Hymn to Christ

Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
-Philippians 2:6-11

This passage begins with the call to have this same mind among yourselves (v. 4)....
Humility...Servanthood...Obedience

Faith, Sports, and a Blacksmith

As we sat in the Irish pub talking and reflecting on life, faith, and of course sports, seeing that we went out specifically to watch the Big 12 Championship game, my good friend asked as I ordered a Blacksmith (pint of Guiness topped with Smithwicks): "How much do you think God cares about sports?" And a follow-up question of: "How do you redeem the time as a fan?"

This has always been a point of thoughtfulness for me because I am a huge fan of sports. I played them growing up and continue to play them now and I am usually always drawn to sports on TV even if I don't have an invested interest in either team. Because of this, I am thankful that Rachel and I don't have cable because I would be hardpressed to keep myself away from the TV with all the college football, college basketball, NFL, and NBA games that are on. Is this right? Am I too much of a sports guy that I can't sit in the living room on a Sunday afternoon and not have the TV on Fox or CBS? Nothing illustrates this craziness over sports more than on Thanksgiving where instead of time spent with family and friends enjoying the blessings of life together in community and relationship, many people have as a sidedish the Thanksgiving day football games on, and now there's even one thrown in at night (though you do need to have the NFL Network for that one). But in many many ways, sports brings us together right? I mean, I was out Saturday night with my friend building relationship and community as we were watching a sports game. There's nothing like sharing experiences of fandom with others as you watch sports. Celebrating with the guy next to you a victory or sharing in the pain of defeat, it is nice to come together with a shared purpose. But can that carried away? Are we, am I too prone to let sports get in the way of: my relationship with my wife, my community with others, and even my relationship with Christ?

Getting back to the original question of whether God cares about sports? Certainly there are many ways in which God can be glorified and magnified via the avenue of sports and athletes. And this is what I believe God cares about. He is zealous for His glory and if sports bring Him glory in some way then yes I think that He cares about that. But on the flip side, as a fan, if I am more focused on the outcomes of "my" teams than I am about building and cultivating faithfulness in relationships and fruitfulness in the Gospel, then I don't think that God can be very pleased with that.

In my life, sports and being a fan of them is a struggle that I wrestle with on a weekly basis. I think there are many redeemable qualities to sports and being a fan of them but too often I get challenged with the reality of just how much time I spend following and watching games that I have no invested interest in.

As the Christmas season approaches and I focus my thoughts on Immanuel, God with us, I desire to turn my attention towards others and not to get too bogged down with who won the Holiday Bowls.

O Come, O Come

My mom, a recent arrival on Facebook, had a profile status over the Thanksgiving weekend along the lines of: "I love Christmas music, but I am listening to the Christain radio station and they are playing Christmas music 24/7 and I am getting tired of it already." I can precisely understand exactly what she is saying and I can probably even pick out the songs and the artists that the station is playing over and over again. I haven't found a decent Christian music radio station (is there even such a thing) in Philly so I haven't been subjected to the torture this year but I vividly remember the Christian station in my hometown driving me bonkers with their endless play of Christian music starting the day after Thanksgiving, which is still in November mind you. I guess when it comes to Christmas music, you can call me a grinch. I just don't get all that excited about the Christmas songs. A majority of them aren't very Biblically accurate and that irks me sometimes. Maybe I need to check my attitude, well, I know I need to check my attitude but let me write what I am thinking at this current moment. I enjoy some Christmas songs, "Rocking around the Christmas Tree", "All I want for Christmas is You", "You Can't Have Christmas Without Christ" and the like. Actually, just kidding. If I'm allowed favorites, my favorite Christmas song is "O Come O Come Emmanuel" and "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus". I can't place a finger on exactly why I am drawn to these songs in particular but I think I appreciate the longing and expectation that is revealed in the lyrics. Frankly, this longing and expectation is something that I am hoping to discover, or recover this Christmas season. I am eager to participate in the Advent readings and prayers as I seek to have this longing and expectation of the coming of Yeshua Messiah.

For truly, "a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel"
Isa. 7:14

IMMANUEL, GOD WITH US

2008 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS or should I say it in Chase Utley's words

Even though I am not an avid Philadelphia Phillies fan, this October has been a very fun time to live in Philadelphia. Truthfully, I wanted to see the Series head back to Tampa for my own reasons of desiring to see a game 7, but because the Rays completly faltered (i.e. BJ Upton grounding into double plays to kill innings, especially the 8th inning of game 5...geez, I can't believe he did that. Why would you swing at the first pitch in a situation like that? There is a time to be aggressive and then there's a time to work the count to see what Carl Crawford could do on the base paths. But, he's young, he swings at the first pitch and grounds into an inning/rally killing double play.)

But, congratulations to the Phillies. They played great in the playoffs and were certainly deserving of the Championship. This afternoon I made the trip to center city to take in the parade of Champions! It was absolutely nuts being in that crowd of people who were completely crazy about the Phillies. Fans were climbing trees, light poles, newstands to get a better view. I came back home and then proceeded to watch the festivities on TV. The Championship rally was one of parading into Citizens Bank Park, introducing the players and coaches and viewing the highlights on the big screen. Obviously this was one of those moments that fans love. The players gave their speeches and everything was going fine. Until the Phillies All-Star second baseman, #26, Chase Utley steps to the microphone. In his black coat and hat, he proceeds to shout into the mic "WORLD F***ING CHAMPIONS!" Come on Chase. That was completely classless and unprofessional and I was shocked and dissappointed. He was and is one of the players that I love watching because of his grit, talent, and hustle. But I was completely dissappointed in his choice of words. I know that those words are not absent from probably everyday speech for most people but in the confines of publicly addressing fans, especially kids, in a celebratory manner is in my opionion, completely uncalled for.

But that in no way, takes away from the Phillies accomplishments. It has been fun to be in Philadelphia during this "RED" October. I just hope that at some time in my life there will be a parade culminating at Wrigley Field!

