Bodwin

It was a great joy to talk with a friend at the local Starbucks (one of 8, now) on Wednesday night. As we were talking about our struggles and of the joys of knowing Christ and experiencing the gospel, he brought up something that has been ringing in my ears the last 2 days. As we were talking about the gospel, he said to me, "It has occured to me that we have two common struggles with the gospel: Gospel-amnesia or Gospel-gap." He went on to tell me what he meant, although not much thought is required to see the intended meaning. Obviously, Gospel-amnesia is simply forgetting about the gospel when it comes to our everyday lives. We do not witness because we simply do not think about the gospel at all. It has become de-prioritized in our lives. It is not the song on our lips when we rise from sleep. It is not the last thought at night when we lie down. We have simply forgotten about the gospel, and we therefore do not live lives controlled by the gospel. Secondly, we oftentime

Another book ( Can We Rock the Gospel? ) has been printed regarding the 'conservative' approach to Christianity's ties to rock music, however you define that term. Dan Lucarini, having co-written the book, now has two titles that bear his name regarding this topic. There are several words that come to mind when I think of the typical 'right-wing' conservative, fundamental (whatever other adj. u want to use) position on music. One is suspicious . Another is stubborn . "Text-pushing" and "horrible exegesis and application" come to mind as well. My favorite and seemingly the most common is agenda . Now, do I doubt the sincerity of these men? Absolutely not. I believe all the way to my core that they are seeking to help the body of Christ by fighting this issue. So, just to get it out there, I (as much as possible) appreciate what they seem to be trying to do. However, it seems to me that no matter the book or article that comes out, the authors are

On Monday, I had the privilege of preaching the power of the gospel as represented in Romans 12:1-2. A lot of Christians (especially the zealous-reformed type...) have been using the "Gospel" almost to the point where it is becoming a 'buzz word' where everybody 'knows what we're talking about, but no one can really define the term nor do they see its significance.' (Similar approach taken by Mark Twain in his definition of a Classic novel - "A classic is a work which everyone has heard of, but no one has read!") Romans can be very intimidating! It is a very complex book. I do not suggest it for casual Bible reading early in the morning, unless you have a carafe full of a black brew steaming on the countertop. I had always seen Romans as a treatise on sin and righteousness, and those are dominant themes of the book. However, they can be the trees that cause us to miss the forest. Romans does begin showing the reader the sinfulness of man and his

To my 3 loyal readers: Forgive me for not having written in quite a while. In the last 3 weeks I have: Written a paper on the identification of the "rock" in Matthew 16:18 (15 hours) Written a sermon on Isaiah 24 (15 hours) Preached a sermon on Romans 12:1-2 (20 hours - Research, Typing, etc.) Travelled home and back. (Good ol' Rocky Mount) Discussed the blend of Biblical and Systematic Theology with a friend (1.5 hours - **I should've been doing homework...just for kicks) Become an associate member at Heritage Bible Church in Greenville. I am helping teach 2nd grade Sunday School there. I also am involved in the College/Career class there. Having given almost every waking moment to school work almost makes me question whether I am spinning wheels or actually progressing. I say this somewhat in jest. However, I try to keep in mind that what I am learning is not what makes me. It is who I am growing to know and love that is transforming my heart to

Read here . Hilarity will ensue!

In the last year, much of my reading has been associated with worship. I, in no way, would consider myself any sort of authority on worship, yet I do claim Biblical authority on what Scripture calls worship and on what it condemns as mere idolatry in the guise of worship. I was able to preach twice in the last 6 months on "The true nature of Biblical Worship" from John 4. It has probably been one of the most eye-opening, most applicable study I have ever done. Quite possibly what bothers me most in this arena is when people think they are "worshiping," when in reality all they are doing is practicing unintentional idolatry. (If you wonder why I use the word idolatry, stay tuned!) From John 4, it is clear that worship is not a result of merely desiring to worship God. Expecting to worship God by merely "doing" worship activities is comparable to going to a baseball stadium and expecting to observe a game being played simply because YOU are there in attendan

At my "home church away from home church" (Heritage Bible Church in G'ville), my pastor, Dan Brooks, has been preaching through Matthew on Sunday nights at least as long as I have been attending (2 + years). Two weeks ago, he finished up Matthew 18 with a sermon on the parable of the wicked servant. It is my sincere conviction that our preaching be Gospel-driven, Gospel-centered. This is probably the best I've heard on a forgiveness passage. Do yourself spiritual good and listen to this .

