Melchizedek and Stoic Philosophy

What do these two things have in common? I know everything about both now!


For the past month, the date of November 3rd has been looming like an execution date. Tomorrow, both my major term papers for Advanced Into to New Testament, and Old Testament Seminar are due (on the same day!!!! Can you believe that?). Over the past couple of weeks, I have written over 40 pages of notes on 35 sources, condensed into 22 pages for the actual papers.

I wrote my NT paper on "Paul's Theology in Relation to Stoic Philosophy" and my OT paper on Melchizedek. I've learned a lot from my research and I can tell you all you would ever want to know about these topics, and then some. What I've basically come away with though is that Bible scholars have way too much time on their hands and like to make up crazy ideas to get books and papers published (ex: Paul formed his beliefs on women from Stoics! Melchizedek is superior to Jesus!) A great deal of time in my papers is spent refuting crazy ideas from these crazy folks.

Anyways, I'm just celebrating tonight and I'm so happy that I can get back to my regular life away from the library and my computer screen. God bless!

Congrats Philadelphia

I want congratulate the Phillies for winning their first world series title in 28 years. I also want to congratulate Brad Lidge, who was formerly my boy with the Astros until Albert Pujols destroyed his soul in game 5 of the 05' NLCS (I think that home run ball is still traveling in outer space somewhere). But Lidge found his slider again this year and was perfect for saves as a closer. Plus he's a genuinely great guy and I'm very happy to see him win a title. The fans of Philadelphia definitely needed a championship. They haven't won one since Dr. J's 76's won in 1983. I've never been thrilled with Philadelphia fans (they booed Michael Irvin when he was unconscious with the spine injury that ended his career), but they definitely stick with their teams. Enjoy this Philly, and use some of those good feelings to help me out and make sure Obama wins Pennsylvania next week.

Meanwhile, just 156 days until opening day for my teams. Enjoy the off-season and let's get ready for '09!

Kerry Collins is my boy?

This football season has been very weird for me. My Cowboys were supposed to be the best team in the NFL and they've been on a wild ride so far and I have no idea how they are going to finish.

Meanwhile, my Titans lost Vince Young to injury and craziness, but somehow managed to burst off to a 6-0 start. I was thrilled but a little conflicted. For two reasons:

1. White County Cable is stupid and I hadn't gotten to see a Titans game all year! My excitement has been limited to scoring updates and highlights after the game, so it all feels a little separate and apart for me (I miss living in TN and getting to watch every Titans game, even when we're terrible).

2. Vince Young was my boy! When Steve McNair left the Titans in '06 and Vince ignited a 1-4 team to make it within 1 game of the playoffs, I was fully on board the VY train. I was thrilled with every big play he made and loved his leadership and ability to "just win games." When he had a mediocre-at-best season last year, I defended him tooth and nail, blaming everyone from our terrible receivers to Norm Chow (I still blame all of them too). Vince was my favorite NFL player and I was planning on him keeping that status for the next 10-15 years. I know that teams are more important than individual players, but as a fan you tend to gain an attachment to these guys.

So I was extremely happy about the Titans rocking it out, but felt like something was missing. I wasn't quite attached to this team and its players like I had been before. It's like there was a party going on and I wasn't invited.

That all changed tonight. I finally got to watch a Titans game this season and that game happened to be a HUGE win over the COLTS on MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL to put us at 7-0 for the season. I got to see for myself our crushing defense, our awesome running backs, and........and........



I finally joined the Kerry Collins train! I know I've said some harsh thing about Kerry before, but that was mostly because of my excitement for VY. Okay, I've talked a lot of smack about Kerry, but I've left that behind now. You have to respect this journeyman, wily veteran, game manager, or whatever "insert cliche here" you want to call him. He doesn't put up huge stats, but he makes huge plays. He made several 3rd and long passes tonight for 1st downs, gave us an option to throw on first down, and made several big passes to help us comeback and win this game. Plus he's a great teammate, a classy guy, has great toughness, and has a great redemption story after his problems in Carolina. I'm really excited about where he can help take us this season. Hopefully, VY will one day be the quarterback of our future, but right now Kerry Collins is the quarterback of a very exciting present.


I'm so pumped about this team and it was great to finally beat the Colts in a big game. Our defense is one of the best defenses I've ever seen. We've got awesome corners in Cortland Finnegan and Nick Harper, great safeties, fast linebackers, and a dominating D-line. I love Chris Johnson and I get excited he might take off for a 50 yard run every time he touches the ball. Our team is coming together and we may just be able to pound our way to the top. And yes, Kerry Collins is my boy.

Yearbook Yourself.......I totally stole this from Lucy

I saw this on Lucy's blog and decided to play around with it and it was just way too much fun. I did this on www.yearbookyourself.com where you get to upload your picture and then put it into different yearbook pictures from the past 60 years. These are my favorites of me.

