Tebow Vent

Tebowmania is striking the nation right now and I love it!

Admittedly I am a huge tim tebow fan, I love his game, he just simply gets it done!

I love the interview he had with Skip Bayless the other day, it challenged me as a follower of Christ and he was talking about football

But more than anything I felt bad for him, not because I’m a fan of tim tebow, but because no player should be THAT scrutinized my his own coaches and his GM

It’s one thing to tell Tim to his face that they don’t trust him, it’s a whole different ball game when you’re telling the whole world.

That’s why john fox went from being 12-4 in 2008 to being 4-12 in 2010, you lose the trust of ur players and you lose team

John Elway is on a whole different level

Tim Tebow is doing something a quarterback with “all the tools” couldn’t do, and that’s win with what was given to him

John Elway simply refuses to acknowledge someone who is helping his organization do what they’re paid to do which is WIN

When an organization is losing, I can see why GMs and coaches would go down that low road of chastising players and deflecting the blame on to others

This is just pathetic….. how big is your ego that you would allow yourself to bring down a guy who is doing so much for the team, because he wasn’t the guy YOU selected (Fox and Elway)

Yea you guys didn’t select him with your draft pick, nor did u choose him as the opening day starter, but give props where props are due

Kyle Orton is a decent quarterback, at the very least… the past 2 years he’s thrown for over 3500 yards and 20 touchdowns.. by no means a bad qb….

Yet he wasn’t winning with literally the same group of guys that tebow is winning with, and he doesn’t even have Brandon Lloyd……

There’s something to be said about that… I just don’t kno where to start….

I’m not saying tim tebow will be an elite player, but I just don’t think his work ethic will allow him to be a mediocre player in this league

The greatest players in football were not always the super-athletic or the most orthodox players, they tended to be the ones that just simply wanted it more than you

Jerry Rice, emmitt smith, peyton manning, tom brady…. These players were known for their work ethic and it paid off…

There’s a saying where hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard… hello albert haynesworth

Just wanted to vent about the broncos organizational method… if they’re trying to motivate tebow by what they’re doing, they’re geniuses… but if not… fox and elway are FOOLS

Ghetto spongebob

The only thing that made me laugh on a monday.....

haha

Thai yurd

This past week was probably the worst week to be a fan of sports.
First you have the Sandusky incident, which is by far the worst.
Then you have the passing of a legend in Joe Frazier.
Then you have the lockout… still……
Then you have manny vs marquez… filled with controversy….
Then you have Wilson Ramos getting kidnapped, which thankfully ended with him being rescued
And then you have the redskins losing

Sooner or later you start to think about where the line is between sports and life…
Or is life about sports? Or sports about life?
I have no idea.
To be quite honest, sports is a heavy part of my life
That’s why, although shocking, it doesn’t move me in ways where people who aren’t too involved in sports would react.
For instance, the redskins losing, as numbing as it has become, still hurts in ways that people who aren’t associated with the redskins, football, or sports could understand.
I hate that I get so upset when people say “it’s just a sport”
But it’s the truth, I do get upset… and ultimately, it is just a game
Billions of dollars are spent on this game though, and people’s jobs are in this game, and friendships/relationships are built from this “game”
Many of the friends I made in school and church were through sports
If I didn’t play or care about sports, I know that I would probably have a whole different set of friends, leading to different life paths.. so ultimately.. sports is a huge part of life… to me at least
I don’t kno why I had to explain myself.. but it’s something that’s been on my mind recently
I’m not gonna lie to you, I love sports. I love how, like anything else, it can teach you about life.
That’s all….