WORLD SERIES

vs.

The FALL CLASSIC should be a lot of fun to watch this year. No Manny, no Green Monsta, and no Red Sox. That alone should be enough to make this a great World Series. But come on. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Oh, excuse me, they changed their name to the 'Rays' this year. Talk about an up and coming team!! Everyone is so enthralled at the story of them rising from the worst team in baseball to the best that they look over the fact that this organization has waited patiently (losing seasons each year of existence) for their prospects to develop and boy is it paying off. They are young, fast, and are going to be around in the winning column for a long time. Which, in my opinion will be good for the game. Watching the Rays play makes me hope that the Cubs are taking notes. (It's funny how the Rays used to be coached by Lou Piniella and now that he's not there they are in the World Series, hmm?) But, who would've thought at the beginning of the year that the Rays and Phillies would be representing the American League and the National League in the World Series. Not me.

This World Series is going to feature: speed, homeruns, great defense, pitching, quality old school managers, cat walks and the ground rules at Tropicana Field, and of course, the Phillie Phanatic! What more could you ask for. Gear up and get ready because it's going to be fun. At least hopefully not a sweep!

There's only one OCTOBER!

Championship Series

Even though the Cubs didn't show up for the playoffs and subsequently were knocked out 4 days into it, the MLB Postseason plays on and it is still exciting. Aside from March Madness, this is my favorite time of year. I love watching MLB playoffs on TV (except I am growing less and less fond of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, but that's neither here nor there). I love watching games when the temperature is in the 50's or below (which won't happen in Tampa or LA). I love watching high drama with growing suspense pitch after pitch. Even though I am growing tired of seeing the Red Sox win year after year, there is just something about seeing baseball in October played at Fenway. What an atomosphere! We'll see how the atmosphere at the Trop (Tropicana Field) will compare... Too bad that there will be no atmosphere at Wrigley, dang it!

Regardless of my non affiliation with either team left in the playoffs, I will watch as much baseball as I can. Rachel said it herself that the only time she likes watching sports on TV is when it's the World Series. Yes!

So, here's to the NLCS and the ALCS! Here's to the Dodgers, Phillies, Red Sox, and Rays! And here's to a championship series that is filled with excitement, drama, and hopefully, game 7's!

There's only ONE OCTOBER!

Parallel Parking

For those of you who may not know, parking in the city can be a major pain. After spending 3 years at Moody Bible Institute, located in downtown Chicago, I became accustomed to parallel parking because I wasn't going to fork over the money to pay for a space in the MBI parking lot, thus I chose to find my luck on the street. More often than not, it worked. I say all of this to say that my years in college are where I learned how to parallel park (my hometown of Davis, IL with a population of 700, didn't require that driving skill). I have been very fortunate that the only 2 cars that I have owned are small, compact cars. My first car being a 1991 Hyundai Excel and my current car being a 2001 Ford Focus zx3. With the size of those cars, I am very confident that I can fit in most places on the street. So, let me finally get to the point of this pointless entry.

Last night Rachel and I were coming home from small group and there wasn't too many open spaces on our street. If I haven't mentioned before, the street we live on is a one way with houses on one side so there is parking on both sides and it is never difficult to find a space. In fact, there usually are spots right in front of our place. But last night there just wasn't any open spots except for one that Rachel thought was for sure too tight a squeeze. I was going to bypass any idea of finding a spot in front of our house until she mentioned that there would be no way that I could fit there. The challenge was put forth! She wasn't even challenging my parallel parking abilities but I just had to prove her wrong. And boy did I ever do just that. Not only was the spot extremely small and it had to be a perfect parallel parking job for my car to fit but the car that I squeezed between was the new Cadillac of our landlord and the mini-van of our neighbor who is incidently, our block captain. Risky business, but I am a pretty darn good parallel parker. My wife said it herself.

Now, because I wrote this silly entry, you can expect that I will write an entry of some forthcoming parallel parking disaster that I will experience. That is, if you believe in that stuff.

Not invited to the Party

About a half hour ago I just finished listening to the Cubs fall flat on their face in LA. I don't have cable so I wasn't able to watch the game on TBS so I listened to it on the Dodgers radio network online. Rachel and I were out for the night and we didn't get home until the 8th inning. I tuned in for the last three outs of the Cubs season and it couldn't have been more discouraging. Theriot strikes out, Fukudome grounds out, and Soriano strikes out to end a dissappointing postseason and any type of false hope that the Cubs could actually come back in this series.

As the Dodgers stormed the pitchers mound as a team and were celebrating, Vin Skully, the voice of the Dodgers, illustrated the timely scene for a Cubs fan listening on the radio. His call went as such: "the Dodgers are storming the mound, jumping up, hugging, and celebrating their victory! The Cubs are slowly clearing their dugout and Aramis Ramirez and Derek Lee are sitting on the bench looking out at the celebration with a dazed expression on their face. They look as though they are kids who have not been allowed into the candy store, like kids who weren't invited to the party..." Boy oh boy did this ever capture exactly what I pictured the Cubs to look like after such a horrible showing in the playoffs. Nice work Vin, you painted a beautiful picture.

What a discouraging let down NL Central Champs.

I guess the great thing about sports is that there is always a next year. Or in the Cubs case, there is always a next century!

There's Only One OCTOBER!

Opening Day begins today. Playoff baseball that is, and there is nothing like it!! Six long, grueling months of baseball finally finds its way to the post-season. For starters, I am extremely excited about these playoffs. Not only are there great stories and history entering the playoffs i.e. Tampa Bay Rays, the Brew Crew, and the 100 year drought of the Cubbies, but there are some potentially great match-ups as the playoffs move along.
Here's to the post-season!


MLB PLAYOFFS 2008

ALDS

Boston Red Sox vs. LA Angels
Red Sox win series 3-1

Chicago White Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Rays win series 3-1


NLDS

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Phillies win series 3-1

LA Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs
Dodgers win series 3-0 WAY TO GO CUBS!