1952

1968

1970

1976

1978

1980

1982

1986

1990

The election through the eyes of a Christian college student

Four years ago I was a high school senior watching the '04 election and was very disappointed. Neither candidate had a hint of inspiration, they weren't very different in terms of policies, and neither really seemed to care about the things I cared about. I remember trying to get a little fired up about John Kerry, but was not all that disappointed when he lost.

At that time my sister Laura and I were already looking ahead to potential candidates for '08. We both liked Bill Richardson, the former Secretary of Labor and Governor of New Mexico. I cringed at the thought of another Clinton polarizing America, but she seemed like the most likely winner. That year I also took notice of a senate race in Illinois where this guy Barack Obama was winning 80% of the vote and also had an amazing speech on unity at the DNC. I took notice and Laura and I talked about how fun it would be if he ran someday in 2016.

A year later, I was watching the last season of one of my favorite shows, The West Wing. In the last episodes, the writers gave us a fictional look at an intellectual, clean, and inspiring campaign from both fictional candidates played by Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda. I wondered if there was a anyone in real life who could actually have a campaign like this. I naturally thought of my favorite Republican, John McCain, who always seemed intelligent, moderate, bipartisan, honest, and candid in his politics. I also thought of Richardson and Obama and wondered if any of these people could make it in a real campaign. Nah......couldn't happen.

Last year I began reading and discussing with my friends writers like Lee Camp, Shaine Claiborne, and Tony Campolo. I became very interested in the impoverished and oppressed, and also very dis-enchanted with the government. I realized that our American political system was a worldly kingdom, quite apart and separate from the Kingdom of God. I considered becoming a follower of the writings of David Lipscomb, who thought Christians shouldn't vote or be involved in the military, and never get involved in (and perhaps even oppose) the government.

However, at the same time, the campaigns had already begun and I listened to the candidates. I was excited about the idea of Obama, but as I began to listen to his actual campaign he struck me as a type of politician that I had never heard before in my lifetime. I always hear from history about how John and Robert Kennedy were able to inspire a generation and also helped bring real change to fight segregation in our country (I know LBJ actually signed the Civil Rights Act in '64, but it was due to the legacy and fight from Kennedy). I heard about how FDR was able to use the government to legitimately help the poor and downtrodden. I heard about how Lincoln sought to move us to our best ideals and ended slavery and helped keep the nation together. I saw a glimmer of that in the rhetoric of Obama as he spoke about unity and hope for our nation. But he also spoke about issues I really cared about. He wanted health care available to the poor who couldn't afford it and were thus unable to get the help they needed, helping low-income schools, affordable housing for the poor, expand job opportunities for the lower class, raising the minimum wage, being a better steward of our environment, helping the AIDS crisis in Africa, increasing foreign aid, and making a better commitment to peace and diplomacy around the world. I saw hope not just in him, but perhaps a shift in government across the board (federal, state, local, and diplomatic) that his election could provide. He also seemed a legitimate Christian who took kingdom values seriously. I know many call me gullible, naive, and unrealistic to buy all the hype "hook, line, and sinker," but I believed this could be real and I wanted to gamble that perhaps our hopes could be realized in a new type of government.

I was committed to Obama by September '07, but there was no chance he was actually going to win. Clinton and Giuliani were going to sweep the board and I was ready for another nasty campaign and my final separation from politics. But I hoped that Obama could make it close in the primaries and get his message out for future elections. Then during Christmas break, Obama had a huge upset win in Iowa and suddenly there was a chance he could win this thing. For the next several months, I followed the highs and lows of the campaign like watching one of my favorite sports teams. I was crushed by the loss in New Hampshire and pumped up at an official Obama Campaign party in Little Rock when we watched the South Carolina returns. We had an exciting party on Super Tuesday and cheered for every state that went Obama's way. Then we watched Obama win 11 straight primaries in February and we finally really thought we were going to win. However, Clinton hung along for an looooooooooong time until we finally wrapped up the nomination in June.

During this time, McCain managed to pull an upset and win the Republican nomination and suddenly I was facing the reality of my dream campaign. Two genuine, positive candidates were facing each other and both promised an honorable campaign. This fall has been fascinating to watch the ebbs and flows of the election cycle. It has been far from a perfect campaign and there have definitely been some nasty moments, but I think it really hasn't been as nasty as people make it out to be (at least compared to the last 2 election cycles). Of course, it's been getting a lot nastier lately and probably will continue to be until the election (although don't blame both sides if just one side is being excessively negative). Honestly, my biggest disappointment has been the incredible focus the candidates have had toward the middle class during the general election, with very little emphasis on the lower class (But, it's the middle class who decides who wins the election. I just hope the benefits given to the middle class can trickle down to the lower classes as well). No matter who wins, I think we're going to end up with a decent President and hopefully the nation can come together and actually try to help people who really need help. I know the economy isn't looking good for the next few years, and the prospects for changes in health care, education, and environmental stewardship are looking very bleak with all our money tied up in the financial markets, but I'm still holding out some hope.