Sunday, I met Sun’s (my sister’s fiancé) parents for the first time.
Unfortunately I was unprepared for this meeting.
They called me around 5 to meet them for dinner
At the time, I was helping a friend coach his youth group football team, so I hadn’t bothered making myself “presentable.”
Fortunately I had a sweater in my car
Unfortunately I was pretty grizzly… in the facial area…
By the true grace of God, there was a CVS right next to the restaurant we were meeting at
2 dollars later, I had a razor in my hand and I quickly ran to the restaurant bathroom
Cleanly shaven I get to the table and start eating
I start feeling my face start to bleed and realize that a 2 dollar razor was probably not the best idea for someone who had quite a bit of facial hair
So for the next 20 minutes I’m wiping my face with this RED napkin (thank God), trying to dry the 3 cuts I had on my face
Regardless, we’re all enjoying dinner and none are the wiser about my ninja shaving skills
Or so I thought….
My sister and sun immediately know that I shaved in the bathroom and tells my mom, in jest
My mom in turn tells sun’s mom and dad, and we all have a good laugh
At me

My next sneaker purchase:

Game over my friends

Which leads to the top 5 most beautiful shoes of all time
In no order:

1.) Air Jordan xii flints

So nostalgic, makes me want to cry
These were the shoes I wanted more than any other growing up… so when I got an original pair about 7 years after they came out, I didn’t even care about the price of the shoe, I just had to have them… they remind of a time when ball was truly life

2.) Jordan xi concords

Beautiful, there’s not really much more u can say about this shoe, it’s just …. Beautiful….
This was the shoe that Jordan just absolutely dominated with, 72-10, need I say more?
I didn’t really care for these shoes, but someway somehow, they became a holy grail

3.) Foamposite ones

The shoe that started it all for me… if I can ever find a pair for a reasonable price I will not hesitate

4.) Penny 2

I have a retro pair of these that have yet to leave the box… one day I will wear them… and dance

5.) Grant hill 2

Fila?!?! Yes… back then Grant Hill was the man, and these shoes were basically the most awesome things on the planet at the time


Yes.. all these shoes were released in the mid-90s
Yes.. I am a very nostalgic person
They definitely don’t make em like they used to

That’s all, forreal

I just recently read an article that made me think hardcore about life priorities and all that good stuff.
Now, I’m not a big “sob story” kind of guy, I think they’re kind of lame to be quite honest with you, but man this story was so well-written and just so honest I had to tell people about it.
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7207167/ncb-kansas-jayhawks-center-thomas-robinson-used-basketball-help-tragedy-espn-magazine

I can’t lie, I shed a tear reading this article because you could literally feel his pain, yet at the very same time, can’t even begin to imagine the pain he had to endure.
I have much respect for Thomas Robinson, even though I’m not a big rock chalk fan, he is someone I will definitely be keeping tabs of.
It’s people like this that help you forget how corrupt many people in this business, yes I said business… even in the college game, are.
For every Mike Beasley, Renardo Sydney, Kwame Brown, etc., there is a Thomas Robinson who refuses to waste his GOD-given talents and actually take advantage of the gift that’s been given to him. He’s found purpose.
And ultimately, isn’t that what we’re all searching for?

We always say, man if I were in such and such’s position, I would do amazing things.
If I could just dunk the ball, I would be in the NBA and I would show people how to be responsible with their money and how to act like an adult, and give all the glory to God! And so on and so forth.
Child please, you can do that now.
Serve, be a mentor, love on those around you. You don’t need a superstar podium to show how to be a follower of Christ. Start with 1. See how that works out.
Col 3:12 tells us we’re HIS chosen people, holy and dearly loved.
The audience of One is enough
Don’t simply look for how to look good in front of millions, get deeper.

I’m so torn about this Joe Paterno thing
On one hand, PSU did the right thing… for sure
On the other hand, you feel for him.
Show’s how fleeting celebrity is.
JoePa is a legend… this situation, no matter how little or how much he was involved, is that one drop of oil in an otherwise clean glass of water. No matter what, it’s there, and it rises to the top.

I am not a big fan of Harrison barnes, but I hope he comes to the wizards

Work goes by a lot quicker when you have something to do…… hahaha
The cubicle life is not as bad as I imagined.

