Life Without Internet Access?

While on vacation, I have been experiencing life without readily available Internet access. I can only come to the conclusion that I am spoiled - both at work and at home. I'm having a great time with family and friends, but I miss being able to get online and read my favorite blogs, check email regularly, and post something to a blog. Neither my parents, nor my in-laws have decent Internet access (slow dial-up is the best I can get at those places). I've had to journey to Chick-fil-A in Waco to find high-speed Wi-Fi. Amazing, isn't it? How did we survive before high-speed Internet access?!?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, friends and family! We're enjoying our time in Texas. We'll be heading to a Christmas Eve service in several hours and then we'll enjoy a great Christmas Dinner prepared by my mother-in-law, Pam. Enjoy these pictures and a very special Christmas greeting from us to you!

This is our family Christmas picture that we sent out this year. We decided to go with a 'Christmas morning' motif - hence, the pajamas.

Here, the girls are holding their 'babies.'

This is the picture we should have sent out with our Christmas cards, right?

Annie and Allison decorated the tree this year. Isn't it beautiful?

A special greeting from us to you - Merry Christmas!


Isn't this the cutest thing you've ever seen?

Advent Devotions

This Advent season, I'm using three resources for my Advent devotions:

First, I am using the devotional guide put together by our church. Randa and I each contributed a devotion.

Second, I am using the Following The Star online devotional. It was created and is produced by Passport, Inc., a student ministry organization focused on creating meaningful experiences and resources for students.

It has been an interesting experience to read devotions from several contributors who were students at Truett when I first started as a seminary student.

The final resource I am using this year is a book, Setting the Christmas Stage by John Indermark.

It is a unique resource in that it does not have daily readings, but four readings per week. It also uses the metaphor of a play to present the themes of Advent. As someone who is not gifted in the dramatic arts at all, it has been a stretching and encouraging resource. There are also great family, small group, and congregational ideas to use with the book as a part of the journey.

Another thing that has helped with my Advent journey this year happened last night. A few of our youth, a college student, a few youth workers, and I attended Convergence's Jazz at the Vespers Christmas service. It was a beautiful service with wonderful music, scripture readings, and the freedom to experience God in a stress-free setting. Todd and Lisa and the rest of the leadership over at Convergence are doing a great job following the call of Christ in their lives to be a creative community of faith. Check Convergence out if you get a chance and support them in any way you can!

The Real Meaning of Christmas?

There's an excellent article in today's USA Today On Religion weekly column that is titled, "The real meaning of Christmas?" The author, Tom Krattenmaker, opens with the notion that the holiday season has become for many of us something to dread. But, as Krattenmaker says, "If there's any larger trend to be divined from people such as Marcus Borg and organizations such as the Advent Conspiracy and Christmas for the Needy, there is reason to be optimistic that Christmas might become more fully an occasion for renewal and hope — for religious as well as secular citizens — and ever less a venue for culture war and credit-card debt." The thrust of the Gospels' Christmas message, Borg and John Dominic Crossan write in their new book about the Bible's Christmas stories, The First Christmas, "is the possibility heralded by Jesus of a world in which power and violence no longer reign, in which peace and compassion finally prevail." If only that would be the world in which we would find ourselves. What is keeping us from that world?

Blogroll Roundup

Some good reading if you have the time...

Merriam-Webster picks its 2007 Word of the Year. So, what does 'w00t' mean?

Tim Challies has a great post about blogging. It deals with new or prospective bloggers, but we can all benefit from the tips he shares.

After the shootings in Colorado, I read several posts about safety at church. Andrew Zirschky offers the best one; it touches on church safety in general and then offers ten tips specifically for youth ministry.

After recently reading about and hearing first-hand reports of how good Phyllis Tickle was at the NYWC in Atlanta, I came across a link to this post over at Out of Ur. The post is an interview with Tickle and is titled "The Future of the Emerging Church." The subtitle is "Are we experiencing the next Reformation of Christianity?"

HT: Christine A. Scheller

Scot McKnight had a few posts that really caught my eye. One was about the EGens (emergent adulthood) and the other was a link to what he says may be "the best piece I’ve seen all year long on the Internet." If you've ever read anything on Scot's blog, that title just begs for a click.

Jonny Baker links to some Advent movies that you can download for free.

Lilly Lewin has a great post about waiting and an Advent service she curated.

