The Oscars- A plea to get a collective bargaining agreement in place for football

So I watched the Oscars last night. Not the whole thing, mind you- I was in bed by 10. And it wasn't because the Oscars sucked last night that I was in bed by 10 (although...they did suck)- it was that I was just plumb tuckered out. I decided to conduct a mad science experiment with my sleep schedule over the weekend and concluded that most nights, I should probably get more than 5 hours of sleep per night.

And I realized something- I desperately need football to not go away next season. Sure, the Oscars take place after football season, so it's not an interference there. But it was like when Frodo looked into the mystical punch bowl and saw the Shire set ablaze- I saw myself sitting home on a Sunday afternoon, watching some show about housewives...or was it house hunting...maybe Dogg the bounty hunter. I don't know. All I know is that I saw life without football- and I didn't like it.

Anyways, back to the Oscars. I don't really have too much to say about them- after all, I didn't watch the whole thing, and I honestly don't think I had seen any of the movies that were nominated for awards- except for the back half of Alice in Wonderland on Netflix Instant. I had forgot that movie came out in 2010- largely in part because it was on Netflix Instant. Isn't that like, the kiss of death for a movie? I mean, if it's legitimately good...you have to go through the whole rigmarole of sending in your last disc so that they can send you the DVD a couple days later. But if it's kinda lame (or for kids)- you get to stream it right to your PS3.

Speaking of Netflix- I think that wonderful piece of movie viewing technology is at least largely responsible for my lack of awareness about what was going on in the world of movie-dom during 2010. Seriously- I think the last movie we saw was (oooh- Palindrome) the Voyage of the Dawn Treader- and there weren't many movies before that. Because we pretty much stopped watching regular TV and started watching things on Netflix- we missed out on all sorts of movie trailers. I think I probably saw more movie trailers during the Super Bowl than I did in all of 2010.

While I lacked a clear baseline for assessing the choices of the Academy, I was able to gain an appreciation for who the Oscars are really for- those people whose names get lost in the shuffle of the end credits- the behind the scene folks who don't get to be on the cover of People or Weekly Us- but who can many times make or break a movie without us even knowing it. Those are the people that the Oscars are all about. The tabloids make it about ridiculous dresses and celebrity couples- but those people already have their fame. The Oscars exist so the no-namers get to have their day in the sun- even if they get to go right back to anonymity right after the after parties. Congratulations, guys- your hard work helps to keep movies from being school plays with famous people in them.

Here are some random thoughts on the presentation of the 83rd Oscars:
- Maybe I was just spoiled by guys like Billy Crystal and Jon Stewart and their writers, but come on- last nights show was LAME. The jokes were lame, the opening film montage was lame, the presenters that tried to be funny were lame. It was simply a train wreck. It was a combination of really poor writing and two hosts that really don't have enough ad-lib ability to fill in the blanks. I like James Franco as an actor- I like him a lot, actually. But he's no Hollywood funny man, and he's definitely not a very attractive woman. When James and Anne had to call out their mothers to get applause- I knew we were in for a very, VERY long night.

- Who knew that the dude from Chuck could sing so well? Seriously- I've only seen Zachary Levi in the Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 and some clips of his TV show. I would have never guess he had a set of silky-smooth pipes like that. Kudos, Zachary.

- I'm not sure what was a more awkward moment- Melissa Leo's rehearsed speechlessness or Christian Bale forgetting his wife's name. I'm not saying that Leo wasn't initially speechless- just that she obviously thought she wasn't going to win, and so prepared herself for the moment by concocting a speechless 'speech'. It was really painful on the eyes. And Christian- I don't care that you won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. You are on couch duty until further notice.

- Literally had to Wikipedia the name 'Trent Reznor' to make sure that the guy that accepted the Best Original Score Oscar was the same guy that wanted to 'F*** me like an animal' in the 90's. Yup. It was.

Overall, I'm not mad at myself that I watched the Oscars. I just wish we would have spent that time watching Inception.

