For years my wife has been telling me I need to start blogging. I'm not sure if it's because she thinks I'm funny and that periodically I have something profound to say or that she just wants the world to see what she has to put up with on a daily basis. Regardless I'll let you decide.
You may have noticed I haven't posted a blog in a while. I've started to several times but every time I log in to start I see my last blog post and I realize I could never write or say anything better. Part of me wanted to stop and go out on top and to leave that last post on the front page for posterity. Then I realized that wouldn't be fair to my tens of fans and I figure if Michael Jordan & Brett Favre can come out of retirement multiple times I can at least once.
With Christmas just over a week away I'm sure nearly every radio station you scan through is playing some type of Christmas music. Everyone has their favorite Christmas song that is in turn sung by their favorite artist/band/group. Every year it seems like they start playing them earlier and earlier too. For me I never have a problem with it because I enjoy listening to Christmas music. Christian music stations are no different as they're all playing traditional Christmas tunes by Christian artists....but when you think about it isn't their regular music technically Christmas music too? Just a random thought.
One song that is quickly becoming one of my favorites is Come Now Our King by Chris August. Some of you are probably familiar with Chris's song Starry Night while others might remember him originally as Ashlee Simpson's keyboardist. Regardless he is extremely talented as proven by his multiple Dove Awards he took home this past year and the time Starry Night spent at #1. It's not your traditional Silver Bells or Silent Night but I really enjoy all the aspects of this song; especially the words. In our current society focused on Black Friday and the best deals they can get on gifts for Christmas the lyrics take us back over 2000 years to remind us of the coming King who will one day return in a much different fashion. So take the time to listen to this song and not just with your ears....use your heart and put the focus back on the true meaning of Christmas.
Bethlehem turns in tonight
A town led up by candle light
All the children tuck in tight
Bethlehem turns in tonight
The angels start their whispering
About the one they're welcoming
No one knows what's soon to be
As the angels start their whispering
Chorus
They sing glory
In the highest
Come now our King
We've been
Waiting
Come now our King
Silence falls
Yet once again
The shepherds leave for Bethlehem
Baby's cry soon welcomes them
Silence falls yet once again
They sing glory
In the highest
Come now our King,
We've been
Waiting
Come now our King
Ooooh
Glory, Oh glory
You came here to save
Ooh Lord, we've been waiting so
Come now our King
Now my night has turned today
An empty manger, empty grave
Baby born so I could say
Now my night has turned today
Ooh, We sing glory
In the highest
Come now our King, oh ooh
We've been
Waiting
Come now our king
Ooh ooh, Come now our King.
This past week we had to do one of those things you never want to prepare yourself or your kids for; we had to change our prayer requests from those of healing and recovery to those of peace and comfort when we had to say goodbye to my wife's grandpa John. Regardless of how young or old someone is it's never easy to let them go and say goodbye as you want another year, another holiday, the next fishing trip, one more month, a day or just another hour to spend by their side. I knew this was going to be really hard because of the special bond my oldest son Cole has with great grandpa; just like his uncle Travis did when he was growing up.
A little over 20 years ago I just so happened to become an extended part of the Brink family when I started dating Michelle who is now my wife. I never had the chance to know my grandpas as they both died when my parents were teenagers but John treated me like one of his own and showed me what a grandpa could be as I watched my wife & her cousins grow up. John's influence on Michelle, Travis, Kristen, Nick, Kellie, Jeremiah & Maria is all evident. Even in the great grand-kids you can see a bit of him in them and it's not just their love of ice cream, chocolate and lemonade that he snuck each and everyone of them way before they were ready for it either.
You see John was a larger than life John Wayne type character that loved to fish and always had a story. The last thing he told me was to not catch em all and to let the kids catch some too. I thanked him for being such a good grandpa and I want to thank Michelle, Travis, Kristen, Nick, Kellie, Jeremiah & Maria for sharing him with me and I can only think & hope my grandpas would have been a lot like him.
There was a reason that Jesus began his ministries along the banks of the Galilee and started with the salt of the Earth....fisherman. As the Bible states in Mathew 4:18-20 18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,”Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”20 At once they left their nets and followed him.John has just put his pole down and followed Jesus.
The legend of John Brink will continue to grow with each family gathering as we reminisce and tell our favorite stories; just as his fish tales would grow from the time he'd leave the Boyer until the time he got home. Whether these tales are shared at our annual family camp out sitting around the fire, playing a game of 31 (I still think he cheated; I could just never catch him) or fishing we'll all have our moments when we tear up but I'm sure there will be plenty of smiles and laughs to go with those too. There will plenty of proud moments too as new great grand kids are brought into the family and we tell them all about John but I'm sure none will be as great as Steve's will be when he gets to create that special bond his dad had with all the grand kids as a whole new set of Brink adventures begin and I can't wait to be a part of them.
First off let me apologize for the absence of my blog postings as I've been pretty much beyond busy lately with multiple kids in soccer along with my coaching them but amongst all of our hustle and bustle my wife and I found time to catch a movie together which just so happens to be called Courageous. We've been waiting a long time for this movie to come out as we have thoroughly enjoyed the previous Sherwood Film endeavours. Now some of you may not be familiar with this movie and if that is the case then hopefully this blog post will peak your interest just enough for you to take the time to check it out for yourself.
Nowadays most movies that are made are pretty much mindless entertainment that fall into about 4 categories; action, comedy, horror & chick flicks. Going into the movie you pretty much know what you're going to get. You know if you are going to see tear jerker or a bunch of stuff get blown up but you are pretty much sure you won't be challenged. But recently Sony Pictures created a division called Affirm Films with the soul purpose of distributing faith base and inspirational movies of which many have had great success.
Sherwood Pictures has upped the ante in each of their films. Starting with Fly Wheel then finding greater success with Facing the Giants and setting a new bar with Fireproof but Courageous my very well be their game changer. Coming out of a movie I've never felt so strongly that everyone need to see this movie. I took to Twitter (@davidsigler for you tweeps) and this is what I said....Dads, husbands, brothers, uncles grandpas go and see Courageous. You owe it to your families. I knew going in I should expect to get choked up but I wasn't expecting to be laughing out loud the next scene and then evaluating my life and my role of a father the very next and then being back to that choked up stage.
This movie has it all; action, an actual plot and story line, emotion, humor and most importantly a message that needs to be heard regardless if you are a Christian or not. There was a question posed during the movie that got me thinking...When did you consider yourself a man? My wife may tell you I'm still not one because I refuse to grow up and am just a big kid but I never really seriously thought about it. But I would have to say when I became a father. Most people would probably tell you I'm a good father and husband because of all the volunteering I do; from coaching to church activities and because I'm involved and at most of their events. Though during various scenes in Courageous I questioned myself because yes I was good enough but just good enough shouldn't cut it when it comes to the most important job any man can have. I thought back on all those times I was too busy, too worn out or in too much pain to do some simple simple things with my kids. When will it be too late to make up for lost time? Make some simple changes now to affect your family's future.
So step up and be a man of courage; daddies dance with your daughters, play catch with your sons and talk to your wife and don't let go of the wheel. Leave a legacy within your family that will affect your children's children and generations to come.
Grace can be different things to different people but one thing is for certain; it is one of the most amazing gifts we've been given. A lot of people think of some one's lack of clumsiness as grace others may think of some one's fall from grace or it is used in conjunction with saving grace or by the grace of God but regardless it seems to be directed towards God and for good reason. Grace has been documented from the beginnings of time as God freely pouring out his favor and love to his people despite their actions. Trust me I'm thankful for this because I always seem to be like Paul in 2 Corinthians begging for my circumstances to change feeling I'd be better equipped to do God's work if only things would be the way that I thought they should be. But listen to verses 9 & 10 of chapter 12... 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in
hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I
am strong.
Regardless of your beliefs those few words make up 4 of the most powerful sentences ever seen by man. We all have our weaknesses but they will become our strengths through God's Grace if we let them because His Grace is enough.
Here to lyrically provide us this illustration is Matt Maher with Your Grace is Enough...now some of you are probably saying wait I thought Chris Tomlin did that song. Well you are right but Matt wrote it some I'm giving him his due.
Great is your faithfulness oh God
You wrestle with the sinner's heart
You lead us by still waters into mercy
And nothing can keep us apart
So remember your people
Remember your children
Remember your promise, oh God
Your grace is enough.
