Final Top Ten Update

Final Top Ten
1. Ohio State
2. Florida
3. Michigan
4. LSU
5. Louisville
6. Wisconsin
7. Oklahoma
8. Southern Cal
9. Boise State
10. Wake Forest

Week 12 Results
Dallas 21
Indianapolis 14

Week 13 Results
Texas A&M 12
t.u. 7

Dallas 38
Tampa Bay 10

Week 14 Results
Dallas 23
NY Giants 20

Records
Georgetown 5-5
Texas A&M 9-3
Dallas 8-4

Top Ten Update (Week 11)

I missed a few weeks due to the birth of Ainsley, so I'll just jump right back in.

Top Ten
1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. Rutgers
4. Florida
5. Southern Cal
6. Arkansas
7. Wake Forest
8. Wisconsin
9. Notre Dame
10. Boise State

Week 9 Results
Georgetown 22
Leander 29

Texas A&M 31
Baylor 21

Dallas 35
Carolina 14

Week 10 Results
Georgetown 24
RR Stony Point 16

Texas A&M 16
Oklahoma 17

Dallas 19
Washington 22

Week 11 Results
Georgetown 24
RR McNeil 21

Texas A&M 27
Nebraska 28

Dallas 27
Arizona 10

Records
Georgetown 5-5
Texas A&M 8-3
Dallas 5-4

Baby Gray Is Finally Here!

Ainsley Arden Gray arrived on Thursday, November 2, 2006, at 4:19 PM. She was 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and 20 inches in length at birth. She was born in Falls Church, Virginia.

Top Ten Update (Week 8)

Top Ten
1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. West Virginia
4. Southern Cal
5. Rutgers
6. Louisville
7. Tennessee
8. Cal
9. Auburn
10. Boise State

Week 8 Results
Georgetown 19
Round Rock 41

Texas A&M 34
Oklahoma State 33

Dallas 22
New York Giants 36

Records
Georgetown 3-4
Texas A&M 7-1
Dallas 3-3

Top Ten Update (Week 7)

Top Ten
1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. Southern Cal
4. West Virginia
5. Louisville
6. Rutgers
7. Tennessee
8. California
9. Auburn
10. Boise State

Week 7 Results
Georgetown 20
Round Rock Westwood 36

Texas A&M 25
Missouri 19

Dallas 34
Houston 6

Records
Georgetown 3-3
Texas A&M 6-1
Dallas 3-2

Top Ten Update (Week 6)

Top Ten
1. Florida
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. Southern Cal
5. West Virginia
6. Louisville
7. Missouri
8. Rutgers
9. Boise State
10. Tennessee

Week 6 Results
Georgetown 30
Pflugerville 26

Texas A&M 21
Kansas 18

Dallas 24
Philadelphia 38

Records
Georgetown 3-2
Texas A&M 5-1
Dallas 2-2

Apathy

NYWC Austin is winding down. It's Sunday morning and we're being challenged by a representative of the IJM to confront the stark reality of slavery in our world. Why is there slavery in our world? Because of our apathy. How sad and shameful that slave owners can laugh because, as we are told, we do not cry! But there is hope. God has a plan to rescue those who need justice and he wants to do it through his church. Will we--God's people, his church--step up?

NYWC-Austin!

I leave for Austin tomorrow to attend Youth Specialties' National Youth Workers Convention. I am so excited to have this time of refreshment and nourishment. Plus, I get to go back to God's country - TEXAS! I also look forward to seeing my friends and maybe even my parents - who knows? It should be a great few days away from the office!

Top Ten (Week 5) Update

Top Ten
1. Auburn
2. Ohio State
3. Southern Cal
4. Florida
5. Michigan
6. West Virginia
7. Louisville
8. Georgia
9. Missouri
10. Rutgers

Week 5 Results
Georgetown 12
Cedar Park 21

Texas A&M 27
Texas Tech 31

Dallas 45
Tennessee 14

Records
Georgetown 2-2
Texas A&M 4-1
Dallas 2-1

A Christian View of War

I read this great article in USA TODAY last week entitled "A Christian view of war." It is a part of a religion series that the paper runs every Monday. I think the subtitle by the author, Oliver "Buzz" Thomas, says it all: What would Jesus do in Iraq? He'd offer compassion, he'd feed the hungry, he'd even pray for the enemies. What he'd really do is give American Christians--Republicans and Democrats alike--something to think about. Are we as Christians ready to get serious about following the teachings of Jesus?