Carol Howard Merritt has a interesting post about the flags in church and the whole God vs. country debate. I immediately thought of two of my friends when I read it - Terry Goodnight and Josh Hayden.

Loose Ends and Other Minutiae

Randa and I enjoyed a date night last Saturday at Convergence. We attended Harp 46's Sanctuarium CD release concert. There was also some amazing art from Nancy Lynch on display as well. We got to hang out with some friends, see some cool art, and listen to great music. What an awesome night! Buy the CD here! Here's some pictures I stole from Todd's blog. The first one is Harp 46. The second one is the audience. if you look real close, you can see me on the far right side of the picture. Unfortunately, Randa sat to my left and didn't make the picture.

Josh's wife transcends cool and apparently Josh doesn't come close, unless he gets a Mac.

Why, you might ask, is there a picture of an Advent wreath with all the candles lit? Our Faith Builders children and I just concluded our Advent Study this past Wednesday night. Because of our church's Wednesday night schedule, we had to begin our study back in November and conclude it just as we, as a church, are participating in Advent on Sunday mornings. It was interesting to do it this way, but I think it may help make the Advent season more memorable and meaningful to us because of our participation in the study. You can see our focus words for the study on the board. I pray that the season of Advent is a reminder to you and me of God's wonderful heart of love towards us.

Some fall pictures. The first is from our church. The second is in our front yard. The final fall picture is the view from our back porch. Driving on Old Keene Mill Road is best done in the fall - God has an amazing paintbrush!

SNOW! The first snow of the season occurred on Wednesday, December 5. What is it about snowing on Wednesdays and Sundays? Interesting tidbit from the weatherman - it has snowed in the greater D.C. area on December 5 in four of the past six years. The first two pictures are of our church's courtyard. The final picture is a night picture (of not so great quality) of our front yard.

One detail not explained in the story in my last post was why I chose to propose on December 5. After all, it was a busy day. Looking ahead on the calendar to June 5, 1999 reveals that six months separated the day we got engaged until the day we got married. Seemed like good symmetry at the time!

There was a great post by Steve Argue a few weeks ago on the Intersect Community's AlreadyNotYet blog. It deals with life after conferences. I think it is partially the reason why I haven't blogged my thoughts/reactions to the NYWC yet - I'm still reflecting. Check it out and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Marko had a great post right after Thanksgiving that linked to an article in the New York Magazine that discussed the effect lack of sleep has on children/teens and their cognitive abilities. It's worth the read.

Chuck Norris Approved! This is just too fun!

There are other (serious) videos of Chuck Norris and Mike Huckabee that can be found on Huckabee's website.

Here's another cool video I've wanted to post, but just didn't get around to until now. Enjoy!

What's So Special About December 5th?

I haven't been able to write for awhile now. I had things I wanted to write about, but just didn't feel like I could get them down in words. I probably should have just written anyway because I do really want to write more regularly and that means I should probably write even when the words don't come so easily.

Today is December 5th, a very important day in my life. Why is it important? Let me tell you a story.

On December 5, 1998, I had a very busy day. First, Randa (who was my girlfriend at the time) and I went to a brunch hosted at the home of my pastor at Bellmead FBC. His wife was a wonderful hostess and everyone had an enjoyable time. After the brunch, we headed to the library at Baylor so I could work on a seminary project. After that it was off to the Waco Zoo for a date with Randa. The zoo is where we went as a part of our first official date. (Our first date was a blind lunch date at Applebee's in Waco with mutual friends, but it was more like an extended introduction.) We had to rush our time at the zoo because the zoo was going to be closing soon. When we got to the bench in front of the elephants we sat down. It was at that moment that I proposed to Randa. And she said 'yes'! Randa knew something was up, mainly because we rushed to get to that particular bench. Why there? Because elephants are my favorite zoo animal. I was nervous (even though we both pretty much knew we were going to be married some day) and was actually having trouble getting the ring out of my pocket. I had a zoo map in my hand and it blew out of my hand. That was the moment I needed. I retrieved the map and in the process of doing so was able to get the ring out of my pocket. When I returned to the bench I handed Randa the map and when she took it there was the ring and those immortal words, "Randa, will you marry me?" After she said yes, there was some kissing and some picture taking. When we got to my house, we called our families. Of course, nobody was home. Don't you just love having great news to share, but no one to share it with (we wanted family to know first)!?! To pass the time we watched the end of the Big 12 Championship Game in which my Texas A&M Aggies defeated #1 Kansas State for the title. Gig 'Em Aggies! We finally got in touch with family and shared our news with them and then our friends. What a great day! The rest of course is history and today I celebrate the 9th anniversary of the day I proposed to my lovely wife!