Your grace is enough.
Your grace is enough.
Your grace is enough for me.
Great is your love and justice God.
You use the weak to lead the strong.
You lead us in the song of your salvation
And all your people sing along.
So remember your people.
Remember your children.
Remember your promise, oh God.
Your Grace is enough
Heaven reaching down to us
Your Grace is enough for me
God, I see your grace is enough
I'm covered in your love
Your grace is enough for me
Now that everyone is back in school I figured what a perfect time to hit on that 1st day of school in the 80's. Considering I hit em all from grade school, middle school and high school in the 80's I think I kinda know what I'm talking about. Wait don't answer that...never mind it wasn't a question.
In seeing my kids get ready for school this year I remember back to my days in the Carroll Public School system and I'm thankful I grew up in a town the size I did where I knew everyone in my class not to mention nearly all the ones in the several grades above and below mine. In seeing my 2 middle schoolers prepare differently for school; 1 who loves school and a challenge that puts a lot of pressure on himself who has been there for a few years and 1 who it's his 1st year in middle school who has read every book of Diary of a Wimpy Kid & seen the movies so has some preconceived notions about life in middle school and I can see life through their eyes because I've been there and done that. And then there's my 2nd grader that is the class clown and I'll leave it at that.
I think back to grade school and all the glue I ate or mixed with my chapstick to create some weird gooey mess and I remember all the bus rides, licking the metal fence pole ala A Christmas Story, summers of typing classes which helped a lot until I broke some fingers but most of all my sister defending me (sorry Mike hope the family jewels work someday when you need them). Shopping for school supplies was fun because we were still allowed to have any folder we wanted unlike my kids theses days who are required to only have specific colored ones and are not allowed to express themselves via paper products.
Fast forward to middle school and kiss the bus goodbye...we lived across the street from the school. Too bad for me I still hadn't grown in years while my friend Mike had started shaving in like 4th grade. At the time our middle school was a part of the high school which is never good news for someone of my stature. At the time it wasn't about your trapper keeper it was about your Swatch and Buckle clothes.
Then came life in high school in the late 80's with all the bangs and pinch rolled jeans. But yet again I still didn't grow until the 90's so life as a freshman was not good for someone as mouthy and sarcastic as me. But I survived; barely. I always had the fear I'd forget my locker combo; like every day. Oh yeah back to the bus.
So the more things change the more they stay the same as there will always be some kids freaked out about going back to school and others will have been doing science experiments and reading War and Peace all summer long in anticipation of the new school year.
I threw this following comment onto Facebook knowing it was too long to fit in a post so it would be converted to a note and some of it would be cut off and only viewable if clicked on. Can't we just skip Wednesday and wake up to Thursday and the dawning of a new season. Wednesdays are pretty much useless anyway. Really it's probably embarrassed by the whole Hump Day name anyways. So I'm proposing that once a year we should skip it. (that was the part you could see) The NFL can't kick off soon enough...I had that at the beginning but I figured some would have rolled their eyes and skipped my epic hump day football post so I rearranged it to suck you in to think it was about something meaningless like what I ate or was watching on reality TV. Sorry none of that here...just thinking about football. You can roll your eyes now.
I posted that because right now every fan of every NFL team has hope because they are all undefeated and in their mind have a chance to win the Superbowl and they haven't even done anything on the field yet. Also because I'm appalled at the number of people I see complaining and obsessing over garbage TV like; Hoarders, Jersey Shore, Toddlers and Tiaras, Teen Mom and way too many others to fit here. Of which I am proud to say I have never watched an episode of. But I have a tip if you get so mad over watching it.....don't watch it. Period. Ok back to the regularly scheduled post.
We are all pretty much in that same boat. We haven't done anything to deserve to win but we are already guaranteed victory. That's pretty amazing especially if we honestly take a moment and just look at our actions & thoughts of today during our commute, at work and then at home tonight. I'm sure we'd all have a couple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties tossed our way. Now expand that to week, a month a year and if you're like me you've forgotten where you put your keys 5 minutes ago so even trying to fathom what we've done in our lifetime is pretty much out of the question. Just imagine the fines we'd be accumulating during those times if we were governed by the NFL's conduct policy. And come to find out the League doesn't let someone else pay your fines. Just ask Chad Ochocinco.
Luckily we have a God of grace and mercy who has already paid off our fines long before we ever even thought of screwing up. Not too mention He is willing to forgive and forget our mistakes each and every time...each and every one. Crazy to think this was all this done on his own accord without our asking. Now it's up to us what we decide do with this opportunity. So let us reflect this love onto others that we've been so graciously had bestowed upon us. Be that light in a world that is obsessed with sports, that hangs on every celebrities move and that has taken for granted the gifts and talents, both big and small, that we have been given to share with others. Give others Hope when they feel that it has all been lost.
It's that time of year where we all seem to be trying to balance life. Between kids going back to school, their sports practices and games, coaching those said sports (for those of us who can't say no), our job or jobs, and church everyone's calendar is pretty much filled up now until the holidays oh wait and if you're like my wife's side of the family you already planned the holiday stuff at the annual summer camp out in July. So how do we squeeze in the family time, spousal time or even the quiet time for ourselves? I didn't even mention time to spend with God in the Word through reading our Bible.
So how do we do it? I certainly haven't figured it out yet other than burning the candle at both ends but there has to come a moment in everyone's life when you have to put things in order to balance them out and to make things manageable and beneficial. I can only hope it happens before it's too late. You may think you have your priorities in order only to realize they weren't. Unfortunately many times that isn't figured out until everything is crashing down around you and you don't know how to fix the brokenness that has become your life.
Francis Chan is a pastor, an author and quite a funny man who has it figured out in my opinion. We've all heard about giving 10% for tithing but Chan goes the opposite way....he keeps 10 and gives back 90% and has donated all his book royalties to charity. This snippet is part of one of his sermons and is actually given on a balance beam for visual effect and I could picture many a parent thinking what he's saying. It's less than 4 minutes and hopefully you can take a little something away from it
Well I tried to convince Matt our intern here at work to do my blog post today and doctor it all up with the fancy audio video stuff he does but he abandoned my project for actual work....go figure. So now I'm sitting here waiting for some inspiration.
Waiting....that maybe the toughest thing for anyone today in our day and age of smart phones, on demand movies and Red Bull because no one has the time to wait let alone sleep anymore. What's one of the 1st things you tell someone when they ask you to do something...let me check my calender. We've all done it; I usually pull out my Droid phone and look at my Google calender right then and there since I have both mine and my wife's schedules synced to it. Waiting can be even more challenging for someone who feels lost or abandoned as a lot of times all hope seems lost. What can feel even more frustrating as a Christian is when you feel you are praying for something, someone or a situation that you feel needs God's intervention or blessing and our time frame doesn't seem to match that of God's plan at this moment. But if we remember what Isaiah 40:31 tells us that our efforts will renew us and give us strength to do it all over again.
Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
So enjoy this song by John Waller that just so happens to be called While I'm Waiting and the video contains clips from the move Fireproof....which if you haven't seen you need to do so.
I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait
I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait
I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord
Today I'm going to bring it back to someone that I've had the privilege to hear speak at our church a while back and that is Larry Osborne. You may recognize him as the pastor of North Coast Church but he's also the author of Sticky Church and Ten Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe. In this sermon he focuses on the most famous prayer of all...The Lord's Prayer.
Prayer can be different things to different people and have quite a different look or even purpose too. For example we as a family when we are together for dinner make it a point to take turns with the prayer. Now generally it starts as a debate as to who's turn it is but regardless our daughter does her prayer silently bowed down under the table in her seat but it always ends in Amen and a request for a 2nd prayer part way through our meal. Me personally I've grown more comfortable over the last few years with prayer; mainly through practice. In helping lead our weekly small group from church we focus on prayer to end each week and force each other to come up with something that we can pray for them for the coming week. It's generally easier to pray for someone else but asking for prayers can sometimes be hard because we are admitting we need help or that we are struggling with something. But that's what the community of fellow Christians is for...support and fellowship.
I've learned that prayer doesn't have to be pretty & eloquent. It just needs to be sincere and honest. We don't always have the perfect words because we'll find the fitting ones. It doesn't need to sound like we've been on the pulpit for years it just needs to be heard. Take the time to be honest and open because He already knows but sometimes we just need to humble ourselves and align our will with that of God's but most of all we just need to make the time and find a place to open our hearts and be still in His presence.