This is a good read from a friend of mine regarding 'evangelism' or its close cousin, nicknamed here, "the hit and run and pray" approach. The article provokes several questions that need to be answered by all of us. Click here to read.

Since Josh (Chandler, my friend who was severly injured in a car accident on June 2nd - chandlerupdate.blogspot.com) was moved to Charlotte for rehabilitation, I had not had the opportunity to see him, primarily since Charlotte is 3.5 hours from Rocky Mount. On the way back to school (figure it out), I passed right through Charlotte. Since I had no reason to be at school early, I had plenty of time to stop by the rehab. hospital and spend some time with Josh. As I drove through downtown Charlotte, I began to think about all that Josh had gone through. Sometimes, I am still tempted to ask questions regarding why Josh had gone through all of this. I'm sure part is sin and part is my finite being. However, I cannot view this "accident" through the lens of chance or "bad luck." God is SOVEREIGN. He performs all things after the counsel of His own will. (This would be God's sovereign will -- It cannot be thwarted, and not you and I can do nothing to change it.) M

While working for a local Lawn Maintenance business, where I drove one of the trucks, I became a sports radio junkie....ESPNRadio. I have to say that my favorite was Mike and Mike in the morning. They have a feature that always made me laugh, sometimes uncontrollably, although I tried to subdue it for the sake of others. I don't know the frequency, but maybe once a week, they would award the phrase "Just Shut Up!" to the week's biggest idiot in the world of sports. It's a great idea. Hey, if you want to stick your neck out and make an arrogant or idiotic comment, you deserve to have your head smacked with a log of the hardwood variety. I thought about what if we had a "Just Shut Up!" award inside of Christendom. OK, we'd call it, "Please Be Quiet." I realize that Just shut up is not very loving. But face it, there are people who need to be reprimanded publically for their obtrusive and ignorant comments. I mean, basically, this goes on &quo

Click here to read the USA Today article on the "Science of Penalty Kicks."

For those of you who don't 'habla espanol,' "I want the Golden Goal!" If you are familiar with the NHL playoff rules, you are aware that in Overtime (now referred to as OT), the rule is 'sudden death.' In other words, next goal wins. Well in soccer (football, futbol, voetbol, calcio, etc., et al), FIFA (Int'l soccer's governing body) had been using Golden Goal for the Extra Time in knockout matches (a match where one team must be the victor or ganador). In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, FIFA switched to a different OT alignment where the game is played for 30 extra minutes regardless of any scoring in the OT period. The first goal does not win it, in other words. If the game remains deadlocked at the end of the two 15-minute halves, penalty kicks ensue (by now, the phrase 'penalty kick' in Switzerland and Argentina may be synonymous with 'Barry Bonds' across America.) I see many flaws with this OT set-up: It takes away (in great measure)

Several years ago, I did not understand why Argentinians would kill one of their own players. I think I understand now. I wish Claudio Reyna lived in Argentina... It's sad to say, but not having him on the field for any of our three group games gives us a better chance to win. I think even Ben Olsen outplayed him.

This is the most interesting game of the tournament as far as what is at stake. The USA need a win by at least 3 goals if the Czech and Italians were to tie. If Italy were to beat the Czech, all the USA would need is a win. Here is my "best-bet" line-up: GK - Keller D - Bocanegra, Gooch (yc), Cherundolo MF - Beasley, Reyna (yc), Dempsey, O'Brien, Donovan F - McBride, E. Johnson Notes: - 3 in the back will force play outside; Dempsey (RWM) and Beasley (LWM) are fast enough to play both ways - Midfield control will be the most crucial factor to a multi-goal win. We will not counter-attack well with the speed of the Ghana side. Also, if we don't control the midfield, Michael Essien will. - I think McBride and Johnson are the best bet up front. McBride receives the ball well. Johnson's size, quickness, and skill will serve us well. - A big question is who will play Def. MF. With no Mastroeni, we resort to either Dempsey or O'Brien in a 3-5-2 formation. SUBS: - Con

This story didn't surprise me, yet it still disgusts me. A Ghana player (i don't know the adjectival form, and I'm not gonna make any jokes...) waved an Israeli flag after defeating Czech Republic on Saturday. This player plays for an Israeli club, and was merely saluting his fans who had travelled to see him. Read the full article here .