NYWC 2007 - San Diego

I'm heading to the NYWC in San Diego tomorrow!

Making Hard Decisions

I'm from Texas. I like football. That should help you understand why this article caught my eye. Unless you've experienced the religion that is Texas High School Football, you can't fully appreciate and understand how hard the decision must have been for Coach Demo Odems to forfeit two games (last Friday and this Friday) and determine the remainder of the football season for the Johnston (Austin) Rams on a week-to-week basis. But, as the article points out, the coach made the right decision. He put the safety of his players first.

How do we make hard decisions? Do we do what we know is right and best? Or, do we worry about what others might think, about upsetting tradition, or about our own selfish needs/wants/desires? Coach Odems is taking a big risk in alienating his players, parents, school officials, and the community in general by deciding not to play football. While the loss of football and all the good that goes with it is devastating, having kids get hurt for no good reason is just not acceptable. Coach Odems is teaching his players and others a valuable lesson in decision making. It is one that will not be appreciated right now by many, but as time passes will be recognized for being the correct decision.

May we be free and courageous enough to make hard, correct decisions.

Forgiveness

Yesterday was the anniversary of the schoolhouse shooting that resulted in the deaths of five Amish girls and the gunman in Nickel Mines, PA. After the incident, the Amish community offered forgiveness for the shooter and his family. USA Today's Kate Naseef talked with Steve Nolt, a co-author of the book Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy, in an interview about what America could learn from the Amish. We can learn a lot.

The Amish understanding of forgiveness is simple and yet complex. Simply put, to receive God's forgiveness is dependent upon extending forgiveness to others. More complex is the understanding of forgiveness being a long process - one that is difficult, painful, takes time, and can only happen through God's grace. The Amish begin with expressing their intention to forgive, with the faith that the emotional forgiveness will follow over time. Blame is out of the equation. What else can we learn? Nolt answers this question well:

Even though forgiveness is a complicated and difficult thing, if we approach it with the support of other people — the Amish do everything in community, including their grieving — and if we don't feel like we have to have all the emotions sorted out before we extend compassion, the road to forgiveness is easier. Reaching out in compassion to others in the faith that the difficult emotional work will follow, I think, is one of the things that they demonstrate.

In our world today, religion is so often used as a force for division, and here is an example of religion being used for compassion and healing.

This idea of forgiveness has been central to the Amish faith for many years. Instances of the Amish forgiving others before and after this tragedy are readily known and they will continue to forgive others who cause them harm. The real question for us is are we willing to take the necessary steps to make the road to forgiveness easier? Can we answer the question that is the title to the interview as found in the paper, "How can the Amish forgive what seems unforgivable?"

Click here for a follow-up article about how the community is doing now.

Death

There's a great post over at Lilly's Pad entitled "The Mystery of Death..." Check it out - it is a thoughtful look at a situation we've all been in or will be in as we minister to others. Lilly writes in a straight-forward manner that is simple, yet profound at the same time. I always appreciate reading her thoughts on difficult subjects.

The Teen Whisperer

I started a new book today, The Teen Whisperer: How to Break Through the Silence and Secrecy of Teenage Life, by Mike Linderman with Gary Brozek. Mike Linderman is a licensed counselor who has worked with teens for more than ten years. He's been married for twenty years and is the proud father of three healthy teens. He lives in Trout Creek, Montana. The book looks like it will be pretty good. I'm thinking this will be a good resource for youth pastors and for parents. I'll post a review when I'm finished with the book. For now, here's the publisher's description of the book:

Mike Linderman is a star in the making. He wrestles cattle at the crack of dawn, then spends his days working with the country's most troubled teens before coming home at night to three healthy teens of his own. Where so many other therapists can only offer futile advice to struggling parents, Linderman has mastered a blend of downhome honesty and military–like discipline––not to mention a layer of trust and love very rarely found in the therapist's office. Most of the teens Linderman treats are angry, abused, violent, and dangerous–they are children without hope.

Yet despite their difficult pasts, Linderman has achieved an extraordinary success rate with these teens, helping them turn their lives around and earning him the nickname "the Teen Whisperer." The son of a poor ranching family, Linderman learned at an early age the values of honesty, tough love, and hard work. Miraculously, it is those three values that have transformed the hardened clients at his school into loving, rational, productive teens.

