Lucky Shirt

This is the shirt I wore last Friday and Sunday. You can bet I'll be wearing it again this Saturday.

Also, congratulations to the 9th seeded Lady Spartan basketball team for their upset of number 1 seeded Duke last week. The upset victory had a couple story lines that added to the drama. The victory would rank a perfect 10 on Bill Simmons vengeance scale.

SNL

I've really been enjoying SNL this season. It has bounced back nicely after being almost unwatchable just a few years ago. Kristin Wiig, hands down the most talented female cast member ever on SNL, has definitely played a large role in the resurgence.

March Madness

The Big Ten Tournament was disappointing, but it's been a mostly succesful season so far for the Spartans. I have high hopes for them in The Big Dance. Kalin Lucas has progressed quicker than I expected as a sophomore, and I have no idea just how high his ceiling is for the future. With him and a heathy Raymar Morgan and Goran Suton, I'm expecting a deep run (knock on wood)...

This book didn't really present any arguments that I hadn't heard before,, but it was worth reading. It basically breaks down into two main sections: (1) Is there a God?; and if yes, then (2) Which God is the true God. It's amazing how many people, religious and non-religious, basically just ignore or gloss over these questions without putting much thought or research into them considering they are the most important issues in life. I say religious too because it seems most people that answer yes to the first question just pick whatever religion is most popular in their culture without really looking to see which religion actually has historical credibility.

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Funny Videos

The highlight of SNL this season has been Fred Armisen's impression of the governor of New York, David Patterson, on Weekend Update. This is the first of his two appearances...

The second video is from the funniest show on tv, The Family Guy. One of the few shows that is actually laugh out loud funny. It's Peter Griffin mixed into the audio from Christian Bale's psychotic episode. I'd probably be a lot better rested if it wasn't on Adult Swim every night around the time I should be going to bed. Thanks to BC for the link...

Happy Valentine's Day

Joaquin on Letterman

Joaquin Phoenix's bizarre appearance on The Late Show. Worth checking out if you haven't seen it yet.

iPhone

I've had an iPhone now since last summer. I had to replace the first one I bought when I fell asleep in a lawn chair and was drenched when sprinklers went off with the phone in my pocket. I thought the phone was ok at first, but have really grown fond of it. The software patches have helped, as I was dropping calls left and right at first. The best feature is being able to check my e-mail anytime, anywhere. Anyway, some of my favorite apps...

Pandora
I generally have Pandora playing when I am at my computer. If for some reason you haven't discovered the website, check it out. I rarely use the iPod on my iPhone anymore. I generally just listen to music on Pandora when I put the earbuds in.

Facebook
This app was terrible when it was first released, but has been greatly improved since. You can do pretty much all the same things with the app that you can do on the website on a computer.

Twitteriffic
I briefly downloaded two other Twitter apps. This was the first one I downloaded and is the one I decided to keep.

Sonos
If you aren't familiar with Sonos, it is a home music system. You can play on-demand music over the web throughout your home using services such as Pandora, Sirius, Napster, and Rhapsody. The app allows you to use the iPhone as a remote. This is convenient because the Sonos remotes themselves are terrible and are $400 a piece.

Shazam
Don't know what song you are listening to on the radio? Just turn on the Shazam app and hold up the iPhone and it will tell you.

Wikipanion
The wikipedia app. Works the same as wikipedia without having to go to the website.

Flixster/Now Playing
Flixster and Now Playing give you movie times at the theaters nearest you, or you just punch in a zip code if you are checking for one out of the area. Now Playing is nice because it also gives you the movie ratings from Rotten Tomatoes.

Sportacular
Sports scores!

New Bible

I picked up the new English Standard Version Study Bible (well, ordered on Amazon) a couple months ago. I love it. It is beautifully laid out with large, color maps and illustrations. Each book has informative introductions and each page is chalk full of informative notes. It replaced and blows away my New Living Translation Second Edition, which I actually really liked.

Interested?

If anyone is interested in this, please let me know. I really want to go, but don't want to do it alone. It's a tour of Israel and Greece led by Mark Driscoll...

Tour Greece and Israel With Us
Mark Driscoll

It seems that perhaps nothing would be a more memorable, life-enriching, and memory-making Christmas gift than a trip to Greece and Israel, where Jesus walked and the Scriptures were written.
One of the first things my wife, Grace, told me when we met in 1988 was that she wanted to visit Greece and Israel one day. From August 24 to September 3, 2009, her dream will come true.

I will be leading a tour of Greece and Israel and my lovely wife will be with me, and you are invited to join us. People from Mars Hill Church where I pastor, along with other people from around the world, have already signed up and we'd love to have you join us. For more information and registration, you can visit www.ujtours.com.