I think soccer fans will be talking about this game for years to come. An 9-man USA team outplayed a 10-man Italy team to hold on to a 1-1 draw. (I was right by the way in my last article with the score prediction.) There was much red seen in this match - from McBride's face to Mastroeni's studs-up tackle. I felt the first red card, given to an Italian, was definitely warranted. There is no question. As a referree, I felt the second red card was also appropriate. I'm sorry if you had to listen to Marcelo Balboa rant on-and-on about how the referree was ruining the match. I cannot believe that a soccer player with the experience of Balboa would have been such an idiot. As I said, I am a referree. We are told to throw a red when a foul is harsh; and/or dangerous; and/or with studs exposed. Mastroeni made a few mistakes. The first mistake: Never foul that roughly when a red card has just been issued. Secondly, if studs are out, do not straighten your leg when going through the

After seeing a miserable result vs. the Czech republic, here is my proposed line-up for the Italy game: GK - Keller D - (left to right) Bocanegra*, Pope, Gooch, Cherundolo MF - (left to right) Beasley, Reyna, Mastroeni (D-mid), Donovan, O'Brien* F - Eddie Johnson*, McBride *= not in line-up vs. Czech Rep. - These are my predicted substitutes: > (45') Ching for McBride > (60') Convey for Beasley > (68') Dempsey for O'Brien Fears for Italy game: - The USA play a great first half full of chances that barely go wanting, only to see the Azzuri (Italians) go up on a Midfield giveaway as stoppage time approaches. - The USA get an early goal, but give one up in the waning minutes to manage a meager point from the match. - (Worst of all) Reyna, Donovan, and Beasley again prove ineffective, leaving the USA with question marks as to their own ability and cohesiveness. I hope Arena will put the players in the positions where they shine most. Sometimes a coach ca

Not getting a result against the Czech Republic really hurt our chances of advancing through the group stage (only the top 2 of four advance). The minimum number of points that the USA need is 4. To achieve four points we must tie and win in our next two games. A Loss all but eliminates us from contention (if Ghana beat the USA, and USA beat Italy, and the Czech beat Italy and Ghana, there would be a three-way tie for 2nd place, which would be broken by goal differential - not in our favor at the moment.) Best-Case Scenario: (realistically) - The USA win both matches, giving us 6 points and 2nd place in the group. - The Czech win their remaining two games, giving them 9 points and 1st place. - (If the Czech lose to Ghana, the US and Czech would be tied for 1st place, given the US would beat Italy and Ghana.) - (If Italy were to beat the Czech, Italy would have 6 points as well) "2nd-Best" Scenario: - The USA tie Italy and beat Ghana, giving us 4 points. (A 3-0 or 4-0 win a

I am extremely embarrassed and disappointed. This is to understate my emotions toward the game today. Saying that, I do realize that the Czech are a powerhouse. They are without a doubt a top-3 team in the world. Pavel Nedved was brilliant; Cech was barely tested. Here is a grade for each player based on performance. Feel free to leave comments to vent or dispute. GK - Keller: Only had one save in 4 chances (shots on goal). Not much to say here, all 3 goals were spectacular! [B- -] D - Eddie Lewis: Quite possibly the worst game i've ever seen him play. Never looked comfortable. He seems to have forgotten how to play the ball on the ground. Totally ineffective. [D-] D - "Gooch": Possibly our lone bright spot all game. He did have a defensive error that led to the first goal, but that mistake was shared by Pope and caused by Lewis (left his area). Overall, very impressive. Should see a big payday after the Cup. [B] D - Cherundolo: Even though he scared me to near death sev

A close friend of mine (JW) commonly (probably tritely, as well) uses the word "stud" when referring to a fantasy sports standout. For instance, Dirk Nowitzki has been a "stud" during the 2006 NBA Playoffs. I wonder how this term came to mean "fantasy standout." The dictionary knows no such meaning for the word. Even a casual perusal of a poor man's dicitonary clarifies to its reader that a stud is "a horse used especially for mating." That is the denotative meaning. We will not discuss the connotative meaning, for my blog must remain "G-rated." This is the reason I cannot use this word to refer to a professional athlete who just scored a triple-double, hole-in-one, or a hat trick. Why STUD? Why not phenom, superstar, or any other word apt in description? (Shew...I'm glad this is off my chest now. After reading this post, you can no longer claim ignorance after using this term!)