Predictions:

Are you kidding me? I'm a Cubs fan. There is no way that I'm going to make a prediction on their outcome. They already have too many curses to overcome. They don't need one from me.

Let me just say that I am ready to buckle up and enjoy the incredible ride that is...
the MLB Playoffs!

Pu-JOLS

The National League Most Valuable Player. This award is discussed each year around this time and there is always some kind of an argument. It may not be as extensive or ridiculous as the BCbS argument at the end of the college football season but for the first time in a long time I am highly in tune to how it's going to be decided. Does the NL MVP mean that the player is the most valuable in regards to their overall numbers/stats or how their team performs in light of those numbers? (i.e. making it to the playoffs) I guess the argument lives and dies whether you reside on the side of the overall numbers or the performance of the team. In this rather longwinded entry I'm going to attempt to argue why I think it should be the overall numbers throughout the year.

Henceforth, let me begin by talking about Philadelphia sportstalk. I strongly dislike it but I always find myself listening to it (echoes of Romans 7:15-16). Philly sportstalk is strongly bent on seeing Ryan Howard win the NL MVP and every argument that I've heard for that case is that the Phillies are going to make the playoffs (not definitely however, and wouldn't it be nice to see them collapse) and he leads the league in HR (47) and RBI (142). But I can't get my mind around the stats that show that he is going to break the all-time record (which he owns) for strikeouts (196 with 3 games to go) and his batting average is a lowly .248! Wow, and just because his team may slip into the playoffs, he is deserving of the NL MVP. If I had a vote, which I don't for those who may be wondering, he definitely wouldn't get mine!

I'm pretty confident that I would place my vote for Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals. All I have to do is recite his numbers and I think it should be case closed. BUT, the Cardinals aren't anywhere near the playoffs, therefore, in some people's minds, that isn't good enough. So, here's my attempt for the Pujols argument. The Cardinals are currently 82-76, which isn't great but it also isn't too shabby. In fact, if they were in the NL West they would only be 1 game behind the 1st place Dodgers. But, that's neither here nor there. My point here is that the Cardinals were never even supposed to, nor predicted to have a year like this. They have no big names in their line-up and their pitching staff has been bothered by injuries all year long. Sure, Ryan Ludwick was a surprise to everybody but you're telling me that Pujols isn't deserving of the MVP because his team didn't make the playoffs. Come on, the Cardinals would be nowhere if Pujols didn't have the season that he did, which by the way, is a typical season for Albert. Here are Albert's numbers so far this season:

BA: .350 RBI: 108 HR: 34 SLG: .631 H: 179 R: 95 SO: 53

(53 K's for 512 at-bats) Let me remind you that Howard has 196 K's.

Now that I've argued my case of Pujols for MVP let me throw in a wrench for those who think that the MVP means that their team made it to the playoffs. What if the Phillies wind up losing their NL East lead to the Mets and the wildcard to the Brewers? That would be mean Howard's precious Phillies are out of the playoffs. Then who would be up for the MVP vote. Manny Ramirez from the Dodgers? His numbers since coming to the Dodgers are amazing

(BA: .398 RBI: 53 HR: 17 SLG: .757) and the Dodgers have been a much better team since he has arrived in LA, plus they are in the postseason. C.C. Sabathia maybe? The Brewers were given up for dead until last night's pitching performance (11 K's and the win) and since coming over to the Crew he is 10-2 with a 1.98 ERA. That's pretty good but if I'm not mistaken, there is an award for pitchers called the Cy Young.

In closing, let me take you back to last year. Jimmy Rollins, who one the NL MVP, had a fabulous season and led the Phillies to an exciting end of the year run to lead them into the post-season. He beat out Matt Holliday for the MVP award, which, to nobodies surprise I thought should have one the MVP. His numbers were better and he led the less talented Rockies (who?) to win 21 of their final 22 games and a run to the World Series. Sure Jimmy was great down the stretch, but when it came to the precious playoffs that are so coveted in Philadelphia sportstalk for winning this award, he was promptly swept by Matt Holliday and the Rockies. Nice going MVP.

So, with all due respect to Ryan Howard and his overrated HR's, I will nominate Albert Pujols for the 2008 NL MVP.

Now, all I need to do is figure out how to get a vote that counts. (oh well, it was fun anyway)

Was it Chesterton or Kipling who said,

"An adventure is a misfortune correctly understood?"

Passion, Love, Confusion....

