And that little boy grew up for this

Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother...



I can't take credit for doing or finding this video. My friend Rachel posted it and Jennee pointed it out.

Happy Christmas!

Totally in the spirit of the season

This just feels like a comic that is too hilarious to pass up.

Happy Christmas Eve!

More Rose Bowl Stuff

I'm so flippin' excited!

When conference rivalries fall

I must say that typically I wouldn't root for any other school in the Big Ten. However, that all changes in bowl season. It is upon us, and I think my fellow Big Ten fans at Michigan for bringing us this fine USC piece of work.

Commence Ridiculous Scenarios

23

Looking for payday loan?

At our fingertips entertainment

As I sit here in MEL studying for my final exam that is in 2.5 hours, my thoughts drift back and forth between Manufacturing and Viral Videos. Maybe this is just a comment on how I live or a comment on nothing important, but it seems like it should be said in my opinion.

The internet has become our at our fingertips entertainment. We share videos, pictures, and songs like mad. Sites like Digg have taken off and apps like Google Reader allow us to put all our favorite info into one pretty website. We spend hours a day looking for that entertainment. We log onto AIM to send a link. And we peruse for our own newest laugh.

(This feels very obvious and rambly but I needed to say it for myself. Maybe you could flesh out my thoughts better with comments)

In any case, the interwebs have given us a way to connect to others and give our own entertainment to others. It even lets us get off the ground with our own creative ideas. It just gives us everything at our fingertips.

So, if you don't really know about this internet, I leave you with this helpful film and offer.

Can You Tell Where My Mind Is?

It is finals week here at the U of I (I'm 1/4 done), but all I'm doing is California Dreamin'. I've got myself a ticket to the Rose Bowl, friends to drive across the country with, and an itch to get out of Illinois for a bit. I will be at the very stadium shown above in exactly 3 weeks. I'm super excited to see my Illini in their first bowl game since the Sugar Bowl. Oh, I remember that game. It still leaves a sick taste in my mouth and definitely helps me to want to be the biggest OSU fan I can be.

As for other thoughts.....I was mulling over the idea of worship the other day.
Many times in Christian culture, phrases such as, "man I had a really good worship time," or, "man, that worship was really encouraging for me," or "I really needed that time of worship," come up. Not that these things are bad. Not at all. I'm glad worship is encouraging to us. But is that the point of worship? I'm pretty confident that worship is for the glorification of God. I do believe that the joy I get out of worship should primarily come from knowing that my King is being glorified. I think any other element is secondary. I know God can encourage me through worship, but am I truly honoring him in that time. I think that is most important. So the next time you enter into musical worship, think about what the time is for. Even if you don't feel like worshiping, but acknowledging the presence of the King, you are doing him honor.

The other thought I had came from Josh Wondra. We were conversing and the words prayer and charity came into a sentence together. I guess for me I've never heard them used together. It seems totally natural that they would go together, but it struck me regardless. I think in the church culture I've been in, I've never heard it articulated in that way before. Sure we're supposed to pray for others, sure we need prayer warriors, but many times we pray for our own situation or things directly involving us. When I think of prayer as charity for the greater good, I leap and think how exciting that can be to help others with God's direct connection. Maybe we need to look into this more and really consider it a beautiful way to serve when we don't feel like it. I know I need to.

PS: Can you tell what I do when I don't want to study?

YouTube Fest

Being a college student, I have some free time here and there. Having a Wii, I have a web browser on my TV. So, those two components combined with YouTube, my friends and I have found some serious YouTube ridiculousness. Here follows a few fantastic videos...

















I suppose that's enough for now...

The Case for a Playoff Part 2

Here's ESPN.com's fancy National Championship Tournament Application. I just managed to make Illinois the National Champions! Man that felt good. So where's the real playoff?

Tuesday Morning Distraction

This is a good sports year

Alan is having a far better sports year than last year at this time. It is so good to have my football teams back on track. :)

You probably need this

Hey folks, I spent the last couple days just pounding down on a project for my ME 371 class. My teammates and I worked hard and found ourselves presenting this morning. This project was a design project and we designed ourselves a setup that opens a silo door from the ground rather than having someone climb to the top to open it. Check out a couple pictures.



We designed a pulley system to open the door with a tripod to hold the door up. It was a fun project to work on and it ends with a very practical application. We priced the setup and found it to be very practical. Our presentation went pretty well too if I say so. :)

Bulletin Board Material

Hey Illini football, in case you need some motivation to play against USC.

Brought to you by the people who brought you such exciting innovations as graph paper and tube socks: Illinois, in the Rose Bowl.
- from Tim Keown on ESPN.com

And do you think USC's Carroll, whose teams have made mincemeat out of their previous Big Ten Rose Bowl foes, is losing much sleep over those Illinois game tapes?
- from Stewart Mandell on SI.com

You smell that?

The case for a playoff

So, when Mizzou lost last night, I was ecstatic! I was sad for my friends, but I knew that, paired with a loss by Tennessee pretty much sealed a Rose Bowl berth for Illinois, meaning that I SHOULD be headed to Pasadena for my first trip to the southwest. I'm super excited about the possibility of that.

However, when West Virginia lost, the scenario that nobody in the BCS camp wanted to stare at came about. One loss OSU gets into the championship, obviously, but what one or two loss team goes? I mean, this runs off of the assumption that UNDEFEATED Hawaii can't go (not for a few more years at least...as there is serious bias against small conferences, and some of it rightfully so...anyway).

There are many teams that have strong resumes...so let's look at all of the #2 teams in the country and their resumes

2a. - LSU (11-2)

• SEC conference champs
• only losses came in overtime (Kentucky, Arkansas)
• decisive wins: Florida, Virginia Tech

2b. - Oklahoma (11-2)

• Big 12 conference champs
• beat Missouri twice
• lost to Texas Tech late in season and Colorado
• decisive wins: over #1 Missouri

2c. - Virginia Tech (11-2)

• ACC conference champs
• lost 14-10 to Boston College earlier in season and beat them in ACC championship game
• destroyed by LSU (48-7)
• decisive wins: #16 Virginia, #11 Boston College

2d. - USC (10-2)

• Pac-10 conference champs
• one of two losses came to Stanford, who lost to Notre Dame (nuff said)
• decisive wins: #6 Arizona State

2e. - Georgia (10-2)

• DID NOT win conference championship
• 4-0 vs. ranked team
• last loss came in early October to SEC championship game loser Tennessee
• decisive wins: #11 Florida

2f. - West Virginia (10-2)

• Big East conference champs
• 3-1 versus ranked opponenets
• average 38.9 ppg (44.5 in wins)
• decisive losses: unranked Pitt

2g. - Arizona State (10-2)

• Only losses to USC and Oregon (who would still be good without losing Dennis Dixon)
• 1-2 versus ranked teams
• decisive losses: #11 USC
  

2h. - Missouri (10-2)

• Beat #1 Kansas
• Only losses came to Oklahoma
• won Big 12 North division
• decisive losses: Big 12 title game
  

2i. - Kansas (11-1)

• Played very weak schedule
• 1-1 versus ranked teams (0-1 against teams in last poll)
• did not win conference division

3. - Hawaii (12-0)

• Play in the WAC...sorry guys, no respect
• Attempted to schedule challenging non-conference games and were denied
• ONLY Bowl Subdivision team that is undefeated

So, what does that leave us with.