I'm going to take a page out of one of the ESPN folks I listen to on the radio and follow on Twitter for this installment of 80's on the 8th. He had thrown out a comment that grew a life of it's own and spilled over onto his radio show. His exact tweet was OK.... "That's the Way it is " by Celine Dion...I love it. There, I said it. You have a cheesy song you love too - share it , it's freeing. And the responses were all over the board but I must say most of them were 80's or early 90's songs that pretty much all had a home in my iTunes library. But then came the debate is it a cheesy or a good song.
So I started looking through my music and wiki to make sure it falls into the 80's category and began to narrow it down. Most of you probably have Ice Ice Baby or Informer in your head which I always do but they're from the 90's so they're eliminated. Also any Poison song gets removed too because they're still actually cool with all the VH1 love Brett Michaels has gotten over the last few years. I never had any NKOTB at the time though I found 1 song in my iTunes so they're out. It was on some compilation CD so don't judge me. Let's see....Bon Jovi....see Poison minus the VH1 stuff. I could Rick Roll (Google it if you don't know what I'm talking about) you with the classic Never Gonna Give You Up but I'll save that for April Fools. I would go with Milli Vanilli but you know why I can't plus I don't want to open up those wounds again for my friend Chris who I think after many many years of therapy is finally over his denial of their lies.
So I'm going to settle for one of those one hit wonders that every everyone remembers. Wild Wild West by Escape Club is one of those songs that does it for me. I still know all the words even that funky reggae part in there. The freaky video kinda overrides the great guitar rifts and cool bass line but I know you'll sing along so go ahead and crank it up.
Here's a little free trivia too....they're the only UK band to ever have a #1 hit here in the States but not even make it on the charts of their home country.
So what's your favorite 80's tune that you aren't ashamed to admit you still love to listen to?
I feel like I've been outta sorts not realizing it was actually Wednesday until just a few moments ago and started rummaging around my mind to figure out what to share with you today. Our small group at church has been reading through Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and one of the chapters we covered this week was #7 in book 3 titled Forgiveness. I had also been asked about this very subject just a week or so ago too so it must be what I'm too share.
Forgiving someone is probably the toughest thing we ever have to do because it goes against our human nature. Especially as Christians because if you take the Lord's Prayer to heart then you understand that you can't be forgiven ourselves unless we forgive others....the trespass part isn't talking about your front yard. And to top it off once you do forgive them you can never use that against them...unless they do it again but then again we are commanded to forgive them 70 x 7 times. Most importantly though if you don't forgive someone the bitterness, resentment and anger can consume you and slowly destroy you. So don't harden your heart and waste a year let alone 20 being eaten up by out of control emotions; take the steps now to find a way to forgive and a be a light to those around you.
So I typed forgive into my iTunes search and low and behold it brought up Sanctus Real. And it just so happens to be that I'll be seeing them in concert next week to open up the grand stand concerts at the Iowa State Fair along with Casting Crowns. How cool is it...that our state fair for the last 5 or 6 years has had a Christian act open the fair. The even cooler thing...they're the highest attended each year.
So pay attention to the lyrics of this song (or skip down below...I'll post them for you). But it's a pretty cinematically cool video too that just so happens to touch on chapter 8.
Well the past is playing with my head And failure knocks me down again I’m reminded of the wrong That I have said and done And that devil just wont let me forget In this life I know what I’ve been But here in your arms I know what I am I’m forgiven I’m forgiven And I don’t have to carry The weight of who I’ve been Cause I’m forgiven My mistakes are running through my mind And I’ll relive my days, in the middle of the night When I struggle with my pain, wrestle with my pride Sometimes I feel alone, and I cry In this life I know what I’ve been But here in your arms I know what I am When I don't fit in and I don’t feel like I belong anywhere When I don’t measure up to much in this life Oh, I’m a treasure in the arms of Christ ‘cause
I was kicking around what message to look at today and more importantly who was going to convey it and I knew I wanted it to be someone I've personally heard speak so that helped narrow it down a bit and then I determined it actually had to be somebody I enjoyed hearing so there again that helped narrow it down some more. Considering I've had the opportunity to hear him speak a couple times at Winter Jam (which is by the way the best deal in music not just Christian music...$10 for 10 bands) and converse with him on Twitter (@tonynolanlive by the way) I figured I'd introduce you to a bold lover of Jesus Christ that's been through it all yet has kept his sense of humor and wants to share God's love for us through his personal testimony that can be in your face blunt at times..but it's the Truth. So enjoy these few moments with Tony Nolan.
Today's word isn't necessarily a word at all but if it was it'd be called thomaslift. This particular segment that I'm sharing with you could be classified under many things; a video, musically enhanced photos or quite simply art but regardless it is very unique, personal and quite amazing. I had the privilege of getting to know William Butler through a variety of circumstances. One way or another I meet everyone that moves to town because I handle the city's utility billing and there are few people who stick out to me but William & his wife struck a chord with me through their humbleness and kindness. I would see them every month and I'd look forward to our couple minute conversations; mainly because they'd leave me with a "God Bless" and being in a government office you don't hear that every day. One year I took a season off from coaching soccer and actually got to experience games as a parent rather than a coach and our sons played against each other and again I was amazed to see them living out their faith in the community right there on the sidelines. Being the sucker that I am that fall I was back on the other sideline and my path crossed with the Butlers again only this time I had the privilege of having their sons on my team and William helping me coach and considering he was quite the accomplished soccer player I was more than willing to pick his brain and take any input he had to offer. It was during this time that I found out what he did for a living and I checked his work out and I was blown away. Fast forward through the season and I found out my church's pastor was leaving us after 9 years to move back home and be closer to his family and it just so happened to be that one of the other parents of a kid on my team was our church's parish staff relations person so I got the two together and they came up with the perfect going away gift and had William create 2 paintings (similar to the one in the video); 1 for our pastor to put in his new home and and 1 for our church to display. It is an amazing experience. That's the only way to describe it and it's something you'll never forget if you are blessed enough to be a part of it. Combining music with his art enhances the experience and you don't know if you should listen to the preacher or watch William create during the sermon. To truly understand the finished painting you have to see it from start to finish...just like our lives. William builds upon that blank canvas and creates a depth and meaning that you can't fully appreciate or understand unless you've watched it from start to finish and then every time you think this beautiful creation is done something else gets added. God does that with everyone around us including ourselves.....so look closely and if you can still see the painting underneath that's ok because we are all a work in progress and we won't be complete until we hear those words..."well done, good and faithful servant".
The Butler's have answered God's next call for them and have moved away and I'll forever be grateful that our church, my family and myself were graced by the presence of this wonderful family. Find out more about William here... http://www.thomaslift.com/
Well it is Wednesday again and I figured I'd introduce you to a song by The Afters. This week I got a text from my wife saying "I heard a song and can't track it down.Argh!!! He spoke to me clearly though it and I can't find it. Dunno what it was called or who by and even the radio station couldn't tell me". I asked her for some hints and luckily I was listening to the same radio station just online so I put a couple of her hints together and a part of some lyrics that stuck with her and sent her the video....moments later she downloaded it on iTunes.
I've followed these guys since their Beautiful Love days and downloaded the Never Going Back to Ok album the day it was released and even though they've won a couple Dove awards I don't think they've gotten the recognition or air-wave time until their song Light Up the Sky (new album is of the same name) went #1.
But their single Lift Me Up is the song I'm talking about this week and the official video to it brings the song to an entirely different level. Lyrically it speaks to everyone because we've all been there, melodically it is catchy and it is spiritually it is powerful. Thanks for reading & listening.
Well today's Word is many things. It is a song which I will share with you at the end of this, it is a word that means God has answered, but most importantly Elliana is my daughter and today is her 3rd birthday so I figured it was perfect timing to share a little about her and the story surrounding her.
