterated an earlier statement, saying competitors (i.e. GOOGLE and HTC) should, “create their own technology”. I’ll add, not steal it from Apple.

NOTE: the ITC ruling can be appealed. But it is one of the most significant so far in a growing array of closely watched patent battles being waged around the globe by nearly all of the major players in the mobile industry. in fact, the case is part of a broader dispute involving Apple, HTC and many other phone makers. in federal courts and before the ITC, companies have been accusing one another of stealing ideas for popular phone features. while the courts can award damages, the commission has the broader and debilitating power to block imports of products and parts made with contested technology.

in fairness to how people might organize their own thinking around stock acquisition, or not, the ruling was only a partial victory for Apple because the commission did overrule an earlier decision in Apple’s favor in the case, involving a patent related to how software is organized internally on mobile devices. in simpler terms, it would have been harder for the defendant, again HTC, one of the world’s largest makers of smartphones that run the Android system, to adapt its devices to avoid infringing that patent. that’s what legal experts say, in any event.

but, this is clearly decisive for Apple; potentially deadly for HTC (whom by the way blew it in negotiations with Apple when they had an opportunity to be part of the build process for the iPhone); and certainly problematic for Google whose advocates have had to constantly twist numbers to make it appear that it can compete with the iPhone in terms of  the masses Android “can have”, and opposed to the iPhone “must have”.

people of discerning taste can eat Apples with better results. and, obviously Androids can’t.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

1/ Google was supposedly founded under a mandate of “do no evil”. but, that hasn’t worked-out very well, for anyone associated with them.

last night the San Francisco 49ers beat the Pittsburg Steelers in unique fashion. a lot of the details are being reported elsewhere, and are in fact, unimportant to me.

but, the 49ers were, improbably, very important to my Dad. he grew up, literally, dirt poor in South Dakota and Nebraska. his path from poverty to that of an elite military officer through the Army Air Corps that became the the Air Force, somehow equated with his views of San Francisco as the epitome of advantage, opportunity and example. I don’t know a lot of the reasoning around that, but I do know that Dad was happy whenever I saw him, there.

and, when Dad was happy his laugh was genuine, and his smile could light up an entire room, and one evening in particular, an entire stadium.

last night the power kept going out at Candlestick Park, and that was bigger news than the 49ers victory even though it’s certainly been too long since they found the play-off’s.

“The Stick” powered-up in 1960, the year I was born, and the 49ers played their first game in that place in 1971. Dad and I were there. he was just back from another tour in Viet Nam.

it should be noted that The Beatles gave their final full concert at Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966. and, inexplicably Dad was there, as well. Dad was something of an enigma, to many. amongst Dad’s favorite songs he firmly counted John Lennon’s Imagine. of course, by way of karma, that song found it’s own light by Lennon’s hand in 1971. I think dad may have viewed himself as a world citizen (a significant part of the songs message). that may explain why he fought so hard for his country and relished the air of San Francisco.

in any event, I spent most of that day nestled under my Dad’s arm while he roared with the crowd. the details of the game were meaningless to me, as were the hot dogs. there was a moment when Dad looked at me and said, “I love this town and this team. Good things are possible here. I sure do love you, son”. although I can’t immediately recall who actually won that particular contest, I can tell you that the 49ers won their second straight divisional title in 1971 with a 9-5 record. they also won their divisional playoff game against the Washington Redskins by a 24-20 final score. I know that because Dad talked about it. and I always listened to my Dad. Dad also loved the Redskins, but mostly, and evidently, because they were associated with Washington, DC. and, Dad was a patriot, albeit not a New England fan.

so… whenever I see the 49ers play, especially at Candlestick Park, I immediately think of Dad and his electric smile.

I love you Dad. I miss you so much. I coach a lot of other guys’ sons in Lacrosse now. it’s all bitter sweet. I try to be a beacon in my own right. I really do. but, thanks for showing me the way and lighting my path. and, you know I’m listening to, Imagine, by John Lennon (for Dad). but, check this out… while I share that particular Lennon’s effort with you all, consider the Imagine cover by Taio Cruz. Dad would have appreciated it. in fact, I would have called him to talk about it. so, I’ll share it with you.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

when I was much younger (which is all the more relevant now that I’m near one hundred years of age), my Nana (Mom’s Grand Mother) said, “where there is greatest good is where you will find evil’s best opportunity”. of course, she said it with a very raspy Italian accent, but I clearly understood.

mind you, Nana ran boot-leg gin out of her bathroom during the depression in Old Sacramento. but, she also taught my Mom how to high-dive, think independently, and to love “fiercely”.