Super Bowl Most Popular Player- The early years (I-V)

As promised, my assessment of Super Bowl MVPs I-V (that's 1 through 5 for the non-Romans in the room). I'll wait to start while you process the fact that I was able to deliver on a promised time frame.



Reminder- I am rating the quality of the MVP selection with this scale:
5- Hands down the best player in Super Bowl (X). No way anyone else wins this award.
4- Played an exceptional game, but there were a couple other worthy candidates.
3- Played a good game, but so did many/zero others
2- Played okay, probably should have been a different MVP
1- Do the voters even watch football?

Up to speed? Good...cause here we go!

-Super Bowl I

The outcome: Green Bay Packers 35, Kansas City Chiefs 10
The MVP: Bart Starr, QB, Green Bay
Worthiness: 4
The why: 16 completions in 23 attempts for 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns (with 1 interception), Starr played a very solid game, mixing up excellent game management with some nice stats. Indeed, this was a top-to-bottom case of NFL-whoop ass put to the AFL, and Starr was the poster boy for the effort.
Who else: You could make a case for Max McGee, who caught 7 passes for 138 yards and two scores- a performance which is even more impressive because McGee was a little used back-up who only played because of an injury to Boyd Dowler. Those passes had to get there somehow, though. Elijah Pitts scored 2 times on the ground- but only had 45 yards rushing- so he's out. The only other players that I would consider being options would be Willie Wood (who had a very key 50 yard interception return early in the second half to help turn an unexpectedly close game into Packer rout) and Len Dawson. I really don't know what else Wood did, so it'd be tough to name him the MVP based on one play. And Dawson had a nice game- but his stats were not as good as Starr's, and his team only managed 10 points. Kinda hard to justify an MVP award to a player whose team just got shellacked by 25.

Good job voters.

- Super Bowl II

The outcome: Green Bay Packers 33, Oakland Raiders 14
The MVP: Bart Starr, QB, Green Bay
Worthiness: 3
The why: Because when an entire team lays the smackdown, you have to pick someone to be the representative Smackdowner. Seriously, this Green Bay dominance stuff is getting old. Starr didn't have flashy stats this time around, but he again was the engineer in the Packer War Machine. He was 13-24 for 202 yards and a touchdown (0 turnovers). Oh, and he had a 14 yard run. So he averaged 14 yards per carry. That's actually very impressive.
Who else: Unfortunately, not really anybody else had a stand-out game on paper- hence Starr's second straight MVP award. Bill Miller of the Raiders snagged 5 balls for 84 yards and a pair of touchdowns- but one of those was in garbage time, and those numbers aren't all that impressive. Don Chandler went 4-4 on field goals for the Pack- but the Super Bowl MVP award would have lost all credibility if a kicker got to win it. Football is a mans game- never mind that it starts with the word 'foot'.

-Super Bowl III

The outcome: New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7
The MVP: Joe Namath, QB, New York
Worthiness: 3
The why: I almost wanted to go with a 2 here- Namath had decent stats (17-28 for 206 yards), but had no touchdown passes. And as I read about this game, it really came across as a Colts loss as much as it was a Jets win. Additionally, there were some other (in my mind) more realistic options as far as being the 'Most Valuable' player goes. Nonetheless, I feel that Namath does have some stake to a credible claim given the historic nature of the upset victory and no glaring mistakes- and the fact that his legs are simply fabulous.
Who else: There's actually a decent list of suspects here. Let's start with Matt Snell. The bruising fullback was a huge part of the Jets' ball control attack with 30 rushes for 121 yards and the Jets only touchdown. He also caught 4 passes for 40 yards. George Sauer, Jr. also had a stand-out game at wide receiver for the Jets, with 8 catches for 133 yards. I also submit to evidence the name of New York cornerback Randy Beverly- his two interceptions both thwarted Colts' drives deep in Jets territory. And finally, Jets tackle Winston Hill, for playing a significant role in plowing holes for Snell and protecting Namath. From the Colts, I almost said Tom Matte...until I read that 58 of his 116 yards came on one play and he had a fumble that led to Jets points. Sorry Tom- I know that sometimes losers can be winners, but alas my friend, there shall be no soup for you.
New Pick: Broadway Joe-you played well, and certainly didn't do anything poorly- but I feel like your accomplishments were a byproduct of the real Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl III- Matt Snell.

