Oklahoma State Coach Goes Off

Wow. In this video you will see a college football coach who is passionately defending one of his players because of an article that was written in an Oklahoma newspaper. Maybe this ESPN writer doesn’t think his behavior was ok (big surprise since he’s ripping someone from the media) but I think it is awesome how this coach stood up for one of his kids. Check it out.

Overnight Work Shift

Just got home from working an overnight shift.

That means I’ve been awake for the last 26 hours.

That means I have been pounding coffee and Mt. Dew.

That means my caffeine high is about to wear off.

That means I need to take a shower and have a nap.

That means I am done with this post.

Breakfast with Isabelle

My son Jacob spent last night with his grandparents, so for a special treat I took my daughter Isabelle to Perkins for breakfast this morning. We had a great time eating sausages and pancakes. It was touchingly sweet for me to hold her little hand as we walked across the parking lot and to watch her color and sip her chocolate milk.

Isabelle is a fireball in our house with a tremendously strong will. She is very smart and intuitively understands how to assert herself and stand her ground when she is passionate about something. She makes me laugh and fume inside all at once. There’s a saying that I’ve heard that rings deeply true with me: “Every guy wants a son but it the daughter that steals your heart.”

Justifiable Tasering?

Out of curiosity, do you think the tasering of Andrew Murphy was justified or not?

If you don’t know what I’m talking about here is a video of the University of Florida events…

Christianity Today Article Featuring Mark Driscoll

Christianity Today has a new article online about Mark Driscoll. It is a good article highlighting some of the work God is doing and Mars Hill, and addressing some of the controversy that surrounds Driscoll. Some highlights:

On how he became Calvinist…

Preaching through Exodus early in his career, Driscoll was struck by God’s sovereignty over Pharaoh. He saw how God acted to deliver his people. The Book of Romans eliminated any remaining doubt about Reformed theology, which he summarizes this way: “People suck, and God saves us from ourselves.”

On women…

“If I could change one part of the Bible,” Driscoll told The Seattle Times about Paul’s writings on gender roles, “that would be the part, just so I could be left alone.”

On fundamentalism…

“Fundamentalism is really losing the war, and I think it is in part responsible for the rise of what we know as the more liberal end of the emerging church,” Driscoll says. “Because a lot of what is fueling the left end of the emerging church is fatigue with hardcore fundamentalism that throws rocks at culture. But culture is the house that people live in, and it just seems really mean to keep throwing rocks at somebody’s house.”

On balancing theology and outreach…

“I also did not explain in written form that we were theologically conservative and culturally liberal, which caused great confusion because half of the church was angry that the other half was smoking, while the other half was angry that I taught from the Bible,” Driscoll writes in Confessions of a Reformission Rev.

Are You Ready?

I’m ready…are you?

Sunday School Teaching Recap

The Sunday School lesson went well this morning. It was good to get back into the saddle and teach again. I left feeling confident with my message and less concerned about entertaining the students; I think those feelings are signs of how God had been at work in me over the last few months.

Junior and Senior High age students are such a difficult group to minister to. I give props to all the Youth Workers out there who work and volunteer their time serving students. Oftentimes there are very few tangible signs that kids are actually ‘getting it,’ and yet these faithful followers of Jesus show up week after week to play bubble gum games and try to facilitate small groups.

Way to go Youth Workers! You are laying a foundation on which Jesus will continue to work in these students lives. Thank you!

5 Year College Reunion

Today Stephanie and I attended our 5 year college reunion. Can’t believe it has already been that long since I was a crazy college kid without too much to care about day to day. It was fun to spend a night out with my wife after a hectic week where we never really had a chance to connect. Most of the people looked the same, except for the overwhelming number of pregnancies in the room! I didn’t do a lot of mingling (not my style) but I did really enjoy connecting with some hockey teammates and other friends. I’m pretty sure Stephanie and I won the prize for “Most Kids Borne Since Graduation.”

The Impacts of Following the Saviour

I am pumped up to do some teaching tomorrow at 1st Baptist Church in Minneapolis. A friend is the Youth Pastor there and she asked me to come and share with the kids in her ministry. It’s a pretty cool opportunity because this is the church my mom grew up in and the place where my parents were married. It is also a special place because it is the place where my grandfather has sung in the choir for years and where I spoke during my grandmother’s funeral last year.

I haven’t done any teaching like this for almost a year and a half so I am a little nervous about how long/ short I might go. The text I am teaching on is Luke 3:1-15. Here’s the main points of the outline.

The Impacts of Following the Saviour

Main Point: Jesus is the Saviour of the world and following him impacts how we live.

1. Following Jesus means seeing people the way He does.
2. Following Jesus means inviting all people to Him the way He does.
3. Following Jesus means evaluating our the lives way He does.
4. Following Jesus means viewing our stuff the way He does.

Vote on What To Do With the Barry Bonds 756 Home Run Ball

Fashion designer Mark Echo purchased the Barry Bonds 756 home run ball and has created a website that gives people the opportunity to vote whether to a) send the ball to the Hall of Fame; b) brand the ball with an asterisk; 3) launch the ball into space. Check out the site and cast your vote.

(I voted for a)