Tah Dah!

March 22, 2008

Here it is folks — the mustache-free Jeff Adams. What do you think. This is the work of Sigi, a web designer in Germany who Photoshopped my photo. Thanks, Sigi. She thinks I look younger but less authoritative. Do I want to look authoritative?

Here it is the night before Easter and I am writing about mustaches! It’s a holiday weekend, so I guess a bit of levity is good. But, if you read Tina’s comments from yesterday’s post, what does this say about my readers? I can spill my heart about some deeply spiritual or intellectual theme and everyone is silent. I talk about food or mustaches and you people come out of the woodwork like cockroaches at night!!! Maybe I should write about food caught in mustaches and we would break all records! I love you all anyway.

I had a blast reading the comments from yesterday. J. Jonah Jamison even got a couple of votes in the Jeff Adams Look Alike Contest. I think I’ll keep the ‘stache for now. Unless, of course, I get an offer on the $10,000 donation to the campus expansion project. Or, as my dear daughter suggested, for $50,000 I’d shave the head, too! She also added Gomez Addams from the Addams family to the Look Alike Contest.

A final word of thanks to Amy for initiating this craziness.

Mel

I would definitly keep the ‘stache, but everyone need’s a change every now and then. We all would stiil love you if you decided to go ‘stache free for a while.
C u and your ‘stache on Sunday!
Jackie

I think this is a matter of time management and National Security. Sans mustache you will be able to breeze through airport security and our TSA agents can focus on real threats… like grandmas carrying nail clippers.
http://TimHowey.com Tim Howey

I wept quietly to myself as I looked at your picture…until I realized it was photo-shopped.

Whew!
http://www.kcbt.org Jeff Adams

Oh my! You people are fabulous! Thank you for all your input. Amy, you make me laugh out loud!! Thanks. I needed that.

Ninette, Lew Wallace wrote the book Ben Hur around 1880. He was a northern general in the American Civil War. His reaction to war had made him agnostic and bitter. Though there is some controversy, the generally accepted story is that while researching how to disprove the message of Christianity and the resurrection in particular, he came to faith in Christ. This was roughly during the time he served as governor of New Mexico. Whatever the case, the book does recount the conversion of Ben Hur in a powerful way, more so than the movie. Actually, four movies have been made based on the book. The one you saw, Ninette, was made in the 1950′s and remains one of the most famous and acclaimed movies of all time.

Matt — Mike Huckabee?? Mike Huckabee?? I think you have been deployed too long. Come home soon!

Thanks to all of you for making my life brighter!
Sigi

Like you teach in your homiletics class, the best sermons usually will not get a lot of ‘Amens’ but rather leave people speechless, convicted, thinking, … so the number of responses to your blog entries surely won’t show the impact on people’s lives.

But I would also say that you can view it as a big compliment that your people know that even though you are the ‘big pastor’ you still have a great sense of humor and don’t take yourself too serious… they can joke around with you and still respect you… leadership by personhood.

So since I have established a point now, that you do not NEED to look authoritative (since people respect you for who you are and what you represent), go for it and shave it off, I like it.
Mom

Jeff dear,

No one mentioned the thing that hit me the most – your beautiful teeth and smile.

Love ya,

Mom
tinalewisrowe

You definitely have more upper lip than the Photo Shop work shows, so this is still not a good way to view how you’d look without a moustache. However, I think we have clearly established that your moustache is one of the key ingredients to your success. No, not your Ph.D., not your intellect, not your personality, not your speaking style, not your commitment or your zeal, but your moustache. I’ll give you $10 to keep it. I don’t have 10K, so that’s as close as I can get it.

Thanks for the lighthearted weekend work!
Matt Hicks

You look vaguely like Mike Huckabee. Maybe you should run for President. Adams ’12!
ridip.ridip

Wow, Sigi, I’m impressed. This picture does look younger, but less, uh, Jeff-like, less … I was thinking dignified, but I believe Sigi nailed it, authoritative. Jeff, the used care sales man. Ha, ha, ha,

I can only imagine how this would be received by the Hispanic community.

Oh, and Jeff, while we appreciate the po.mo. letting your guard down. Your blog has become a part of my regular morning routine, if silent on the spiritual things, it’s that they often leave me meditative (like a good sermon) and by the time I have fully processed them, I am half way to work. Look at what is most Emailed.
http://google pat and rose

well we like you either way but you sure look clean. at our age whatever is easier rose said
I vote clean myself. what ever you want.
Rose said if the barn needed paint paint it……
But whatever you decide to do we will still love you…
Ninette

Wow!!!! vaya que se veria weird sin el bigote!!!! jajaja
Espero haya recibido mi cartita de noticias, su correo de Kcbt me lo regresó, pero la envié a yahoo también.
Una pregunta……sabe ud. si las personas que hicieron la película Ben Hur eran creyentes?? No la había visto desde niña y ayer la vi de nuevo en una actividad que tuvimos aprovechando la época, y poder presentar el evangelio en estas tierras. Me llamó mucho la atención la forma en la que presentan al Señor y la salvación por medio de la fe en Él, siendo una película de fuente no cristiana. Sería interesante saber si alguien en el equipo que la filmó llegó al Señor por ella.
Amy Sides

Yikes! Keep the ‘stache! You look like a brother to yourself. (wait…do you have a brother? and does he look like this?)

In all honesty, I’ve never read your blog until you told me to check it out the other day! But after looking through the meat & potatoes content, I’ll start reading it. I think people might not comment (as much) on your more serious subjects ‘cause stuff you write about is a “touchy” issue to comment on … or maybe they don’t know their bible that well / or how they feel about the issue yet. (Commenting about mustaches doesn’t require as much thought or self-evaluation of the heart.) And when I say “they”, I mean me. Haha.

Questions:
-Should the $10,000 donation come in a lump sum from a single source, or would it be possible for a group of individuals to divide the donation raising efforts amongst themselves and contribute as a lump sum?
-Since I think you should keep it, as a theoretical question, if you had a person donate $5k, would you shave half of it? Which half is your favorite half? (which side would you keep?)

Here’s two sites to check out:
- http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/ — World Beard & Mustache Championships. Apparently, we have a team USA. Granted, theirs look…weird, but if there’s a “classic” category, I’m sure you could take it. ALSO, under the “buy stuff” category, Team USA polo shirts go for $30. Bam! Fathers Day, 2008. And pulpit appropriate, because it’s a polo. Ha!
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm1oOXk4EGs –the little painter guy kinda reminds me of you. Not so much the gun scenes, but the time from 5:20-5:30 on the video. He has a nice happy dance.
http://bulldogs-are-survivors.blogspot.come Daddy Bulldog

You’re an interesting guy – you know that? You and your brother, David – VER-REE IN-TER-ESTING!