-Super Bowl IV

The outcome: Kansas City Chiefs 23, Minnesota Vikings 7
The MVP: Len Dawson, QB, Kansas City
Worthiness: 2
The why: Jeez, I'm starting to feel like 'Super Bowl MVP' is a misnomer for 'Who Had The Better Quarterback/Less Bad One'. Yes, yes, this was a different era, and I've spent the last few years partaking of an NFL where the forward pass is king and players are wussies. Still though- that's no excuse for one sided games and lowish statistics. Not when it comes to deciding who is the Most Valuable Player in the NFL's biggest game of the season. Dawson did have a sterling completion percentage (12 for 17)...but only 142 yards (46 of which came on one play) and 1 touchdown pass (which came late in the third quarter) that was offset by an interception.
Who else: Unfortunately for the sanctity of the award- there really was nobody else. Maybe the Entire Chiefs Defense should have got it- they forced 5 turnovers, had 3 sacks, and held the Vikings to 67 yards rushing and 7 points (20 points below their average). Jan Stenerud would have also been a candidate- if you honestly believe that a kicker is legitimately a football player. Honestly, the most impressive statistical performance came from wide receiver John Henderson from the Vikings- 7 catches for 111 yards. True, it's not the best wide receiver numbers ever- but golly gee it looks like a much better stat line for an MVP than the one that Dawson posted.

(It should be noted here that I understand the sway that numbers hold- they don't tell the whole story, and it's possible to be deceived by numbers- each way. Sometimes they are more impressive than the actual quality of the performance- and sometimes they aren't as remarkable as what just transpired. Also, I'm conducting this 'analysis' from boxscores and game recaps. Forget the grain of salt- you probably have to take this with a whole block. Nonetheless- you can't tell me that a true MVP at quarterback couldn't put up better numbers than Dawson did. I will not be convinced.)

-Super Bowl V

The outcome: Baltimore Colts 16, Dallas Cowboys 13
The MVP: Chuck Howley, LB, Dallas
The worthiness: 0 (I know this goes against the scale- but Oh. My. Goodness. Nobody that played in this game deserved to be known as the Most Valuable Anything)
The why: Because 1971 is the most progressive year in history. It has to be- I don't even need to look at anything else that happened to know this. I mean, come on- not only was a non-quarterback named Super Bowl MVP for the first time- but he was a defensive player! On the losing team! Now THATS progressive. Howley picked off a pair of passes and recorded an undisclosed number of tackles and sacks.
Who else: Ugh. Just ugh. Turnover fest central. I couldn't even make it through the recap without making a run to the toilet- I can't imagine actually having to watch this. Whether all these turnovers happened because of sloppy football, advances on the defensive side of the ball, or the fact that the teams were still adjusting to belonging to the same league- this was not a pretty game, at all. I think the fact that a defensive player from the losing team was named MVP speaks volumes about this point.
New Pick: Jim O'Brien, K, Baltimore. For kicking the game winning field goal with 5 seconds left- the football equivalent of a mercy killing.

Well, that was Super Bowls I-V. Not too impressed with the Super Bowl MVPs up to this point- but fortunately there are still 40 Super Bowls to provide redemption!

Phone again

So today was a very exciting day because our tax return was direct deposited and we are no longer uber poor! Naturally, we decided to go out and spend an extravagant amount of money on new phones! Well, actually, Sara spent a exorbitant amount of money on a new phone. I only spent a little money on mine.

Okay, okay, it wasn't a new phone- actually I didn't buy a phone today at all. I bought a phone accessory. Yes friends, a mere phone accessory convinced my college-educated brain that I somehow acquired an electronic device that I had not previously owned. When historians look back on this blog post, they will conclude that this is the day that I...oooooh look, shiny!!!