I would like to let you know that I have created an update page for Josh, so that his family and friends can keep informed on his condition. The page will be updated 5-7 times per week. I will be receiving the information directly from the family, and I will be visiting him each week as well. Feel free to leave comments for the family on the site. The address is: http://chandlerupdate.blogspot.com/ Pass the site along to your friends who desire to be informed.

It all can happen so quickly. Friday night, two friends of mine were travelling from Columbia, SC to my home in NC, when they were in a severe auto accident. The occassion for the trip was a D.C. United game. Josh Chandler, one of my best friends, knew a guy that played for United, and we were to travel to DC on Saturday. Sometimes things change. Josh and Seth (Josh's friend) were on I-95 Northbound near Wilson, NC when Josh's Ford Focus hydroplaned sending the car into a spin, resulting in a collision with a nearby tree off of the enbankment of the highway. I had touched base with Josh around 9:30 p.m. on Friday night. They were about 50 minutes away. When they had not arrived by 10:30, I called Josh again. Josh didn't answer the phone. Seth, the passenger in the car, picked up the phone, only to tell me very calmly that he and Josh had been in a bad car crash and that Josh was unconscious. After a couple more phone calls with broken signal, Seth was able to tell me that t

I don't often consider my life buzzworthy for personal stories, but I must make an exception for this one. I have worked lawn maintenance for 6 summers now, but no experience quite compares to this one. My crew was at the mall for the day to mow, trim, blow, pull weeds, and pick up 9 billion cigarette butts (which reproduce faster than an asexual insect). I was in the middle of a juniper bed, doing my best to weed-out wiregrass and the like. The juniper was almost knee-high. It was such a mundane activity that i didn't give it any second thought. Generally speaking, I am pretty aware of my surroundings. This time would prove to be an exception however. I was walking in the middle of the bed making my way to the far side, when as I stepped and reached for a weed, a UFO (denotatively, an "unidentified flying object") came from the juniper. A frighented moan ensued. (I'm not exactly sure how to describe the noise which proceeded from my mouth. I'm glad it was a s

The falls road girls overcame a physical, tough defense which packed the defensive third of the field for most of the game to claim their first girls' soccer state championship. Things were looking up as Falls Road held possession and had the best chances on goal through the first half. Danger struck the Crusaders by surprise when a Hickory forward received a centered ball at midfield, split the defenders, and beat the goal in a 1 v. 1 matchup. With 15 minutes to play, the 'Saders would need a goal to force Extra Time. Goals had been hard to come by so far. Hickory played either a 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1, forcing the Crusaders to make short, quick passes amid a quick and aggressive back four. Corner kicks were no opportunity, as the girls from Hickory packed 8 into the box to thwart the corner. Even though the goal was a tough blow, the Crusaders did not drop their heads. They continued to produce chances, as they had done all game. In the 71st minute, an indirect free kick was given

Soft beds. Indoor pool. Wi-Fi. Complimentary Breakfast. Proximity. Price. I don't know what you look for in a hotel/motel, but one feature especially drew me near to the Hampton Inn in Fayetteville, NC as I drove in the parking lot. My exact words were: "Oh my, there's a Starbucks across the street!!!" (and yes, JWC,Jr., I thought of you as I passed that sacred place). Starbucks has been a staple for me as I have endured grueling days/nights at school. Well, until tomorrow morning, when a specific need is met... - btw...don't miss (seriously) the bananas-n-cream frappucino that Starbucks will debut May 15th. Absolutely Stunning!!! (thanks for the sample "Starbucks man" - aforementioned)

Shazaam! ... You know what I mean?!? OK, I'll explain. Have you ever been somewhere and a great T-shirt idea comes into your mind. You quickly write it down, because the last time this happened, you swore you'd remember, but like every other time you forgot. I guess my T-shirt fetish is derived from two avenues: (1) I worked at a camp for a summer...unique t-shirts are a must! Having a duplicate "Tee" is to write the proverbial "L" on the forehead. (And no, Napoleon Dynamite t-shirts are not cool. They never were!) (2) I try to have a "style all my own." Not that everything of mine is original, but I'm not the "poser" type. Anyway, I was in Greek class going through I John, when my teacher got off on a lexicon tangent, a necessary tangent however. The gist of his tirade (a bit strong, maybe) was to make the point that lexicons are not inspired; they may not always be right! Following this series of thoughts was a statement that caught

