BCS and Pete Rose
Are there two topics that cause more arguments than the BCS and Pete Rose? I know that I don't understand the complexities of television deals and large market schools vs. small market schools, but although I cannot offer a suitable solution in my limited understanding of the variables, I can tell you that the BCS 'just ain't right!' How can a team that didn't even win their conference be a possible national champion? And if the coach's poll or whatever it is called can name it's own national champion irregardless of what happens in the top BCS game, why bother with the whole rot? I know that a playoff system would have the same problem: there will always be some teams on the bubble, but further out on the bubble wouldn't matter as much to me. If some computer has to calculate the difference between two teams who are jockeying for the last spot in an eight team championship playoff tournament, big deal...number 8 or number 9 gets the shaft. But now, 3 teams with identical records and similar strengths all need to play in one game, and someone has to be left out. Honestly, I'm sort of glad LSU jumped USC, I really think a SEC team should be in the championship game. (what else would a Razorback fan say?). But I am really disappointed that Oklahoma didn't budge after completely not showing up for the Big 12 Championship. I know that I am not the only one saying this, but however you need to work it out, I want to see all three of those teams play and lets see who's left standing. (Oh! and just to make it an even number they should throw Arkansas in there as an at large wild-card!...what can I say, I am a homer.)

And the other deal is Pete Rose. What do most people think about his reinstatement into baseball? I am sure that I am prejudiced in the fact that I like Pete Rose as a player. When I was a kid, I wanted to play first base like Pete Rose, I wanted to punch hits into the gaps in the infield like Pete Rose, and sure, I wanted to steal bases and slide like him. When I would make the last out in an inning and get to run across the infield toward my dugout, I would copy the way Rose would examine the ball and then drop it on the mound. He is a hall-of-famer and one of the games greatest players, but just me liking him doesn't mean he isn't a cad, a crook, or an out-of-control egomaniac. So while there are lots of opinions about whether Selig should let him back into baseball, I really haven't made up my mind yet. Basically I want to forgive him, I think it would be cool to honor his play in a large media expression. But I'm also still a purist who thinks that baseball has to at least make an attempt at showing that they are trying to do something about cheating. Here is a link to help Rose make it to Cooperstown.

Here are some other topics that I have found will ususally produce a lively discussion when introduced in the right company:
Vote Recounts
Rapture Timing Preferences
Paul vs. John
Versions of the Scriptures

Sergio Leone and the Spaghetti Westerns

Last night I happen to catch 'A Fistful of Dollars' for what has to be the 30th time at least. Leone's Man with No Name trilogy is one of my guilty pleasures. I can't help watching these movies over and over again. There is something about those slow time-streching moments before a gunfight and the way that nothing in these movies are really 'bleached white' clean that just draws me in. And I don't know if there has ever been music scores that interacted so much with the on-screen action. Add all of that to the crazy twitching eye close-ups and a cigar-chewing Eastwood, and you have some very interesting movies. Sure, I know that these films will never be high art, but as time goes on, we have seen them challenge and inspire today's action film makers. In the world of blinding speed in action movies, I like the fact that Leone was so slow at times. Sometimes painfully slow. (In The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, how long is he going to keep clipping back and forth between the three characters eyes before the final duel? It is slow by today's standards, but it is a great tension builder.) But when Leone does let the action fly, it is just as fast and raw as new movies. Woo, Rodriguez and maybe even Tarantino owe at least some debt to Sergio Leone for writing the early definition for 'gritty'. Here are a few sites discussing Spaghetti Westerns and Sergio Leone. Check out these sites and the next time these movies run across your tv watch closely.

~UPDATE (12/19)
Last night I watched A Fistful of Dynamite, with James Coburn. Definitely more political and less 'dirty' than the trilogy, but a good show none the less.

The Dangers of Advent
J. B. Phillips

When have Christians been promised physical security? In the early Church it is evident that they did not even expect it! Their security, their true life, was rooted in God; and neither the daily insecurities of the decaying Roman Empire, nor the organized persecution which followed later, could affect their basic confidence.

In my judgement, the description which Christ gave of the days that were to come before his return is more accurately reproduced in this fear-ridden age than ever before in human history. Of course we do not know the times and the seasons, but at least we can refuse to be deceived by the current obsession for physical security in the here-and-now. While we continue to pray and work for the spread of the kingdom in this transitory world, we know that its center of gravity is not here at all. When God decides that the human experiment has gone on long enough, yes, even in the midst of what appears to us confusion and incompleteness, Christ will come again.

This is what the New Testament teaches. This is the message of Advent. It is for us to be alert, vigilant and industrious, so that his coming will not be a terror but an overwhelming joy.