Let's flashback to October of 2010, when I got my new Droid phone as a super surprise Christmas present from my wife. It was amazing- I had probably spent the previous four years with a hand-me-down phone of some sort, so to be holding in my hands a brand-new smart phone- it was exhilarating. I couldn't wait to get home from work that night and try out my sweet new phone!

Flash forward just a tiny bit to right before I had to go to work that day. Delaney cut her mouth open, and I was distraught. Right before I left, I knelt down to give Shane a good-bye kiss- totally forgetting that I had put my keys and phone in the same pocket in my super duper tight jeans! Screen- cracked. Joy- depleted.

I spent the next few months wallowing in the anguish of my broken treasure. Sure, the screen still worked, and it was a smart phone. But there was an unsightly blemish on the starboard side, and every time I ran my finger over the distorted swelling, it stuck a knife through my warm fuzzies. I wanted to just cut ties with it, swallow the $90 deductible, and get a new phone...but the pragmatic side of me refused to part with a c-note over such a cosmetic deficiency. And so my internal civil war raged on for months.

Then, earlier this week, I remembered a scripture verse that gave me peace of mind and restored my hope. At least...I think it was a scripture verse. Maybe it was something that I made up all on my own. I think it was like 2 Dwayne, or something like that.

Jesus said to Nicodimus, 'Thou shalt not get a new phone except thoust phone come brand-new from the factory box a second time'. And thusly did Nicodimus then say 'But Lord, they are wrapped in cellophane and encoded with a special identification number per the terms of the cell-phone contract- how can it come brand new from the factory box again?'. Jesus replied 'Verily I tell you the truth, unless you buy a shiny blue hard case and replace thy olden screen protector, thy phone shall continue to bring shame to thee and thees household and thees households households'.

Sometimes I'm so frustrated that the Bible is such a cryptic piece of literature. I just wish it would speak more plainly on issues. So I filed this away in the back of my mind and proceeded to spend the rest of the week moping about the elephantitis on my phone's face, which at this point had also accumulated a fine layer of yucky dirt.

Anyways, today we went to Verizon to replace the phone that Sara had lost (and really, I'm surprised that this did not happen much, much sooner than it did). I was standing there, looking around, envying all of the paying customers who would be leaving Verizon Wireless with their happy brand new phones- when I saw it. It was in a clear plastic wrap- a hard case made of shiny blue. I decided to buy it. When I got home, I immediately put the case on my phone and became alive. Passion rising in my being, I tore the home apart, looking for the remaining extra screen protectors that I had laying around. Then, I found them.

And now, the moment of truth. I took the old screen protector off, expecting to find a huge gaping wound on the screen of my phone. What I found instead....was a barely noticeable nick. Really? REALLY??? I spent the last few months debating getting a new phone because of an unsightly blemish that was really just a natural reaction from air getting into the screen protector? AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

Actually- that lasted for about .5 seconds, until I put the new screen protector on and got to experience the joy of having a new phone all over again. Seriously- it was like a second honeymoon today. My phone was lost, but now is found. It was dead to me- but it is alive again.

Oh happy day! Rejoice- and have another bean burrito, on the house!

Super Bowl Most Popular Player- The Intro

While on respite at my folks house last weekend, I got a chance to watch Super Bowl XIII- the last Super Bowl played before I was born. It was a little surreal, to watch a football game that took place before Jason Parks was a part of Earth. But aside from the grainy footage, woefully outdated graphics, and boring commentary- it was basically a football game. The kind you would turn on your television to watch in 2011.

After the first quarter, I found myself trying to recall the Most Valuable Player of that game (I'm no Schwab stumper, but I have a decent handle on NFL history, especially Super Bowls). I knew that Terry Bradshaw had captured a couple of Super Bowl MVP awards during the Steelers 4 1970's championships. The reason my curiosity was piqued was that Bradshaw had a very rough first quarter I think he threw an interception and lost a couple fumbles. Overall he had 4 touchdown passes and over 300 yards, but a low completion percentage and the aforementioned turnovers. Sure enough, though, Bradshaw was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XIII. It got me thinking about the whole process of selecting an MVP for the big game. Often times, it seems to be more about popularity than value.

