World Series is a comin'

...which means a drastic drop in sports-related posts is on the horizon (and 75% of my 10 readers cheer).

How about those Sox? That pitching was a sight to behold! Those four guys in the picture (and their coach) deserve every accolade and $$ they can get from this (if you grant that throwing a tiny little ball at a man with a stick is worth millions of dollars). My only regret is not being able to see El Duque during the ALCS, other than a few shots of him in the bullpen before he was sat down...watching him work the end of the last Division Series game against Boston was wonderful. Hats off to Ozzie for letting those pitchers shine.

As much as I hate to say it, I'm glad the Yankees fell to the Angels. Watching Buehrle, Garcia, Garland and Contreras chip away at the bombers would've been too disheartening.

Now, I know very little about the National League. Maybe if I let myself spend more time on baseball (already spend too much) I'd get to know it better. But I've really appreciated what I've caught of the NLCS. I'm pulling for the 'stros--would love to see Pettitte get another shot on the big stage. Tonight's game was a great one--tough playing throughout. Good stuff, and then watching that crowd go crazy after the homer put them up 4-2...wow. You could almost imagine Roy Hobbs taking a practice swing or two.

And then Pujols. Wow. That's a series crushing blow. Or at least it can be. Sure, the Astros still lead this sucker 3-2. But if they're not careful, that one pitch, plus that one hit, can be the end of them. Anyone remember game 4 of the 2004 ALCS? That killed the Yankees. For their sakes, I hope the Astros can rebound in St. Louis.

At this moment

I'm NOT taking my mid-term for Hermeneutics. Why is this noteworthy? Because the rest of the class is taking it RIGHT NOW. Actually started about a half-an-hour ago.

I've yet to receive the exam, and the prof is off in New Zealand. No body at the seminary knows where the exam is, but they told me they'd look and send it to me if they found it. I checked with my mentor thinking, maybe they'd sent it to him. Nope.

I blew off Greek quizzes, lost sleep, grouched at my kids, for this thing. And they don't even have the decency to get it to me!

"Be angry and do not sin," I believe Paul said. Working really hard on the "not sinning" part right now, but got the former covered really well.

oh well, at least it gave me something to blog about.

UPDATE: About 8 minutes before the test was supposed to end, it showed up in my inbox. 11 minutes after that, I noticed it. Very unimpressed.

ALDS Game 5

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

One More Thought

As much as I was against the trade for the Big Unit. I'm very glad he'll be on the mound tonight.

GO YANKEES!

Awfully quiet this week

1. Very brain dead after working my posterior off (really, it's not there any more) for my Greek Mid-Term (and here).

2. On Monday, instead of the one sermon I'd been mulling over, I was asked to do two. Never wrote two in a week before. Still haven't, come to think of it--but I'm close.

Add those to together and you end up with very little time to hopefully entertain you here. More next week maybe, and the week after is Fall Break. So I'll either sleep for 7 days straight or post a novel here :)

Great Moments in Science

This man deserves something for just having the idea--not sure what he deserves, but something.

Yeah, cuz I need more stress in my life

Okay, Yanks down by two in the bottom of the 8th with Leiter pitching (?!?!?!), gets to ya a bit. Even with yesterday's win.

But there's always something to make you feel better.

Don't Worry, Folks. It's only temporary

Had a couple of minutes to spare this morning, and needed to do something totally irresponsible and meaningless. So we have the "Postseason Template" that we'll hopefully be able to keep up for the whole month of October.

GO YANKEES!

Quote of the Day

"Now, the example of Christ is living legislation--law embodied and pictured in a perfect humanity. Not only does it exhibit every virtue, but it also enjoins it. In showing what is, it enacts what ought to be. When it tells us how to live, it commands us so to live." John Eadie

I was wrong...proud to admit it

Yankees clinched the title...sweet.

Season's Over

Calling it right now, mid-6th inning. Yankees are not in the playoffs this year. Sox win the AL East.

At the bottom of the slippery slope

First Trio "Married" in The Netherlands

h/t Michelle Malkin

REYKJAVIK? Really?!?

Okay, doing that whole gvisit thing for a couple weeks now. No real surprises to be found...basically, my friends read this thing. But today found a couple of strange entries. Hong Kong, Reykjavik and Camden, NJ. To those readers/visitors, say Hi sometime, would like to know how/why you stumbed upon this spot. :)

Who needs the Bambino?

This is the first pitch of Wednesday's game at Fenway.

Am pretty sure the Sox just ceded the moral authority to win the AL East. For proof, I offer the fact that following that pitch, Toronto (78-80) beat up on the defending champs 7-2 in the last week of the season.

Distracted by a Shiny

Haven't been spending as much time over there as I once did...haven't been there in weeks, honestly. But townhall.com has a new look.

