Tonight I've been watching a little Inside the NBA on TNT. If you're not familiar with that show, it's the one with Charles, Kenny and Ernie. They reminded me of something I had tried to remove from my memory - the half-time show during the all star game last Saturday.
If you didn't see it, there was a country band called Big & Rich. They sing a song called "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy." I thought it was a little odd that this band was headlining the NBA All Star Game Halftime show. Things went from a little odd to frickin' wierd.
They had a little man dancing around (see Kid Rock) as well as a really tall cowboy rapper. To top it off, at one point the camera zoomed in on these two little white kids with cowboy hats. They were definitely getting their groove on.
Anyway, if you missed it, I'm not sure whether to congratulate you or...
Congratulations!
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Epic
Today I was reading from John Eldredge's little book, Epic. I gave it to a few friends this year for Christmas. I usually do not recommend, let alone give as a gift, books that I haven't read. I felt that I pretty much knew what he was saying in this one, since it's based on Waking the Dead (actually, I haven't finished that one either, but that's another story).
In the prologue Eldredge talks a lot about Story.
(Stories) go far deeper than entertainment, by the way. Stories nourish us. They provide a kind of food that the soul craves. "Stories are equipment for living," says Hollywood screenwriting teacher Robert McKee. he believes that we go to the movies because we hope to find in someone else's story something that will help us understand our own. We go "to live in a fictional reality that illuminates our daily reality" (5).
On another topic, last night Mandy and I went to Costco, and I purchased a 12-pack of Russell Athletic Crew socks. I must say that they are some of the best socks I've ever owned. If you're in the market for white socks anytime soon, I highly recommend these. Peace out!
In the prologue Eldredge talks a lot about Story.
(Stories) go far deeper than entertainment, by the way. Stories nourish us. They provide a kind of food that the soul craves. "Stories are equipment for living," says Hollywood screenwriting teacher Robert McKee. he believes that we go to the movies because we hope to find in someone else's story something that will help us understand our own. We go "to live in a fictional reality that illuminates our daily reality" (5).
On another topic, last night Mandy and I went to Costco, and I purchased a 12-pack of Russell Athletic Crew socks. I must say that they are some of the best socks I've ever owned. If you're in the market for white socks anytime soon, I highly recommend these. Peace out!
Friday, February 18, 2005
It's a boy!
Yesterday Mandy, her mom Lyndia, and I went to Pleasanton to a place called 3D BabyVu. The pictures below came from the ultrasound Mandy had there. We also took home a 20-minute dvd of the ultrasound. A couple of weeks ago Mandy had an ultrasound at her doctor's office, but we were not able to determine if our baby was a boy or a girl. There was no doubt about it with this one - we got ourselves a little boy.
It was a pretty amazing experience. I wondered what the staff at this place think about God. You either stand in awe, or you chalk it up to scientific procedure. I prefer to be amazed. It makes life more interesting.
I've had another thought regarding the kid this week. I've realized that I don't trust God as much as I'd like to think I do. In most situations, I at least have a little control in what happens. Not so in the life of my son. It is completely out of my hands. Except for trying to take care of her body by eating the right kinds of foods resting, it's out of Mandy's hands as well.
So...it's easy to stress a little with this. Mandy had some lower back pains last weekend, and her dad said that it could be her kidneys, which we then realized was a really big thing. We were of course worried, and had to wait a whole two days before she could talk to her doctor. The doctor said not to worry about it, that it wasn't her kidneys, and she and the baby were fine. We could breathe easily again, at least until the next thing. That's not the way I want to live. God has given life to this baby, and He will take care of him as well. I need to chill, and let God be God. It's His hands that my child is in! My job is to just sit and be amazed.
Sounds like a good deal doesn't it!
It was a pretty amazing experience. I wondered what the staff at this place think about God. You either stand in awe, or you chalk it up to scientific procedure. I prefer to be amazed. It makes life more interesting.
I've had another thought regarding the kid this week. I've realized that I don't trust God as much as I'd like to think I do. In most situations, I at least have a little control in what happens. Not so in the life of my son. It is completely out of my hands. Except for trying to take care of her body by eating the right kinds of foods resting, it's out of Mandy's hands as well.