Top Ten (Week 4) and Update

My Top Ten
1. Auburn
2. Southern Cal
3. Ohio State
4. Florida
5. Michigan
6. West Virginia
7. Louisville
8. Iowa
9. Georgia
10. Virginia Tech

Week 4 Results
Texas A&M 45
Louisiana Tech 14

Records
Georgetown 2-1
Texas A&M 4-0
Dallas 1-1

My Top Ten (Week 3) and Update

My Top Ten
1. Auburn Best team in best conference.
2. Southern Cal Impressive win over Huskers.
3. Ohio State Can they survive until Michigan?
4. Florida Dashes Vols dreams again.
5. West Virginia On track for showdown with Louisville.
6. Michigan Crushes Irish on the road.
7. Louisville How much deeper is their bench?
8. Georgia Tough conference to be in.
9. Iowa Finally defeats in-state rival.
10. Virginia Tech Best team in weak ACC.

Week 3 Results
Georgetown 34
Belton 0

Texas A&M 28
Army 24

Dallas 27
Washington 10

Records
Georgetown 2-1
Texas A&M 3-0
Dallas 1-1

My Top Ten (Week 2)

My Top Ten College Football Teams
1. Notre Dame Tough schedule continues with Michigan.
2. Ohio State Convincing win on road against Texas.
3. Auburn LSU comes to town and they'll put up a fight.
4. Southern Cal Nebraska tests the Trojans this week.
5. Florida Big game with Tennessee looms on the horizon.
6. LSU Can they hold Auburn to just a field goal?
7. West Virginia Will Maryland put up a challenge?
8. Tennessee Looking ahead to Florida in near-loss to Air Force?
9. Florida State Noles in for a fight against Clemson.
10. Oklahoma Win on road vs. Oregon makes OU a title contender.

Football Teams Update

Here are the results for my teams so far:

Week 1
Georgetown 27
Alamo Heights 19

Texas A&M 35
The Citadel 3

Week 2
Georgetown 9
SA Reagan 13

Texas A&M 51
Louisiana-Lafayette 7

Dallas 17
Jacksonville 24

Records
Georgetown 1-1
Texas A&M 2-0
Dallas 0-1

My Top Ten College Football Poll

There are several polls that rank college football teams in the pre-season. Invariably they generate lots of discussion and controversy. Now that the first week of games is in the books here is my Top Ten Poll. My poll considers the following factors heavily: level of competition and where the game takes place. Performance on the field is the key here. Early in the season this will be a very fluid poll.

My Top Ten:

1. Tennessee

2. Florida State

3. Notre Dame

4. Auburn

5. Southern Cal

6. Florida

7. West Virginia

8. Texas

9. Ohio State

10. LSU

Tennessee gets the nod for the top spot because they easily defeated many people's dark horse national title contender Cal. In the process they put behind all the frustrations from last year. The pressure on Tennessee going into this game cannot be taken too lightly. Florida State narrowly misses out on the top spot after going to Miami and defeating the Hurricanes. It was a game dominated by the defenses and lacked aesthetic value. Nevertheless, Florida State positions themselves as early ACC and national title favorites. In the third spot is Notre Dame, a team also under the immense pressure of high (unrealistic?) expectations. All they did was go into a hostile environment, at night, on national television, against a good foe with perhaps the best WR in the country in Calvin Johnson, and WIN. The offense didn't look great, but the defense answered some questions. Now, can they survive a visit from Penn State? In fourth is Auburn. The Tigers overcome their recent history of slow starts (three opening games losses in last four years) to defeat Washington State. WSU is not a great team, but it's not a Division I-AA team either. And Auburn plays in the best conference in the country, the SEC. Southern Cal is next at number five. After losing lots of firepower from last year, all they did is hit the road and whip Arkansas again. The margin wasn't as great as last year, but the cupboard at USC is definitely not bare. In the sixth spot is Florida. Florida handled Southern Miss at home with the ol' ball coach, Steve Spurrier, in attendance. Southern Miss may not be as dangerous as in past years, but they are a formidable foe for a season opener. West Virginia comes in next at number seven. They defeated rival Marshall. In case you doubt the bitterness of the rivalry, there were four personal fouls called in the opening minutes of the game. West Virginia is another pick to go undefeated and contend for the national title. The loss of RB Michael Bush at Louisville for the rest of the year makes their run to the championship game a little easier. So does the increase in stature of the Big East (Rutgers and Pitt). WVU is loaded on offense and last year's bowl game victory over Georgia was probably the best game outside of the USC-Texas championship game. Speaking of Texas, they come in at number eight. Texas defeated North Texas easily. Of course, some big school Texas high school teams could probably beat North Texas. UNT's secondary made Texas QB Colt McCoy and WR Limas Sweed look like All-Americans. The real test comes next week as Ohio State comes to visit Austin. And that leads us to Ohio State at number nine. They defeated Northern Illinois, but in the process made RB Garrett Wolfe look like an All-American (285 total yards). Can they return the favor and knock off the Horns on their home field? We'll see. Thanks to the AP leapfrogging Texas over Notre Dame in their poll, this is now a #1 vs. #2 game (USA Today Coaches Poll already had OSU #1 and Texas #2). This game also has the intrigue of player suspensions. One team's national title dreams die Saturday night. Rounding out my poll at number ten is LSU. LSU was the feel good story of last year after surviving the aftermath of hurricane Katrina and posting a great record and bowl victory. It looks like they have another good team this year. Of course, they need to work on the defense some after allowing Louisiana-Lafayette to put points on the board (3) for the first time since 1924.