Finally, Linderman shares these and other secrets with parents everywhere as he explains his methods for turning around America's toughest teens. Centering on the Five Primary Needs of Teens (Survival, Fun, Freedom, Power, and Belonging), his approach demonstrates the importance each of these concepts plays in teen's family life and the negative impact that occurs when a family is incapable of fulfilling these Needs. Here he provides concrete steps that parents can take to reconnect with their teens as they work together to create a stronger relationship and kids learn to:
* Trust themselves and others
* Process emotion and pain in healthy ways
* Understand and appreciate boundaries
* Gain joy and pride in real work
* Live a life of love, respect and gratitude

Interacting with teens on their terms and in their language, Linderman allows parents to see that in order to help kids you must meet them at their level and treat them as peers not subordinates. With powerful and effective words, he calls on readers to understand that our teenagers deserve our love––not our fear––and ultimately it is this unique and straightforward perspective that sets him apart. It is this methodology, grounded in honesty and integrity, that has led to his unparalleled success record with some our country's most difficult youths. This is the story of that success and how parents can use the lessons he's learned to heal the troubled hearts of their own families.

Soccer Rant

I read an article in the Sports section of The Washington Post this morning about the U.S. women's national soccer team. The article was about Coach Greg Ryan making a change of goalie on the eve of their World Cup semifinal match with Brazil. Talk about foreshadowing! I thought that making a switch wasn't a good idea as the author of the article, Steven Goff, hinted. On my way to the office, I heard the score was 2-0 Brazil. By the time I got to the office it was 3-0. And the final ended up being 4-0. Turns out changing keepers might not have been the best idea. On the way home this afternoon I heard an interview with Hope Solo, the goalie who was benched. She called out the coach for making the change!

Here's a snippet: "It was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the game knows that. There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. . . . You have to live in the present. And you can't live by big names. You can't live in the past." Good for her!

Now, before the comments roll in about a blog post on women's soccer, know this:

1) I consider soccer not only a sport, but a good one.

2) I have three daughters who may one day play soccer.

3) I know probably not many people are blogging about this, much less men blogging about it, and I don't care.

RANT ALERT!

It irks me when people make stupid decisions and replacing a successful goalie (whose previous three matches were shutouts) on the eve of the most important match since the 2004 Olympics qualifies in my book as stupid.

On a positive note, D.C. United won last night!

Catching Up

Today, my oldest daughter, Annie, said she didn't want to go to school. She said this as we were walking to school. We never broke stride and after hugging and kissing me at the school entrance, she went inside and walked to her classroom. Whatever made her not want to go to school must not have been too bad. When I picked her up today, she said she had a good day. When I asked her if she was glad she went to school she said yes. When I asked her why she didn't want to go this morning she said she just didn't. Isn't that the way we are sometimes with the things in our lives?

Annie is in Kindergarten. She started school on July 30 - her school is on an alternative schedule. She loves school! In fact, today was the first time she ever mentioned not wanting to go to school. Annie being in Kindergarten is a monumental life passage. I have the privilege and joy of being able to walk her to school every morning. Along the way, we talk, usually about what she might do that day or about big things coming up. We always say a prayer on our way to school. It's tough as a parent to watch your kids grow up. Moments like these are exciting and sad! The excitement comes from the possibilities of the future for Annie. The sadness comes from the realization that Annie is no longer spending her days at home learning from Mommy. Kids grow up so fast!

Randa and Annie at the special lunch we had together before Annie started school.

Annie ready to leave the house for the first day of school!

Annie sitting at her table on the first day of Kindergarten!

Random Stuff

There was an interesting article on the front page of today's Washington Post about worship and technology. Seems like people are more concerned with the method rather than the act of worship.

Yesterday's USA Today had an interesting opinion piece about God and the role of women. Reminds me why I'm not Southern Baptist anymore.

The warm weather we've been having lately reminds me of something that can only be described as coming from God - the Frosty! I enjoyed one this afternoon and it was heavenly!

Remedy is here and it is truly amazing! DCB continues to produce wonderful worship music. Read Marko's review here - his is better than anything I could do.

My sister-in-law Erin celebrated her 30th birthday today! Happy Birthday! Erin is married to a great guy named Jeremy and together they are the parents of four wonderful kids. You can check out her thoughts on motherhood here.

Fall Means Blogging!