Crap, got work to do.. see ya

Hump de bump day

Please don’t get used to this… but lately it’s gotten to the point where it’s either I do this, or I fall asleep
And thanks to 2 cups of the French roast k-cups… sleeping is not an option… especially before lunch time
Don’t get me wrong, when there’s work…. There’s WORK.. but when there isn’t, all we can do here is wait for the auditors to send us our next project.. so we wait… and wait… and sleep… and wait…..

I used to almost never drink coffee unless it was Pumpkin Spice Latte season.. and even then.. it was a once a week gift to myself if I did something awesome.. like homework.. or finish something…
But now… we’ve upped the dosage to about 5 times a week…. This is not good…

When I was in thailand, I would kill about 4 cups of instant coffee a day.. especially in the beginning when we were fighting the jet lag….
And when I got back.. it was k-cup after k-cup….
Now it’s just become a habit….i can feel myself becoming addicted

So lately, my interactions with people have been transforming from casual to business-like (obviously I blame my workplace)
Previously, and remember this is only face to face…. I will never change on gchat… haha :
Friend- Hey what’s up
Me- Yoooo whaddup; the sky; what’s crack a lackin (ok I’ve literally never said that before, but you get the idea)

Friend- Hey, want to go eat?
Me- Foo, of course

After 8 months of working with people a lot older than me:
Friend- Hey what’s up
Me- Hello good sir

Friend- Hey, want to go eat?
Me- Indubitably

Obviously it’s not those exact words, but again.. you get the idea
My interactions have gotten more business-like…. Is that a good thing?
I have no idea

Even in email interactions with my coworkers and managers I have started to sound strange….
I literally never use the term “lol”
But my manager said something that I’m pretty sure was intended as a joke and I replied “LOL!”
I felt like sucha tool….

Joe Paterno needs to be FIRED
You can’t let him be able to leave on his terms… this is something where u really can’t claim ignorance… if you aren’t part of the solution you are indeed part of the problem
And joepa… in this case, you could have done a lot more and you didn’t… simply put…

Insert awkward transition right…… here:
Holiday season is upon us
Makes you think of all there is to be thankful for
And then you think about all that you don’t have and get angry
Just kidding
This is why fall is so nostalgic… you start thinking about the past year and, while looking forward to the new year, you can’t help but to think about how much has changed…
Makes me realize how grateful I need to be in all circumstances
Last year at this time I didn’t have a job or a fully functioning car, for instance
Now I have one of each
I’m spoiled I tell you
Fall also makes you realize how alone you are
HAHA just kidding… kind of

I’m learning the importance of praying in all circumstances.. I think it’s a good way to really stay in tune with my creator
Thanking Him for the good times and the bad, praying for others, praying for yourself
It’s like they always say “I’m too busy NOT to pray”
It’s making more sense to me
It’s helping me to love as well
I think one of the most important aspects of this life is to love Him and love His people
So simple to say
So hard to do
And surprise, surprise, this is where prayer is especially important
Let’s WORSHIP Him… Every day in every way… that’s what my Beamerball bracelet says anyways…….
In everything we do, let’s worship… even by reading this blog let’s be intentional in worshipping Him!!
That is all

Insert awkward transition 2 right….. here
So there’s this mixtape out called “Brooklyn. Chicago. London.” It’s a mixtape featuring Jay-Z, Kanye, and Adele
It’s pretty good, it’s basically all I’ve been listening to
Way better than that trashy Watch the Throne crap kanye and jay did…. Horrible, horrible cd in my opinion

Outside of that, I’ve been listening to Pandora at work, it’s good to have variety
I highly recommend the onerepublic and adele playlist
As well as the Backstreet Boys one.. haha..guilty pleasure I can’t lie

LET’S GO HOKIES!!!