To preface all of this we already had 3 boys; Cole, Luke & Zack and my wife had several miscarriages (here's her "testimony" my wife's blog ). We had a girl's name picked out for what seems like forever. She was always going to be Hailey Jane but then that's what my cousin named his daughter...this was after we told his dad the name we had picked out because Jane was not only my aunt but she also my Godmother and we lost her to cancer when I was in junior high and it was the only name my wife & I could ever agree on other than our oldest son Cole. So we had to scrap that girl name. In 2007 we went through 2 of those miscarriages and our youth pastor at church gave us a CD. She said her mom really liked them but wasn't her thing but knew there was a song on it for us. She was right...it just wasn't the song she assumed it would be. It was a CD from the husband wife group of Watermark and the song she intended for us to hear was Glory Baby; a song about their own loss. What she didn't fully know was that right after that song was one called Elliana; a song thanking God for their child. We finally had a name picked out....now we just needed a middle name which I covered here in a previous post of mine Just so happened to be
Fast forward to February 14th 2008 we found out we were having a girl. All was good in our household though I was not prepared for the multitude of pink that me and the boys were destined for. That all changed in April as we were forced into the harsh reality of things don't always go as planned. My wife does daycare and we found out she was exposed to 5th disease (that slapped bright red rash cheek virus which is virtually harmless to kids but very dangerous to a pregnant women). Knowing she'd done daycare so long we assumed she had had it before and was already immune to it but they did a blood test which to our surprise came back positive so we were referred to a perinatal specialist.
So we were left scared and with a lot questions in the meantime because they said their could be drastic problems. We had already lost 2 the previous year due to my wife's body not producing enough "stuff" to tell her body she's pregnant....I know real technical terms here. After meeting the perinatologist we learned we'd get a chance to see our little girl every few weeks for a few months via ultrasounds to monitor the baby's blood flow to her brain. If it increased, it would indicate she could be becoming anemic and they would do a blood transfusion in utero or possibly have her early. So we had to prepare each time that this could be the day. But through a lot of prayers she was fine and we got to double check time and time again to make sure she was a girl....already having 3 boys we wanted to make sure before we repainted the house pink.
Fast forward 3 years and we're here today with our beautiful little girl who has completed our family and makes each day a true joy and we thank God for answering our prayers and bringing our family unimaginable blessings.
Here are some of her pictures from this past year put to her song...
This has to be one of my favorite clips of Louie's and considering he has some pretty amazing talks that says something. I have had the privilege of seeing him in person several times and we have done his DVD sermon series in different church groups too and if you look at my post back in February titled Just so happened to be you'll find a little more back story on this. So prepare yourself you'll be seeing quite a bit of Mr. Giglio in this blog post series.
I'll leave you with this...I just hope and pray you've had your encounter and if you now crave Krispy Kreme I'm sorry.
For those of you who haven't heard of or just haven't heard Andy speak then you've been missing out but either way you're in for a treat. I purposefully didn't put "heard Andy preach" because his speaking style combined with his ability to bring it nonstop makes for quite the easy listen and seems far from your every day preaching you might be accustomed to. Plus when you throw in the fact that he's sneaky funny and you've got yourself a winning combination of Biblical truths and every day practicality. Warning: if you are a note taker do not attempt to do so you will miss out on a lot because Andy doesn't stop or let alone pause for comedic timing...he may not even breathe during his sermons. Though I have not been able to find supporting records of that last theory so it'll have to remain a hypothesis of mine.
Where do your worries lie? Where does your trust lie?
Well with father's day this weekend and me technically starting this post yesterday (18th), I figured it was fitting to look back at father's day when I was a kid. For most people it usually means a grill out, doing something in the yard or a family get together with our aunts & uncles and cousins. But for us it was usually spent at home since both my parents lost their dads at a young age. So Mothers Day was reserved for that big extended family get together. Seriously it was big...10 kids in my mom's family.
One thing I'm proud to say is we never got my dad a tie for Fathers Day. Shoot I don't know if he's ever worn one let alone owns one. Well I take that back; I might have seen a grade school picture of him with a suit and tie of some sorts on. Oh and in his Army dress uniform but other than that my dad pretty much lives in his bibs & orange shirt. My dad didn't really have any hobbies other than collecting "stuff". It didn't matter what it was....bikes, old golf clubs, thingamajigs and a few things I didn't know the name for then and still don't now. I'm fairly certain he still has most of it too. He was always fixing something...and then fixing it again. You see he never truly fixed things...just got them working again; until they broke....again. So he was always getting parts for this and for that at various garage sales or junk yard and he was constantly tinkering on something. I tend to do the same thing. Trust me just ask my wife and take a look at our garage. I know a little about a lot of things and when you compound that with the procrastination gene my dad passed on to me and I'm a fairly dangerous man. Not necessarily dangerous in the fact that they put my life in danger because the things I attempt to fix are dangerous but in the fact that I'm sure my wife wants to strangle me in my sleep due to all the half started projects going on around our home. Though I prefer to consider them half finished.
So take a moment today and think back to that time when you were a kid and your dad was your favorite super hero and thank them for time well spent. Hopefully you can pass on some of those things you hold special in your heart that you did with your dad and pass that on to your kids so they can pass it on to theirs.
Well if you were thinking this was going to be a Sesame Street video I'm sorry to disappoint because I'm not talking about just any word...I'm talking about the Word. God's message is brought to us in many ways. Whether that's through a bible....one with pages or the You Version app on your phone or iPod, a pastor at church, music, the people we come in contact with everyday or the world around us. Sometimes we're just too busy or blind to see It waiting for us and It's been there right there in front of us the entire time.
My plan is to make this a weekly installment here on my blog. So some weeks it may be a song with some purposeful lyrics and other times it could be a speaker with a great message. But regardless it'll be a video because they'll always be able to say it or explain it much better than I can since I'm not a biblical scholar and I haven't slept at a Holiday Inn Express in years. So if you enjoy Christian music and commentary with a bit of humor mixed in (which is why I enjoy our church's new pastor); good. Then you should like these blog posts. If you're offended; good....there's a reason but you'll have to work though that.
So let me introduce you too Tenth Avenue North and their lead singer Mike Donehey (@mikedonehey for you Twitter folks). I've had the privilege of seeing them several times in concert over the last few years and they'll be performing at the Iowa State Fair this year on the free stage to close the fair down on the last night August 21st. Not only do these guys put out some pretty amazing music but Mike really has a way with delivering a message and not just when he's doing his Mickey from Rocky impression either. So enjoy this bit of wisdom not just in the intro but in the song itself because who we are is not about what we do but what's been done for us
So just remember it's not how great your faith is....but who your faith is in.
Now that schools out (for most of us) and the temperature is creeping up that can mean only 1 thing....family vacation time. For kids nowadays it's a breeze. They have their iPods, Gameboys, smart phones and portable DVD players to keep them occupied. But for us 80's kids we might of had a walkman...CD version if you were lucky or else you had your tape one with the songs you recorded off the radio because generally the antennas on them were bad so you could never get the station it just right but if you did you had to stay still but being in a car that was pretty much impossible. Other than that you had a book and the radio. And depending who was driving determined if you were lucky enough to get to listen to FM versus AM....more on that to follow.
For me I never took a vacation as a kid that I got to fly. I didn't get to go the beach and see the oceans or go see Mickey at Disney World or Land for that matter. Yeah yeah I know deprived child. You see our family vacations were determined by where my aunts & uncles lived. Considering pretty much all of my relatives but 2 sets didn't live too far away that left those 2 as the lucky winners. And since they were equidistant apart it set up for an every other year rotation between Colorado and The U.P......Upper Peninsula for you non Michiganites. And from where I grew up that meant an ever so enjoyable 12 hour drive each way which makes it borderline Clark Griswold status.
But even after those trips most of my recollection of "vacation" was actually spent in the car with my grandma. Since I was the oldest grandson in town that put various duties on my shoulders. Like mowing her lawn and riding along with her to visit those 2 same sets of relatives that I normally did with my own family. Worst part of this situation though was the music. She was a country music fan. Now you're probably thinking that's not so bad but you have to remember this was PG...Pre Garth. We're not even talking George Strait or Reba here folks. We're talking AM country music in the 80's...Hank Williams Sr (not Jr), Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Chet Atkins and Roy Acuff. I could have lived with Merle Haggard, Johny Cash, George Jones and Willie Nelson but they were a little to "hard core" for my grandma's taste so she resided on the AM side of the dial.
I've admitted this to very few people but on one of the trips I learned a trick to ride in silence. I'm not proud of it but it got me through and helped me keep my sanity. I figured out that if I pushed the window button up when the window was already closed it created a bunch of static interference with the AM reception. I stumbled upon it by accident but boy when I figured it out I was all over it until she had fumbled around with the dials enough to determine she just couldn't find a station that would be suitable. I'm actually pretty surprised we never got in an accident when she was trying to scan the dials...manually; since she didn't have a digital radio with a scan or seek button.