So what I plan to do over the next Whenever (note: I know I talk all the time about this series and that series- but when it comes to football, I'm gold, man. So you know that I spit truth, yo) is go through the list of Super Bowl MVPs, and rate them on a five point scale to determine their worthiness. I'll also try to determine why the player was chosen that was chosen and discuss any other viable candidates. If I'm feeling particularly ballsy, I will anoint a new Super Bowl MVP for that particular game.

Since I basically pulled the five point scale out of a hat, I should probably lay the groundwork now for that five point scale. Here's what I'm thinking...
5- Hands down the best player in Super Bowl (X). No way anyone else wins this award.
4- Played an exceptional game, but there were a couple other worthy candidates.
3- Played a good game, but so did many/zero others
2- Played okay, probably should have been a different MVP
1- Do the voters even watch football?

Now I know that the champion of the Super Bowl is the real deal- but MVP is still significant. They get a luxury car and a trip to Disney World. Those are high stakes, man!

Unlike the mental block placed on voters, I will not be bound by the narrow view that the MVP must come from the winning team- because MVP performances can happen on both sides of the ball. Also unlike actual voters, I won't be conducting this series immediately after viewing the performance in question. This may be a hindrance or a blessing. Obviously much of what I'm going to be researching is cold hard statistics and game synopses, which do not always tell the absolute truth. For example, Bradshaw threw for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns in Super Bowl XIII. Great stats. What the numbers don't tell you, though, is that there were big chunks of yardage gained on short throw-and-runs by his receivers. Lynn Swann made a couple of fantastic plays on short passes. Maybe Swann should have been the MVP. I don't know- I'll get to that in segment 3 of this series.

Of course, sometimes we make more rash judgments when we're put on the spot immediately after witnessing something. We don't really have time to process it- so we make a gut reaction. And with a game like football, sometimes it's tough to see past certain players or positions to make a more objective decision.

I am not normally one to make grandiose statements or exaggerated promises. But trust me when I promise you via statement that By this weekend, I will posted my analysis of the Super Bowl MVPs from Super Bowls I through V.

Word is bond. Yo.

Separation of church and life

Note: This blog was birthed from a conversation we had with some friends on New Year's Eve. Alcohol was not involved- but the Wii and pizza rolls were, so I cannot be held responsible for the ideas therein. Blame Tortinos and Nintendo.

One of the core tenants of Christianity is our oneness with Christ. Galatians 3:26-28 says "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile...slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (NIV). And in John 17:20-21 (also NIV), Jesus is recorded as saying "I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me".

I have been chewing on this concept in bits and pieces over the past couple months. Now, I don't really think I'm inventing the wheel here- but like any good blogger with thoughts on his mind and a keypad at his fingertips, I'm gonna put it out there and act like it's the greatest thing since canned bread.

As I mentioned, we had some friends over on New Years eve. We kind of started talking about the development of a sort of independence in our spiritual lives- how we were coming to a point where the church was an asset in this, as opposed to an end-all-be-all. While conversing, I was reminded of something that a wise man once told me in regards to prayer- I hadn't been (in my mind) diligent about praying for something. He asked me if I had thought about it, and I replied that I had. He told me that I had prayed about it. It wasn't until our convo on New Years, though, that the implication of that idea really hit me. If I am in Christ, my very thoughts are prayers. (Or at least, can be. I really hope a lot of the drivel that goes on in my mind doesn't make it past the gatekeeper).

Obviously this isn't something new under the sun- in fact, this very idea has been spoken in probably every church that I've been to. But the real, practical life application has been taken a little while to sink in.