I know I'm an idealistic, optimistic, and yes, naive college student. But perhaps we can start to look for the best in ourselves and hope that our government can aid us in our pursuit to bring justice and help to the poor and oppressed. I meant to write this last week to encourage everyone to register to vote before the deadline, but my procrastination won out in the end. Instead I encourage everyone who is registered to vote to actually vote if they feel morally inclined. However, if you believe you should be separate and apart from government, then I totally understand and I may be there with you one day. I do ask everyone to pray. Not just for our nation, but for every nation that has God's children crying out for justice and relief. May God bless us all to be agents of hope in a dark world.

It's That Time of Year Again

If the sports year was like a Catholic calendar, then September would be Advent and October would be Lent. This is one of my favorite parts of the year as the Baseball season heats up and the Football season gets started. After a quiet baseball summer, things are getting interesting. The Astros had an awful year until August (including some time in last place in the Central), but have suddenly caught FIRE in the past 5 weeks. They have one of the best records in the majors since August 1, and are actually clicking on all cylinders. Unfortunately, so have the Cubs (1st place in the division) and the Brewers (1st place in the wild card standings). As of tonight, the Astros stand 7 games back of the wild card with 20 games to go. So a playoff trip is very unlikely, but possible (which is much better than I would have predicted a month ago). If anything, we're just a game back of the 3rd place Cardinals, and it's always nice to finish ahead of them. Hopefully, we can finish strong, continue to rebuild in the off-season, get some more help in starting pitching and middle relievers, pick up another bat, and hopefully come back strong in '09. Until then, it's always fun to watch your favorite team play well, especially when Roy Oswalt pitches a 1 hitter like he did tonight. Way to go Roy!



Meanwhile, the Red Sox are finally getting healthy again with Lowell and Beckett back in the lineups (and making very impressive debuts). As of tonight, the Sox are in 1st place in the wild card standings and just 2.5 games behind the Rays in the East. With Beckett, Lester, Dice-K and a solid Wakefield in a playoff rotation, the Sox could make another run at the World Series. It should be an exciting October!








Also, another very exciting thing is happening in baseball right now............The Yankees ARE (probably) NOT GOING TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS!!!!! For the first time in over 12 years, it appears the Yankees will not be playing in October. After firing one of baseball's best managers, spending $200 million on payroll, and putting a bunch of prissy celebrities together and calling it a "team," the Yankees now stand 8 games behind the wild-card. I'm so thrilled to not have to see a bunch of conceited New Yorkers gloat about their evil empire. Oh, by the way, Steinbrenner's, have fun this off-season moving away from baseball history and moving into a charmless and dull new stadium that's easier for New Jersey bandwagon fans to get to. I hate the Yankees, and it is so fun to kick them while they're down for a change.

In other news......do you hear that?.......there's a sound in downtown Nashville.......it's getting louder.........there's a mass of people on the walking bridge over the Cumberland River........what's that they're chanting?.......

LET'S GO TITANS!!! LET'S GO TITANS!!!! That's right! It's football time again! And I couldn't be more excited for kick-off tomorrow. The Titans begin their season at noon against their rival Jaguars. The Titans will be lead by Albert Haynesworth, Kyle Vanden-Bosch and a crushing defense. Meanwhile, Vince Young and the offense will seek to improve with the additions of Algie Crumpler at Tight End and blazing speedster Chris Johnson at running back. I still wish the Titans had done more to improve the receiver position, but I think Vince Young will be a lot better with Mike Heimerdinger back at Offensive coordinator and the Madden curse off his back. (Speaking of which, what happens when the relentless Madden curse faces off with an invincible quarterback who hasn't missed a start in approximately 5 zillion games? We'll find out this season with Brett Favre. This situation is just what the Joker described in The Dark Knight, when "an unstoppable force meets an immovable object." I've got my money on Batman, I mean, Favre.)

I think the Titans will be a better team this year, but that still may not be enough to reach the playoffs. The AFC is just so good this year, with at least 11 teams with legitimate shots at the 6 playoff spots. Plus the AFC South was ridiculously difficult last year (no teams under .500!) and will be even better this year. I'm not saying we won't make the playoffs, it will just be a tough ride. But it will be fun all the way and it's exciting to see a team that's on its way up.

Meanwhile, back at the Ranch........

TONY ROMO! TERRELL OWENS! JASON WITTEN! MARION BARBER! DEMARCUS WARE! BRADIE JAMES! TERRENCE NEWMAN!