Lazy Monday

THIS NBA LOCKOUT IS STUPID
Please, get it over with
The NFL is great and all, but in the end we all know that basketball is king.
It makes me sad to think that we may miss a year of seeing lebron, wade, blake, durant, rose, Dwight, wall, and other stars during the key years of their careers
I’ve said this over and over again but…..
WE CAN’T WASTE THIS KIND OF TALENT!!
It’s frustrating to think that we’re missing out on a sport that we love because of money issues… and not because there’s a lack of it but rather, because people don’t want to share it.
Great lesson we’re teaching the world

It’s a great time to be a Washington sports fan!
Just kidding.. kind of
The skins are playing like the skins (Matt Barkley!! He already rocks the red and yellow, why not burgundy and gold?)
The caps are playing well, although you always wish the great 8 would stop playing like a little girl and start taking over like he used to…
The wizards are undefeated for the 2011-2012 season so far!! They probably won’t lose a game in November!
The nationals have one of the richest owners in baseball… so…. Within the next 5 years they will be one of the most dangerous teams in baseball.. you heard it here first
The hokies… play GT this week… LET’S GO HOKIES!!!
DMV stand up!!

Switching gears…..
Few things in life upset me more than going through a drive-thru.
That is all I want to say about that

One of the greatest things about Fall is the weather
It makes living in Virginia a lot more bearable during these times…
People seem livelier by the prospect of the heat finally going away and pumpkin spice latte season arriving
Yesterday was one of those days that you kind of wished just wouldn’t end… weather wise
Fall is such a nostalgic season
One of my favorite memories of fall is during thanksgiving when I get to go to my uncle’s house
It’s the only time I ever get to see all of my family
To me it’s simply good enough just to see them
I’m not very talkative with my family… it’s always small conversations here and there, but there’s always a moment where I realize this is familia… I love that moment, I can’t explain it, but there’s just always some moment where I’m really glad that I’m there and not anywhere else
I’m not a very good son, brother, nephew, grandson, but I’m so glad I have this family
I know it’s not thanksgiving yet, but I am very thankful for my family
They’ve been way better to me than I have been to them
And isn’t that what love is all about
I was reading an article about this Rwandan man who forgave a man who killed his brother, that they now consider each other “friends,” and one of them said something that really made me think: Love is the weapon that destroys all evil
Not the most eloquent statement but it gets the job done
It’s at least something to think about

I watched Inception this weekend for the first time since I saw it in the theaters
It was as mind-numbing as the first time
Got me thinking about awesome movies

Forrest Gump- GREAT movie, brings out all the emotions you’d want in watching a good movie, you laugh, you cry, you get angry, and you smile. tom hanks tore it up. People always bring up the fact that pulp fiction should’ve won all the awards FG did… to them I say, SUCKERSSSSSSS……

Remember the Titans- Legit movie, brings out many of the same emotions from Forrest Gump.

Usual Suspects- I hate movies with twists…I don’t kno why.. (and yes I understand there is irony in that considering I was a huge WWF/WWE fan for so long… ), but this movie…. Wow… the twist of all twists….

Zoolander/She’s the Man- These two movies… no matter what I’m doing, if it’s on, I drop whatever I’m doing and watch… no matter how far into it you are

Life is Beautiful- GREAT movie, it’s up there with FG… great story, brings out every emotion, brilliant balance between comedy and tragedy

Gladiator- You will be entertained…..

Thai yurd…..

New Beginnings

What a lame title, deal with it
So i moved offices today and thought it would be fun to update the people on the roller coaster that is my life
and by roller coaster i mean the kiddie pool that is my life
yet another lame attempt at entertainment, i'm on fire!
Anyways, I’ve moved from an office into a cubicle, which means I’m moving on up!
Or probably quite the opposite…. I feel like Milton from office space
If they steal my stapler I’m burning this place down!
Just kidding, I have two anyways… and they’re both automatic!