After taking most of the summer off from blogging, I've decided to start back up on this, the first full day of fall! A lot has happened over the last several months, so I think there will be many posts forthcoming! Let's start with this past weekend.

Friday through Sunday was my fourth Summit Lake Senior High Retreat. This is the second year I have been involved in leading the retreat as the "Retreat Director." In reality, I work with a great team of fellow youth pastors from the NorthStar Church Network to help make the retreat happen. My main contribution has been to be the administrative leader. I don't mind it, but I am looking forward to having someone else either take the mantle or at least be co-director.

I felt this year's retreat was our best one yet. The speaker, Chris Folmsbee, was great and together with Harp 46 and Communidad Hispana de Columbia, made up the best worship leadership I think we've had at my four years of Summit Lake. The words honest, open, authentic, heartfelt, and genuine come to mind when describing our leadership. They pointed us to God! They challenged us! They encouraged us! Chris left immediately after our last worship celebration so that he could try to get an earlier flight back home to be with his family. That's the kind of speaker I want teaching my students. My good friend Josh and I (along with Andy and Katie) helped put together some worship stations that made the worship times even more special. Thanks Josh! You can read more about Summit Lake at Chris' blog and Josh's blog.

Josh with Chris at Summit Lake.

Me with Chris. Unfortunately for Chris, his Bears lost to my Cowboys!

The best part of the weekend for me was having my family present. This was the first youth trip that we have attended as a family. My wife is awesome! She did so much with the kids by herself because of my leadership responsibilities at the retreat. The times we were together made the weekend special for me. Being able to see Randa and the girls each day was awesome. Eating meals together, going on paddle boat rides, playing on the playground, and worshipping together was an experience that I will never forget.

Westwood Baptist at Summit Lake!

Candy Land

Being a Youth Pastor is awesome! This is what we found in our front yard this morning - anyone up for a game of Candy Land?

SPURS - 2007 NBA Champions!

Spurs Hoist Larry O'Brien Trophy



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GO SPURS GO!

The Spurs sure have created a frenzy in the sports universe during their series with the Phoenix Suns. Several things have been said about the Spurs that simply boggle the mind. First, the idea that the Spurs are "dirty" is just ludicrous. The Spurs simply play fundamental basketball - not flashy basketball (i.e. lots of offense and no defense). They play good, hard, aggressive defense. Bruce Bowen plays aggressive man defense and offensive "stars" don't like that. The idea that Bowen would deliberately knee Steve Nash in the groin out in the open outside the three-point line is just crazy. Ironically, Nash got hurt because he was playing aggressive defense at the time. Robert Horry's foul at the end of game four was a hard foul, but he clearly was not trying to hurt Nash. If he had been, Nash wouldn't be playing in this series any longer. Nash (and Raja Bell for that matter) is as good a "flopper" as people claim Manu Ginobili is. The idea that Horry, a "scrub", went after Nash to try to provoke the Suns' stars into getting suspended is also crazy. Last I checked, Horry had six championship rings and Nash, Amare Stoudemire, and Boris Diaw had zero between the three of them. Horry is the Spurs' most important bench player after Ginobili, much like Diaw is after Leandro Barbosa. The Spurs missed Horry in game five and will miss him in game six - make no mistake about that. All the literal blood drawn in this series has been drawn by the Suns - Nash's head-butting of Tony Parker and Shawn Marion raking Ginobili's eye. Yes, the Spurs are dirty!

Second, the idea that the NBA is trying to rig things in favor of the Spurs is just plain stupid. The Spurs are a great basketball team and organization, but they are boring for television. They don't draw ratings. If the NBA wanted one of these teams to advance to the finals, it would be Phoenix. The Suns just aren't ready yet. They may have better athletes, but the Spurs have the better team. It's a shame that the respect for each other these teams started the series with has disappeared. The fault there lies with Stoudemire opening his mouth and calling the Spurs dirty and then the media for jumping on that band wagon. If Stoudemire had kept his mouth shut, who knows how the rest of the series would have played out.