I don't know where your musical taste(s) dwell(s), but one a personal favorite of mine can be found somewhere in the acoustic guitar realm. A friend of mine(SG), who is an awesome guitarrist himself from Tennessee, informed me of a "Local" from the Chattanooga area. He does vocals and acoustic guitar, along with some piano. His name is Josh(ua) Bales. Check out his webpage . Available for listening are full tracks of a few selections from his two albums. As a neophyte guitarrist myself, I really appreciate "home-grown" talent, especially the solo type (basically meaning sans band). His "self-titled" work is on my top 5 "cd's-to-buy" list. If you visit the site and/or get a cd of him, leave a comment. I just thought i'd pass the word.

The Falls Road (my high school) girls will be playing in the State Final in soccer for their 3rd state championship of the year. The other two were in volleyball and basketball. The Semi-final got off to a bit of a rough start as Sheets Memorial scored an early goal (9') off of a sloppy corner (you know, girls' style, where all the players stand with their hands in the air feebly attempting the strike the ball). Anyway, the Falls Road girls got even in a few minutes off a corner of their own. They went ahead only two minutes later after a nice one-two between Anna Taylor and Kristen Godwin (my sister). Godwin was the goal scorer; Taylor with the assist. It was 3-1 Falls Road at the half. The second half was somewhat uneventful, but Falls Road did seal the deal with their fourth goal. At full time, the score was 4-1. They will play the winner of Berean/Hickory (in progress) at 12:00 pm EST. Best of luck to all of the girls! Go #2 and #11!!! (players of particular interest for me

The USA is currently ranked 4th in the FIFA standings (that's world, people), the highest ranking ever for the States. That's cool and possibly a keeper stat, but it's not as telling as much as would be imagined or desired. Brazil, at number 1, is in a world of their own. It will take a monumental effort on the opponent's part to dethrone the soccer titans of the world. Country's ranked between 2-10 are basically the same caliber. This should not discourage however. The US team is finally as good as, if not better than the England side(a personal wish of mine would be a 2-0 win against England's starting XI), Portugal, Spain, and maybe even Italy and the Czech, which happen to be our group stage opponents. Drumroll please...the linchpins for success for the US team this summer in Germany are as follows: (i'll try to avoid the absolute obvious elements) No more injuries!!! We are not terribly deep when it comes to world-class talent. Truthfully, world-cla

The most exciting days in the next couple of weeks for me look like this: Tues. 5/2: Bruce Arena announces the USA Men's Soccer Team Final Roster for the World Cup coming in June Wed. 5/3: My last Final Exam (the 3rd of that particular day....uggggh) Sat. 5/6: I travel home for the summer. Thurs. 5/10: Hopefully, I will be in Cary, NC watching (physically) the US MNT train in preparation for the World Cup. This would be the team which was mentioned as being selected above. Ok, sorry, I'm sure you're not interested in what I'm doing. You'll get over it!

Having grown up in a Fundamentalist (not fightin' fundy), Baptist (not big "B) church for most of my life, I have always believed that mega churches use unscriptural methods in order to grow. I have heard all the arguments used, normally consisting of casual dress (normally meaning women wear pants and the men don't wear ties...) and "contemporary" music. While broadbrushing the category is unwise, I would have to say that many complaints against the methodology of most mega churches is legit. What troubles me, however, is not the big churches. What troubles me is that the "good" churches (generally smaller by comparison) condemn the mega church, but yet they buy into the same pragmatic thinking used by the liberals. I think it boils down to the simple truth that people, in general, are concerned and impressed by numbers. Society persuades us to believe that "small" is inferior to "BIG." Being small, by comparison, means that you are

This phenomena goes almost unnoticed by most Americans and Europeans. But it didn't get passed me. You see, I'm an oddity when it comes to sports. Every Saturday morning, I check EPL (English Premier League) scores before checking the Friday Night NBA scores (if I check them at all). The UEFA Champions League holds more for me than Major League Baseball ever could. Most Americans and Eurpeans are perfectly content to watch and track the sports occuring in their own country. Before soccer, this would have described me. However, when soccer entered my life, a drastic change occured. I began to grow discontent with the dearth of soccer (International soccer at that) that was being shown on the average cable channels in the US. On Easter Sunday, Malcolm Glazer had a stroke. The headlines read as the following: (ESPN) Bucs owner Glazer suffers stroke, in hospital. (Soccernet) Man(chester) Utd. owner Glazer has stroke on Sunday. You see, Malcolm Glazer, owner of the Tampa Bay

