Friday, December 28, 2007

Bowl Picks

Well, let me give you my bowl picks for the "main" bowls left. Our local pastor's conference has picked all the bowl games and I am 6-2 so far (missing Navy-Utah and Boise State-East Carolina). Here are my remaining picks:

Texas Bowl - TCU over Houston
Emerald Bowl - Oregon State over Maryland
Meineke Car Bowl - Wake Forest over UCon
Liberty - Miss. St over UCF (in a close one)
Alamo - Penn St over Texas A&M
Independence - Alabama over Colorado
Armed Forces - Cal over Air Force
Humanitarian - Georgia Tech over Fresno St (I will not watch it, I HATE the blue field)
Sun - South Florida over Oregon
Music City -Kentucky over FSU (Or what is left of them)
Insight - Oklahoma St over Indiana (Though I will pull for the Hoosiers)
Chick-fil-a - Auburn (if they don't get confused on who is calling the plays) over Clemson
Outback - Tennessee over Wisconsin (for all of my Orange friends)
Cotton - Missouri over Arkansas
Gator - Texas Tech over Virginia
Capital One - Florida over Michigan
Rose - USC over Illinois
Sugar - this one is tough - But I'm going with Georgia over Hawaii
Fiesta - Oklahoma over West Virginia
International - Rutgers over Ball State
GMAC - Tulsa over Bowling Green
BCS Championship - LSU - 25; Ohio State - 22 GO SEC AGAIN!

We'll see how I do. If you wish, leave your comments.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Christmas must be close to Heaven

Christmas officially begins for me at the Christmas Eve service (not in October when the malls all decorate for Christmas). Then when you drive home from the service, you realize all the malls, grocery stores and gas stations are closing down. No more making money. The only ones working are those who are offering compassion to the sick and hurting. The only ones on the road are those who are going to and from gatherings. How quiet. You really get the sense of a "Silent Night."

Then you have your family. Everyone who can possibly be there is there. There is always a high priority for "being home for Christmas." Hopefully, no one is missing. No one is in a hurry. Sit, laugh, eat, watch a movie, share memories, look at old pictures, talk sports (no politics, it's Christmas), meet potientially new family members, welcome new babies to their first Christmas, sing a carol or "Christmas in Dixie". What a time. You want to put it in a bottle and capture it.

Is this not the closest thing to Heaven on earth? There will come a day when work will be over. Do you remember those words by Bill Gaither?

The market place is empty,
No more traffic in the streets,
All the builders' tools are silent,
No more time to harvest wheat;
Busy housewives cease their labor,
In the courtroom no debate,
Work on earth is all suspended
As the King comes thro' the gate.

My wife actually has that song on my cell phone ringtones. The King is coming and all of God's family will be home. Not for just a day-or-two; but all eternity. And not only for those who are alive. But the family from Adam to Abraham to John. Mom and Dad will be there. And no one will be in a hurry. The music will be "heavenly" and you talk about a meal God will spread for His children.

Yes, Heaven will be like Christmas. Except for two things - in Heaven, there will be no sadness. No tears for those who are missing. No more tears period. And in Heaven, Jesus will be the center of attention. He will be receiving the gifts of crowns, the bowed knees and shouts of praise. He gave His life and paid the way for everyone who would believe in Him to come home for eternity. And everyone there will realize they didn't get there by their merits or money; its all about what Jesus did.

Thank you Lord for a foretaste of Heaven this Christmas. It was after John saw Heaven and experienced it that he cried "Come, Lord Jesus!" I join my voice with Him and say, "Maranatha." And we wait for Christmas 2008 or "to be really home for Christmas." You decide Lord! Either way is fine with me.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Christmas Message 2007

"And on earth peace, good will toward men." (Luke 2:14) Boy, had Jesus been born in 2007 the angels would have changed their "tune." Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Middle East, Chavez and Castro. And what about mortgage failures, raising grandkids, mounting debt, stress, cancer.

Peace - yap! You see, the angels would not only announce the same message today; but they still do. If you look for peace in the world situations or local chaos, you will never find it no matter if you live in 4 B.C. or 2007.

"My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nether let it be afraid." (John 14:27)

How? One simple truth - God still has everything under control. NOTHING is out of control from Heaven's viewpoint. There is perfect peace in Heaven this Christmas season and there is still promised that he "will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is fixed on you." (Isaiah 26:3)

So, go ahead and open your heart and your mind to "peace on earth, good will to men."

Merry Christmas to you and your family. May you know His peace within your heart.

Let's get started

Well, I have thought about doing a blog for months and never had the courage. So, on this Christmas Eve 2007 I join the blogging world. I write mainly for my friends and church family hoping this will make it easier to "keep up" with me with what God is saying, what I am reading and what I am doing.

I hope there will occassionally be something profound here (and if there ever is, I can assure you that it will not be an original thought). I will try to keep personal journaling down but I do want to share what I'm doing, thoughts about our church and updates on family.

So, if interested, come along for the journey. I pray I will make it worthy of your periodically checking it out.