For the record the reason I haven't been there recently is I haven't had time (like I haven't had time for 97% of the stuff I used to do online), not a reflection on townhall itself. Content there looks good as always. If you have the time to spend, I highly recommend spending some there.

To live is Christ

Early in his letter to the Philippians, Paul encourages them not to worry about his imprisonment in Rome (and all that led up to that) because he can see the man behind the curtain, so to speak. He can see the Hand of Providence moving through his circumstances so that the gospel is being advanced in them. And he can therefore rejoice in them. Christ is being magnified in that advance and will be honored in what comes next--whether it's his execution or it's his release. Paul will rejoice in either of those, because Christ will be honored in his life or in his death. Why? Well for starters, to him, "to live is Christ."
As I was studying this recently, I was struck by the words of John Eadie,

Might not the sentiment be thus expanded? For me to live is Christ--the preaching of Christ is the business of my life; the presence of Christ the cheer of my life; the image of Christ the crown of my life; the spirit of Christ the life of my life; the love of Christ the power of my life; the will of Christ the law of my life; and the glory of Christ the end of my life. Christ was the absorbing element of his life. If he traveled, it was on Christ's errand; if he suffered, it was in Christ's service. When he spoke, his theme was Christ; and when he wrote, Christ filled his letters.

Hendrickson isn't as poetic, but it does leave us a trail through Paul's thought, (just for ease of use, I threw his proofs down below so you can just scroll down to look at them).

to derive one's strength from Christ (Phil. 4:13), to have the mind, the humble disposition of Christ (Phil. 2:5-11), to know Christ with the knowledge of Christian experience (Phil. 3:8), to be covered by Christ's righteousness (Phil. 3:9), to rejoice in Christ (Phil. 3:1, 4:4), to live for Christ, that is his glory (2 Cor. 5:15), to rest one's faith on Christ and to love him in return for his love (Gal 2:20).

And as wonderful as all that is, how that union, that identity is something we all would desire, long for...we need to remember the end of Paul's line: and to die is gain. It only gets better brothers and sisters. We can't lose sight of that.
__________________________
Phil. 4:13: I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Phil. 2:5-11: Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Phil. 3:8: Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
Phil. 3:1: Finally, my brothers,[a] rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
Phil. 4:4: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
2 Cor. 5:15: and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
Gal. 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Oh, I'm gonna waste a lot of time here...

Whether you need some Alanis lyrics, a Hobbit name, a fake Rush album, a random medical term, or something useful...The Generator Blog is the place for you.

What? No trilogy?

So last night we read the first part of the parable of the Prodigal Son--the part featuring the prodigal himself. Tonight we read the part of the snotty older brother. Afterwards, Frodo pipes up, "So tomorrow we read about him going in to the party?"

Am not really sure what bothered him about the negative answer--the fact that the story didn't end the way he expected, or that the brother didn't get his dad's point.

A Barefaced Truth

Okay, small confession here. I don't really look like my profile picture anymore. When I sold my soul to that stupid clown, I had to shave my goatee. I hadn't done that in years and had really no plans to ever do that. But I was allowed to keep the 'stash. Never really liked the look, and whenever I have a few days off (like I did last week) I grow as much of my goatee back as I can.

But all good things have to come to an end, so minutes before reporting for duty last night I grab the clippers. Bzzzzt, bzzzzzt, bzzzzt "AAH!" The Scribbler comes running in to see what mortal wound I'd just received. Then she burst out laughing. Lost in thought and rushing too much, I'd chopped off a good-sized section of my moustache. Really had no choice at that point and rid myself of the whole thing.

At the moment, I actually think it looks better. Scribbles says it makes me look "less child-molestery" (one co-worker agrees with that adjective). The Princess doesn't like it tho'. Will probably keep it for a few days at least, probably longer ('til my next vew days off anyway). Still, it's going to be a little scary going out into the real world like this...I mean, Spike gets more sun than this lip has for last decade.

Lifting a Pint for Sam

Patriot Samuel Adams was born this day in 1722. Adams was one of the men behind the Boston Tea Party, was a delegate to the Contintental Congress 1774-1781, signed the Declaration of Independence, and served as Governor of Massachusetts (1794-1797). When he wasn't showing more political courage, backbone and conviction than every elected person currently in Washington, D. C., he brewed beer. From what I understand, he was a far better politician than a brewer. It's in this connection that most people know about him today (I don't even want to think about how many college freshman know what the Boston Tea Party is...), his name is now attached to a very fine beer (not a great one, mind you), but one worthy of the name.

Here's a few gems of wisdom from his pen:
If Virtue & Knowledge are diffus'd among the People, they will never be enslav'd. This will be their great Security.

If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsel or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands of those who feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you. May posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.

It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.