I have taken a couple Clark Griswold adventures with my own kids that had some hilarity ensue and my wife didn't kill me and we are still married after them so I'm sure there will be more to follow.
No I'm talking Star Wars....I'm talking final episode of your favorite TV show. Being that all the networks announced their fall lineups this past week it made me think back to some of the final episodes of TV shows I watched as a kid. Sometimes they have the benefit of knowing it's the last season going into so they actually have an ending and other times they meet their untimely doom by no being renewed in the off season and you are left hanging or worse yet cancelled mid season.
Growing up in the 80's the biggest final episode (still to this day) was that for M*A*S*H*
I loved watching this show. Now most of what I remember watching were the reruns but I still watched Klinger, Hawkeye, Hot Lips, Radar, Frank and the rest of the 4077th like clockwork. This show probably led me to watching China Beach years later too....well that and Platoon & Good Morning Vietnam came out the prior years which led to an interest in the Vietnam war.
What boy in the 80's didn' watch Knight Rider & A-Team too; though I can't remember how they finished.
A show that started in the 80's that I really enjoyed too was Quantum Leap and the way they finished the show was tricky to say the least. But I won't give it away.
Where this is leading to is that I never watched the final episode of my favorite TV show of all time that is LOST. I mentioned to my wife a while back that I have purposefully avoided watching it and actually refuse to. It was such an ingenious show with intertwined well thought out make you think plot lines for every character that I never wanted it to end. And I would rather have my own conclusions and beliefs to all the "whys" & "what ifs". It was crazy the amount of time every day people put into trying to decipher stills of every single scene to find clues and inferences that would give credence to their theory. Granted the internet age has helped accommodate all these LOSTIES with websites, blogs and communities dedicated to unraveling the show's symbolism and connecting all the flash backs & forwards.
I could go on and on about LOST but I won't but I am glad to see a lot of the actors from that show are venturing back into the acting world with new various new series. This fall there appears to be some interesting new shows that aren't just mindless reality junk coming to a TV set near you.
It's funny seeing Mother's Day relived as an adult as my own kids do things for their mom that I did for my mom when I was their age. And a lot of times it's not necessarily even for mother's day but they'll make things in school and bring them home and tell her they made them for her. We still have a few creations floating around the house that I made and what made me think of it was my oldest two boys were comparing the clay faces they had made in art class. While they got good laughs out of making fun of each others and pretending to drop them; it gave my wife a heart attack because she truly cherishes their efforts. But for this past week they have had specific projects in school to do for their moms.
I remember as a kid making poems, pottery, cards and various other items sometimes with a packet of flower seeds to be planted for my mom. This week my youngest son brought home a customizable flower pot with interchangeable I Love You Mom sayings. My oldest wrote his mom a poem because that's what they are covering in school....it may or may not have made her cry I didn't see. And my middle son used his artistry to make a home made card. What my wife didn't realize was that our 2 yr old daughter had made her a card earlier this week but she makes them all the time with her markers and colors and they get hung on the fridge for a little while until they're replaced by the next one. Well Elli wanted to go get her card when she saw her brothers giving theirs to mom.
It's now become tradition that the kids and I plant their mom flowers for mother's day which these last few years have been spent on the soccer field. But I do get varying amounts of help which I'm sure I was the same way as a kid....I was more than willing to help until I found out how much work it actually was or that I got bored. Luckily with 4 kids I can usually get enough effort out of each of them to get the job done.
So thank you to all you mother's who love all us kids...big and small. Now if we could just get Father's Day moved to during the school year so we can get cool stuff done for us.
This is a follow up to my most recent reminiscing of the 80's.
Last week I touched upon the the fact that a grade school boy in little league wearing a "cup" will instinctively test it to make sure it works. Here is my own son testing the acoustics of his equipment as proof to that theory; as generations of boys have tested the hypothesis and have consistently proved that us boys can't not cup check our ourselves repeatedly.
*****Sorry I removed the video*****
Unfortunately I did not get the video of him trying to get his "gear" off as my wife was laughing hysterically, crying and nearly peeing her pants (why women do this I don't know but that's another theory for another day).
Due to rain and sickness I finally got to see my youngest son's 1st little league game of the year. Considering he only had 2 practices he did great going 3 for 3. It is machine pitch so they at least get nice consistent balls to hit but for a 7 yr old wearing a nut cup nothing on the field comes easy. I remember those days of constantly having to adjust yourself not too mention actually testing to see if it worked. I saw him over there banging a baseball on his crotch to make sure it worked...at least he hasn't taken the next step and used a bat or even worse used a bat to cup check someone else. It'll happen guaranteed...it's one of those boyhood facts of life possibly even a right of passage. Cool thing is our little league here uses actual MLB team names and he has played for the Cubs 2 years in a row now so that's a bonus for me being the cursed fan that I am. Now granted they're still sponsored by local businesses but nothing can compare to the teams I played on as a kid........
Auen Distributing
The Elks
But sad to say that unlike his oldest brother who I used to fire off heaters to before supper knowing he could catch anything when he was his age or with his other brother who I'd make switch hit because 1. he could and 2. it made him concentrate and he would actually swing smoother and make much better contact I just haven't tossed the rawhide around much with him much. The pigskin yes but mostly we've become a soccer family and Zack has grown up on the fields with me coaching both his brother's teams in both the spring and fall and now his. Cole and Luke have decided soccer is their game and both excel in it. I had always swore off coaching especially football because I knew I'd take it too serious and the kids would end up hating me. But after some persuasion...me persuading my brother for a crash course in soccer and to help me coach that 1st year I've now logged over 30 different teams. I did coach football 1 season and it was a blast breaking them down and teaching technique and some of the finer points they had no clue about because their old coach was more concerned with his son being quarterback even though he couldn't throw the football. Sometimes I catch myself becoming that coach I don't like but I generally keep it in check and just try to encourage my teams to have fun and to play the game the right way and because they like it and not just because their parents do.
If you weren't at our church (Grimes United Methodist) on Easter boy did you miss out. Not only was the sermon great but our worship leader Josh knocked it out of the park with the music sets. I wish I had the video of our praise band doing their version of this Fee song Rise and Sing. But this live version (actually by Fee) of the song will have to do to demonstrate how rockingly awesome this praise song is. So feel free to join in and rise & sing.
Whoooaaaaa
If you’re alive and you’ve been redeemed, rise & sing, rise & sing.
If you’ve been touched by the mercy king, rise & sing, rise & sing.
Whoooaaaaa
If you were bound but now you’re free, rise & sing, rise & sing.
Lift up a shout of victory, rise & sing, rise & sing.
Whoooaaaaa
Our God is risen and reigning and we’re elevating the glory of our God and King, everybody rise & sing. Whoooaaaaa
It’s in your heart rings a melody, rise & sing, rise & sing.
If you have tasted and you have seen, rise & sing, rise & sing.
Our God is risen and reigning and we’re elevating the glory of our God and King, everybody rise & sing. Whoooaaaaa
Let the redeemed of the Lord sing hallelujah, hallelujah.
Let the redeemed of the Lord sing our God reigns, our God reigns.
Our God is risen and reigning and we’re elevating the glory of our God and King, everybody rise & sing. Whoooaaaaa
With Easter this weekend many of us will be subjected to getting dressed up and cozying up with our family for the annual Easter family photo. Brothers and sisters will be forced to smile and act like they like each other for a minute or longer especially if everyone is hopped up on chocolate bunnies and can't sit still.
All us guys remember being forced to bathe and get all spiffied up in our pale yellow polo shirt and khakis. And that was if you were lucky and your mom didn't hate you and force a pink striped shirt on you which would forever be hung on the wall in the hallway or better yet drug out for graduation.
In looking back at family photos from when I was a kid I'm just glad I didn't inherit my ears from whomever my brother did. Sorry John but you know it's true. You may think girls had it easy and don't generally complain about looking nice or whine about having to put on a frilly dress....but girls look back at the family photos from when you were growing up and look at your hair. Wow I'm glad I didn't have that problem because I could laugh for hours just looking at my sister Shelly's varying stages of hairdom. Again sorry Shelly but it's true. I'm not without fault in these family pictures by any means....I admit I was a goofy looking kid through out the 80's. Just glad they finally let me get rid of the bowl cut fairly early in grade school cause I had enough problems without that mess to deal with.
