2007-10-06

Engagement

My beautiful and talented sister is engaged. I think she's told everyone but me. I think I'm hurt, but I also understand why she wouldn't have told me yet. She knows what I would say.
While I would want to support her, the circumstances of her engagement don't allow me to. Before I come across as a mean, insensitive, jealous (of whatever adjective I'm sure to hear) let me explain.

1. First as of the moment before I heard she was engaged, I didn't even know she was dating someone.
2. I've never met the person she is engaged to.
3. The person she is engaged to, she has adamantly told her family that they were just friends.
4. The person she is engaged to is re-enlisting and is moving east, so she would leave school early with only one semester to go.
5. She is insisting the wedding be this December.
6. If he re-ups he would surely go back overseas, which I wish on nobody during the first year of marriage. I've never been married and I can understand why that would be difficult.
7. She still has not told me.

I love my sister and I don't mind playing the role of big bad brother in her life. I want to see her have the best opportunity for a happy, successful, God-honoring marriage and I don't feel like this is how you prepare for that.

Sure her fiance may be a great guy and maybe the right man for her, but how would I know and why the rush and immediacy?

I don't know, maybe I'm wrong.

NFL Picks...Week 7

I just arrived home from church and before I turn on the TV I remembered I hadn't posted my picks. Here they are:
  • Baltimore at Buffalo: I'm going to pick Buffalo at home
  • Atlanta at New Orleans: New Orleans should get their first victory
  • Arizona at Washington: Washington has continued to impress me
  • San Fransico at New York Giants: I have to pick the Giants at home
  • New England at Miami: New England, who can stop them?
  • Tennessee at Houston: Houston, because I don't know if Young will play
  • Tampa Bay at Detroit: Detroit has to win at home in order to win 10 games
  • Kansas City at Oakland: Kansas City gets their running game going
  • New York Jets at Cincinnati: Cincinnati should get a restart with this game
  • Chicago at Philadelphia: Hard not to pick Philly at home, so I won't
  • St. Louis at Seattle: For some reason I want to go with St. Louis, but I'll say Seattle at home
  • Minnesota at Dallas: Dallas rebounds from last week
  • Pittsburgh at Denver: I like Pittsburgh
  • Indianapolis at Jacksonville: Indianapolis, Manning trives in the spotlight

I swear I'm not a Trekkie...

...but I can confess to watching and enjoying all the movies. And if I had the time I probably would sit down and watch all the old shows (someday!).
Seriously though, who can't get excited about the new J.J. Abrams film, coming sometime toward the end of next year, with a cast like this:
Chris Pine as Capt. James T. Kirk
You may know him from: Just My Luck with Lindsay Lohan (I wouldn't but you may) or Smokin' Aces
Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard McCoy
You may know him from: The Lord of the Rings, The Bourne Supremacy or Pathfinder
Zachary Quinto as Vulcan Scientist Spock
You may know him from: Heroes
Simon Pegg as engineer Scotty
You may know him from: Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Mission: Impossible III
John Cho as helmsman Sulu
You may know him from: Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle, The American Pie movies
Zoe Saldana as communications officer Uhura
You may know her from: The Terminal, Drumline, Pirates of the Caribbean, Guess Who
Anton Yelchin as navigator Chekov
You may know him from: Alpha Dog,
&
Leonard Nimoy, will apparently play an older version of Spock in the movie.
Of course you know that he was the original Spock

Eric Bana will play a villain in the movie
You may know him from: Black Hawk Down, The Hulk, Troy, Munich

Why?

If anyone can tell me why all my posts are dated 2007-10-06 and how I can fix it I'll make you my hero for the day.

Attacked! 2007-10-18

I had an asthma attack at my community group this week. I knew I was in trouble the moment I got out of my car and noticed that I had left my inhaler at home. I'm highly allergic to cats (which makes me wonder what message my parents are sending me by owning a cat) which can trigger an attack. And of course the saint who host our group has a cat (I have to remind myself that yes God loves cat people too).
I struggled through our Bible study but as we shared and laughed during our prayer time it became more and more of a chore to breathe. After prayer Chris turned to me and noted how he could hear me wheezing throughout the prayer.
Lately it's been a real burden. I usually fall asleep at night on with my inhaler in hand and wake up in the middle of the night searching for it. I find that it was the pain in my neck, literally, I fell asleep on the inhaler.
The most frustrating thing though is when someone says something like, "I know how hard it is, I had asthma once." or "I used to have asthma so I remember how difficult it is". Um...I hate when people say that. I guess the only thing I might be able to compare the difference to would be if I said to someone who had AIDS, "I feel for you, I had AIDS when I was a kid, so I know what you're feeling." It's not that I don't appreciate you trying to empathize, but you don't know burden of living with the disease like I have to. Plus it's like telling a man who's starving to death that you understand hunger while you eat a steak.

OK, that's enough of my complaining.