~Here is the row. It seems to me that one the missed messages of the Gospels' narrative of the Christmas story is that not many people got it. The birth of God goes mainly unnoticed. Maybe everyone who should have taken notice we just too busy. The livestock caught it, they were there. And the shepherds found out too, but they cheated, they were told. Where are the priests and the teachers? Some foreign Magi and a couple of old spiritual mystics are basically the only ones who seem to be aware. Maybe it isn't that everyone was too busy or self-absorbed. Maybe people missed the 'birth of God' because they were just looking for the wrong thing. What makes us think that Jesus' second advent will be any different? Will I be too busy or too misguided to be aware of his coming?

~UPDATE:
I heard 2 great messages yesterday touching on this thought. My Father-in-law eloquently pointed out that you can 'lose' Jesus in the church while involving yourself in religious service citing the case of the young Jesus and his parents in Luke 2. Jennifer pointed out to me that when your business begins being anything other than the 'Father's' business, you can look up and be separated from the Savior. I begin to think today that those of us who love Jesus and work tirelessly for the Kingdom of God are at the most risk of becoming too busy or too proud to notice when we have 'lost' him. Kierkegaard says, "Although the scribes could explain where the Messiah should be born, they remained quite unperturbed in Jerusalem. They did not accompany the Wise Men to seek him. Similarly we may be able to explain every article of our faith, yet remain spiritually motionless. The power that moved heaven and earth leaves us completely unmoved. What a contrast! The three kings had only a rumor to go by. But it spurred them to set out a long, hard journey. The scribes, meanwhile, were much better informed, much better versed. They had sat and studied the scriptures for years, like so many dons. But it didn’t make any difference. Who had the more truth? Those who followed a rumor, or those who remained sitting, satisfied with all their knowledge?"

How about trying out some Christmas Tic-Tac-Toe?

Thanksgiving in Atlanta

After the CMA Thanksgiving Feast, we headed east for a week in Atlanta with my parents. It was a really great week and a lot happened. I'll try to recap the high points.

The night before we left, Zoe started running a fever. Just out of the blue she began to show a little cold. Jennifer and Zoe were up all night, and we left around 5:00 AM. On the trip we decided to stop and get Zoe some medicine and we also ate at a Logan's Roadhouse in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. From there we hurried on to Mableton, Georgia, where we arrived at my parents house around supper time. A favorite Barbeque restaurant of ours was our first meal in Atlanta. We all crashed pretty early that night, but not before we watched Finding Nemo...again.

It was really a pleasure to be with Mom and Dad, and Sunday morning we were happy to attend with them at Smyrna Assembly of God, my old church when I was a teenager. The service that morning was especially good, and the worship music was great. After service, we all ate at Olive Garden.

A few weeks earlier, Ezekiel, an NFL fan and even more avid Tennessee Titans fan, realized that the Titans would be playing the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta while we were in town. That realization began a two week search for a decent deal on some tickets, and culminated with Zeke, Joby and I taking the MARTA down to the Dome and taking in their first NFL game. We had a blast. They enjoyed riding what they called 'the subway' and it was so exciting to go trpsing around the Georgia Dome with all the fans, the marching bands, and the scalpers. They were completely wide-eyed as they saw the players come on the field! They had the binoculars pressed against their faces nearly the entire game. When the Falcons went up 21-0 in the first quarter, I thought Zeke was going to cry, but as the Titans started to come back, so did his spirits! That night was a great time and we will always remember it.

The next morning, Zoe was still sick with a little cold and fever, but we decided to all go to Fernbank Museum of Natural History. On the way there, we took a route though downtown Atlanta and drove by many of the places where my parents had grown up. It was interesting to hear of the differences in the way of life that they experienced growing up. They walked lots of places and went to parks that were actually in their neighborhood. Dad told one story about a time when he walked a number of blocks to see Jayne Mansfield at the grand opening of the first K-Mart in Atlanta. We saw the schools and where the schools had been. We saw the ice cream shops and where the dime store used to be. We also saw where both of the old churches were, both buildings were still there. I was struck at the similarities and the differences between Jen and I as parents and my Dad's parents. They loved and lived for God and their children knew it, I want to make certain ours know the same thing about their parents. Yet, in our crazy time, I can't imagine letting our young children walk blocks through the city to the ice cream shop alone. I know that much of the problems that we face are as old as the world, but in some respects, man, how times have changed.

I had been many times before on field trips to the old Fernbank Science Center when I was young, but everything has grown and has been vastly improved. We saw some incredible exhibits and had a blast. The loved the dinosaurs and the hands-on exhibits. It was just a very cool day. Later on that afternoon we were able to visit with my Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa had found some Steve McNair cards for Ezekiel and that completely made his day.