11 teams...all of whom have some sort of a claim at playing for a title. So, is it really the best to leave all of this up to computers and biased voters that don't have weeks to analyze and choose the BEST two teams out of this crop. So, how about a playoff already?

What does this look like though?

I propose a system similar to the college basketball playoff. When a team wins it's conference, it gains a spot in the tournament. That means 11 spots would be automatic bids. After this, giving 5 at large bids to the next highest ranked BCS teams would give us a tournament like this (seeding approximate on record and contingent upon final AP poll, not BCS; automatic bids in bold)

1. Ohio State (11-1)
2. LSU (11-2)
3. Oklahoma (11-2)
4. Georgia (10-2)
5. Virginia Tech (11-2)
6. USC (10-2)
7. Missouri (10-2)
8. Kansas (11-1)
9. Florida (9-3)
10. Arizona State (10-2)
11. Hawaii (12-0)
12. West Virginia (10-2)
13. BYU (10-2)
14. Central Florida (10-3)
15. Troy (8-4)
16. Central Michigan (8-5)

In this year, the major conferences are looking at 2 losses consistently still allowing a chance at the title (all but Florida are 2 loss teams). The only glaring ugly in this is Central Michigan's 5 losses and conference title. Perhaps in a situation when there isn't a conference champ with <>

Not ALL emphasis is on winning your conference (although that gets you in)

Mid-majors are given a chance to play for a title

Less griping about who plays and more about where they're seeded

Disadvantages of this system include

• Possibility for upsets of teams expected to win (wait, that's a disadvantage?)
• logistics of locations
• 4 extra games for a team that plays in a conference with a championship means 17 games if they play in the National Title Game
• Non-tournament games might mean less
  

So, what about other years...This should work for many seasons if it is to work...let's look at '05, the year when Texas and USC was the obvious title game. (seeding is approximate, the field is what is important)

1. USC (12-0)
2. Texas (13-0)
3. Penn State (11-1)
4. Ohio State (10-2)
5. Oregon (10-2)
6. Notre Dame (9-3)
7. Georgia (10-2)
8. Miami (9-3)
9. Virginia Tech (11-2)
10. West Virginia (11-1)
11. LSU (11-2)
12. Texas Christian (11-1)
13. Toledo (9-3)
14. Nevada (9-3)
15. Tulsa (9-4)
16. Arkansas State (6-6)

again applying the >3 loss substitution, Tulsa and Arkansas State will be replaced by Auburn and Alabama.

By having a 16 team field, you are allowing a large # of the top 10 teams to play for a title and every conference champ (with a reasonable record) has a chance at ultimate victory. And, if the major bowls still want major teams, why can't the elite eight round be the four BCS bowls (Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, and Orange)? I'm sure there are holes. I'd love to hear critiques, thoughts, etc on this playoff system.

PS: NCAA, this is my idea (as far as I know)...gimme cred :)

Bella

Normally I don't do something like this...at least I don't think I do. Go see this movie! Bella is currently playing in Champaign and Savoy and is definitely worth the 92 minutes of the film and the 6-9 dollars you will pay for it. It is a fantastic story that entraps the human condition and what it is like to rise above our sinful nature. In a completely un-overt spiritual film, I believe God's heart speaks loudly. It is an absolute beauty. Don't go scouring for plot or trailers though. The internet is full of spoilers, and in my opinion, some of the trailers ruin the plot. I'd say don't even watch the official trailer. I went in with no expectations and that's what made it so beautiful for me. I think everything played well into a substantially climactic end and just beautifully worked together. The music is fantastic. It just oozes fantastic artwork in my opinion.

GO SEE THIS FILM

Recent Photos

I've never had a flickr account before, but I have tried it and these are some pictures I've taken recently with my roommate Mike's camera

Quad Cam

Ok, so this is definitely my third post of today, but I just can't help but show you all this wonderful item. This is the Quad Cam. The University of Illinois has a camera placed atop Foellinger Auditorium that you...YES, YOU...have the opportunity to control. It can pan and zoom very accurately. You can even snap a picture. Creepy...

This is awesome...

Blog Reading Level

I stole this from Amy and was somewhat surprised at the rating of my blog. Go check it out yourself. It is a site that will identify the reading level of your blog. I'm not sure of the criteria they use, but I'm down with it.

Get a Cash Advance

Culture Shock

So, whilst watching Ninja Warrior recently, there were some intense changes. The reason for these changes most likely falls on the shoulders of Makoto Nagano. He is the man that in Sasuke 17 achieved Ultimate Victory. This lead to a complete overhaul of the courses used in the program for the 18th competition. So, that puts us at watching Sasuke 18 on G4 the other day.

Now that we're caught up, we are watching Stage 3 of the competition where 2 instances of different culture revealed themselves.

The first was when a competitor failed on a section of the course. He graciously said that the section had gotten the best of him. In fact, I paraphrase him when I say he thought he trained enough, but his failure on the day of the competition shows his training clearly was not enough. He said this even though the obstacle had be redesigned.

The second was when Makoto disqualified himself from the course because he broke a rule. In fact, the officials hadn't disqualified him because either his mistake wasn't caught or they were going to allow it. He would have most likely completed the stage had he allowed himself to continue along.

So, what do these two instances say? They show a culture of intense respect and honor. My feeling is that here in the States, people would have a far bigger problem with losing. In fact, we would blame our loss on the course. It's not our fault the course changed. Why should we be penalized? And in the case of the self-disqualification, it seems like that took such guts and honor to do. If we can get away with something, we do it. The phrase, "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying" is an indicator of the American attitude towards victory at all costs. I even consider a guy Terrell Owens or other professional athletes with historically bad attitudes and can't imagine a similar outcome.

So that's the culture shock. We in general in America seem to be more concerned with victory than honor. It makes for an interesting conversation for sure

The Lord's Prayer

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

When Jesus of Nazareth gave us a prayer to pray, he gave us a "formula" about what we need to think about when talking to God the Father. It seems like there is such depth to this prayer. Some of it doesn't even strike me while reciting it in a group.

For a long time the passage

Thy will be done.

stuck out to me. It was powerful. It talks about what God wants. We should want what he wants. It is super simple really. We are asking that whatever he wants should happen. There is such power in that simplicity.