As an American white male (not being racist, just being real), I want things; I want them now; I want them a certain way...MY WAY!!! Most times, however, God does not see fit to operate according to MY WAY. In fact, He hates when I live MY WAY. It is impossible, that we would by default, approach all situations with no expectations and/or demands. I don't believe that is inherently wrong. From all I understand, it becomes wrong at the point when our demands become the more important that God and others. Many characters in the Bible either had to wait, or perhaps even, were ultimately denied in their requests to the Father. The ones who come to mind first are: Job: He knew God was sovereign. But he probably never understood why God did what He did. Honestly, God was not obligated to tell him. David: He desired the temple, but God would not allow him to. (I think this would have been hard for me to cope with.) Paul: The "thorn in the flesh" was never removed, whate

I am currently in my 2nd semester of NT Greek. We have just passed the midpoint in 1 John. Translation from actual Biblical text has been a refresher. My teacher, whom I have appreciated greatly, offered 2 exegetical axioms to us today. Here they are: (1) If the author had no other choice (of a word/phrase) to use, it [his choice] is probably not significant. The point being made is, alot of times huge emphasis is made on the word choice of a Biblical author. It behoves us to ask the question, "Is this really significant?" or "Would the original writer/readers have seen it as important as we are making it?" Sometimes a writer, such as John, will use a different verb tense or a different way of addressing his readers. Sure, the words have meaning, but maybe not all the implicit significance that may be imagined. (2) Rely on your mother tongue when answering exegetical questions. This axiom is not as hard and fast as the first, but it must be a general prin

I first came across these lyrics when I listened to a cd a friend let me borrow. The music was a rewrite of a song published in 1740, the words having been written by Charles Wesley. Many times I've played this on my guitar and simply marvelled in amazement at God's amazing mercy. Meditate on these stanzas (all 13 of them): Depth of mercy! Can there be Mercy still reserved for me? Can my God His wrath forbear, Me, the chief of sinners, spare? I have long withstood His grace, Long provoked Him to His face, Would not hearken to His calls, Grieved Him by a thousand falls. I have spilt His precious blood, Trampled on the Son of God, Filled with pangs unspeakable, I, who yet am not in hell! I my Master have denied, I afresh have crucified, And profaned His hallowed Name, Put Him to an open shame. Whence to me this waste of love? Ask my Advocate above! See the cause in Jesus’ face, Now before the throne of grace. Jesus, answer from above, Is not all Thy natur

Without a doubt, the NCAA tournament gods forgot to use any of the multiple storybook endings for this year's tournament: (1) Duke: Arguably the best one-two punch in Duke history fail to win the title in their senior year. I can't imagine a team in the past having already beaten 10 of the teams in that year's NCAA tourney and still fail to make the Elite Eight. (Duke beat Memphis (#1), Texas (#2), UNC (#3), Boston College...twice (#4), NC State (#10), Bucknell (#9), Pennsylvania (#15), Indiana (#6), and Seton Hall (#10)) (2) Texas: The trifecta is stopped short by 3 games. FYI, Texas won the last baseball and football championships. Had this happened, it would have been one of the most remarkable sports achievements ever considering the factors. (3) UCONN Even though I personally hate them, UCONN had a star-studded roster this year. They were definitely the feel-good championship pick going into the tourney. Had they won this year, it would have been the third championshi

My Response to anti-Duke sentiment everywhere. I must admit it openly, I am a Duke fan, and it is full-blown. I can't help; I was born that way. I am not one who hops on bandwagons, for I do remember all to well the year Duke didn't make the NCAA tourney (i guess it was only one year). My point today is to give light to a few erroneous assertions. (1) You should hate Duke because Coach K is a foul-mouthed man. Might I first of all point out, if you are looking a great coach with 'Christian character'...well, good luck. If you hate Duke because of Coach K's vulgarity, your reasoning is in error. (2) You should hate Duke because they are shown on TV too much. I don't think I remember too many Carolina games not being shown. By the way, Duke does happen to be one of the most popular teams in the country (as far as fans in every state). Coaches do tell their players, watch Duke, they do this well. My coach said this, and he is staunch UNC-only. Perenially good teams