We hung out on Tuesday and Wednesday; ate a Philly Connection philly cheesesteak sandwich, a personal favorite of ours, and played alot of video games. It also seemed to be the week for hero movies. The Hulk and the Daredevil were joined by Kim Possible and the obligatory Lord of the Rings. Tuesday, I got some new glasses, which was great because now I can see at night when I am driving. (Jennifer is very pleased.) The glasses have been described with a wide range of adjectives from 'cool' and 'hip' to 'silly', 'funky', 'nerdy' and 'Buddy Holly-looking'. All descriptions are accurate.

Wednesday, Jennifer, Zoe and I had a great lunch at one of our favorite little authentic Mexican restaurants near my parent's house. Later on that evening we cooked pasta for the family. We, of course, played more video games.

Thanksgiving morning we had a great brunch, and watched some of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. My Dad and I went to the airport to pick up my brother and his family. It had been too long since we had seen Joel and Melanie and the kids. I really enjoyed the ride with Joel, we talked and laughed and for a few minutes it reminded me of riding in a car together when we were still living at home. I was really excited to hear of the good things that are happening in their lives and in their church. Everyone had already arrived when we got to the Monroe Thanksgiving Meal at my cousin Mendi Pittards neighborhood clubhouse. We were ready to eat, but before we did we snapped this picture. It was great to be with everyone there. We laughed and ate and got reacquainted. I can really say that I miss everyone and would certainly enjoyed our brief get together.

Friday was also a good time as we hung out with my brother Joel and Melanie and their children. It is so weird to think that my parents home moved from two children (my brother and I) to eight as fast as you can turn around. At any rate it was an 'alive' house for a few hours. Later that evening my grandparents and my cousin, Jeremy and his son, Josiah came over. Jeremy is one of those people who really love Jesus and has the compassionate heart to prove it. I like being around him; it makes me remember college and even earlier, the B band.

(By the way, B Band memorabilia is currently experiencing a surge in value. People are willing to pay top dollar for any authentic B Band stuff. Pictures, Instruments, and recordings are especially hot. Recently a collector in New Jersey bought the Waffle House Napkin that the original lyrics to "My Keeper" were jotted on for 250,000 dollars. )

The whole trip to Atlanta was a great time, and we are looking forward to the next time that we get to see everyone. Here are a few other pics that we taken on the trip. First, Abby with her pigtails, Dad with the girls, and the Monroe Family.

Gospel verse found on ancient shrine

Every once in a while something like this will turn up. Makes you really curious who really was buried in there.

God's the Greatest
Here are some of the most beautiful sites that you will ever see, all taken from the Hubble Telescope launched ten years ago. What an artist! God's canvas is immense and his colors are bright and alive. James had it right when he said, "everything good and perfect comes from above, from the Father of lights..."



Check out this beautiful collection of Astronomy images. Some of them are so clear it is hard to remember that they are so far away.

Jackson surrenders to authorities

There has been so much said about this fiasco that I don't believe I could add anything of meaning. But let me just say, "That's just sad..."
And I love Michael! I was one of the, obviously now, idiots who said, "He's not dangerous, just weird!" Dude is the King of Pop for crying out loud, but I can't help but say, "Better to wear a millstone necklace and take a swim in the deep blue sea than give even one of these dear little ones a hard time!" (Luke 17:2) It looks as if He has taken advantage of and hurt children...in my estimation one of the lowest of the lows...but doesn't that probably make him a good prospect to receive the grace of God? The public will probably never really know what the truth is in all of this, but maybe that's not so bad. Even if crimes against children have not been committed, one has to ask who is supposed to be responsible for these children that are in close proximity to Jackson? If they are orphans or foster children I am deeply sadded, if they aren't I have to ask ,"Where are their parents?

The JesusGeek says, "He just sets himself up for this junk"

Nowhere Man

He's a real nowhere Man, sitting in his nowhere land,
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody.

Doesn't kave a point of view, knows not where he's going to,
Isn't he a bit like you and me?
Nowhere Man, please listen, You don't know what you're missing,
Nowhere Man, the world is at your command.

He's as blind as he can be, just sees what he wants to see,
Nowhere Man can you see me at all?
Doesn't kave a point of view, knows not where he's going to,
Isn't he a bit like you and me?
Nowhere Man, don't worry. Take your time, don't hurry,
Leave it all till somebody else lends you a hand.

He's a real Nowhere Man, sitting in his nowhere land,
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody.

~Half a million dollars for 133 words. I'd say they got a bargain.

Latest Art Images

Here are a few takes on the celtic knotwork cross. The Celtic Christians in Ireland and Scotland in the fourth century "used the famous 'celtic knot' whose spirals intertwine to symbolize God's encircling protection of his people, to symbolize eternity, and to suggest the movement, pilgrimage and progress that is essential in the Christian's life." (The Celtic Way of Evangelism, Hunter p.74)



Oh, and also a cute picture of Zoe on the grass with the leaves.