This weekend, while at Mass in Evansville, the first phrase I wrote

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

really hit me deeply. I've been doing a lot of thinking about the animosity that I hold towards others. In little ways, big ways, what have you. Sometimes it affects the relationship, sometimes it doesn't seem to. It just really strikes me that in Christ's prayer, he is saying we must ask for forgiveness...but there is more. This might be intensely obvious, but it still strikes me that we just don't forgive those who trespass against us. It doesn't say that "Forgive us our trespasses and we'll try our hardest." No, in fact in the language used here, it suggests that God will forgive us as we are forgiving others...not that they are seperate actions.

Matthew 5:23-25 says,

"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."

This is God's way of doing things. We are to forgive and accept forgiveness. This is one of the central messages of the Gospel, FORGIVENESS. We must forgive. What sort of animosity are you harboring? Pray about that. Who are you holding things against? Ask God to take it away. I know for myself, this is one of the toughest things I am wrestling with. How can I remove such deep feelings? How can we truly

forgive those who trespass against us.

Notice Anything?

Check out the front page from Friday's Daily Illini

And for the awexomeness of it...The sports front page from today's DI

Yea, we beat #1

So, the Fighting Illini did indeed fight for their 8th win of the season...against #1 Ohio State, at the Horseshoe. What a fantastic game. I watched it with my family and I was so ancy. I was at the last occurance of Illinois beating a #1 in a major sport (the 2004-05 season of basketball against Wake Forest), and while that was exciting, this sucka was just as incredible. We won't end up as #1 after the win, but man, was it awesome. It still feels like it didn't happen. So, go Illini, and this is gonna be a fun week for Illini sports. AND I'm going to the Northwestern game next week too!

Now, that brings me to a discussion I had earlier this week with some friends. These friends of mine and I go to Murphy's Pub once a week on Wednesday's to share a beer and conversation together. The topic of Ron Zook came up as being a fantastic recruiter but a ho-hum, even downright dreadful coach. His decision making processes were questioned and he got blamed for things in Florida and that was carried over to here. Well, I disagreed. This is partially becuase I just like to be contrary, but also because I really believed in the Zooker. I insisted he makes pretty good decisions, and many compared him to Jim Tressel at OSU and his far superior ability to manage a game. Whilst I think players and their lack of execution are a huge thing that adds to a team losing, but I do agree that coaching makes a difference. All that to say this...

Even though the Ohio State players didn't execute at times, I believe Ron Zook out-coached Jim Tressel. There, I said it. On a fourth and inches, the Illini were going to punt and Tressel called a timeout. Zook called his bluff (at the urging of Juice Williams) and went for the first down. They got it, and a few minutes later, the entire city of Columbus (save for a few people in orange) were downtrodden.

VIVA ZOOK!

What does it mean to 'fear God?'

Today I was on the main quad and Brother Jed was there. I've been around for this campus preacher before. I've never been an intense fan of his, but he is definitely better than some of those that have come here. While taking some time to listen to him and talk to some of his audience, the question of what does it mean to "Fear God?" It seems like there was a guy in the audience who was very confused about why we should fear a God that loves us and cares about us. That question interested me. I presented to him the analogy of God as a father...

Our own parents protected us from things because they knew better than us. It isn't like they wanted to keep us from everything and stifle us, but they wanted to make sure we'd be safe. This is the same way with God. It seems like the phrase God fearing should be God respecting, especially for the world we live in now. My roommate Evan provided me with a list of scripture on fearing God, and it was really fascinating. While not exhaustive, the list shows that (as I suspected) the majority of the scripture that talks about fearing God comes from the Old Testament. The language is not used in the New Testament nearly as much. So, it seems like the way we see God also changed from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. Perhaps now that more of his character (specifically the grace portion) seems to be more revealed, our fear turns into a respect. Those are kinda the thoughts on my mind right now...

Monthly, Weekly, Daily? Mae Lyric

I flippin' love Mae...as you might already know. But it must continue to be known. I don't know if I can periodically blog about a lyric, but today I can...

" When does this physical meet with the spiritual" - Reflections

This lyrics gets me because, as I've gone along, specifically this year, I've felt the physical world around me intertwining with the spiritual world within and around me. I've felt like they cannot be disconnected. It is a very holistic perspective. The idea that we cannot separate our physical life from our spiritual life. I see it when my emotional health suffers and I get sick soon after. I see it when a friend describes their rough time this weekend and seeing the physical aspects totally un-separated from the physical, so much so that the spiritual battle they were feeling manifested itself physically. This seems like a place to camp for a long time. When do our lives become so intertwined that we can't tell the difference? It seems like the line is becoming a lot blurrier.

Basic Needs

As humans, we have basic needs...

Obviously these fall into different categories.

We have a need for food. It sustains us physically. While we can go without it for a while, ultimately not having it will end us.

We have a need for water. Again, we can go without it, but dehydration is a very legitimate way to die.

We have a need for shelter. The elements of this planet are very strong. There is no way to 'fight' them. We must instead ward them off. This is done with shelter, and without it, we're gonna die.

Those are the needs they teach you about in grade school. There are other ideas like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

I feel like in the case I laid down, there is another basic need. This need is to be loved. The sad thing about this need not being met is that it happens far more than the others. However it doesn't need to physical death. Not being loved compounds on itself though, and can kill somebody emotionally. It ends up just as sad as physical death, and I would argue, at times sadder. We try to meet this need with false sources of love. On top of that, I think we try to have our love need manifested in other forms. (This is kinda off the cuff...I think I believe some of it though) We want to say we need to have it all together so people will love us. We say we need the iPhone so we can be cool and people will love us by talking to us. We say we need to be in a relationship with someone of the opposite sex because ONLY that will meet our needs. (I wrestle with this one, because I think there are certain needs met by someone of the opposite sex being a significant other, but I don't think many of those needs can't be met by strong friends in the same sex) So basically, I'm saying we need to be loved. Let's be the ones to meet other's needs

Let us go forth and love...

Super Great (and pretty sad) Thing

And you question his arm strength

Yea, what a good game tonight. GB wins on the first play in OT tonight 19-13. 6-1 Packers = good

0-2 Intramurals team = not so good. We are struggling. Not just to get a roster, but also to play with the roster. I'm so glad people came to play though. THank you guys for playing!

Tis nice to be busy. No real insight after that...