Breath deep my friends

The Cross of Christ

Next Wednesday evening I'm teaching on the cross. I've read the texts, read (and reading) the commentaries, listening to the sermons, sang the songs, reading the books and I still haven't found the "angle of the diamond" that I want to focus on and illuminate.
In some ways I feel "intake overload" and I haven't found my creative gear.

Any ideas?

Did anyone know this?

I am so eager to see if this is true.
That and to see if anyone knew this.
Having trouble remembering which side your gas tank is on, and you don't want to ruin your perfect mirror set up...well...

Owings?

How does Arizona go with Owings when your down 0-3 in the NLCS? Your season is on the line. I say you have to start Brandon Webb.

2007-10-14 9:17pm

I'm struggling with what God's telling me, but I'm also strangely at peace with it too.

Why I Don't Gamble

If you've been following my NFL picks for the last few weeks you already know why. I actually started out the season fairly well having two positive weeks, but these past three (four) weeks have been horrible.

In 1990 (I believe) I bet a neighbor $5 that the Oakland Athletics would sweep the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. Big bucks for this middle schooler. And what a decent bet. Oakland was the defending champion and had been to the World Series the past two years. They had Ricky and Dave Henderson, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Walt Weise, Dave Stewart, the "Eck" and so many more. But the Reds sweep the A's. I had to pay up $10 and that was my last money bet ever.

This year my dad wanted to bet me that Dallas would be 10-0, and the he said 16-0. Yeah I know...he's silly. But after the win over Chicago I had to actually get out their schedule. When I say the match up for week 6...pure relief.

I hate the Cowboys. Thanks New England.

And I'm so proud of my '9ers this week. Of course they were off, but still...

NFL Picks...Week 6

Minnesota (1-3) at Chicago (2-3) = Chicago
Miami (0-5) at Cleveland (2-3) = Miami
Washington (3-1) at Green Bay (4-1) = Washington
Cincinnati (1-3) at Kansas City (2-3) = Cincinnati
Philadelphia (1-3) at New York Jets (1-4) = New York
Tennessee (3-2) at Tampa Bay (3-2) = Tampa Bay
Houston (3-2) at Jacksonville (3-1) = Houston
St. Louis (0-5) at Baltimore (3-2) = Baltimore
Carolina (3-2) at Arizona (3-2) = Arizona
New England (5-0) at Dallas (5-0) = New England
Oakland (2-2) at San Diego (2-3) = San Diego
New Orleans (0-4) at Seattle (3-2) = New Orleans
New York Giants (3-2) at Atlanta (1-4) = New York

David Crowder Band

I attended a David Crowder Band concert this evening. I forgot my camera in the truck and just used my phone's camera. Not the best quality. Besides who has time to take phots during such awersome music?
The message of this new album is extremely convicting. Our theologies and doctrines are not good enough by themselves. They must be expressed in deeds and actions. Proxy, proxy, proxy. Reading some scripture today reminds me how many people left Jesus crying and confused, because they don't know "what to do with a love like that".
How will I respond to the love of God tomorrow. I know my success and failures today, but what will I do with a love like that?
My prayer is for faith and faithfulness.



NFL Picks...Week 5

I'm sorry that my midweek posting is down. Of course I don't think anyone reads this so I'm apologizing to no one.

Anyways here are my week 5 picks and then I need to go manage my fantasy teams.

Cleveland at New England = New England, they'll go 16-0
New York at New York = New York, Jets that is
Jacksonville at Kansas City = Kansas City, because you have to pick one
Atlanta at Tennessee = Tennessee, cause Harington is hard to bet on
Seattle at Pittsburgh = Pittsburgh, I don't know why
Carolina at New Orleans = New Orleans has to win sometime
Arizona at St. Louis = Arizona, the 2 QB systems works
Detroit at Washington = Washington, they look good
Miami at Houston = Houston, Schaub's winning me over
Tampa Bay at Indianapolis = Indy because they are at home
Baltimore at San Fransico = San Fran, cause their my team and their at home
San Diego at Denver = Denver because their at home
Chicago at Green Bay = Chicago, Lambeau's not cold yet
Dallas at Buffalo = really I think Dallas will win, but because I hate them so much I'm picking Buffalo

It's Always Sunny

I love the TV show “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” The characters are 100% unlikable, which I like…
If you haven’t seen it before, it is the best show Danny Devito has ever been on… yep I said it…EVER! Better than Taxi, better than Cheers, better than any show.

So anyways it was on last night and here are a couple of thoughts I had from the viewing:

1. I think Diaper Time is great! Better than Peanut Butter Jelly Time with a Baseball Bat.
2. “Toyko drifting leads to bickering which leads to karate” is some of the wisest logic I’ve heard in a while.

The previews for next week had me cracking up. Apparently Dee is dating a guy whom the rest of the gang thinks is mental challenged.

Dee: What if he’s an idiot savant?

Charlie: What if he’s just an idiot?