I feel a little bad...

...very, very little, that is.

It might not be a very nice feelling, but I couldn't be happier that Michigan lost their season opener AGAIN - that Michigan lost their home opener AGAIN - to a non-BCS school AGAIN - that any National Championship talk is OVER in Ann Arbor AGAIN!!! Woo!

Earlier, Wife of RevPhil asked me, "don't you feel bad for that new coach?"

Are you kidding? I feel as bad for those lovely folks up north as they surely did for us after the past two National Championship games - not much.

And now, West Virginia fans can celebrate, too!

Until next time - RevPhil

I've been

typing weird strings of letters for about the past hour.

I finally gave in and signed up for facebook...

So after I got all my interests / activities / favorite music / books / movies, shoe size, hat size, car tire size, toothpaste, etc., I started searching around for people I might know and requesting their online friendship (based on the principle that I already have an actual friendship with them, I guess).

And - now I'm finally getting to the point - for every new friend request you have to type two squiggly words to confirm that you're not some sort of facebook hacking alien computer that's secretly plotting the overthrow of facebook by requesting everyone as a friend.

Whatever.

enormously e
spiltaken laverty
refuse effervesence
sparkle toes

So hit me up! And have fun with the squigglies!

Until next time - RevPhil

Pot Luck

So. Here I am again. You may have thought I disappeared or discontinued my blogging habit.

Fear not!

Here are a few "random thoughts" I've had brewing in my percolator lately:

1. Watching the entire olympic women's marathon is not "must see TV." I want a refund. Show me something with a little action, please! I'll even watch archery or trampoline or rowing! If any NBC execs are reading...pretty please don't make us watch the men's, too!

2. Michael Phelps has definitely been THE story for the first half of these olympics. I started wondering what the hype was like when Mark Spitz got 7 golds in 1972. I heard today that it was hype (as much hype as there was or could be in 1972 that is). I also wonder what Phelps will do with his celebrity / notoriety. I've heard words/phrases like destiny, fate, God made him for this, etc. I hope that in 10 years we'll be able to look back and say that winning 8 gold medals was good for him.

3. What in the world was Green Bay thinking? I don't think anyone really believes that they're a better football team without Brett Favre. I understand that it's annoying to have him retire and then un-retire, but please. He led them to a 13-3 record and one pass away from the Super Bowl LAST YEAR! You can't tell me they really think that Aaron Rodgers (as good as he may be) can surpass that in his first year as a starter.

4. I'm ready to get back to full-time ministry to children and youth! Over the past two summers, I've been filling the FPC pulpit while the other Revs have had sabbaticals. That's great and all, and I appreciate the chance to preach and grow in that area of ministry, but I'm SO looking forward to getting back to working with people under 20. You really have no idea.

5. I think I need to improve in the area of my attitude when I'm frustrated / disgusted. I'm beginning to be concerned that I let those emotions show too much / too easily. I'm going to be experimenting with being positive despite frustrating / ridiculous circumstances. I'll keep you posted.

6. I'm enjoying reading / digesting my friends' thoughts in their blogs! Keep 'em coming!

Until next time - RevPhil

You've got to be kidding me!

OK, so I feel like I've been pretty clear about the fact that we are kookoo for the Olympics. And to be honest, the Opening Ceremony is never really something that I look forward to, or even remember much from.

Until now.

Everything about the Opening Ceremony was stinkin' amazing! The humongous LCD screen, the hundreds of people under the moving boxes, the drums, the tai chi people in perfect circles, the bird's nest, the torch lighting...shall I go on?

I will officially remember the Beijing 2008 Opening Ceremony. Kudos to those who dreamt up something that took the world's breath away.

Until next time - RevPhil

Cornhole - it's not what you think

I experienced a new game while I was visiting my family back in Ohio - Cornhole.

I know what you're thinking...that's a name for something else!

But wait! Don't reject based on the name alone! It really is fun!

It basically consists of two 2'x4' sheets of plywood with a 6" hole cut in and 8 "corn bags." (A corn bag is a bean bag with un-popped popcorn instead of beans). Teams stand by their boards and alternate tossing the bag toward the hole. A bag in the hole nets 3 points, and a bag that lands on the board scores 1 point. An interesting twist is that opposing bags cancel each other out - for instance, if both teams put one bag in the hole, neither team gets points.

Games are played to 21 - and it's so much fun!

As soon as I got home, I got busy building my own cornhole boards, and as soon as I get my bags, I'm excited to introduce the game of Cornhole to Texas. I even decorated my boards like a real Texan would:

You can check out the official rules, etc at www.playcornhole.org, the website home of the American Cornhole Association.

I'm looking forward to playing!

Until next time - RevPhil

A Change in Honoring

So I've been thinking about something lately - since my visit to my folks house.

8 times in the Bible (according to www.biblegateway.com), we are reminded that a principle of the Kingdom is to "honor your father and mother."

I always assumed that I knew what that meant - and I think I did. As a kid, honoring your father and mother has to do with obedience, respect and conducting yourself in such a way that brings your family good thoughts and good things. With children, I think that obedience is the primary way to accomplish this. In fact, twice in the New Testament, Paul flat out states "children, obey your parents."

When I was back home a couple of weeks ago, however, my thoughts about honoring my father and mother (as an adult) began to shift a little. I think at this stage in my life, honoring my father and mother has less to do with obedience and more with finding tangible, meaningful ways to show them that I love and respect them (along with continuing to conduct myself appropriately).

With this new idea in mind, I find myself looking for ways to be intentional about honoring. I saw that my dad had started a couple of projects around the house, so I offered to help out. We ended up spending about 10-12 hours over the few days we were there (and I have the poison ivy to prove it).

I'm looking forward to experiencing and exploring my new approach. Let me know what you think.

Until next time - RevPhil