Couldn't resist posting this too

(from my sister)

Shawn McDonald: Don't Walk Away

And when I look into your eyes
I see the hurt and the confusion
The pain as it rolls down your face
And the questions in your mind
And I know, 'cause I've been there
Yes, I know, 'cause I've been there, time and time again
And don't you walk, don't you walk away
'Cause He will never desert you
He'll never let you down
Don't walk away from Him, no, no, no, no, no
You're always telling me that you don't need to change
That you're fine with who you are
When I look at you, I see you filling your life with all that you can find
Hoping and wishing this world can bring you
A little peace of mind
Well, stop looking, 'cause He's right in front of your eyes
'Cause He will never give up on you today
No, don't walk away
'Cause He'll never let you go
No, no, no, no
Don't walk away
Don't walk away
'Cause He'll never let you go today
Don't walk away from Him

The Weight of Reality

We, as humans, must feel the weight of reality. We must realize how important it is. I don't mean the everyday monotony, but the very real aspects of life that we numb ourselves too. We escape this reality through entertainment, drugs, alcohol, sex, addiction, sports, music, and anything else. These things really give us a chance to escape that which is the reality of this world. The reality that there are very heavy things to realize. Heavy things to NOT IGNORE. These might be what our eternity looks like, what is God all about, what do we do with pain, suffering, and our struggles.

Then, when we realize the weight of the reality of this world, this life, this existence...we must recognize that we can't carry that weight. We mustn't try to hold it and deal with it on our own. As Christ followers, we must really put this weight upon Christ. He came to carry the weight and the burden of this world. Don't doubt te weight and how must he can carry.

This is what's been on my heart this weekend. I got a chance to talk to my sister about it, and it really occurred to be true to me. Thoughts?

The Problem of Pain

It just isn't how God intended it...

ASME Barcrawl and the Presence of God

So I went on my first barcrawl of my college career last night. Yes, I'm a senior, and I JUST went. It was pretty fun though. The setup really worked well. There were pitchers of free beer and buffalo wings at Brothers. I loved the wings, and since I'm not much of a drinker, drinking a couple free glasses and then not buying any more drinks for the night worked well for my wallet. I got a chance to see my buddies in totally different elements from class. ASME is the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and my classmates definitely know how to drink...and drink. It was fun to talk to them. Alcohol definitely ends up being a social lubricant for people and because of it, I was able to get a lot of conversation out of them.

I talk to one guy about just the roughness of life and another couple about just who they were on a deeper level (as deep as one can think when out at a loud bar).

This got me to think (and then this morning talking with Matt). It made me think how sad it was that we needed such a night as that to hang and talk. It makes me sad (to be honest) that that is the only way people feel loved. It makes me sad that the church sits in their tower and loves themselves without reaching out and caring about people (not that this always happens). It makes me angry. Let's be honest.



This is stream of consciousness...
OK, tangential to that is the presence of God. I'd have to say that tangibly feeling the presence of God has been a no-go for me recently. Yet I know his presence by so much more than feeling. I think that's a really good thing. When we can separate God from emotional experiences, I think we are getting one step closer to his pure identity. When we can separate how the church acts from who God is, when we can separate how others make us feel from God, when we can separate emotional music from God, and when we can separate inspiring talk from God, and still know him, we are on the right path. it's not that God isn't in those things, it's just that they are imperfect. The church can screw up, music can evoke fake emotions, inspiring messages can falsely get us pumped and leave us waiting for the next one. I think God
transcends that stuff. He is there no matter if we 'feel it' or not. I need to hear that...a lot.

Psalm 68:4

Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds—his name is the LORD—and rejoice before him.

LOLcats

These are one of those ridiculous internet phenomenon...kinda like the Chuck Norris facts.

But they are far cuddlier (Alan does not endorse this message, but thinks it is ridiculous that a cat is used to promote it)

The No Fun League

The NFL has a lot of sanctions on celebrations. Effectively, it says that celebrating after a score is a pretty bad and classless thing. However, the newest NFL.com ad (which is sponsored by the league) that is on tv pushes the complete game highlights they have on their site. This is done by saying something to the effect of "looking for new dance moves? Watch the NFL.com highlights." So...

Hey guys, don't dance. If we do, we'll fine you....AND THEN, we'll let people know about it and use it to promote our league.

Interesting...

Peach People

I just listened to a talk today from GCM Ignite a few years ago. It was a seminar talk, and it was about vision for our lives. I've heard that a few times the past few months. But it was really neat to hear nonetheless. A couple of thoughts I took away from it...

• People in America are peaches. In some cultures people are coconuts. Very tough on the outside. Difficult to get close to, but when you dig through the tough stuff, it is soft on the inside and easy to relate. In America, it's easy to get close quickly, but this is to only a fairly shallow depth. How can we make sure we let people into our core?
• Happiness is not = Joy. I knew that, but an interesting definition was given. Happiness comes from what is happening at the time. Joy is a more permanent state. I can be joyful and not very happy. I think I can see that in mysel these days. Maybe not the most ecstatic person in the world (the darkness man...the darkness!) but I'm ever joyful in Christ and his redemption
• Sometimes we have to be forced into our calling. Somebody just has to push us.
• The thought has been presented, "what would you do if money were not a problem?" But this presented it in a way that resonated with me a bit more. "What do you want to be doing in ten years?" Maybe that is something to work towards. It seems like a good way to live. Building a solid foundation.

So that's that. I can across the talk because of the iPod Shuffle. It is a great tool. I just autofill it and every once in a while it is loaded with a teaching that is on my iTunes. I love almost having a teaching forced upon me. I'll gladly listen :)

The Office, Last One Standing, and Darkness

So, my roommates really love the tv show The Office. I've watched bits and pieces here and there, but I've never been that interested. At this point in my day though, I have just watched the newest episode, and I really have to say that I'm finding myself attached to the characters. They are really well done. Substantially quirky and honest at the same time. It really is a fantastic cast. If only I'd realized this sooner.

Another show we've picked up is Last One Standing. There have been three episodes so far (I've yet to see the third). This show basically takes incnredible and diverse athletes from the US and Britain and pits them against natives of different countries in their own fighting style. For example, last week, they went to a Zulu tribe in South Africa and learned Zulu Stick Fighting. It's definitely a really neat show as well.

Finally, I've noticed lately how much darkness is lame. I live in the basement of my house and I can tell you whenever I step into the dark, I feel different. More sad, more easily beat down. It kinda just stirs of sad/bad feelings. It's pretty fascinating seeing the power of darkness. I'm gonna keep exploring this one later as I'm really tired right now.

Muddy

Feeling kinda muddy this week. Emotionally, etc.

Got turned down by Shell in my internship serarching. Probably better. I didn't want to work in the oil industry. But it still kinda stinks to not get an offer. Welcome to trusting God. Even if you don't know how that works.


Illini lost...sad, very sad. But perhaps we're a year away from a truly studly team.

Packers won. 5-1 into the bye week. Pretty fantastic. I'm really enjoying that, although the Illini loss is pretty stinging.

I produced a church service again for the first time since the summer. At Illini Life we had our Friday Night Grace service (typically Saturday Night Grace) because of a wedding. Surely enough, the guys who typically do the producing were the groom and a groomsman in the wedding. So I produced the service. It went pretty well. Wayne spoke of Christ as a victor and we played a montage of the Illini-Arizona Wildcats basketball game from 2005 to start the night off. Got me stoked, that's for sure. I might be producing this week again. We'll see...