I have three fortunate friends in this picture. It probably won't be too hard to figure out who they are. Congrats guys! Your prediction came true! (Not that we're guilty of hero worship...haha)

I am in a missions class right now, and let's just say the book we are reading has some issues. It's called "What in the World is God Doing?" First of all, the author (C. Gordon Olson) basically misses the Great Commission. He's one of those "Go, Go, Go!!!" -type guys (er...I think the point is making disciples as you go) . Secondly, he says that the purpose in building the temple was for worldwide outreach. I don't think I'm seeing that in the text. This post is just to save you some trouble if you're looking for a good book on missions. At all costs, stay away from this one! Here's a picture of the book.

This post is coming late, for a few reasons, which will go unnamed. It was recently announced that the U.S. Men's National Team (Soccer) will be training at SAS stadium in Cary, NC, the month before this year's World Cup. Let's see, Cary would be (driving the speed limit) about 1 hour and 10 minutes from my house, and I have a friend that's 3 minutes from the stadium. Can you say "Cha-Ching!!!" You can access the article in its entirety here.

I'm sure all have heard of the "free" things you can get online. There are some gimmicks, I know! This offer is through the Gratis! network, and it has been approved by the BBB (Better Business Bureau). I am in the process of trying to earn one. I am a poor college student just trying to keep up with technology. (haha) Help a brotha out! Seriously. You have to complete one offer. There are several offers which people would do anyway sometime in their life. For instance, there is an offer to join a CD club (Sony/BMG - now called Sound and Spirit). If you are looking to build your CD collection, this is a great way. I have also seen an offer for computer printer ink. All you had to do was buy one! Follow the link, and support my endeavor, and begin your's today. Click Here

There are always people on both sides of the issue. Yes, I will endeavor a trip into the well-travelled blog-world of "The End of The Spear." I tread cautiously, as well. I must say I was caught by surprise at the casting of someone of Chad Allen's caliber, or lack thereof. The 'extremes' in the title refer to the reactions I have seen by Christians. You have the 'militant group' who want to rectify the issue by having Allen kicked off the cast, or something like that. I'm not sure for what they are exactly pushing. I made a trip into a Crossway book store today to buy a Bible for a friend I am trying to disciple. Sorry, I went for the Holman CSB. (But back to the real issue.) As I went to check out, I saw that above the register there was a "The End of Spear " display, stocked with t-shirts, posters, and the like. Once again, I am not surprised by this, but maybe a little bit dismayed. This scene always creates a rather painful chuckle on my

You have heard that it was said, "When in Rome, do as the Romans." I am not sure who goofed, but the Vice President of the USA made a major fashion faux pas while visiting President Mubarak of Egypt. "Uhh, excuse me Mr. Vice President...Mr. Vice President, I don't think your shoes go with your suit."

Clemson and Duke did battle today, in what turned out to be a solid college basketball game. Duke ended up winning the game by 10 to improve to 16-0. (The last time they went 17-0 was in 1991 - Duke's first college basketball title year) The key stat in the game was free throws, hence the title. Duke shot their normal 80% for the game, going 29-36. Clemson, on the other hand, shot a miserable 6-22 for the game. I'm not a profession analyst, but I don't think you'll beat any elite team with that kind of shooting. I'm sure i'll have to endure the usual excuses from UNC fans. (this time i'm prepared !!! Yes, I have this shirt.) NO, you are not allowed to say that if Clemson makes 11 more free throws, they win the game. That is not a valid logical argument. You can't be certain all other factors would remain constant. Regardless, it still helps when a team shoots 27% from the free-throw line. Yes, love was flowing in full force from the charity stripe. But h

For those of you who don't know who Jeff Agoos is, he was a mainstay on the US men's team as well as a perennial contributor for several MLS teams. He was on 5 MLS Cup-winning teams, tops among MLS players. I've been watching soccer since 1999, and the memory that sticks out in my mind the most about Agoos is the 'amazing' own goal he scored against (for) Portugal in the 2002 World Cup. In addition to fouling a player in the penalty area, he lost his mark about as often as the whistle blew. OK, enough history. ( click here for more...very humorous read) This week, DC United defender Bobby Boswell was called into the US training camp because of an apparent dearth of defenders present. This is Boswell's first appearance in the US camp. This call-up follows a season in which Boswell scored 3 times. This is generally good for a defender, except for the fact that all three were OWN goals. Yes, Boswell is strikingly similar to Agoos. He has the distinct ability of ne