"We've got troubles here...I'm needed here" said Papa.
"Then it's clear as beer," said the Bull. "You try out with the Portland Tugs. Won't have to move an inch."
"Tell you what," Papa said. "Promise me they'll match my Crown Z pay and keep me until I'm 65, and okay, fine. I'll try the Tugs."
"Keeerist!" Durham exploded. "Where's your sense of adventure?"
"This family, " Papa said, "is all the adventure I can stand right now."
"Then stand 'em less for Chrisssake! Where's your sense of baseball adventure?"
"You just saw it, " Papa said calmly, "out there in the shed."
"But why, why, why? Why jail it up out there?"
"Because I'm baseball ancient, Gale. I've had my adventures. And if I don't pay some bills the next few years I'm gonna screw up the adventures of my kids."
"So you admit it," said Durham bitterly.
"Admit what?"
"You've betrayed the game," Durham said. "You've sold out."
Papa's face blackened. "To that mill? Me? You're dead wrong there, Durham!"
"Then what is a sellout?" Durham fired back. "Explain this love for your paycheck and retirement benefits some other way. And explain the whole damned rest o' this ensemble while you're at it. What is this St. Hubert Savior of Kids crap? What's this mill foreman, middle American, PTA an' NRA an' Three A Car club member shit? Dwight D. Christ! Votin' the straight Republican ticket now are we, Hubert? Ain't drank none neither, I s'pose, since we joined the charch?
"Are we gonna part enemies, Gale," Papa said, "or are you gonna shut your mouth?"
"What I'm gonna do, my onetime ballplayin' friend," Durham said softly, "is die lovin' the game of baseball. An' what you're gonna do, if you betray that same love, is die confused."
That did it. The old man had finally loosed an arrow that flew straight to Papa's heart: we felt it hit, we saw Papa start to bleed.
"Look at me," Bull said. And for a terrible minute he let all the passion and animation fall out of his face, so that it just hung there, gray and slack and listless. "This is baseball ancient," he said. "An' now look at you."
We looked. And saw a beautiful, vital, miserably confused man.
Durham said, "Just tell your kids and me the truth here, is all I'm askin' O' St. Hubert the Confused. Don't, number one, throw fifty pitches better than the best fifty of my big league life, then tell us you ain't got the stuff. And don't, number two, argue spitball morality with me. The Good Book itself says a man should earn his livin' by the sweat of his brow. Now the situation with Laura, I know nothing about. But don't, number three, Hubert, try tellin' me it's good for these kids to see their old man stay a factory hand, an' hate it, just for a buck. Don't tell me that not bein' true to the work you've always loved most an' did best is a help to your kids. Just repeat after me, if it's the truth: 'I give up on baseball. I just don't love the game no more.'"
Somehow the silence that followed, in my ears, had a stadium roar. And Papa found nothing to say to quiet it.
"You got one choice, son," Durham said finally. "These kids here think you're a ballplayer. You an' Laura used to think so, too. An' I am here to tell the world that you sure as hell still pitch like a ballplayer. But an honest player let's the game decide when he's finished. There's no other honorable escape. So you got one tryout left, Hubert. Show the game what you got, and let IT decide." -excerpt from, "The Brothers K" by David James Duncan


I read this dialogue a couple nights ago and was left astonished and bewildered at how much I resonated with it. Maybe it was the baseball nostalgia that I'm feeling this time of year. Maybe it is the relationship that Papa has with his boys throughout the story and how much Kincaid (the narrator) loves, respects, and admires his Papa, and I'm left with thoughts of the relationship I have with my father whom I love, respect, and admire dearly. I don't know. But whatever it was, this dialogue hit a spot in my heart that left me feeling passionate, hopeful, and full of dreams.

What is it in my life that I love doing more than anything else? What is it that makes my heart come alive?

After all, "we were meant to live for so much more!"

My debt Nailed

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!


Colossians 2:13-14 "And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, HE made you alive together with HIM, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which were hostile to us; and HE has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the Cross.


What truth! What power! How can I keep from singing? How can I keep from shouting the name of Jesus? The risen Lamb. The anointed King. Savior. Redeemer. Deliverer. When Satan tempts me to despair, tells me of the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against me, upward I look and see Christ, who has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the Cross.

Hallelujah! Amen!

The Call Up

My friend Christian Arvold got me into blogging about a year ago as we were both working in an inner-city Christian school. Honestly, I have taken a few of his ideas when it comes to areas to blog about and I probably would have never even thought to blog if it wasn't for him. Recently, C has invited me to contribute on his blog. I feel like I am a minor-league baseball player getting that first call-up to the major leagues. "Boy, I hope I don't blow my opportunity"

All kidding aside, Christian and his family (Kate, Aidan, Davis, and Halle...the list of names is for you Matthew) have been very influential in our life (Rachel and I). They are currently living in Milwaukee and are desiring to lead a missional, intentional, impactful life in their neighborhood. They are a big encouragement to us and we look forward to continuing the journey.

So if you feel like catching more of a glimpse of my musings, go and check out illreezon.

I'm Back

We finally have internet hooked up again and boy does it feel good to finally be back in the loop of communication. My sports predictions from my last post were wrong, but they usually are. I just want to say that it feels good to be back.

Internet Hiatus

Upon moving to Philly last September we heard about a new internet provider that was springing up all around the city of Philadelphia. Earthlink partnered with the city to set up wi-fi throughout the entire city. We signed up for this because it was only $6.95 per month for wi-fi internet. It has served us well but now we are most likely experiencing the reason for why it was so cheap. As of June 12, Earthlink Wi-Fi Philadelphia will be terminated throughout the city. Being so, we will lose our internet connection for an undetermined time until we get connection through another provider. I haven't been blogging for a couple weeks now but that was because of my laziness or lack of thought. Now, I will be forced to not blog for a while. In doing, I will simply lay out a couple thoughts for the time I will be silent.

-Rachel and I celebrated 2 years of marriage on June 3. We travelled to Rhode Island and spent the weekend on the coast. Beautiful! 2 years of marriage, what an amazing blessing!

-the NBA Finals should be a good one. For some strange reason I have been pulling for LA throughout the entire playoffs. The way they play together is compelling me to root for them. I think more than anything I hope it goes 7 games (with the Lakers winning). That way, Kobe will be quiet for awhile and the NBA will be happy with all of the ratings and $ they pull in.

-the Cubs are playing great baseball (9 game winning streak, 38-21 record, 1st place in the NL Central).

-the Phillies are also playing great baseball and are an incredible offensive team. Chase Utley leading the Majors with 21 homeruns. Could it be the beginnings of a 3rd straight Philadelphia Phillies player to win the NL MVP.

-I have been to 3 Phillies game so far this year (2 of the games the tickets were given to me) at Citizens Bank Ballpark and I really enjoy the stadium. It is definitely a modern stadium with the jumbo screen and the activities in between innings and such. It made me think of the vast difference from watching a game at Wrigley Field than at Citizens Bank Ballpark. Watching a game at Wrigley, (or Yankee Stadium, or Fenway for that matter) is strictly pure baseball. They don't have the flashy big screens and all the fanfare activities, you go there to watch baseball. The way watching baseball should be.

-I received in the mail earlier this week the 2007-2008 Kansas Jayhawk basketball season DVD. It has been great reliving the Jayhawks run to the National Championship. Rock Chalk Jayhawk.

-Rachel and I have been reading the Chronicles of Narnia together. This will be Rachel's first time reading through the series and she is loving it so far. This will be my third time reading through it and I am always captivated and intrigued by the story. What great stories!