We are going to great lengths to ensure that this trip will be memorable. So, if you would like to be baptized, other pastors and I will be glad to baptize you. We are considering either the Jordan River or the Sea of Galilee as our baptismal site. During the trip I will also be teaching at these various sites along the way:

Greece Teaching

1. Mars Hill
2. Corinth (time permitting)

Holy Land Teaching

1. Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. I will preach this section of the Bible while you overlook the Sea of Galilee.
2. Garden Tomb, where it is believed that Jesus rose from death. You will sit among the beauty of the garden while I preach about Jesus' resurrection and our future resurrection in victory over death to be with him forever.
3. Southern Steps of the Temple Mount, where the steps lead to the original entrance of the Temple Mount and to the Second Temple. It is certain that Jesus climbed these steps when he visited the Temple in Jerusalem. This is where Christianity was birthed with Peter's sermon from this place in Acts 2. I will be preaching about both of these events from this location.
4. Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed with the disciples the night before his crucifixion. This location is tentative and not yet confirmed, but if we do visit here I will preach about the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus.

Other sites scheduled for the trip include Athens, Jaffa, Caesarea, Capernaum, Beit Shean, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Qumran, Ein Gedi, Masada, Dead Sea, Holy of Holies, Western Wall (Wailing Wall), Jordan River, and Nazareth. My wife has waited twenty years for this trip, and we'd encourage you to join us for a most memorable trip.

SEC Football

I love SEC football. I rarely even watch non-SEC college football games unless MSU is playing. I love the fans, the tradition, and mostly the good football. Anyway, I thought this was funny. Thanks to Nate for the link via Facebook. The second article came the day after the first. Click to enlarge to read what the arrows are pointing at...

Sky Diving

I went sky diving yesterday. Something I always wanted to do. It was a windy day, which made things a little uncomfortable. I was hard of hearing for a little while afterwards. All in all though, a good time.

MSU

I'm still pinching myself after the Spartans come from behind victory last weekend against Wisconsin that put them at 8-2 for the season and 5-1 in the Big Ten. This MSU team has been avoiding all their past cliches: collapsing late in the season, losing games it should win, and clenching defeat from the jaws of victory. Mark Dantonio deserves the credit. He really seems to have changed the program's culture with his attitude and enthusiasm. I could sense it last year, and it has shown itself on the field this season. I don't think this team is even as talented as some of the others over the past decade, but from what I've read it looks like Dantonio has the talent coming.

Breeders' Cup

I went to the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park a week and a half ago. Here are a few pics...

Obama

I'm glad the election is finally over. In the end, I voted for Obama because he seemed to be the better candidate. Although he does not have the experience and record McCain has, he certainly has the intelligence and leadership ability that should help him to succeed as President. Although I still don't understand the Cult of Personality surrounding him, I like the fact that he gets so much of the country so fired up. There are many positives stemming simply by the fact that he was elected as The Economist summed up...

Merely by becoming President, he would dispel many of the myths built up about America: it would be far harder for the spreaders of hate in the Islamic world to denounce the Great Satan if it were led by a black man whose middle name is Hussein; and far harder for autocrats around the world to claim that American democracy is a sham. America's allies would rally to him: the global electoral college on our website shows a landslide in his favour. At home he would salve, if not close, the ugly racial wound left by America's history and lessen the tendency of American blacks to blame all their problems on racism.

I am worried that he leans too far to the left, and this concern is only amplified by the Democrats' majority in Congress. Although I'm not usually a sucker for his speeches, I did think his victory speech in Grant Park tonight was terrific.

Six Flags' Magic Mountain

There happens to be a Six Flags park right here in Santa Clarita, and I went to it for the first time yesterday with a group from work. Halloween Fest is going on, so in addition to the rollercoasters we were able to go through some haunted houses. The rollercoasters were fun, but can't compare to Cedar Point's.

MSU Football

The Tigers were a huge disappointment. The Lions are even worse than usual. But, the Spartans have been a pleasant surprise at 6-1 following today's win at Northwestern. The schedule has been relatively easy thus far. The real challenge comes this weekend in the form of Ohio State. I can't wait!

Election '08

America has no shortage of serious issues to discuss. The Bush administration launched a pre-emptive war on Iraq on the basis of faulty intelligence. America has seen the most serious decline in its global image since the second world war. Its budget deficit has ballooned, while recession looms.
And what was America discussing in the wake of the Democratic and Republican conventions? Whether an off-hand comment by Barack Obama about "lipstick on a pig" was sexist. Whether the phrase "community organiser", used by Republicans about Mr. Obama is racist.
-The Economist

This really struck me when I read it yesterday because of what happened following the second Presidential debate last week. CBS had a focus group of about 10 undecided voters. After hearing the candidates discuss foreign policy and economic policy, among many other important issues, the first question posed to the focus group by Katie Couric had nothing at all to do with any issue of substance. Instead, she asked the group what they thought about McCain's reference to Obama as "that one". Ridiculous.

I'm tired of the entire election process. I no longer believe a single word either candidate says. I'm tired of how both candidates twist everything the other one says or has done in the past to cast it in a negative light. I'm tired of the buzzwords and changed positions. I'm tired of each being a hypocrite. Unfortunately, this is just typical politics. I'm even considering not voting. If voting is a civic duty, wouldn't not voting be civil disobedience? Doesn't voting give credibility to a system that is a joke? Actually, I probably will vote. Just not for either candidate.