I think she meant that you have to understand evil to appreciate goodness.

I am not hypocrite, just like I can’t claim to be an evangelical Christian. but, I talk about subjects and discuss topics realized in the Bible because the book is so relevant with it’s perspective and point-of-ageless example.

in any event, dedicated readers of this blog and long-time stalwarts of mine understand that I don’t know for certain that Christ rose from the dead to make his point and save us all. but, I do look around myself daily with confidence there is a higher power that influences and compels my actions around doing good things. so, I’m hip with God. I’ve always been quite matter-of-fact about that. its seems obvious to me God is our ultimate cause-and-effect. I’ve never seen any point in debating against it. call that instinct, but I know it’s conviction.

so…

Satan might be a frame-of-mind. but, that perspective is what offers the greatest hope that good can prevail. maybe that propels our actions. were there no comparison, we would have no baring-point to align those actions. the fear of death and fading to black nothingness awakened God in our hearts. and for God to hold us accountable there must needs be something to lose. that makes Satan darkness, and God light.

if only life were always that simple. then again, perhaps it is. ironically, death is the proving ground, eh.

so… I’m typically focused on doing good work. most of the time it’s easier than the alternative, anyway. especially if you surround yourself with people that generally feel the same way and conduct themselves accordingly. I still get offended and surprised when people are bad or do things that seem out-of-sync with my sense of fairness or fair-play (that occurred just late last week with a guy in my business life named Marcus, for example). but, that’s the best potential to stay on-point, right?

I ask God every day to keep introducing me to good and better men. when bad things happen I keep learning and refining my own sense of virtu, by comparison.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

so… I found myself being updated around the continuing adventures of Mary Guthries family. I coached two of her daughters in soccer for a couple of years. they taught me a lot. and, like my own daughter, Haley Anne, I’ll likely long consider great days of coaching soccer as being associated with the Guthrie girls, Claire and Grace.

I’ll keep the details of the most recent email exchange with Mary in trust. but, the immediate result would be the following excerpt from that dialogue…

[...]

I am, the eternal optimist.

my own home is under pressure from Satan. I know that sounds dramatic, and it’s meant to be. I don’t know precisely how Satan works because I don’t qualify as as an evangelical Christian. but, in my imagination, this is how dante may have been inspired for the abyss.

but, I always feel like I can prevail and with the balances of forces between good and evil, light and dark, I am a good guy, and thusly hold a tenuous advantage. kind of like the Hal Jordan Green Lantern (my favorite). the ring knows Jordan’s heart is pure, and his greatest test is always his own deeply rooted sense of humanity. that constant test of strength, character and will raises him above many of his brethren, and fuels the awesome power of the ring that is focused against evil.

so Mary, this Fred character makes me think of Sinestro, a Green Lantern arch villain. Or, possibly a Shakespearean villain (actually Sinestro is quite Shakespearean by design, I’m certain, and he is clearly meant to come across as fascist). I’m not prepared to label Fred a “fascist” (mostly because I know hardly anything about him), but he should always offer the courtesy of keeping you in the loop where the kids are involved. but, with that said, I have to believe your daughters approach him with a mix of many feelings, not the least of which is curiosity. but, I would trust them to maintain a level head. you can tell them I expect they’d both to make terrific Green Lanterns.

moods are good. they suggest “feeling” with it’s attachment to life, and change. remind Claire to take a run when she might feel blue. it certainly works for me.

[...]

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

some of it has to do with the recent cyber-bullying Haley Anne recently endured (that’s the right word, endured). I had to question my prowess as a Dad to even let that sort of thing happen in her life. I still remember her, at three years old, stomping in a rain puddle, and exclaiming, “Daddy! That’s My Daddy! Hi Daddy!”, waiting outside the garage for me to pull-in, and home from work. She’s banned from Facebook and Twitter, and we’ve taken steps to block the evil from reaching her via iPhone.

and, of course, I’m taking heat from my Lacrosse Club for being over-the-top. but, I’ve formed a covenant with my players; I always do. and, they trust me. my job is to make them better, and then, great Lacrosse players. The Board of Directors can’t keep up with me. but, where is my responsibility? my heart is on my sleeve, all the time, and it’s taking a beating.

Joanne is displeased with me. all I want to do is make my girls happy. it doesn’t always work, so not often enough. so, I act like a Rhodesian Ridgeback. that’s an overly sensitive lot that has an unusually keen sense of fairness.