Today I got my first free meal from this company, and only because a meeting was canceled, so like the scavengers that we are, we ran down and took all the free food and drinks we could find
Unfortunately we didn’t go down fast enough
My winnings: Half a sandwich, a cookie, a bag of sunchips, and a diet coke
You’re probably thinking “that’s not bad”
And you’re probably correct
But I went down with dreams of filling my fridge with piles of sandwiches and chips galore with a cookie mountain that I could take advantage of at all times of the day
Ugh, the crust is so stale

Went to a wedding a few weeks ago in Kansas City
I’m telling you, people are so friendly as long as don’t live on the east coast
Weddings are very bittersweet
On one hand, you’re friend found a friend that they are going to spend the rest of their life with, they’ve officially declared that they no longer eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and watch tv shows by themselves ever again if they don’t want to, how lucky!
On the other hand, you begin to wonder if you will spend the rest of your life eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and watching tv shows alone in the basement of your parents house
I’m talking about no one in particular… just saying

Now that I have a cubicle I’m free to do whatever I want without fear that my coworker will see what I’m doing and judge me
So expect more updates and life lessons
HA just kidding

I recently got a new phone after 2 years with my precious blackberry tour
The last week that I had my phone I suddenly got super nostalgic and sentimental about not using my blackberry anymore
It was like that How I Met Your Mother episode where Ted gets sentimental about a relationship that had literally been destroying him.
This girl was basically ruining his dreams of becoming a great architect with a signature building. They constantly argued, never seeing eye to eye about anything. Yet when he knew he had to break up with her, he suddenly became nostalgic and sentimental about the moments he had and was second guessing his decision.
That was EXACTLY how I felt about my Tour. After I preordered my new phone, all of a sudden this rush of sentiment ran through me like… what the frack are you doing?!?!?
I was reminded of all the great photos I had taken with my phone, how it saved me from wanting to quit my job, and the endless conversations I could have with my friends through my phone. I really think I talked more to my friends through my phone than I did with physical interactions. Embarrassing? Absolutely.
Eventually though, I snapped back to reality and began cursing at my phone again after it restarted on my for the 3rd time in 2 hours, having to wait 15 minutes each time for it to reboot.
My new phone is cool.. not as cool as everyone told me it was going to be… but cool nonetheless…. I’m not a very big apps guy, I just wanted a phone that let me talk to people, whether it’s through gchat, texting, or actually voice calls…. The other stuff is just extra….
I was not meant to have an iphone…. Hahah

This NBA lockout needs to end NOW!
I have two friends that now work in the bidness (as we like to call it)
I would like to see them do what they do, especially the new ballboy, I heard he’s trying to Rudy it up for the Wizards!

Here are my favorite NBA players to ever play the game.. starting 5 edition (90’s and up… because lets face it… I never got to see anything before then)
1.) SG- Jordan… simply the greatest… most entertaining… most dominant
2.) PF- Tim Duncan… the greatest power forward to ever play the game… his game was so pretty… by far the most underappreciated SUPERstar of our generation… people only see the 4 championships and think he’s good only because he won.. no it was much more than that… he was supremely skilled on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, hyper-competitive, he got it done day in and day out… people are always looking for flash and that wow-factor… people always said kevin garnett was better…those people are dummies…
3.) SF- Grant Hill…. The ken Griffey jr. of basketball… had a great pedigree.. coming from Duke and all…. His game had no flaw.... his game was so pretty that it was winning beauty pageants…. He could do it all… if it weren’t for injuries, we would have been talking about him and not kobe as the next great one..
4.) C- Hakeem Olajuwon…. The defensive wizard… for a guy who was 7 feet tall… he moved like he was a small forward…. He moved so fluidly and with such agilty… there may be another shaq (Dwight howard) but there will never be another hakeem… NEVERRRRRR
5.) PG- How could I go with anyone but Jason Kidd here? Grant Hill, but the pg version.. another player who could do it all, his court vision is unmatched up to this very day… he was not that athletic, he couldn’t shoot at the beginning of his career (Ason anyone?) But he’s still relevant.. he just won his first championship… crazy…..
Bench-
- Chris Webber.. the greatest passing forward of our generation…he was SO much fun to watch.. but the anti-duncan… wasn’t a finisher, I think that timeout in the ncaa championship really messed him up for life…
- Lebron… kind of in the same boat as Webber.. can’t be the one that finishes.. but man is he fun to watch!
- Ray Allen… the greatest shooter EVER… his jumper is prettier than grant hill’s game… and that’s actually saying a lot
- Deron Williams… simply love his game… he’s a bulldozer who knows how to play and make those around him better
- Shaq… he was sick, no way around it.. he irks me because he had such a HUGE weakness and it was something he never truly got better at… (free throws) and I kno that’s petty.. but something about him, it was fun to watch him dominate… he made it look so easy… I don’t know.. it was a love/hate relationship with him…..