That's all until we get online again.

Balaam's Ass

I have just recently finished reading through the book of Numbers (great book by the way with some great stories!) and was commenting about the book with my wife over dinner. She was the in the other room as I was slowly finishing my plate so our conversation was one where we had to speak loud so we could hear each other. I commented to her, "What do you think the significance was for God using a donkey to speak to Balaam?" (Num. 22:22-35) She responded with, "I don't know but I wish that God spoke to me through a donkey!"

Ahh so true. As I sat and pondered her response I was struck with the thought that sometimes, when in a place of frustration or desperation, we just want to hear from God, be it anything or anyway.

On a lighter note, I wonder if the writer's of Shrek were inspired by this text!

I am Abraham's servant

In the class that I am taking (Covenant Story) we had a creative assignment where we were to pick an Old Testament character and an incident in their life that we could write about as though we were them. I found this a very interesting paper. Here is what I came up with:

I am Abraham’s servant who was commissioned to find a wife for his son, Isaac (Gen. 24:1-27). This is my story. My journey….

When I rose that morning, it felt like every other morning that I have spent serving in the household of Abraham. Abraham left me in charge of all his possessions some time ago, which in and of itself is an amazing task, but what he asked me to do on that day far surpasses anything that I have done for him before. Time is of the essence right now for Abraham. He has buried his beloved Sarah, and is himself growing well advanced in years. Abraham’s God, YHWH, has blessed him in all things and I get chills every time I hear the retelling of the event when Abraham took his son, his beloved Isaac, to the mountaintop for sacrifice. I cannot believe the faith of my master, Abraham. He is wholly devoted to YHWH. He is an amazing man with an amazing blessing and promise on his life. So when Abraham called me into his quarters that morning, and commissioned me to go and find a wife for his son Isaac, I was quite literally speechless and shell-shocked. What a task!

The way that he commissioned me was special just by itself. In our tradition and culture, placing a hand under the thigh of someone else is of supreme importance and sacredness. (It’s similar to placing your hand on the Bible to swear an oath in court). He asked me to place my hand under his thigh and swear by YHWH, his God that I would not take a wife from the Canaanites but from his own clan. I didn’t really understand this and asked what initially came to my mind, “What if she doesn’t want to come?” Abraham assured me with full confidence that YHWH would guide me, that He would send His angel to direct me along the way and that I would find a wife for Isaac in that land. He spoke then again of the promise that YHWH gave him years ago. This promise has been a big thing in all of our lives. Abraham left his family and homeland and followed His God into a land that he did not know. YHWH blessed him there and said that He would make Abraham a great nation and that he would be a blessing and through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. It was with this reminder of the promise YHWH gave Abraham that he commissioned me to go and find a wife for Isaac. I was hesitant but still swore my oath to my master, and I guess, to his God.

Abraham sent me along with ten of his camels and an assortment of other treasures and gifts to Mesopotamia, the land of his family. Along this journey I had a lot of time to think. I thought about my home, my family, and my place in this world. I thought about how Abraham, the father of nations, sent me to find a wife for his son. Who am I that I should go? Why in the world did he choose me? What qualities do I have? Most of my thoughts, however, were fixed on Abraham and his God, YHWH. He spoke of YHWH so much back home. He revered and honored YHWH every chance that he got, and YHWH seemed to truly bless him.

Once I arrived outside my destination I stopped at a well for a drink and a rest. As the camels knelt in the heat of the sun, I felt an overwhelming sense of wanting to pray to YHWH. There must be something to this prayer thing that my master does. So I muttered to myself, “O YHWH, God of my master Abraham, grant me success today. Make it clear as to which girl you want for Isaac. When I ask for water, let her also give water to the camels”. It seemed simple enough, and I wanted it to be completely clear. As soon as I finished this prayer a beautiful young lady came to draw water from the well. Could this be her? The girl that is to become Isaac’s wife? Already? I mean, I just finished my prayer. I had to do something though before she left so I just ran to her and asked if I could have a drink from her jar. She willingly allowed and then insisted on caring for my camels also. Wait a minute! Did she hear my prayer? Because she has answered it to the ‘T’. There’s no way that she could have heard it though. I didn’t even say it out loud. I stood in silence and marveled. This must be an answer straight from YHWH. He must have truly guided this whole process just as my master said he would. This beautiful girl. This Rebekah, as she mentioned her name, is going to be the wife that YHWH has appointed for my master’s son.

I was filled with praise. It was a feeling like I’ve never felt before. I was overcome with joy and adoration for YHWH. This same God who blessed my master in all things, has chosen to bless me and guide me for His purposes. YHWH has given me success in finding a wife for Isaac. It is just as my master has said it would be. All the criteria has been met.
Blessed be YHWH, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His steadfast love and His faithfulness toward my master. As for me, YHWH has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen!

Dollar Dog Night

Rachel and I have heard about this phenomena at Citizens Bank Ballpark (home of the Phillies) called 'Dollar Dog Night'. Yes, this entails $1 hot dogs at the ballpark. Does it get any better than that? Maybe only if it was at Wrigley Field. Fat chance on that one though. Nonetheless, tonight we will be experiencing for the first time this dollar dog as the Phils play host to the Padres. This will also be Rachel's first time experiencing the Philly Phanatic (best mascot in sports?!?)

Should be a dollar dog gone good time! (bad I know)

Declaring eligibility

I read this article by Gene Wojciechowski on ESPN. He definitely sums up, a lot better than me I might add, how I feel on the issue of the age requirement for the NBA. In many many ways I think that the NBA should go back to allowing high school players to make the jump to the NBA. This spending one year in college rule is silly. In my opinion, it is hurting the college basketball game. Sure it helps the colleges/universities that reap the benefits i.e. $$$$$$ but it hurts the basketball programs for any potential to build a basketball program. I would much rather see players stay for their junior and senior seasons and build a college program than spend one year and hope that it ends up in a magical run to the Championship. Then again, I am old school and absolutely love college basketball way more than the NBA game. And I've also never been lured by the $$$$ in the NBA.