I have dug some of these pictures out of hiding and fell on the sword and posted them willingly on Facebook so that way no one could black mail me with them or with other pictures from say homecoming or possibly prom. Now technically this photo is not from the 80's it is merely being used as an example of our family picture and to show you my siblings I mentioned in previous paragraph. So now I just smile for the camera cause I know what my boys are going through and what joy they'll have in 20 years looking back at the family Easter photo of them in their pink, pale yellow, white shirts and khakis next to their sister who is decked out from head to toe with bows, a frilly dress and fancy shoes all smiling not because they love each other so so much but because they've been bribed with chocolate bunnies, Reeces peanut butter eggs, Jolly Rancher jelly beans and peeps.
In what is our family's and my craziest time of year I just realized I missed my 80's on the 8th post for last week. I apologize though I can't promise it won't happen again. With 3 boys in soccer (1 of them also playing baseball), coaching 2 of the a fore mentioned soccer teams myself, 1 full-time job, 2 part-time jobs (3 in the winter), a little girl who misses me and wants my attention 1 minute and won't acknowledge me the next (she's only 2 what's she going to be like as a teenager), a house and yard that desperately need some attention, coffee that needs to be roasted & drank, a website that needs to get finished that coincides with the coffee problem that I have, video games that need to be played, books that need read and a wife that desperately....oh wait never mind that was the house & yard. Not too mention squeezing sleep in there somewhere somehow.
To say I'm busy is putting it lightly but I wouldn't trade any of it...well actually I could do without jobs 2-4. Luckily for what time I lack in attaining sleep I have the coffee to fall back on. When I gave up energy drinks last year for Lent I thought I was nuts and wouldn't make it a week. Well here I am a year later having only needing one when driving through the night on vacation. Did I mention I like coffee.
The one thing I do seem to get done though is get my daily bible reading in. Luckily there is an app for that other wise I'd never find the time to squeeze it in. And considering my phone is attached to me that helps. Thank you; You Version. So hopefully I keep this up so I can complete the task of reading through it in a year. Now if they just had an app for everything else I need to get done.
If you grew up in the 80's you still have some favorite music you still listen to from the 80's but you also have some favorite music videos you still remember because when we were kids MTV was actually Music Television. One of the most memorable videos was Take On Me by Aha. Not only was the video pretty darn cool and won a bunch of awards but the song itself was an international sensation and went #1 in 9 countries and the Top 7 in 7 more.
A lot has changed since my days of having my 1 item of green clothing picked out for days leading up to March 17th only to forget it and end up having to wear a green piece of construction paper pinned to my shirt. They say the more things change the more they stay the same but I still attempt to wear that 1 item of green clothing; though I no longer make it bright green or claim the green grapes on my Fruit of the Looms to be my green escape card just in case I forgot again. That being said I have never participated in the partaking of drinking green beer or eating green eggs (only do that on Dr. Seuss's birthday) or got stupefied on Bailey's & Jamison. So yeah things are basically still the same.
It's too bad kids are missing out on St. Patrick's day parties with green cupcakes & punch, shamrocks and leprechauns but in today's fun hating political correctness school system they just have to suck it up cause they're there to learn period. Oh well at least McDonalds still has Shamrock Shakes; well until March 31st.
I actually sent a text to a friend who whole heartedly lives out being Irish on St. Patrick's Day...Jamison Whiskey, kilt the whole 9 yards. I sent him the message at 8:30 AM to tell him that he was living a farce because St. Patrick wasn't even Irish he was British. He replied with words I can not repeat here so he either 1. had been drinking for a few hours already or 2. hadn't been drinking long enough. He did break his phone at some point during the day so hopefully it wasn't my shedding light on his lack of understanding of his Irish heritage but oh well there's always next year so I'll remind him again then.
I know kids today still make an effort to wear their green so they don't get pinched. Luckily I've blessed my kids into being Eagles fans so they can wear their Eagles gear and have this day covered. Though nowadays every MLB, NBA & NFL team has special green St. Patrick's day gear to go along with their pink Breast Cancer awareness swag. But for the majority of people it's sadly just become another excuse to take a day off and party and who better to promote that than the pubs & bars.
Did you have a favorite item of green clothing you wore as a kid to keep everyone from pinching you?
That's what they used to call me. I was a calculated risk taker, a college basketball genius or more likely an idiot savant as I wove myself into the history books of March Madness back in 2002 on that fateful selection Sunday as I filled out my brackets.
Many of us...ok many of us men...will be glued to the TV sets this afternoon as college basketball conference championship tournaments wrap up and as teams across the nation sit on the edge of their bubble waiting to hear their names called to know they made the big dance. March Madness got its name for a reason. Not only is it maddening for teams to try and figure out if they've made the NCAA tournament but also what seed they are going to get and what region they'll be shipped off to and eventually have to face a favored team on their home court...sorry a little Michigan St vs Iowa State flash back that is still a bitter pill to swallow slipped out there. But the tournament itself can also be madness as the little schools that could attempt to knock off the Goliaths of basketball. The Richmonds, Santa Claras, Coppin States and yes even the Hamptons of the world (a 2nd tough ISU pill to swallow) know that anything can happen if the ball bounces their way a few times. Some fo the greatest moments in sports history happen in the NCAA basketball tournament. Last second 3/4 court passes for turn around jumpers, length of the court dashes for lay ups and left handed free throws in honor of a lost team mate. There would be more of these moments had the shots fallen but we as a society generally remember the winning moments...the game winning shots. Unless you're a Cyclone fan then you remember the lay up that rimmed out. So basically if you love college basketball then you love the NCAA tournament unless your team has a history of not making it then you might love it even more because you are not emotionally invested.
But we all become emotionally invested when we fill out our brackets. Some of us may just enter the office pool for a buck or two and forget who we even picked and usually just take the highest seed if all else fails because you weren't even aware Weber State or Sienna were even colleges let alone had basketball teams. Others get invited into pools by their buddies and end up entering one in their name, their wife's, brother's kid's and maybe even their dogs with as many scenarios they can think of with each having a different one of the favorites winning. Gotta cover all your bases. Some may have what is called a sheet of integrity and go with 1 outcome but could be entered into various pools. Others yet enter every free bracket challenge on the Internet...from ESPN to CBS Sportsline, Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo and Sportingnews. My apologizes to the several hundred others I left off as these were just a few of the ones I could remember my passwords for.
I fall into that last category if you hadn't figured it out. Mainly from what happened in 2002 as I'm trying to recapture the glory I obtained by winning the national Sportingnews.com bracket challenge. I got the 1099C to prove it as the computer I won has since died. I still remember calling my wife to tell her "dude we're getting a Dell". You remember those commercials right? My winning should have given me a free ticket to enter any fantasy sports or challenge for every sport imaginable but I guess someone forgot to tell my wife.
I remember entering a few times into this particular bracket challenge but there was 1 entry I was particularly proud of because I knew it'd be the one that no one else would enter; not even the Missouri fans had this much faith in their team. The way this challenge worked was what ever seed the team was given (1-16) got multiplied by the round they were playing in. So you basically get bonus points for picking the lower seeds winning...the higher number is the lower seed. I know it's backwards but that's the way it is. Here's how this all played out.
I had watched Missouri in the Big 12 throughout the year and had to put aside by disdain for Quinn Snyder and his used car salesman look because the team got hot in the conference tournament and I had a feeling they were going to make some noise. Then when they got the 12 seed I was beginning to question my gut feeling but I stuck with it after reading the rules on this bracket challenge. I almost picked the West region perfect. My only miss was UCLA upsetting Cincinnati which actually helped me out with Missouri then upsetting UCLA in the 3rd round (sweet 16). This was after Missouri had upset Miami in the 1st round and then Ohio State in the 2nd round only to fall to Oklahoma losing out on a chance to go to the Final 4. So I nailed 3 of the 4 Final 4 teams and I was thinking this is cool I'm in the top 1%. I remember hearing an interview on the local sports radio of a college kid at ISU that was in 1st going into the sweet 16 and he ended up tanking the 2nd half...that's what you get for being a Duke fan I guess which is why I always have them losing at some point. Most people had Kansas, Duke or Cincinnati winning it all that year. But in that championship game I was a Terp
During the game I figured I'd check the rankings and see how everyone was sitting. I got through the 1st couple pages of standings and none of them had Maryland winning the championship so I began to think I might have my best finish ever. Then after what was an extremely low scoring game I started looking even closer. I didn't think it could be right but it was looking like I was going to finish 2nd in the country. I stayed up for hours checking and double checking the math. How much longer till it updated? Finally there it was for all the world to see I finished 2nd in the country. But then later that day I got an email informing me I would be bumped to the top spot because the winner was not of age so was disqualified. So even though it was by default I had won. I remember even trying to tell them I would be leaving on vacation to get them to send me the forms I had to fill out earlier but nope they sent it as they had planned. We got a ton of use out of that Dell and upgraded video cards several times....we still actually use the monitor on our new computer today.