If you don't get this...I'm either sad for you or elated for you

First Life

Preseason Polls

I feel like the college preseason polls are pretty much one of the dumbest things in sports. Yes, I mean the preseason polls, not the BCS polls. Illinois beats Wisconsin convincingly, has the same record overall, and still is below the Badgers in the polls. If the polls started about 1/3-1/2 through the season, we'd have a better idea of how teams should start. Wisconsin started high because people thought they would be good. They were, but so was Illinois and people didn't think they would be. So, can you win a conference and be ranked lower than a team you beat? It probably won't happen that way, but it's still an interesting thought. Give schools a chance to compete. And don't just call this 'parity'. The Illini are gonna stay good. We're not some cellar dweller that isn't as bad. We're a team on the rise and there is no dropping.

EDIT: The Illini are 19 and the Badgers 14 in the coaches poll. In the AP poll, the Illini ARE ahead of the Badgers 18th to 19th.

Another interesting video

Pretty useless rube-goldberg machine

What happened to news?

Faith of a child/Play like a child

So this man is in my mind a lot these days...c'mon, he's playing phenomenal football. What strikes me about his though is his child like attitude. He just knows how to have fun and play the game. He just knows how to smile and jump around. He's 37 and he's picking up second year players and carrying them around like he's playing backyard ball. So that's the image/analogy.

What if we were to have a faith like that? What if we were able to pursue Christ with that brand of fervor? Just get out there and try to win, have fun doing it, and be a kid..



Other thought: perfect sports weekend: the Cubs clinch, the Illini (4-1) win, and the Packers (4-0) win. Pretty different sports climate than last year this time for me.

Illini win 27-20

Say this aloud and listen how much they sound like eachother. They were meant to go together.

Rashard, rush yards

Illini running back, and what he does

On another note

On ESPN right now, there is an episode of the NFL's Greatest Games. The game they have right now is the Packers vs. the Lions in 1993. Wow, it's nuts who is in this game. There are some serious player names: Barry Sanders, Eric Kramer, Reggie White, Leroy Butler, Sterling Sharpe, Robert Porcher, Herman Moore and more. Specifically, Brett Favre is a flippin' young guy in this game, before his glory days. Coaching wise, specifically on the Packers, you've got Mike Holmgren coaching with Andy Ried, Jon Gruden, Steve Mariucci, and other future NFL coaches to move up the ranks. It's fun to look back.

A message to you

To whom may read this, and to all, for it concerns all...

You are deeply loved by the creator. He delights in you and takes pleasure in you. He loves you regardless of race, nationality, field of study or work, intelligence, purity, sexual orientation, anger issues, car, financial class, physical ability, sports fanship, political allegiance, or any other thing that differentiates people.

The creator of the Universe delights in you!

Remedy

Ok, so I haven't even listened to the whole thing yet, but I can already tell that Remedy by David Crowder*Band, which was released today, is gonna be a good one. If there's any indication, it could definitely be the single that was released before the album. I didn't really listen to it before the release of the album, but I did this morning, like 5 times. It is fantastic. I already have so many images floating through my head. It's called "Everything Glorious" and it is fantastic

You make everything glorious
And I am yours
What does that make me?

Killer simple, killer thoughtful, and with good instrument playing in the background, it really comes alive. I imagine animals, trees, molecules, mountains, and so much more. The things he has made glorious. And his people...

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Fall Retreat

Illini Life had our Fall Retreat this weekend. It was held at Camp Manitoumi. This camp is a fantastic facility just outside of Peoria, Illinois. It was a good weekend getting to know new people with Illini Life and I truly enjoyed it. As for me specifically, I got to run a carpetball tournament and for the third retreat in a row, The Game. Ty Grigg gave a fantastic perspective on the Prodigal Son. It was so awesome. Truly impressed me.

The Everglow

Can I just say how much I love this cd. The Everglow by Mae is probably my favorite cd ever. I love how it flows, I love the story it tells, and I love the awesomeness of the lyrics.

One that really struck me today was from the song Anything.

Every now and again sometimes I get lost in the wings of a dream.
The air gets clear and the seas get wide and I can do anything.
The pain it won't even cross my mind there is wonder in everything.
The rope gets loose and the chains unbind and I can do anything.

This lyrics really strike me. Especially the part that says "every now and again sometimes." It strikes me because we don't always believe the Gospel and it just so happens that every now and again we get it. I wish that I could really believe every second that I am no longer chained down.

I love the ridiculousness of this

Click on the image to ensue the hilarity. This comic strip (Perry Bible Fellowship) has nothing to do with the Bible, but it does have to do with tricky, dark, comedy. This is the newest one.

Incredible way to convey killing in battle

He dealt a neck blow that freed the man's spirit from his body's weight.

-From Shahname (in my Lit. class)

Thoughts from the Nasty Nati

I'm in Cincinnati for a family reunion/awesome 50th wedding anniversary. My aunt and uncle have been married for over twice as long as I've been alive! That's just incredible. It's really a sobering thought to see how much devotion they have to each other. It's also fun to see family together for even a short time.

Other thought

• There was a Mass for the wedding anniversary. It was a traditional Catholic Mass, and there was a huge emphasis on Mary. It was interesting, but I wasn't a huge fan.
• However, the idea of piety within their church is really impressive. They have a reverence for God.
  
• Illinois won today. I didn't get to see it, but it was convincing. 41-20 over Syracuse.
  
• Notre Dame lost today...good riddance to The Man.
• I just watched Alabama tug a victory away from Arkansas. That's classic college football. Sooooo good.
• Tomorrow the Packers play the Giants. The Giants are without their starting quarterback, and instead have Jared Lorenzen. He's a big dude, but I'm excited to see us play him tough.
• USC might have established themselves as number one. They are whopping up on Nebraska. LSU and USC are gonna be interesting to follow.
  
• On Friday, I had a FANTASTIC day. Spending time with the Lord just putting posters on campus at the U of I. It was a very fulfilling experience.
• Saw an iPod Nano 3G at the Apple Store in Champaign too. It was really neat. SOOOO tiny, and the screen is really big for such a tiny MP3 player. The downfall...the clickwheel is straight TINY!
• I still wanna see an iPod Touch. It's currently the coolest gadget in my eyesight.

End Stream of Consciousness

I stumbled upon this bad boy

An encouraging word to me

It might not mean too much to you, but it means the world to me to hear this encouragement. A person from my small group said, and I paraphrase,

It's really fun to be excited to go to Bible Study again.