Do you see all those amazing players? Those are just 7 of the 13 pro-bowlers from last year's 13-3 squad. Plus, add in the amazing Zach Thomas, the reformed Adam Jones, and the electrifying Felix Jones, and you've got a potentially better squad and a championship contender. However, after last year's heartbreaking playoff loss to the Giants, it is important to remember that despite last year's success and this year's expectations, we must take everything one game at a time and take no one for granted. We are in an incredibly tough division and we are going to be getting everyone's best shots this year. We must play focused football during the regular season if we want to return to the playoffs. If we get there, we have to play our game and fight hard to and win our first playoff game since 1996. Only then can we start thinking about winning a............you know what, I'm not even going to say it........we'll just say it rhymes with Cooper Mole. Until then, I'm going to enjoy every game with this fun team, and root for my Boys as we run and gun on offense and smash and gash on defense. After the depressing 2000-2005 years with 8,362 different quarterbacks, it's so nice to sit back and enjoy Romo and his gang ever Sunday. I love this team!


This is normally the space I would devote towards getting pumped up for our UT Vols, but I'm still scarred from last Monday's loss to UCLA. The hard thing about college football is that you can see all your title hopes destroyed in the first game of the season. Hopefully we can turn things around real quick in conference play, and everything would be perfect again if somehow we can pull off a monster upset on Florida in two weeks. But until then, I'm worried about our difficult schedule and our sketchy offense. Let's just move on........

I love the fall: checking all my teams' websites every day, getting pumped every weekend, getting swept up in the highs and lows of sports, and cheering along with my friends. So come on, let's grab some food from the Student Center and watch the games tomorrow! Woo hoo!

My Last First Day of School.......for now

Today I began my final year at Harding University as my 17 years of schooling begin to come to an end. Or at least until I go to Grad School. I'm not feeling nostalgic yet, and I'm not ready to start talking about my "lasts" yet ("Oh, this is the last time I don't go to a Harding football game", "this is the last bad piece of pizza I'm having in the caf.") So far, everything has been going swell here in Searcy. It has been great seeing friends again, getting my dorm room set up (For the last time!!!!.......just kidding), and starting classes.

I don't know if I've ever been as excited for a semester of school since Freshman year. I wasn't sure about classes at first, but after the first day, I really like my schedule so far. Here's a brief overview:

11:00-Advanced Intro to New Testament-Stanglin

I was worried that this class was going to be really tough, but based on the syllabus, it doesn't look to bad. Our main reasearch paper is only 8-10 pages, instead of the 25 I was worried about Dr. Stanglin is really smart and it will be fun learning from him this semester.

12:00-Augmentation and Persuasion-Garner

Dr. Garner is a crazy, unpredictable, stream-of-consciousness teacher, and I love him for it. He cracks me up and we always have really interesting discussions in his classes. I'm really excited about this class as we study the ways people persuade and influence and how that affects society today. It should be very fun during an election year.

1:00-Patriarchs-Dr. Manor

This is a 400 level class, but it's with my boy Dr. Manor, who we dubbed our own "Mr. Pheeny." There's only 7 of us in this class, so we all just put our desks in a circle and discuss Genesis with Dr. Manor. It will be difficult and a lot of work, and we have a big paper, but it will also be a lot of fun.

2:00-Biblical Archaeology-Dr. Manor

This is the class I'm most excited about. In this class we get to drive out to Rosebud every Monday and go dig at a giant artificial tel that the honors college built, and perform the work like actual archaeologists would. I've heard from some people that this is the most fun class at Harding, and Dr. Manor promises we're going to have a lot of fun. I'm pretty pumped about it.

6:00-9:00 (Mondays only)-Seminar in African Missions-?

This class was supposed to be my only Tuesday/Thursday class, but apparently they moved it to a Monday night class. I just found this out today, and I have work tonight, so I wasn't able to go. So, we'll see how it goes. Since this got moved it means that I have to readjust my work schedule, fly back from Rosebud to get to class on time, and Mondays will be straight 10:00-9:00 class.

However, if I can get through Mondays, then that means I don't have any classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and my archaeology class doesn't meet on Fridays. So things should go pretty smooth the rest of the week. But Mondays may kill me.

I'm also really excited about my job this year. I'm working as a computer lab attendant in the GAC lab, and I'm really glad to actually have a good school job this semester. Also, we plan to hit the ground running with our work in the Woodruff St. neighborhood here in Searcy on Wednesday and get our Bible study rolling. All my friends are awesome here and I'm very excited about everything this semester.

Hopefully, Senior year will be my best year at Harding. It was difficult to leave everyone in Huntsville and it was also hard to leave Kingsport. I wasn't crazy excited about this year. But, God is a great God and he is always faithful and there is always a new and exciting event up ahead. I hope this year that God will be glorified in everything and I can share his blessings with those around me.