Unfortunately I have been unable to capture the success I did during that fateful run of the tournament and I continually tank it before the sweet 16 is up. Don't get me wrong; since then I have picked a perfect region every year but it's the other 3 that tend to give me problems.
Sorry I gotta cut this short all the Bracketology shows are on and then it's time to enter as many tournament challenges as I can.
I have to tell this story quite often on why I won't eat the one thing that I won't eat and it goes back to when I was a kid. I love food. I enjoying cooking but more importantly I can really pack it away to the point I probably could have joined the Major League Eating & International Federation of Competitive Eating League. Granted I might not have been at the same level of a Joey Chestnut or a Richard LeFevre but I could have held my own. I actually ate the Belly Buster at Rube's Steakhouse and got a free t-shirt out of the deal. Just think of John Candy in the Great Outdoors...minus the gristle. Though technically I ate more than the actual one because they were out of the 54oz version so I had to go with 2 28 oz sirloins. I even went back to the salad bar for more food while everyone else was still working on their petite steaks.
But back to what I won't eat but sticking with the movie theme. I have seen Funny Farm and I know what mountain oysters are but I have to say I have not been presented with that particular opportunity so I don't know if I would go through with that challenge or if I would make my list 2 things long on what I won't eat. So when I ask people before I eat something that has the appearance of a walnut (sometimes pecans are tricky that way) or something that traditionally has them in it the 1st question I get in return is Oh are you allergic? And my response is always the same....No they're just disgusting nasty vile things. Well no I don't always say that but pretty close and it usually paints a pretty good picture of my feelings towards them.
Now for the story behind my aversion to the dreaded walnut. As a kid my grandma lived in the country. On the property is a gravel pit that is still one of my favorite places to go and to bring my kids. The fishing is great but it mainly brings back a lot of great memories from my times spent there. There is only 1 negative thing about this bit of land and that is the insane amount of walnut trees in the grove. You're thinking ok what's so bad about walnuts? Well 1st off the name walnut means foreign nut if that ain't enough to describe them then I don't know what else could. The nice looking in the shell walnuts or the out of the shell nut itself you see in the store is not where my problem lies; it is with the husk that covers the shell. This nasty leathery greenish looking covering will stain everything it comes in contact with including your hands. It's powerful stuff that is even used as a fabric dye. Just try carrying around a 5 gallon bucket picking up rotting greenish brownish stinking nasty walnuts and see if you ever want to see let alone eat them again.
I can't look at a walnut without thinking of those times as a kid out in the woods wondering how many ticks I was going to have to have burned, smothered or yanked off me and just how long were my hands going to stay that color which just ruins my appetite. So I am quite alright with 7 layer bars becoming 6 layer bars, banana bread staying banana bread and brownies are for sure perfectly fine on their own. That's pretty much it in a nutshell....so to speak.
Ever look back to try and figure out where or when you got your nickname? If it's one you've had since you were a kid it's probably something to do with your name. If it's from high school then most likely it came from some extra curricular activity. But if you got it in college then it surely has to do with something stupid that you did.
For me it has to do with my name...more specifically my last name. I've been called it for as long as I can remember. Used to put it on the back of my school sweatshirts and everything. Heck most people probably thought that was what my last name really was. My brother has a similar version of the nickname and my oldest son has taken it on too and even has it as his signature line of his texts and emails. Now granted I did have one that went with my 1st name and occasionally it is brought up by random people but had I been born say 20 years prior it may have had a little more staying power due to the Disney miniseries by the same name; Davy Crockett. But eventually it would have gotten confusing when I got older because Fess Parker (played Davy Crockett) went on to play Daniel Boone in that long running TV series too. So how does someone end up playing 2 different historical figures of the same genera? I guess the same way Ryan Reynolds is playing 2 different super heroes (Deadpool & Green Lantern in case you were wondering).
Oh I almost forgot about the short lived Super Dave; in reference to Super Dave Osbourne during the time he was on Letterman & Carson and that Nike commercial kept it around for a bit longer. But alas that one came and went too.
So I'm stuck with Siggy...with the last name of Sigler it fits. My brother goes by Sig. It's not degrading. It doesn't produce foul language in the Name Game Song (Banana-fana fo-fana) and it doesn't rhyme with any bad words either. Which is why our son Cole is not named Tucker...sorry not spelling it out for you. We understood as parents that the name can make or break a kid. Kids are cruel. My wife also saw the importance of initials....ok more like saw through my attempts to name my other sons Andrew Sam. Remember the last name Sigler here folks. I also tried to get my nephew named that if they weren't going to name him after me. I told them 1st or middle name I wasn't picky but no. Which is why I have been forced to nickname my nephews. No one is taking me serious....David or Marc would be great names. I would nickname the nieces too but it's just not as funny. Take for instance I have a nephew I call Rusty. Nothing out of the ordinary plus it's cute for a little tyke with a crazy amount of hair. Until you find out his last name is pronounced "tool". Then it makes it hilarious. I gave my brother-in-law options that my sister almost disowned me for. How cool wouldn't it be if your name was Bosch or Milwaukee or DeWalt or Ryobi or the perfect Porter Cable and have the last name like Tool. Talk about a mans man. But again shot down so now he's stuck with Rusty...Rusty Tool. My brother just had his 1st son the other week and I helped prevent the nickname problem. After they refused the Andrew Sam (FYI my brother thought it was great....his grade school teacher wife did not) and again David or Marc nixed so that left them with only the name Max and a bunch of variations. They settled on Max but Maximus was on the table until I brought up Gluteus. What kid doesn't laugh in grade school when learning about the gluteus maximus. But Maximus would have been great for my brother and me. We grew up with Transformers and we would have called him Maximus Prime; which we still may but that would've been cool. But I've stuck with calling him Maximoto. Why; I don't exactly know but it sounds techy and trendy so I'm sticking with it.
Oh just remembered another one. I forgot sometimes you gain a nickname from coworkers. This can be a little tricky depending on if they like you or not. But when a group of you all have the same nickname just followed #1, #2, #3 etc then it can't be too bad right? Well that depends on the nickname and if you can remember how you all got it. Eventually one of our friends got to add a prefix to this nickname because he earned it and he became Dr. Dumba$$. How we got the nicknames Dumba$$ #1 #2 #3 or who gave them to us I don't remember but this was during the college years so who knows. Heck we probably gave it to ourselves. It could possibly have been our our uncanny resemblance to the Three Amigos or quite possibly the 3 Stooges but it maybe one of those unanswered questions.
So in retrospect I still get called Siggy. I don't mind it a bit. Some people may not even know my real name and only know or remember me as Siggy. I think we all know someone like that. My son has embraced this nickname too but I'm not sure if the other 2 will. Maybe someday Maximoto will go by Sig, Siggy or Sig Jr too but I'll leave that up to him since I've already given him a name.
That is the question. But you now may be thinking what am I talking about? I'll remove any speculation this is going to be about wart removal? While this was a subject matter in our house this week it is definitely not what I'm thinking about.
If you are like most people then your are getting your yearly fix right about now. Some may have gotten their delivery yesterday, others today at some family function but most likely tomorrow at church. While some of you may have started going down the wrong path and were thinking some illicit drug deal...you're close. Even though there is an exchange of cash for goods it's not quite what you're thinking; that is unless you've got a box of Tagalongs staring at you then we're on the same page because I took care of a row or two of those peanut buttery goodness yesterday. You see I'm talking about Girl Scout Cookies.