Book Excerpt

From Overcoming the Darkside of Leadership chapter 15

"On arriving in Scotland, the American minister and two of his church's board members were anxious to meet their counterparts at a mission work they had been commissioned to visit. Coming as they were from a strong evangelical church in the States with a rich heritage in missions, the men were anxious to see what exciting things were being accomplished through the ministry of this church they were supporting. As they left their airport shuttle at the curb, they climbed the centuries-old stone stairs that led to the rectory. Before they could knock to announce their presence, the resident pastor flung open the door with his arms fully extended in a grand gesture befitting a eucharistic blessing, he enveloped the visitors in a warm embrace. Ahhh, the warmth of Christian felowship extends even across the Atlantic, thought the Yanks.

After appropriate hugs and greetings the Scottish pastor ushered his guests into the wood-paneled comfort of the study and directed them toward ancient leather wingback chairs. It was an exciting occasion, one that called for a proper inauguration. The host reached for a richly grained wooden box that smelled of cedar. When he opened it, his guests saw a treasured store of choice cigars. With obvious pride he offered each guest a cigar. The two laymen nervously looked at one another, then gazed toward their own pastor, not quite sure of the proper protocol at such an awkward ceremony. With sullen faces belying more than a little disapproval, both laymen refused the offer. Their pastor, however, eagerly snared a cigar from the humidor and lit it up, appreciatively admiring the curl of thick smoke that rose to the beamed ceiling. The Scottish rector smiled with satisfaction.

NExt the Scot went to his credenza and collected from it four small glasses and an etched glass decanter containing a caramel-brown liquid. The laymen looked mauseous. Surely this was the reason that Christianity had died in the British empire! When they returned home, they would see to it that the church reconsidered its financial support for such a carnal operation. They refused the brandy with even less decorum than they had rejected the cigars. Their host was by now looking worried, wondering if he had somehow done something wrong. The American pastor, to the chagrin of his traveling companions, once again accepted the offering and took a satisfying sip. After an hour of visiting, confirmation of the coming itinerary, and a departing benediction, the American left. Once in their cab the laymen wasted no time before launching into an interrogation of their pastor. "Pastor, how could you!" exclaimed one of the board members. "I can't believe you did that!" vented the other. "I thought we were here to support their ministry and encourage them in their evangelistic efforts-it's no wonder the church is dead over here!" After a moment of silence the pastor replied with more than a hint of disgust, "One of us had to act like a Christian."

The ground pulls at my feet

Football thoughts

Yes, third post of the day...

The Illini are now 1-1. They beat (lacklusterly) Western Illinois 21-0. It was the first shutout for the Illini D since 2000. Pretty incredible in that respect. However, the Illini O can't play like that and continue to win.

NFL week 1 has started. The season is off to an interesting start. The Super Bowl champs won big. The NFC champs lose their first game. The Packers win! Wow, the Packers win. We finally exorcised our demon of Donovan McNabb. I wasn't able to watch the Packers game, as the Rams were the priority game, but as I checked out the gamecast online, I was getting more and more excited. The Vikings won, and the Lions are well on their way to victory as well. This puts the Bears in last place. I'm on the top of the world in NFL optimism, but I don't see this trend continuing. The NFC North might be tighter than we thought?

Lyrics I'm Lovin'

My Favorite Highway - "You're Making It Come Alive"

I've finally come to realize that we are all the same
If there's nothing left to lose then there's every to gain
All the paragraphs and pages you could write could not contain
It is curious and careless and it's flowing through my veins

The fear of growing old, and doing what you're told

You can't disguise a heart while it's breaking
You hide behind the smile you're faking
It's all about the the chance you're taking
Oh, and you know that you're making it all come alive

If your life is so damn comfortable then why do you complain?
A reflection in the alcohol you're pouring down the drain
Just because you paint a picture doesn't mean it fits the frame
This is my West Coast intervention and I'm getting on that plane

When all of your mistakes are keeping you awake

The sun is setting and it's ending 'cause you're letting it go
Forgetting everything you already know
And it all goes to show that you're moving to slow
It will end up changing you, it will end up changing you

Life flies by so you have to embrace it
Forget the past 'cause you cannot erase it
So live the dream, and learn to chase it
And when you can almost taste it
It's all come alive

I definitely want to come alive. That seems to be a theme for me. I also want to be a revolutionary. I want to change the world through my coming alive. I know that I am alive in Christ, so I have been actualized, but not by me. In the same way, my faith is not for my actualization, but for the actualization of others through Christ. I find that to be so important. As I read God's word more and more, I see us studying it a lot. Not doing it. What about the orphans and the widows? What about the rich? What about your neighbor? What about your classmate? They all have needs. To love is to meet those needs.

James 2:2 - Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Might as well blog about it

You ever have those times you don't save something because you have a temporary lapse of importance, or even worse, you don't even remember deleting it? Well, that just happened to me. My first lab report of the year is going swimmingly, as I was about halfway done and it got deleted. That qualifies as about the most frustrating thing on this side of sin. It feels like I totally wasted my evening that I could've been hanging with friends during to instead do a lab report that isn't even there anymore. Sweet...

Visionary

This is a post in stream of consciousness. It'll be interesting to see what is written.

My first thought is that the Illini played well today. Not fantastic, but well enough for me to think we could win the next 3 games.

Second thought. Ty Grigg talked tonight at SNG about the walls that we put up between ourselves and God. He used the analogy of the Berlin wall. Some people were ok with the wall and some saw the injustice of it and got out. There was a woman that escaped from East Berlin to the west and when she got out from under the fence, she found out that she had nothing but her clothes on her back. She left everything behind for freedom.

Finally

The meat of the post. I have been thinking a lot recently. Not that I don't think other times, it's just that recently has struck me. The church in the hope for the world. Jesus called it to help the poor, orphaned, and widowed. We even talk about it a lot. But the thing I see us doing is being fantastic visionaries. "What if we instituted this program? What if we got involved with this organization?" And yet we seem to be more concerned with straight cold evangelism when I believe that the Gospel, when lived out, is enough to transform people (this isn't to say we shouldn't evangelize). Too many times we are the people inside the Berlin wall saying that it was bound to happen. Perhaps we should see the injustices and fight them with all our strength. Let's take the vision of the church and put it into action. I love the idea, and it's really a driving force for me right now. How can I help the poor? Living simpler. SO that means examining what I have and seeing what I need to get rid of what I don't need so the money can go to the poor. Let's see how this goes. Implementing the ideas and making them action. Vision can change the world...we must make sure it does so.

High School Football

So tonight I watched the Friday Football Frenzy. This is the first time in a couple years I took a specific time to follow high school football in the area. It was a fantastic experience. It brought back such fond memories about the days I played football. And I don't mean to be somebody that is intensely nostalgic, but I do want to say how much I enjoy remembering what those days were like.

It was fun to sit and think what if (I know, Uncle Rico moment). But I love to imagine what it would've been like to advance just a little further in the playoffs. It is pretty cool. But on that note, we move to Illinois football season. This starts tomorrow against Mizzou. The Arch Rivalry game. It is gonna be a blast. Tune in on ESPN2 at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon central time!