ROCK CHALK CHAMPIONSHIP

ONE SHINING MOMENT!!!

Hansbrough and Love

As I was looking through ESPN's website finding stories about the Final Four, I came across this article in Page 2 by LZ Granderson. I really appreciated his take on the issue and confess that I have been caught saying that I don't think T Hansbrough will be a good NBA player, mainly because he is white and doesn't have the atleticism that a lot of other players have. Check out the article and let me know what you think.

What day of the week is it?

It struck me today while at work the funny way that we tend to answer questions in our society/culture. When somebody asks you "How are you doing?" or "How's it going?", they generally don't expect you to truthfully tell them exactly how you are and if you do answer truthfully, they usually will be stunned and left speechless because they don't know what to do. "How are you doing?" is definitely more of a greeting, like "Hi", "Hello", not a genuine question and concern. It's funny when you really think about how we respond to people. Today at work, I heard at least 6 or 7 times the reponse to the above question "How are you doing today?"as: "It's Friday". I'm sorry, I don't remember asking you what day of the week it was, I remember asking you how you were doing. Where does the idea come from that an answer of "It's Friday" suffices as an adequate answer to the question "How are you doing?"

"If I gave you a nickel for all the stupid stories you've told"

The above title to this entry is a quote that one of my college roommates said directly to another college roommate of mine as we travelled to Tennessee for a random weekend trip while studying at the Institute (Moody Bible). We were just two months into meeting eachother when we decided to help one of of our sisters (we had brother/sister floors at Moody) visit her fiance in Tennessee. Now, as all of us are married and living in different parts of the country, we look back to this very trip as a forging experience in our friendship. This quote can always get us laughing and reminiscing of the great, amazing, crazy, and quite frankly, stupid things that we all did together. But as we would always crack jokes at Biggity for his what seemed like endless stories all the time, I got to thinking last night as I was reading a chapter of 'The Magnificent Defeat' by Frederick Buechner, that stories are an essential part of our lives, especially as Christians, or should I say, Christ followers/ hopeful imitators. So even though B had a story for everything, maybe he was on to something very profound, or maybe he just loved saying "I won't go into detail" and then proceed to tell a pointless story in grave, endless detail!! Ahh I love this guy. Now I am rambling...back to the point of this entry.

I was struck last night at the content of Buechners writing in his chapter entitled "Annunciation". He writes, "I would like to start out by reminding my reader that in essence this is what Christianity is. If we whittle away long enough, it is a story that we come to at last. And if we take even the fanciest and most metaphysical kind of theologian or preacher and keep on questioning him far enough--Why is this so? All right, but why is that so? Yes, but how do we know that it's so?--even he is forced finally to take off his spectacles and push his books off to one side and say, "Once upon a time there was.....", and then everybody leans forward a little and starts to listen." Buechner goes on to say, "Every storyteller, whether he is Shakespeare telling about Hamlet or Luke telling about Mary, looks out at the world much as you and I look out at it and sees things happening--people being born, growing up, working, loving, getting old, and finally dying--only then, by the very process of taking certain of these events and turning them into a story, giving them form and direction, does he make a sort of claim about events in general, about the nature of life itself. And the storyteller's claim, I believe, is that life has meaning......there is order and purpose deepdown behind them or inside them and that they are leading us not just anywhere but somewhere. The power of stories is that they are telling us that life adds up somehow, that life itself is like a story...................The story that Christianity tells is an extraordinary tale that tells of the love of between God and man, love conquered and love conquering, of long-lost love and love that sometimes looks like hate. And so, in one sense, the story Christianity tells is one that can be so simply told that we can get the whole thing really on a very small Christmas card or into the two crossed pieces of wood that form its symbol, and in another sense it is so vast and complex that the whole Bible can only hint at it."

As I finished reading the chapter and slept on it for a night and have gone through this whole day thinking on the Story, I have been left in humbled amazement that in some way, through His matchless grace, God has chosen me to play apart in the story of His redeeming love. What grace, what mercy!!!

In light of this, I hope that people will one day say of me.."if I gave you a nickel for all the times you've shared the story of Christ's redeeming love...." May it be so.

The Cathedral of Basketball

Last night I went with a couple guys to watch an IVY League basketball game between Cornell and Penn. Cornell, regular season champs of the IVY and the first team to punch their ticket to the Big Dance, outlasted PENN 94-92 in a great back and forth basketball game. Cornell fans made up almost half of the crowd which was very dissappointing because the homecourt advantage atmosphere was pretty much nonexistent at the historic "Cathedral of Basketball", more commonly known as the Palestra www.palestradocumentary.com But the overall aura of the Palestra was pretty sweet. There truly was not a bad seat in the house and the hallways were filled with pictures and quotes of legendary figures in the game of basketball. Sports Illustrated ran an article awhile ago about the Top Ten college atmospheres to watch a game in. The Palestra ranked #5 and the Phog Allen Fieldhouse ranked #10. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0707/campus.top10.venues/content.1.html

Selah, pause think about that

Yesterday I stayed home from church due to a fever and head cold that I have been battling for the past two days. During this time at home I put in the DVD of Passion OneDay 03 and listened to John Piper's message on "becoming a generation passionate for the holiness of God". As I sat listening and taking notes on a sermon that I've heard probably 4 or 5 times I was left with a Selah, a time designated to pause, meditate, think on what was heard or read. As Piper was explaining the indefinability of the holiness of God he mentioned that his prayer for the generation was that we would not only become a generation passionate for the holiness of God but that we would become empassioned for God's supreme, infinite value which would sever the root of all 'Judas joys' in our life. Boy do I have a lot of those 'Judas joys'.

The Selah I took yesterday was when Piper asked the question:

Do you feel more loved by God when He makes much of you or when He, at the cost of His Son, gives you the ability to enjoy making much of Him forever?