Well that was fun… kept me busy …

Enjoy

Championship

Dallas just won the 2011 NBA championship



This is truly a bittersweet symphony



Dirk won, Lebron lost



Kidd won, but so did ... Deshawn stevenson......



WHY!??!

O well
Lebron choked, there's no way around it, even for a Lebron fan
But to be quite honest, a lot of the blame has to go on Eric Spoelstra
That was quite possibly the worst coaching job i've seen in a long time during playoff basketball
He just couldn't adjust to anything Rick Carlisle threw at him....
There was absolutely no desperation on the part of the Heat and the blame needs to be on the coach, there's just no way around that

Dirk and Kidd definitely deserved a ring, and i'm glad caron butler won one too

That is all

Sorry with the updates, i'm at work and truly bored..even though i have work to do.. soo...... see ya

Blah Blah Blah

Man, it's been awhile
Sorry

Just finished watching American Idol
Haley Reinhart can SING
That's all I really wanted to say about that

Wizards got owned by the lottery
It's ok, we won when it mattered (John Wall sweepstakes)
Man, i would pick john wall over ANY of the top 3 picks... combined..
Exaggeration? Perhaps, but I say what I want to say
Haha

Thailand...
I can't believe I'm doing this again...

Through it all... God is still good
Gotta finish the race that was started

Sorry such a lame update.. but that's life...
I promise a better update soon... just wanted to let y'all know i'm still alive... somehow.. hahah

I suck at predictions

Ok
Well one day after that awesome wave of fearless predictions
Two teams are already gone from my final four
Everytime a school that I follow falls in the tournament I always get so sad for the seniors
Having been a senior myself many many years ago, I'm stuck thinking about how much it must suck to realize that it's all over, that there's no more second chances for them
Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith were great seniors... can't believe Kyrie is the reason they lost... yes.. i said lost... even though he scored like 28 points.. he messed up the chemistry.. although you can't deny talent.. Kyrie will be a great NBA player... another prediction right there....haha

So from my office, there's a nice view of Oak Marr's golf course
I am by no means a fan of golf... you could actually say I'm not a fan at all...
But I was watching some folks play... it was actually very interesting
I don't really have a good idea of how they're playing, but something about golf just seems... peaceful
It made me think about what's going to happen when I'm 28 and no longer able to play competitive sports because I can't run on a bad knee and bad back and bad shoulder and so on....
(another prediction? i hope not....)
What am I going to do to keep myself busy without basketball or football?
I have no idea... these are just my thoughts while I wait for my yabba dabba doo moment and get the heck out of here

There's quite a bit more dead time here than I had imagined

Beloved

I absolutely LOVE that word
Beloved
You could say the word beloved is beloved by me
But then you would punch me in the face