I suspect that many have read this book by Josh Harris. It has a changed title and cover design than it did when it first hit the shelves. It's now called Sex is not the Problem (Lust is). From what I read on his website that the cover was changed because Max Lucado wrote a book with the same basic cover design as Harris used several years prior on Not Even a Hint . (I guess I wouldn't want my writing confused with Lucado's either.) If you are out of your 20's, you may be tempted to think of Harris as just a teen writer, who is popular because he wrote a dating book. Let me assure you, this guy is solid. This book is, well...frank! He doesn't mince words. He probably is too open and honest to fit in most of the 'solid, fundamentalist' churches where I'm from. That is not a slap on the churches, but rather the type of Christians that seem to exist today. Harris trumpets the theme that without constant dependence on God's grace, you cannot see vic

This is definitely a post where I am in water over my head, and I am struggling to stay afloat. Yet I cannot help but make a few observations. It is obvious that the word "worship" is being used an awful lot. You cannot look for 5 seconds in a Christian bookstore without the word getting your attention. Morning service is now called by some "worship." Right now, Worship is familiar to mostly all Christians, especially those in more progressive churches. What then is my criticism? Good question! I hope I know the answer. It seems that when the word worship it used, people give it attention. They treat anything with the worship label very differently. Now, it does not bother me that people are concerned about worship, or that they deem it important. However, maybe we are worshiping worship and not really worshiping God. Why do I say this? Lately, I get the idea that some people associate worship with an activity that involves a 'worshiped-labeled' item. Exam

This article contains much information and is quite lengthy, but Paleoevangelical makes some valid points regarding Traditional Fundy's, 'Questioning Fundy's', and New Evangelicals. Enjoy! Click here to read.

This is mainly for the few friends that I have that actually check my site more than once or twice a year. (Note: that was not an official pity party!) Anyway, I just wanted to recap some of the best moments from the past 3 weeks while I have been home from college. These are in no particular order, for those of you who seek to read into absolutely everything! I drove a 2005 Corvette. It was my first time driving a machine like this. Christmas was on Sunday for the first time in quite a while. It was great to worship the Lord corporately on Christmas day. I went to a Duke basketball game at Cameron Indoor, quite possibly the most prestigious of all college basketball locales. A great friend of mine was too generous and kind in giving me those tickets. By the way, that day, January 2nd, was my birthday. (See "Durham Bound" for more details) The Lord was gracious to allow me to strengthen my relationship with Him. An award-winning essay would not even be close to being sufficie

If I were not a Christian, I would call this luck. However, since I believe in God and that He is sovereign and good, I call this a blessing from Him. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to watch Duke play in Cameron Indoor Stadium. (For those who don't know, that's men's college basketball) There is some irony that builds this story to its present moment. As I already mentioned, I have been a lifelong fan of the Blue Devils. (By the way, I have no moral qualms about liking a team called the Blue Devils...however, I do have a problem with placing anything-including sports-ahead of Christ -- just for the record!) Having always been a fan, I naturally wanted to see them play in the storied Cameron Indoor Stadium (capacity: 9,314). The tickets are incredibly difficult to get, because the students occupy approximately half of the seats. To make a long story short, this pair of tickets I got from a friend today makes the fourth set I have gotten. However, I was not able to go t

I hope in the coming months to post some good lyrics on my blog. This is the first entry, but hopefully there will be many more to come. I hope that these will be edifying, but also useful in private worship of the Lord. Many times, after spending time in the Word, meditation on a song rich in theology and meaning can be helpful. This song written by Shane Barnard captures the struggle we as Christians fight our whole spiritual life. I've often heard, if a Christian does not struggle with sin, either he's not saved, or he has chosen not to fight (and we won't begin to discuss the problems there). I hope these lyrics will be a help. "It haunts me so This gloomy weight That comes and goes Without a trace A thousand times my flesh embrace A thousand more but if for grace To see the Lord, the promise land Where in sins pearly gates look bland And what was once a pearl now sand That blows away in light of Him When battle lines become unclear And the waging war is all I hear