I had a young entrepreneur practically in tears this morning because he could not articulate a valid Return on Investment (ROI) for his business idea. it was so hard to show him the truth. big dreams break hard and painfully so. I see more of my own daughters in everyone every day and pray someone like me will be there ego guide them, in turn.

but, it’s me that happens to be the common denominator. I acknowledge that. my struggles are hardly Biblical. but, certainly the stuff of a parable, or two, eh.

it’s always the Kobayashi Maru. but, I do find a measure of solace in understanding that character and faith (including in myself) are best when tested.

just give me time, everyone. I promise to pull it all together, for good effect.

today I’m listening to Fall At Your Feet, by Crowded House.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

it’s all quite official, at least in my household, anyway…

Facebook is dead.

this is certainly not the first time you’ve seen my ferocious opinions around Facebook. some example simply must include, Facebook is on a Mission but not from God, why Facebook might be a great bad story, and, Facebook’s contribution to Terrorism. and, there is more to be sure, heck yeah.

to be fair, to a point, I’m reasonably confident my Haley Anne fanned the flames (there, is ample evidence that she is a Cork, after all), but the seething hate that sprung from former friends and other girls across Atlanta through Facebook and Twitter may well have brought several servers to the point of melt-down.

in most cases it was the language they used, but no less the imagery and threats leveled that disturbed my force. some of these kids had been in my home and on my boat, for Gods’ sake. so, when Joanne showed me some of the messages I was stunned, I mean really shocked to my core. I’ve fought like Green Lantern my entire life against bully’s of all kinds. but, these cowardly devils from the abyss known as cyber space realize an unprecedented low.

in any event, Haley Anne mutely surrendered her iPhone and Airbook to her Mom so Joanne could investigate the trail of ugliness and get the right people involved. and, they are.

but, the next and best steps were to close Haley Anne’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. we’ll investigate other platforms. please feel free to make recommendations. do it!

she’ll have a shiny new iPhone 4S for her troubles and the fervent hopes of her parents and better circle-of-friends that she can focus on the better things that life has to offer that might include studies, soccer, and less likelihood of carpel tunnel syndrome.

Zuckerberg has made billions of dollars, and I’m sure he feels great about that. but, I hope one day he understands what he has unleashed upon a culture that was unprepared for his platform to be used as a weapon of mass destruction.

many parents and thought leaders, in fact, decry Facebook. but, how many of you are, in truth and fact, willing to do something about it? you are challenged!

so, I’ve set the example, in my own actions. the rest if left up to the rest of you.

for the record, I do have a Facebook account that was built by my public relations people (Cork has public relations people?), but I don’t accept friends on it and never sure what it could be used for other than to start trouble from somewhere. and, I have a Twitter account. thats how a mere handful of you get notice of my epic blog posts, eh. but, I’m certainly not part of the internet solution there. my blog automatically pushes content out to Twitter, but I don’t follow anyone or even respond to tweets. I’m much too self-absorbed for that with changing the world, and all. so, I’ll have none of that hypocrite hockey puck stuff.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

so…

one promising day back in September Chip Brackley looked at me, square in the eyes, and said, “I think you should write about Nehemiah“.

to prepare for this post I had to go back and ask Chip to remind me why he wants me to focus on Nehemiah. he came back with:

Because it’s my favorite book of the Bible. Because he had a vision and he executed it with leadership and skill like no one else since or before.  Because God is tugging at you and wants you to write about what is important to him.

although, to be fair, I think Andy Stanley started this through one of his books, Visioneering: God’s Blueprint for Developing and Maintaining Personal Vision, and that was followed by a series of sermons known as Catalyst. however, I’ll submit it was God that is the root of this.

…I suppose that’s rather obvious if we look around ourselves. but, we can’t always see what we need to, or should.

it’s just about discernment. we all have a destiny. a purpose. we like the stories of Robin Hood, King Arthur, even Don Quixote because the sense of purpose, that Raison d’être speaks to something deep within our souls.

perhaps the very question of, “why am I here”, is where God was formed and always forged. man and those better around him will always say, “iron sharpens iron”.

we’ll safely assume that God put Nehemiah on the planet to set an example. I’d trust God to do that. causing a remarkable text book or parable reference book on the global market in the manner God did was fairly impressive./1 so, creating a figure (of Biblical proportions) that we might want to emulate, is probably well within His skill-set.