See you next week!

NYWC 2006 Is Coming!

Football Is Coming!

Football season is almost upon us! Pro training camps are opening up all across the country and excitement is in the air! Radio commentators are breaking down the pro divisions and the college conferences to see who is going to reign supreme this year. And, if you are from Texas, high school football is gearing up. You have 2-a-days, scrimmages, and in just a few short weeks, Week 0 arrives and the season begins! Everyone starts at 0-0 and believes that this is the year! Can you beat that kind of hope and optimism!?!

One of the things I miss most about Texas is high school football. Friday nights during the Fall become the central focal point of towns and communities all across the state. You have the football players, the band, the cheerleaders, the drill/dance team, and the parents/friends/community members all converging together to root for the home team. From the smallest six-man communities to the largest 5A schools in the DFW and Houston areas, football is something that brings the community together!

Football's approach always reminds me of the new beginnings that Fall brings. We often think of Fall as when the leaves fall off the trees and nature prepares for Winter, and Spring as the time of new birth and new beginnings. But Fall, signaled by the start of football practice, ushers in the new school year. And what could be a better time for a new beginning!?! As the summer winds down to it's last few weeks, I look forward to the excitement of a new beginning that the Fall always brings!

So to all my football teams I say GO! FIGHT! WIN!

GO (Georgetown High School) Eagles!
GO (Texas A&M) Aggies!
GO (Dallas) Cowboys!

BIG NEWS!

Randa is pregnant and is expecting our third daughter in late October! God continues to bless our family! Somehow, I will have to learn how to live with four females!

Back Again!

I'm finally back! It has been months since I've written anything, but lots has happened since my trip to Mississippi in February. Summer is here and for people like me (youth pastors) that means short term mission trips. Many groups are heading down to the gulf coast to participate in Katrina recovery projects. It is amazing that it has been almost a year since Katrina and yet it seems that only a small dent has been put into all the recovery work that needs to happen. I'm still speechless over all the devastation, but encouraged by the spirit of people--people hurting from Katrina and people helping to put things right.

As for me this summer, our group participated in Impact Virginia! Impact is a youth missions opportunity that allows students and adults to participate in the rehabilitation of homes. We participated in the Spotsylvania area. Like past years, this was a great experience for our group. Lives were touched and God's power and presence were felt. Read what the local newspaper had to say about Impact.

Katrina Relief Trip to Mississippi

I recently had the opportunity to go to Mississippi to help with the relief efforts in response to Hurricane Katrina. I journeyed with five other members of my church, Westwood Baptist, and approximately 41 others connected to a different church, McLean Baptist. The trip was planned by McLean and it was a great trip. We journeyed to Pearlington, Mississippi. Pearlington is a tiny hamlet located six miles from the Gulf and very near the Mississippi/Louisiana border. It was an eye-opening experience. The devastation is incredible, but so are the hearts and spirits of the people who still call Pearlington home. We worked through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) of Mississippi. We were able to work on three churches and two homes. A lot of the work was demolition--cleaning things out and ripping things down to the structural frame. Some of it was rebuilding--putting in insulation and drywall. All of it was hard, rewarding work! As I continue to reflect on the experience of this trip, I will update with more thoughts and observations. As for now, I find myself somewhat speechless.

Fantasy Football Champion!

I played Fantasy Football for the first time this past year. I played in a ten-team league that mostly included men in my Sunday School class. The pastor also played with us. My team, The 8th Dispensation, finished 2nd during the regular season with a record of 8-5-1. My team name comes from our seminary intramural football team name. I then went on to defeat the pastor (for the 3rd time) in the first round of the playoffs and then the regular season leader in the championship game! All in all, it was a fun experience. I'm looking forward to playing again next season!