Ninja Warrior

So my housemates and I have seriously spent many moons discovering the greatest show on television...Ninja Warrior.

This is a show that takes place in Japan (there it is called Sasuke). There are 18 total 'seasons' that have occurred. This show chronicles the competition to be the next Ninja Warrior. These tournaments keep swallowing the competitors. There have been 2 winners in 1800 competitors.
I highly recommend watching this program becauseof it's awesomeness, the intense athleticism of some competitors, and the ridiculous failing of other competitors.

I just really wanted to get the name out there. Check it out!

Think with me

Before I get into my thoughts, I wanted to say that my computer is back! And not only that, but as I look through the backup that I performed a while back, there are far more files on it than I initially thought. That means that a lot of the music and pictures I thought I lost, I didn't. I even have many of the notes I thought I'd lost. NOW, it is disappointing that my notes from the Spring 07 semester as well as photos from the summer and recent music are lost, but rejoice in backing up.

Anyway, this was presented to me today in my literature class.

A man and his son were out rock climbing and the son fell in a freak accident. The father rushed his son to the hospital, as it was thought he broke his leg. In the emergency room, the doctor looked as gasped, "This is my son!"

How is this possible?




Our initial thought is to label the doctor as male, but the fact of the situation is that the doctor is the boy's mother. Interesting commentary and example on gender issues.

Back at school, still no cpu

I'm in a computer lab in MEL today telling you that I am back on campus at the U of I and I am in classes. Well, I had one class today, but my classes did start.

The only class I had was my Comparative World Literature class. But it was interesting. The class is specifically on eastern literature of the past. We'll be focusing on epics, religious texts (my most excited part), and drama.

The professor started the class today with syllabus stuff, but she also talked about the comparative approach to literature. Check out this whack thought process. It is fairly intriguing, and I believe it applies to my faith.

If you live in one room all of your life, you will know a lot about that room, however, you will know more about the room if you leave the room and see what else is out there. Knowing what else exists helps you to better understand and describe what you have. So for me, I don't consider this a liscence to leave Christianity (why would I?), but I do see it as something Christ's followers need to do. Let's know what else is out there to better be able to articulate our beliefs and what we know about our faith.

081707

So I haven't posted in a while...

That's because my laptop started malfunctioning whilst my family was visiting me in Colorado and I haven't been able to see any progress until today.

Today is the day that I got the phone call.

Like a doctor calling to tell me an update on a relative, the service person called and broke the news to me.

[

Your hard drive is dead.

What, what do you mean by dead...?

It doesn't work anymore.

It won't work and getting your data could cost you $5000 dollars.

Oh.

Thanks for checking it out for me.

]

So that was pretty sweet. All my good music is gone. The majority of my pictures are gone. My notes from classes are gone. My movies made with friends are gone. My internet bookmarks are gone. It's a pretty devastating thing.

GO BUY AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE AND BACK UP YOUR DATA RIGHT NOW!

I really am learning though. God is like poking me saying that I shouldn't store up treasures here. But the tough thing is that those are Godly things. He gave us (especially me) the ability to connect with Him through photography and music. SWEET. I just lost all of that. Yet, I still feel him there. That's a good feeling, but it's still rough that this had to happen.

This sucks, I won't try to paint it any other way.

I feel kinda like this kid. Sorta. I guess I just feel bad for him.


Well, what good has happened. I'm back in Illinois and enjoying (loosely used) the humidity here. I also really am getting a kick out of being lazy. lol. I really want to get to campus. Fresh starts are great. It will be good to move into the house I will live in with 5 other guys. It should be a lot of fun.

Now I sleep though and know that God provides a new day. That is so good.

Project and good music week and Simpsoms

This project day was a good one (as if any aren't good). We went to Sprague Lake in the morning and hung out talking about our summers really and what God has taught us. We then had a quiet time at the lake. I love that the lake has some hills by it. I can walk 50 feet and be away from any sign of civilization. Fantastic that really is. After the lake, we came back to the Y and we had some more free time where I was able to take care of some business. On the tail end of that we had Lifegroup time. This was an extended time for 4 hours where the guys and the girls split up. We took some time to thrift (note Aaron's sweet jacket) and then just went cruising. Finally, we ate some sweet foods in a restaurants where sweet food exists. Something about a Bighorn Restaurant or something. I'm not sure exactly what it was. but it was good and I had a pulled pork barbecue sammich. So good. That was our day. Totally chill, and planned by our lifegroup leaders and that means I didn't have to do much. It was great. :)

As for the good music week. I guess that entails last Tuesday. Last Tuesday, two great albums came out on the form of Yellowcard and The Rocket Summer. Both cds have been rolling through my iTunes like mad. Go check them out (I REALLY like the Yellowcard offering).

Finally, I saw the Simpsons movie last night at the midnight showing. It was hilarious, although I must admit that the longer it went, the less funny it got. I thought it was best when it delivered one-liners and weakest when it tried to develop plot. There were certain plot elements that didn't feel intensely relevent to me, but so what. Pretty good movie overall, but since I'm used to the Simpsons spanning about 25 minutes, for it to go an hour and a half felt intensely long.

Finally, back to the music (I'm ADD in this post). I've been having a conversation with Jennee about what our top bands are. I said lets limit the list to 5 and see what you get. I'd love to hear your lists, but as for me they are (in no order whatsoever)...

1. Shawn McDonald
2. David Crowder*Band
3. Mae
4. Linkin Park
5. Yellowcard

Longs Peak

It's that time of the summer again. That time when people deprive themselves of sleep so they can walk 15 miles in a day. That's right, we got to do Longs Peak. What an awesome hike it is. You leave from the trail head early in the morning, typically well before the sun rises on the East Coast. We left from 2 am to do Longs Peak in this atmosphere of little sleep, headlamps, and lightning in the distance. You hike about 2 miles before you find yourself above treeline. There you can see the lights from the state of Colorado. Almost literally. You can see the lights from Boulder, Longmont, Denver, and more towns around the eastern part of the state. Up there I took a picture with extended exposure of the cities. Unfortunately I wasn't able to hold the camera steady. But what I was able to do (completely accidentally) was get a picture of people walking past with headlamps. The coolest part is that all you can see is the headlamps looking like bolts of lightning. Incredible.

We continued another 4 miles or so to the Boulderfield. There the sun was starting to peak over the edge of the Earth. In that twilight I took the picture of the base of Longs. It's such a powerful peak. We continued up to the Keyhole to try to catch sunrise.

We were very close to the Keyhole (below) as the sun began to rise. The morning light brings out the most amazing colors in the rocks and I am just floored by it. Finally we crossed over into the other side of the mountain. This is where it turns from a hike into a climb. It's so fun but slow going. We arrived at the summit in still pretty good time. It wasn't even 9 am when we got to the top, even though it felt like the afternoon.