So...it's easy to stress a little with this. Mandy had some lower back pains last weekend, and her dad said that it could be her kidneys, which we then realized was a really big thing. We were of course worried, and had to wait a whole two days before she could talk to her doctor. The doctor said not to worry about it, that it wasn't her kidneys, and she and the baby were fine. We could breathe easily again, at least until the next thing. That's not the way I want to live. God has given life to this baby, and He will take care of him as well. I need to chill, and let God be God. It's His hands that my child is in! My job is to just sit and be amazed.
Sounds like a good deal doesn't it!
Saturday, February 12, 2005
What a rotten loss
We had another game today. This one didn't turn out quite as well as our last one. We didn't shoot well at all, but we did play good defense, and were ahead by one under two minutes left in the game. They took the lead with thirty seconds left. We had a chance to take the lead, but missed our shot. They got the rebound. As soon as they crossed over into their court we trapped and stole the ball. Ta'Whan, one of our point guards, saw that there was five seconds left, and headed towards the basket with one defender behind him.
In practice it would have been a simple layup. Not quite the same circumstances today. Half of our kids were crying when the game was over. There wasn't much we could say. We were all pretty stunned, to have come so close yet lose. I felt bad for our kids, and especially for Ta'Whan, but I figured that any great clutch player has had a moment when they failed in the clutch.
In practice it would have been a simple layup. Not quite the same circumstances today. Half of our kids were crying when the game was over. There wasn't much we could say. We were all pretty stunned, to have come so close yet lose. I felt bad for our kids, and especially for Ta'Whan, but I figured that any great clutch player has had a moment when they failed in the clutch.
Monday, February 07, 2005
Basketball
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this, but I coach a boys 4th/5th grade basketball team. These are boys from the school where Mandy teaches (Hillside Elementary School). Ian and I have coached these boys the last two seasons. We won one game last year. As of this past Saturday we were 0-2. The team we were playing on Saturday was 2-1.
We were down by four or five points going into the 4th quarter, having been down the entire game. We finally took the lead with two minutes left. The other team got the lead back the next play. With a minute left in the game we scored, and went on to win the game!
Our boys were so excited. I was so excited. I actually thought I was going to pull a Coack K (by the way, I love Coach K. I love Duke).
Practice is today. I look forward to celebrating with my team!
We were down by four or five points going into the 4th quarter, having been down the entire game. We finally took the lead with two minutes left. The other team got the lead back the next play. With a minute left in the game we scored, and went on to win the game!
Our boys were so excited. I was so excited. I actually thought I was going to pull a Coack K (by the way, I love Coach K. I love Duke).
Practice is today. I look forward to celebrating with my team!
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Church of the Apostles
(As you can see, I'm playing catch-up on my blogging. I have a feeling this will happen pretty pretty often.)
Anyway, I'm on Tom and Christine Sine's mailing list. On their last mailer there was a link to a new church in Seattle. Check out their site. Good stuff!
Anyway, I'm on Tom and Christine Sine's mailing list. On their last mailer there was a link to a new church in Seattle. Check out their site. Good stuff!
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry Church
Last week I finished up this book. I happened upon a review of it in a magazine, and thought it looked good. It was written in 1997. What's funny is that as I was reading it, I kept thinking, "I guess I don't need to write a book anymore - this is it!"
Here's the jist of the book:
Here's the jist of the book:
- America is not a Christian nation. (It probably never was)
- A minority behaves differently than a majority
- Until we realize that we are a minority, we will never be able to answer Francis Schaeffer's question "How then should we live?" (though I'm not sure if Schaeffer actually answers that question in his book)
Jerry Falwell on CNN
I'm about to leave for basketball practice, but I just realized that Jerry Falwell is on Crossfire. Looks like a program I need to record. More later...
25 Most Influential Evangelicals
Last night Larry King's show was on Time Magazine's latest cover story: Evangelicals in America.
His panel consisted of Tim & Beverly LaHaye, Franklin Graham, T.D. Jakes, and Brian McLaren. I really like Larry King. I think he does a good job asking hard questions, while at the same time staying calm. Here's the transcript of that show.
Here's another transcript from Larry King that you might be interested in. After the tsunami, Larry had a panel of religious leaders on his show to discuss God's role in this tragedy.
His panel consisted of Tim & Beverly LaHaye, Franklin Graham, T.D. Jakes, and Brian McLaren. I really like Larry King. I think he does a good job asking hard questions, while at the same time staying calm. Here's the transcript of that show.
Here's another transcript from Larry King that you might be interested in. After the tsunami, Larry had a panel of religious leaders on his show to discuss God's role in this tragedy.
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