We are commanded to love God and love His people
It's supposed to go hand in hand
Loving God is supposed to lead us inevitably to loving His people
I think that's where our hearts get confused, we try to love with our own capabilities
We trust that we can love someone with our own heart's strength
That's where we start to burn out and get tired of things
Our hearts are not capable of loving someone the way the Father is capable of loving
So when we try to do it on our own, we're left with resent or apathy because we eventually get tired

It's all about changing perspective
To love one because they are your friend or family is superficial
To love someone because they are His beloved, just like you, is a change that I'm trying to understand and comprehend
John 3:30 is basically the best explanation to what i'm trying to say i guess
He must become greater, I must become less
In all things I'm trying to let that happen
It's hard, because I want to change the world, i want to be part of that revolution
I can't be sitting here in an office all my life
But I have to trust that God's plan for my life is greater than what my plans are for my life
How cliche, but how true

I try to love

I still have SOOOOOOO much to learn

It's hard when I try to... when I try to... (ok I was trying to put emphasis on "I" by capitalizing it, but I realized it's already capitalized to begin with... so just catch my drift and move on)
My office mate farted the other day
I came back from the bathroom and it smelled horrible
He didn't make eye contact or offer a what's up like he usually does....
I wanted to punch him
But I didn't
At that moment, it felt impossible to love him
How fickle our heart is when we decide to control it

Anyways, I bring this up because I was at a retreat this weekend and I was pretty blown away
Love, unfailingly, was in Goshen, VA this past weekend
There was one moment that made realize how little I know about what love is (still..)
We were welcoming a brother into the family, this beloved brother of mine
And the love surrounding him that morning was something I can't say with words
So let me draw you a picture
But you can't see this picture because I'm drawing it on my desk
Anyways
Yea basically, love God and let God take care of it from there
I dare you
I double dog dare you

Also
The NCAA tournament is upon us
Go Duke!
My final four consists of duke, kansas, ohio state, and wisconsin
Duke vs kansas
Duke wins!
So far so good
I like putting my sports stuff on here and seeing how wrong I was like a year later
I love making predictions

The corporate world is SOOOO overrated
I have an office which is cool
And i have a view of Oak Marr's golf course
Those are the only perks
I just sit and do whatever other people tell me to do for the sake of making money for themselves
And then i realize i hate golf... and life moves on

Friday Night Lights was probably one of the greatest TV shows
and now it's over
makes me sad
Really loved the characters
and the leadership of Coach Eric Taylor
and his relationship with his wife
That is all
WATCH IT!

Golden State of Mind

Recently went to a conference in California
Radicalis
All in?
Simple as that
Are we willing to let God do His thing... or thang....?
Can we really love beyond what we think we're capable of?
We are asked to do 2 things in this world
Love God
Love His people
Why do people make things so complicated?
I don't know, but I'm willing to find out

Please take me back!
I promise to behave myself!

I've been deeply moved
Even though it doesn't seem like it

I also don't hate beaches as much anymore...
Although I still refuse to go to an East Coast beach

Some way... some how... I will go back home

Some song suggestions:
Stones- Barbarossa
The whole freakin Adele CD (21)
The whole Lupe CD was actually pretty bearable (Lasers)
The whole Amos Lee CD was very bearable as well (Mission Bell)
Didn't you know- Phene
Last Rain- Boyz II Men
Boy With a Coin- Iron and Wine

Check out William Fitzsimmons and Ernie Halter... good stuff

Aftermath CD (Hillsongs) is rediculous

Syllables- Eminem

A new year already?

It's crazy that 365 days goes by so quickly
It drives me crazy when I realize that each day I'm getting one day closer to... death
Such a grim outlook yea? Sure... but I mean, it's truth... kind of
When I think about this past year... it's filled with memories... good and bad i suppose
But memories none the less.