I've determined there are only 2 types of people; those who put their Thin Mints & Samoas in the freezer and those who don't. You immediately know which group you fall in and generally speaking probably think the other side of the fence people are just plain ole wrong for not thinking and doing the same as you. I'll get it out in the open right away. I'm a firm believer in the freezer...that is if they make it that far. If you polish off the box or boxes in transit from the Cookie Santas aka Girl Scouts then you are forgiven it happens and it's understandable. Depending if you're right (freezer) or wrong you were most likely born that way...you're mom did it that way so that's why you do it. Moms probably had their reasons; like hiding them clear in the back of the freezer under the fish sticks because dad wouldn't spend that much time looking behind bags of frozen peas and he'd see the frozen Twix or Rolos first and grab one of those instead. Plus if they were in the cupboard then any one who could climb on the counter could get at them and scurry off to their room and hide under the bed and eat the entire box. Don't judge me you know you've done it oh wait I've heard people have been known to do this.
Granted I've been informed of a subdivision in each of these groups and that would be the folks who call Samoas by their other name Carmel deLights but I'm not sure I'm ready to recognize them because they're Samoas in my book; period end of discussion. And technically the same argument could be made about those Trefoils vs the Shortbread people but since they are not a freezerable option we'll ignore them and pretend they don't exist.
So if you haven't gotten your cookies yet then the possibility truly exists they were delivered to your spouce, left with a roommate or given to your kids to give to you. Which if that is the case you're SOL because they're probably gone so you best track down a Girl Scout and see if they have any extras. Long live the Samoas.
I came home tonight to see my boys playing Tecmo Bowl and a flood of memories came back. Now the only game better than Tecmo Bowl growing up was Super Tecmo Bowl so I'll have to keep my eye out on the Wii store for that to become available for download.
I downloaded this for the kids (well OK me) a few weeks ago and I was bragging it up and then they saw it and they couldn't stop laughing. Kids these days don't understand how rough they've got it with their high definition TVs, gaming systems with more power than the computers that controlled space launches years ago, cutting edge graphics that go with award winning game designers that focus on depth of game play.
I remember my Atari 5200 like it was yesterday but I'll save that for another day as I focus on Tecmo Bowl. My kids were making fun of me for being the Raiders but any self respecting gamer of the 80's knows that's the only team to be and there was only 1 play to run and that was the pitch to Bo Jackson. Considering there were only 4 plays to choose from you really didn't have many choices and even if the other team picked your play there was still a chance you could score regardless of field position. Granted the pixelated bits of guys didn't have names but it was him...there was no denying it. You could run circles around people (literally) just to mess with them and I proceeded to show the boys how it was done.
Everyone loves their Madden and I know I've wasted a few hours, days and possibly weeks of my life on it (volume off of course so I didn't have to listen to Captain Obvious whose name graces the game) but give me my Tecmo Bowl or better yet Super Tecmo Bowl and let the good times roll.
This week I got to have a unique experience courtesy of some family friends. Not only as a Christmas gift did they treat my wife and I to the kick off of Chris Tomlin's And If Our God Is For Us tour but I also got to meet him briefly for lunch. Most people may not know him by name but if you go to church that has a contemporary service then you've heard his songs (sometimes weekly...thanks Josh) or you could have hit scan on your car stereo and chances are if it stopped on a Christian station then odds are fairly good that you heard this 16 time Dove Award Winner's songs. It's hard not to though considering he's pretty much been the face of Christian Worship music the past decade. And right on queue as I'm typing this his latest song just came on the radio.
My wife volunteered me to go because she knows what a difference Christian music has made in my life; especially his and in particular 1 song. She figured what a perfect time for me to thank him for taking on such a monumental task of adding to the most well known hymn of all time in Amazing Grace. But she forgot to factor in 1 slight little variable: me. Well mainly my inability to take anything seriously especially myself. Which for the most part has worked out well though it has a tendency to annoy my wife. When I met Chris I asked him where Louie was and that I came to lunch so I could meet him. He stopped signing my CD cover for a second as he was probably thinking...did he just say what I think he said? He processed what I said and said "Yeah I don't blame ya." We chatted a bit more while posing and that was pretty much it and yes I am taller than him. I joked on Facebook that we had discussed hair care products for our church's worship leader's sake. The Louie I was referring to is Louie Giglio who is Chris's pastor, record producer, co-writer, an author and founder of Passion Movement which has been attended by over 1 million university students worldwide since it's inception.
To fully understand let me rewind about 4 1/2 years and I was at a Chris Tomlin concert in Ames. Up till this point I was just kinda going through the motions in my every day life and my faith. Had you asked me if I was a Christian I would have said yes but I was doing nothing to "prove it". We were having a guest preacher (our pastor's son) coming the next week and it may have even been the next day it was all such a whirlwind but every time Michelle asked me if I was going I gave my standardized yes, no & maybe run on sentence of an answer so that way I covered all my bases.
And now a 2nd Chris Tomlin song is playing....now granted I went to lunch between the 1st one and this one so technically I may have missed one.
Now back to the concert. This is where all the "Just So Happened To Be's" started happening. Chris began talking about bumping into an old friend I think from school who happened to be sitting next to him on a flight who happened to be working on a movie who was looking for a singer song writer to add to a song. This movie as he mentioned was about the life of Wilbur Wilberforce. Which began the freak out in me. Being the history geek that I am (took history every semester in college just for fun....really) I knew exactly what song he was talking about. The song that at that point in my life I hated. The song I couldn't sing let alone listen too. The song that had been played at every funeral I had ever been to. You see Mr. Wilberforce was the man behind abolishing slavery in England and was very close to John Newton the former slaver trader and writer of Amazing Grace. To top it off just a few months prior I had lost a teen age cousin who was my little sister before my little sister was born so I was not ready to hear this song.
The next crazy part was it just so happened to be the pastor who was speaking at our church was going to be talking about "breaking the chains" that hold us back. Chris Tomlin eventually conceded to his friend and embellished Amazing Grace with this chorus: "My chains are gone I've been set free My God, my Savior has ransomed me And like a flood His mercy reigns Unending love, Amazing grace"
Ifelt like I was in shock when I heard these words as I connected all the dots of these past few months that got me to this particular place at this particular time to hear this message. Our pastor's son wasn't even supposed to come to our church it was supposed to be an evangelist from Brazil but something came up that changed his plans. That something was me....and this particular blog entry isn't the half of it but hey I need you to buy the book when I finish putting pen to paper (fingers to keyboard) which in itself is just another chapter of my story that just so happens does involve the afore mentioned Brazilian evangelist whose name is Rick Bonfim in case you were wondering.
3rd Chris Tomlin song. See I wasn't joking about the radio thing.
So on the way home my wife asks me if I had finally decided if I was going to the revival at church and listen to Jody preach. Before she could even finish I blurted out "Yes....I never said I wasn't going". It was that night that I truly understood God's Amazing Grace and decided to stop running from Him and to stop going through The Motions (Matthew West not Chris Tomlin...Google it). We even gave our daughter the middle name of Grace after Amazing Grace and it is now one of my favorite songs to sing.
So back to the concert this week. I got to have a really cool moment. I was running behind because of a soccer clinic I was running for 3-5 year olds. Turns out the opening band was stuck in Ireland so I didn't miss a thing but I had to park it seemed like miles away but as I got to the parking lot of the church I could hear the drums and music start up. When I came in and started up the stairs to the balcony (we gave away our 12th row seats so we could sit with friends up in the balcony) it felt like I was in this commercial as I can hear the music playing and then I step out into the auditorium and I could hear thousands of people singing together with one voice to God and it gave me the chills and I could have just stood there soaking it in but I had to find my seat so I could join them.
One last just so happened to be. Chris Tomlin has this back up singer who also sang lead for a few songs including Amazing Grace and she had the most amazing voice and I kept telling my wife this woman looks and sounds familiar...way familiar. My guess is Michelle thought I was light headed from running to get there on time. Well next morning I look into my premonition and it turns out I was right. Christy Nockels was her name and turns out she is very significant to us and to our daughter. You see it just so happens to be that Christy used to be a part of the husband and wife group by the name of Watermark who have a couple of songs of significance to our family that was introduced to us by our church's youth pastor at the time. She had given us the CD for the song Glory Baby but what she didn't know was that there was a also song by the name of Elliana on that CD which our daughter is now named after which is also the name of Christy Nockels' daughter because it is the song she wrote for her. Elliana means God has answered. So yes God did answer our prayer with miss Elliana Grace and she's a constant reminder of God's faithfulness.
So enjoy this rendition of Amazing Grace by Chris Tomlin.