where do I get these ideas?

the inspiration, here, as you must recall, is Chip. but, that conversation started around correlative topics that include “transactional transparency”, “the authentic life”, “best practices”, and many other lines-of-thought that might define a philosophy that drives my life. so, if Chip see’s Nehemiah in-and-amongst that, I find myself compelled to discuss this and possibly strive to be like Nehemiah (except for the eunuch part).

mind you, I’ve just tapped the words, “possibly strive to be like Nehemiah” into existence. and, I may commit this post to audio, so I’ll also breathe the words into life (with no promethean intent, mind you). so, does that carry arrogance with it? or, have I challenged myself and now must hope better men than me like Chip and Andy will hold me accountable?

well… that’s the point, eh. years ago I started writing about, “Living Like Christ” (go find those pieces if you choose). and, all that was part of me avoiding a covenant of my own with Christ (or, God, or however the Christian’s try to define Him, or confuse others). I would say things like, “I don’t know if Christ actually rose from the dead”. and, “does it matter as long as I live my life ‘like Christ’. I also talked a lot about being Heterodox (in short that means appreciating the tradition but always questioning the foundation with an understanding that the truth of the day changes based on circumstances). I suspect I remain that, for the most part. but, I also know I both want to live my life like Christ, and some how find a way to believe what I need to. does that find you? or, do you find it?

so, can I be like Nehemiah if I am still “searching” as the Christians refer to that un-quixote-like quest? is it possible that in realizing my inner Nehemiah I’ll see that man in the mirror thus reflecting Christs’ example because He has somehow found his way into me?

bring it on, I say.

meanwhile, what is God’s commission of me? upon what stepping stone do I find my foot on today’s path?

I hang out all day helping my friends make better decisions. I use my super powers for good. I believe that good can and will always, if only eventually, over-come evil. and, I sincerely believe that I can or should some how be an example for all of that. or, is it more than that? something deeper.

oh hell… this is not going anything like I had mapped-out in my head.

it’s about vision, I think. a personal vision, and the other we must needs have in our minds-eye for the world around us.

however, vision is more than simply what could be. after all, what could be is simply an idea or a dream. vision also carries with it a sense of conviction.

vision always stands in contrast to the world as it is. vision demands change. but a vision also always requires someone to champion the cause. it takes someone who is willing to put his or her neck on the line. someone who has the courage to act on an idea.

its not only something that could be done, but what should be done. it’s something that must happen. it moves you from passive concern to action.

then there is that conviction. that sense of purposeful conviction that gives vision a sense of urgency.

this finally brings us to the story of Nehemiah who heard about the deplorable condition of his homeland from some of the exiles who had returned from Persia. just go find the Book of Nehemiah, and read verse 1-4). do it!

today the one (because there are others with different context) thing I find most encouraging about the story of Nehemiah is that he was just a regular guy who caught a divine glimpse of what could and should be. and, then went after it with all his heart.

years ago, Aubrey Nelson wrote of me:

“Brian Patrick Cork is a beautiful man BECAUSE of his many imperfections. They fuel his boundless optimism because he is convinced that he and every thing around him can, and will, always improve.

I have known Brian for over 20 years. A gifted athlete, I first saw him emerging from the mist charging up a daunting hill during a Cross Country race in Virginia, and stood amazed as he ran down the Kenyans for victory. He is all heart, this one.

Brian Cork has made and lost fortunes. He has never had to think twice about giving away the very shirt from his back. He has lost businesses to predators and buried children. He has been lauded as a hero for being a volunteer firefighter; and wrongfully vilified as a stock swindler (I was one of his many investors, and he did brilliant work). Men of great stature and influence seek his counsel. Most simply enjoy being around him. Brian will say “we are all tied together by threads of continuity. So, we can and must make a difference in one another’s lives. It’s not only an obligation… the connection makes our lives richer and meaningful”. Every day he strengthens the very fabric of the business community – one thread at a time.

What I marvel at, what gives me such hope for a generation led by Brian Cork and his people, is that this man could overcome depression, self-doubt and other constraints of biology and not only act decisively, but retain his humanity. Like a figure from the Old Testament, Brian has wandered the earth, making mistakes, loving his family but causing them pain, despairing over the course of events, trying to divine God’s will. He could not know how things would turn out, but he has always done his best and maintained an unwavering faith in GOD, himself and people. He has always kept his moral compass pointed firm and true. And, now he helps other men find balance and success in their own lives.”