Selah

Should've left it alone

Whoever 'anonymous' was that left a comment on my last post, I want to thank you for pointing out my stupidity when it comes to roman numerals. In my sad attempt to correct myself in a previous post, I posted wrong information and therefore need to correct myself again. But if it wasn't for anonymous, I would still be living in my blunder. Thank you. For those who even cared to read this post, the correct roman numeral for the Super Bowl that was played on February 3, 2008 is: XLII. Boy, I'm glad I can finally move on from this. I probably should've just left it alone but that's what blogs are for: random talking, or thinking, or something. I digress and I am done until I have something more worthwhile to write about.

roman numerals

Well, I obviously don't know my roman numerals very well. My last post I posted Super Bowl 42 as XXVII when it should've been XVII. For all of those roman numeral users out there, I apologize for my slip up. For what it's worth, I think that they should simply nix the roman numeral thing and go by numerical numbers.

XXVII

It's two days after the Super Bowl (also super Tuesday) and I feel like I have gathered some thoughts that I can write about the game. I must confess that I stand corrected because when XXLII was set at Patriots vs. Giants I was upset and muttered things like "I'm not even going to watch the game" and "It's going to be such a blowout" and "this is going to be the worst Super Bowl ever". Well, I stand corrected because it was one of the best super bowls that I can remember. Here are a few of my thoughts on the game.

1. I am so glad that the Giants won! I was on the side that absolutely had a disdain for the 2008 Patriots. I respect them and the way that they won 18 in a row, but I could careless about history and all that jazz, I wanted them to lose. And glad I was when the scoreboard read 17-14 and the confetti was showering down on the shocked stadium. I'll write a little bit more on why I was pulling for the G-Men later on.

2. Even though Eli played well in this game and came of age, so to speak, the Giants D won the game for them and were the MVP. They absolutly flustered Tom Brady and the Patriots offense. But now I'm hearing reports that Brady's ankle really was affecting him during the game and that's why he didn't play well. Yeah okay, I'm sure that the fact that he had Strahan, Tuck, Mitchell, Umenyiora, and a plethora of other defensive players in his face all game didn't really matter that much. It was his ankle.

3. How in the world did Manning manage to escape the 4 d-lineman that had him wrapped up for a game ending sack and on the flipside, how did Tyree manage to catch that football? That play was absolutely amazing and after that, I almost knew that the G-men were going to pull off this upset.

4. Bill Belichek is a great coach, but a lowsy man. I cannot say that enough. I know that I am supposed to love everyone but as a sports figure he is one of those guys that I do not really care for. I mean, sure there was mass confusion at the end of the game and there were media, cheerleaders, and the like on the field and the refs trying to get everybody back but come on man, don't just run off the field because you lost. This is going to be my biggest rant so bear with me. During the regular season, the Patriots had no problem running up the score and absolutely embarassing teams. In route to their 16-0 regular season they beat a Washington Redskins team coached by the Hall of Fame Joe Gibbs 52-7. Absolutely embarassed the Skins that week. Belichek went for it on 4th down on one occasion in that game and proceeded to score. Was that necessary? No way. Joe Gibbs, being the class act and Hall of Fame coach that he is, stuck around, ran to the middle of the field and shook hands with that guy. In his defense of running up the score, Belichek said that his team needed to play for the full 60 minutes. Here's an idea Bill, how about hanging around for the final second so that you can support your Super Bowl losing team for the full 60 minutes. Ahh, that just urks me. I think as person who loves coaching and using it for life lessons, this just gets under my skin. Hopefully one day when I coach a team, I will be a coach who strives for and exemplifies integrity and respect, on and off the field/court.

5. The Giants, from the NFC..beat the Patriots from the AFC. I grew pretty tired hearing about how the AFC was flat out superior than the NFC, throughout the season. This to me is a load of garbage. Just because teams in the AFC have a lot more winning records than the NFC, doesn't necessarily mean that they are flat out superior to the NFC. (I guess we'll find out next week in the Pro Bowl, which in my opinion, is the stupidest football game played) Way to represent the NFC G-Men. And way to put the Patriots in there place. In a span of 60 minutes they have gone from a team of history to a team that nobody will remember except for the fact that they choked at their chance for history.

* Back to the reasons why I was pulling for the New York Football Giants. My dad is a big fan of the Gmen as he grew up in NYC but that didn't really carry over to my brothers and I. We all root for Da Bears. I have always been a guy who pulls for teams that are in the conference/division of the team that I root for. I'm an NL guy for baseball, an NFC guy for football, an Eastern Division for the NBA, and a Big 12 and Big 10 guy for college sports. I know that this probably doesn't work for those die hard fans but I would've no doubt pulled for the Packers if they were in the Super Bowl this year. I was pulling for the Rockies in the World Series and for the Buckeyes in the BCS national championship and the Final Four championship last year. Hopefully I will be pulling for the Jayhawks this coming April, but if for some freakish reason they lose in the Tourney (which I guess is not that freakish since it happens every year) then I will be pulling for a Big 12 team if there is still one and if not, then I will go with my midwest loyalty to Bucky and the Badgers! (for you C.A)

Sufficiency of Grace

"The greatness of his faith lies in the greatness of his humanity...his spirituality did not thrive on covering up his weakness but rather upon glorying in them." - Gospel according to Job (Mike Mason)

As I have spent the last week or so working through Job 1-2 I have really been mulling over this quote as it relates to Job's situation. I can't remember that last time that I read through the whole book of Job, probably sometime at Moody, but I am eager to sit down and work through it. This quote really hit home because I think all too often I envision that I need to be some super Christian, spiritual giant, or something like that, when in reality, all God desires from me is to be true...and the best that I can do in that regard is, human. I am reminded of Paul's writings in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 when he writes, "Then the Lord said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'..Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Oh to live a life like that! Completely surrendered to the grace found at the cross of Christ. Authentically being transparent and real and not giving over to the false notion that I need to be something more and unattainable. Rest upon the sufficiency of Christ's grace. This is when our faith will be seen as great.

SouthEastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority

So yesterday afternoon I was given the opportunity to ride the 13 Trolley from Center City out to SW Philly. This wasn't anything new because I ride the trolley everyday to and from work. The difference today was that on my way home I got on at about 5:15 p.m. Rush hour time! After waiting for the trolley for about 10 minutes the #13 pulls up and it is completely packed. I am the last one to get on and I can barely fit inside the door with my backpack on. Taking my backpack off and just holding it in front of me enabled me to get on. After about 4 stops the trolley unloads some passengers enough to at least allow to me hold onto a pole in the middle of the aisle. I was completely amazed at how quiet it was in this packed from front to end trolley. All the seats are filled and all the poles are taken by passengers and there is not a single conversation going on. It was completely amazing. I wanted to say some witty comment about how quiet it was but I was fearful for the dreadful glares that I would receive from people who obviously did not want to be bothered. After 25 more minutes of staring at the floor I was able to find a seat for about 3 stops. The conversation going on in my head after I sat down was one of amazement and frustration that I didn't take the time to open my mouth and ask one of those people how their day was.

I am determined that the next time I take the trolley I am going to talk with the person that I am blessed to either sit by, but more than likely, stand next to as we are squished together riding the grand old SEPTA trolley

City Year & Timberland

As the snowflakes are FINALLY falling on the Philadelphia soil, (this is our first snowfall of the year/winter), I am sitting in our warm, cozy apartment...actually it's anything but because I am a pennypincher and will not turn the heat up. Anyway, this past weekend I attended a group meeting called CityLights. It's an organization that brings together different non-profit organizations for the purpose of partnerships. I basically went as an attendant desiring to learn a little bit more about organizations in southwest Philly. At this meeting I met people ranging from community center directors, to GED teachers, to job placement workers, teachers, principals, pastors, community developers, etc. Very encouraging and informative to me. During this meeting there was also a professor from Eastern University who gave a short seminar on strategic partnerships. Though I am not currently involved in a non-profit organization I gained valuable knowledge on some strategic ways to partner with existing ministries/organizations for better and more wholistic ministry. One of the examples that he gave was the partnership between CityYear and Timberland. (Sidenote: I've always thought it strange that the Timberland boot, a high quality work boot and a high quality mountain outfitter boot would be so popular amongst urban youth.) This partnership between CityYear and Timberland is a major influence to this rise in fashion. CityYear is a non-profit organization that came to Timberland and asked if they could have some boots to equip their interns when they first started. Timberland agreed and now every CityYear intern is equipped with a red jacket and Timberland boots. CityYear has since grown and is in almost every major city and along with it, Timberland has grown from being a mountain outfitter shoe to the highest selling boot on the urban market. Anyway, you can read about more of it on this website, I just thought that it was extremely interesting. http://www.winwinpartner.com/Branding/sstimberland.html

As I sat listening to the seminar I began thinking about churches and how many many churches in America would benefit from listening to this and implementing these concepts in their ministry outreach and in their visions for how to effectively minister to their community.

2008 Resolutions and an Orange Bowl trophy

2008 started with a bang. Literally. As I sat in my apartment in Southwest Philly alone, because my wife was back in Nebraska, and watched the crazies celebrate a new day (and year I guess) in Times Square I was startled by numerous gunshots filtering the air in my neighborhood. Turns out that there wasn't any type of crime, just people firing into the midnight sky.

This New Year also brings a lot of hope and new resolutions for many many people. I have never been big on making resolutions, probably because I've never had any weight to lose and probably because I just can't think of creative things to change. Supertones, the late great Christian ska band, had a song called "Resolution" which talked about today, making a resolution for a change of life. I think that I probably rally around the theme of not necessarily making a resolution for the whole year, but desiring to daily make a resolution of living a Christ-like life. At any rate, I did make one 'New Year's resolution' that I would like to try for the whole year, mainly just to see if I can do it and to see how much $ I would actually save. So my resolution is, drum roll please, to withstand from purchasing a coffee or any other item from Starbucks. I know it's not that big of a deal but I figured that it is at least possible.

I would also really enjoy celebrating a championship of some sort this year, which is something that I have never been able to do in my lifetime, or at least that I can remember. KU lifted my spirits on Thursday night with their Orange Bowl victory over Virginia Tech but it wasn't a championship. The Jayhawk basketball team is looking mighty nice this year so far, as are a number of other teams, and I am really looking forward to March Madness. Hopefully the Jayhawks can cut down the nets this coming year, and not just the nets for the Big 12 Championship, or the Regional Championship, but the National Championship! Hey, I can at least hope right, because that is what the New Year is all about.

The Bowl games this year haven't been all that great. I did enjoy, however, watching Florida fall to Michigan and seeing Lloyd Carr go out a winner. Well, actually I just really took pleasure in watching the Gators lose and Tim Tebow (who scores all his touchdowns rushing from the 2 yard line) lose. I also enjoyed the good showing that the Big 12 put on during this bowl season. I know Oklahoma was a let down but there were some nice victories by the other schools. I have also changed my views on the whole strength of schedule thing. Probably because that was KU's knock all year. "Well, they just haven't played anybody worth anything all year and the one team that they did play that was good, MIZZOU, they lost". Now, I think that you have to play teams that challenge you. So I wasn't disagreeing with those doubters that KU had an easy schedule, but you have to give them credit that they won all those games, and they won in convincing fashion. They just didn't have those losses to a Stanford, or a Pittsburgh, or an Illinois. And when their big time bowl game came around, they showed up and outplayed their opponent. I'm not sure if KU is going to be a football powerhouse, but they at least had a great year, a BCS bowl bid, and an Orange Bowl trophy to show for it. Cake schedule or not, you still have to win your games, and you have to prove yourself when you get the chance. The Jayhawks did that this year and we'll see how the Mangino's make their return in '08.