Finally, in the midst of all the controversy, the one thing Spurs fans and Suns fans could agree on was that the Dallas Mavericks just aren't ready to win a championship. In fact, they have a new logo that illustrates their strength as a basketball team:

Ordination Service

My Ordination Service was last Sunday. It was a nice service with a reception that followed. A fair number of people came out to the service, including some of the youth. And many others who couldn't come made sure I knew they were thinking of me. It was nice to have my parents and Randa's parents in town for the service and for Ainsley's dedication (in the morning worship service). My parents read scripture and prayed for me during the Laying on of Hands. In fact, my dad was the first to pray during that time. In addition to that, the most emotional time was when Randa's parents came through and prayed for me and for Randa. It was nice to have church staff members involved in the service, as well as ministry colleagues and friends. The support and love that Westwood and the community of faith in this area has shown us has been amazing. The service was very meaningful, affirming, and encouraging! Thanks to all who made the service so special!

Here's some pictures from the service:

Tragedy at Virginia Tech

There are no better words to express about what happened at Virginia Tech than these seen all over the Facebook world: Today, we are all Hokies. As people from all over the country and the world share in the grief of this tragedy, may we always be quick to turn toward God. As Lilly Lewin said so well on her April 17 blog post, "we need you to help us understand things that cannot be understood." Amen.

Ordination

Well, it's official: my ordination is set for Sunday, April 22, at 3 PM. My ordination council was this afternoon and those gathered voted to recommend me to the church for ordination. The council was very affirming - just another reason why I appreciate Westwood. My parents and Randa's parents will be coming into town to celebrate this part of my spiritual journey. I'm looking forward to spending time with my family and to celebrating this moment with the church, with family, and with friends.

Lenten Promise Update #6 - Maundy Thursday

I am happy to report that I have been able to keep my Lenten promise of not eating fast food during Lent. It has been strange not stepping inside a McDonald's or Wendy's since Ash Wednesday. I wonder if the manager at my favorite McDonald's has noticed my absence. If so, the next time I am there will give me a great opportunity to share my experiences with others. I have grown spiritually as a result of this experience. I feel like I have slowed down and tried consciously to take in the meaning of Lent. Holy Week has been a great finish to this expereince for me. From Palm Sunday to today, Good Friday, I have felt more aware of the journey Christ took to the cross those many years ago.

Last night, our church had our Maundy Thursday service. It was a beautiful service in the respect that it provided a great opportunity for reflection on Christ and his sacrifice and sufferings. The service was full of scripture, hymns, reflection times, and beautiful imagery and symbolism. We ended the service by taking communion in the light of a single candle representing Christ. After taking the bread and dipping it in the cup and eating it, we took a candle and lit it from the single candle, thus transforming the dark room into one full of light, just as Christ is the Light of the world. After singing a final hymn, we departed in silence. It was a moving and powerful experience.

As we look toward Resurrection Sunday with anticipation, I am always moved by how feeble it is to try to explain and express our understanding of the love of God found in Christ. Mere words are too inadequate to be able to express what we feel. But I am compelled to express my thanks and though I cannot find the words, God hears them anyway.

Lenten Promise Update #5

My Lenten study with the children ended last night as we do not have Church Family Night during Holy Week. We will be making a trip to ECHO on the Wednesday after Easter to present the donations we have collected during Lent as the service project part of our study, but the teaching/reflection station time ended last night. We discussed Jesus' last supper with his disciples. The focus word was 'remember'. We tried to focus on remembering Jesus' sacrifice and specifically the last week of his journey. I think the children have enjoyed this time together (even though they long for recreation time!) and have benefited from doing things that we normally don't do in our program. We have really stretched ourselves in doing this focused study on Lent, especially through the creative activities that have been involved in the learning process. I was hesitant at first about whether this would work, but I have come to realize that children will amaze you if you give them the chance to try different things! I feel blessed to have been able to share this Lenten experience with the children of our church. On a personal note, I have continued to keep my Lenten promise of not eating fast food and I believe I have grown spiritually during this process. (I'm still working on the shrinking physically part!) I look forward to this year's Holy Week with an anticipation I have not had before - an anticipation of remembrance that will be deeper because of the Lenten study and my experiences with the children. Here's a picture of the painting we used last night to help us remember:

Leonardo da Vinci - The Last Supper (1495-1498)

March Madness Mourning

Well, the dream is over! Texas A&M's basketball season is finished as the Aggies lose in the Sweet Sixteen by 1 point to Memphis. In not taking care of the fundamentals (missing a lay-up and giving up 4 offensive rebounds in the last minute), the Aggies find their season coming to a premature end. But it has been a great basketball year for a "football school." Hopefully this is a harbinger of where the basketball program is headed!

I will now turn to rooting for the remaining underdogs of March! Go UNLV, Butler, and Memphis (since no one gives them any respect, I'll call them an underdog)!