When i think of 2010, i think about the theme of this past year: Changed lives
I look at older brothers and see their lives changing in the blink of an eye
One of them had a child, one of them got married!
Some people found direction in their life (seminary and grad school)
Some people found new jobs, new soul-mates, and/or new mates
Some people even dropped everything and traveled the world
So many folks had life-altering changes occur in their life in 2010

I feel like the older we get these types of occurrences will be more frequent and if we don't sit back and celebrate them, it'll be gone before we know it
To really celebrate and find joy in the amazing things that are handed to us, is to give thanks to the one who provides such gifts
Receiving a gift of any kind is a thousand times better when you are grateful and realize you don't deserve such an amazing gift as opposed to receiving a gift that you felt that you deserved, or earned

Isn't that how we're supposed to live this life?
Grateful?
Thankful?
Nothing in life is guaranteed... except for one thing... death (sorry, i promise i'm not crazy or emo)
Life in itself is a gift, to say that your life sucks and being ungrateful is selling yourself short of being able to use that gift and having the best time possible
I'm sure many people have a lot to be ungrateful about.. I feel you.. 2010 was not the greatest year for me
As everyone else's life was changing.. mine was staying the same
I had one of the most crushing moments of my life the past month..
It would have changed my life.. i truly believe it.. if anything, it would have given me direction..
When i got news of rejection.. it made me mad..like i deserved that position...
So I sat and stewed about it for about 3 days.. just sulked and became frustrated at life.. at God.. at everything...
I finally got over it... I'm not gonna sit here and say that it was some life-altering "God moment" where His voice just boomed over me.... honestly, i think it was just time to get over it
But these days i'm just constantly reminded of the promises that God has for me
The theme that I came up for my senior kids bible study was Jeremiah 29:11-14

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

For me, more than anything else from these verses, the word that gives me purpose is the word HOPE
Man, seriously, the solution to all our problems
At least that's what I think
To truly believe that a better day will come, at this point, is all I have
Whether today was a good day or a bad day, to live with HOPE is what keeps me going
That tomorrow has a chance to be better than today
Even if your day was awesome.. He has bigger and better plans ahead!
That's what we should all be anticipating

We could all use a win once in awhile
To those who can't see a better day.. to those who refuse to even think better days are possible..
Just try giving hope a shot
What have we got to lose?
More disappointment?
More sadness and anger?
Sure, but isn't that what hope is all about?
This past year, I've experience almost nothing but loss...
Believing that in spite of all these losses... that a win is coming?
It's like being a Redskins fan (keep your comments to yourselves please... haha)
We lose... a lot.... like... A LOTTTT
But what happens?

And all of sudden we're Super Bowl contenders!

And then we lose again.....
and again....
and yet...again....

But behold... hope again!

(Jim Zorn)

6 and 0! woo hoo

and then we lose...
again....
and again....

I could obviously go on and on here (Haynesworth, McNabb, Shanahan, Bruce Allen....etc....)
But yet... we still believe we're just one break away...
I think there was a quote out there that defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result....
Sorry.. that's besides the point... haha
What I'm trying to say is... Hope, to me, is believing that a better day is coming... that an Andrew Luck is headed our way to save the day.... obviously my hope is not in man.. but in the One who can truly bring about my reason for Hope!

Well that's what's been on my mind lately

There are many luxuries to being unemployed..
Including being the one that gets to do slave work for people because they know you probably have nothing better to do....which is true 99% of the time
If you have some money... you have time to go and get awesome food from awesome places
You also have a lot of time to knit, learn a new language, meet new people
I have done absolutely none of those things

I do have a lot of time to just sit...
I watch a lot of TV...
And that was before I stopped working so... imagine now.... hahah

Other than that... there really are no luxuries....
I was only working long enough to pay off a lot of my credit card bills and school loans... i think the only thing i was really able to buy was my MBP and my glasses.... other than that.. I'm just simply trying to survive...
I really am blessed to have a family that supports me through all this....truly... the bright light in the midst of all the gloominess that has been surrounding me...

Woo hoo

The Heart of Life- John Mayer
The best song I've heard in a long time...