The final picture is our group on the summit. It was myself, Jennee, and Devin. Going back down wasn't the must fun however, as it is so painful on the feet. When we got back, it was bedtime. That was of course after a burger at the 14ers Cafe in Estes Park. We ate there satisfied that we had gone that high up (14,255-14,259 feet depending on who you talk to). I slept from 5-9 and it was incredible. I woke for a bit, did some work, watched a movie, and then conked out again for the night.

It really did end up being an incredible trip and was just as good as I remembered it the first time I did Longs two years ago.

So hard to stay ahead of this

This past The Rock was pretty quality. John Drage talked on the book of Hosea. It is a story of redeeming love. It was really good and the talk was spot on. Ryan also led a phenominal worship set. After the service, we had a U of I hangout time. It was a lot of fun to see people and just say hi. There are some pics from the campfire below. The first one is highly doctored but I think it is totally neat.

Last Sunday I went and saw Tim Lamkin. What a good kid. I just love his personality and that we can talk about so much. We hung out on the 16th Street Mall in Denver and ate lunch. We walked around a bit on one of the hottest summer days this year. It was so much fun though. Since then, I've been enjoying a fairly relaxed week. It's been really cool to hear some of the teachings that we've gotten. They were quality. Greg Van Nada talked on the idea of Openness. It was a powerful message to me on just how we must be open to sharing our lives with people, especially believers. We mustn't hide behind masks. I'll make a seperate post about the rest of lately...

This struck me

I'm working on some powerpoint presentations for an FCA conference for John Drage and I popped onto the FCA website and checked for sweet images for backgrounds. This is one that I came across. Oh how I miss thee Roger Powell. It brought back memories or glorious Illinois basketball, as well as a man who was so steadfast in his faith with an awesome testimony. And the scripture that pairs with the image is just incredible.

The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. - 1 John 4:4

Just powerful to me. It strikes me that the Holy Spirit is IN me. And because of his power within me I haven't to fear from the one in the world. Awesome. Such an encouragement.

Project and Parade

This past Project Day (our third to last one!!! nUtZ!) we had a fun discussion planned on Spiritual Disciplines. Unfortunately, due to a parade on the Y grounds celebrating the 100th year of the YMCA, we had to cut the discussion. The parade was fun to see though and I think we enjoyed it. After that, we went to Boulder and Pearl Street to do contact evangelism. It went pretty good all things considered. I think the people of Boulder are just weary of people coming to share the Gospel constantly. In any case, we tried to talk to people. Some people felt really good, and others felt really bad. The day ended up with the LT meeting not being where it normally is. It typically is in Hyde Chapel on the Y grounds, but it was being used, so the meeting took place in the Pondo, which is the staff dining hall.

On project day, the guys had a discussion that was fairly involved. In a big way we talked about Territory. Every person has it. It is their 'turf,' the place that they feel most comfortable interacting with other people. When it comes to sharing the Gospel, territory becomes incredibly important. I know that for myself, talking to international people is quite draining, while others thrive on the opportunity. Other people are very strong in other settings like conservatives, or wild and crazy thinkers, or partiers, or a many other thing. So this idea of territory is something we need to embrace in my mind. Really hammer home that you are good at some things and not so good at others. Embrace the places you are strong and let people know that. I have friends that love doing certain things and I want to direct to them people that love the same things. I hope they would do the same with me. HOWEVER, this is not a liscence to stop growing. I believe that you should embrace who you are, but grow towards a more complete personality. Gain interest in new activities and challenge growth into areas you would have never seen yourself in before. Embrace your territory, but push into new ground. That's the sentence to sum it up.

Mummy Mishaps

This Wednesday, I had the intention of hiking the Mummy Marathon. This is a group of six peaks in the Mummy Range in the north central part of Rocky Mountain National Park. We left the YMCA at 12:30 am with the intention of returning probably 20 hours later. We started hiking about 1:15 and we were off. It was pitch black, but as we hiked, the stars started to reveal themselves and made for a beautiful night. As we hiked across the barren grassy tundra, we ran into the eyes of a few creatures. One of which was most likely a bobcat. Soon after that, we went up Chapin Peak. Chapin is about 12,500 feet tall. The view was neat, as we could see the lights from about a billion different cities. Maybe not that many, but you could definitely see Estes Park, Loveland, Longmont, Fort Collins, and Denver. It was pretty breathtaking to be honest. After that, we hauled our way up Chiquita Peak. That was a tough one. At this point in the hike, I was feeling the weight of my pack. I was carrying more than I should've and it was just weighing me down. I was by far the slowest up and I felt just crummy knowing I was the weakest link. The pair in front of Jennee and myself kept rushing ahead because of their sheer excitement for the hike. When we made it to the top of Chiquita, we sat behind a rock wall protecting us from the wind for a while. It was intensely windy and cold up there. At night, with no trees to protect you, the winds are ridiculous. As we headed towards Mount Ypsilon, we started to catch some twilight. As Jennee and I reached the false summit of Chiquita, we got to see the sunrise. It was breathtaking, as you can see. It completely was worth getting up that early. When we got to the summit of Ypsilon, naptime was in order. So we took naps, signed the register of who'd been to the top, and decided what to do next...

This is where the hike got frustrating for me (as if it wasn't enough). I knew that it was going to be rough for me, and Jennee knew even better. With the pair in front going fast, and myself going slow, she was really torn about what to do. I told her that it was up to her what she did. We decided to go back, while the other pair went forward. It was a tough thing for me to do. My pride totally was like, "this is stupid! Let's go!" But I was feeling the sickness of the last week and a half or so and the weight of my backpack. So we went back at a leisurely pace. We ended up back at the trailhead at about 10:30, 9 hours after we started. It was a long day already, but it had just started (at least time wise). As we drove down, I realized more and more how frustrated I was to not do the other peaks. Even now, I look at them from the YMCA and wonder what it would've been like. It ended up being a good decision not to go, but it still ate at me. I'm really learning how to recognize my pride and hopefully tackle it. So I didn't do Fairchild, Hague, or Mummy Peak.

My pride is a HUGE thing for me. Many times, I'll let it control me. It could be anything from school work, to hikes, to leading small groups, to racing somewhere, to competing harder. A lot of my pride comes from my competative side, and I'm not even sure where that comes from. It is pretty odd. It feels like I should not be prideful :) (duh!) I really need to learn what causes it. Even when I don't do something, I can compare and say, "Oh, I did THIS instead." It's ridiculous. I need to just kill the pride, I'm just not sure how. It seems like I really need to be conscious of when I am doing stuff that is prideful and to really take the extreme and stop myself. Even if that means doing nothing to make sure that I can humble myself.

1 Peter 5:5 says, "...All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'"