So during this renaissance of thought in regard to the role of the church in our lives, I have been processing the role of capitalism within our society, particularly in regards to the church and its role in our lives. How the attitudes and practices that are ingrained in us through our economic system can subtly infiltrate other areas of our lives. It's a lot of scattered thoughts, ideas, and musings. Really at this point, my goal for this blog is to reach the end with a fairly cohesive and somewhat coherent post. Anything above that is gravy, really.

Let's start by defining what the church is. Nowadays, we associate the word church primarily with the place we go on Sundays. The early church was a horse of a different color.

Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer....All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts...

This is the biblical "early church". Back then, the church was not just a building, or a social institution, or an organization. It was a group of people that were not only totally devoted to a cause- they were totally devoted to each other. Simply put, the church was the people- and the people were a family.

Fast forward to today, and the church looks...different. I mean, yeah, a lot of things look very different- technological advances and improvements in hygiene can do that for you. But the structure of the church looks really different. It is not so much a collection of people whose lives are interwoven- it's more like a patchwork quilt.

How does capitalism come into this picture? Patience, my young Padawans.

For those that aren't 100% sure what capitalism is, I will tell you. According to The Truth, capitalism is "an economic system in which the means of production are privately owned and operated for a private profit; decisions regarding supply, demand, price, distribution, and investments are made by private actors in the free market; profit is distributed to owners who invest in businesses, and wages are paid to workers employed by businesses and companies" (I took the whole thing from the page I hyperlinked...but in case you don't click it, it's from Wikipedia).

So there are some key concepts that I want to tie into some areas where I feel that we have deviated from the early church.

1) Wages are paid to workers employed by businesses and companies
In a capitalist society, the primary way in which most of us acquire resources to live is through the trade of our time for currency. Laymen's terms- time=money. Aside from rendering most of us unable to survive apart from our socially created occupations (including yours truly), it ingrains in us the idea that in order to get something, we have to give it- a principle of fair exchange.

It is in this environment (or market) that a church is forced to compete- people live in a world where they have to gauge the cost-efficiency of whatever purchase or activity they wish to participate in. So in that manner, a church has to format itself to this mindset. They are competing against other weekend activities.

Now different churches will combat this in different ways- some may have modern music, some may really cool technology, amongst other things. But most churches will definitely have their service packed into a finite period of time, and set up some sort of schedule to ensure that finite period of time is adhered to. A service is broken up into various activities- worship, prayer, offering, sermon- many will have additions of some sort, but the general look is the same. The goal is to pack as much spirituality into that time period as possible to reach the most people. I would posit that like businesses, most churches are not really worried about the outliers- the 'Christmas/Easter' crowd or the Fired Up bunch- it's the middle section, the people on the fringe so to speak, that make or break it. So the church has to make sure that for these people, the bang is proportionately bigger than the buck.

I'm not trying to say that all churches intentionally try and do this, and I'm not saying that these activities do not have spiritual significance. But look at the early church. Those people were there because they wanted to be there. They loved God, they loved their cohort- to the point where they sold everything they had! Nowadays, we come together on Sunday mornings (and maybe a couple times during the week), and maybe talk to some people sometimes. But for the most part, we aren't being the church- we're doing church. We are living separate lives that sometimes intersect, but aren't really bound together by anything of substance.

2) Means of production are privately owned and operated for a private profit
To control the means of production is to control power. If I am able to dictate the terms of the production of some item- I have power over that item. I can decide who gets it, how much they get, and how much they are going to give me for it. Obviously in economics, the laws of supply and demand will temper that power to a degree- it doesn't matter how much power over an item that I have if no one actually wants it. But what about the church?

Now this will probably be a touchy subject, and I will attempt to navigate it with the same degree of care that Anakin Skywalker did when he was in the pod race. Actually, probably more care than that. Since he almost killed himself.

Because of the spiritual nature of church, and the enormous implications of spirituality in the lives of many people, the church is given a significant amount of power right from the onset. While many people can obtain or be given power for different reasons, there is one person who is granted a degree of power and respect simply for the title that he has- the pastor.

Now, I have been very blessed to know some great pastors- men that love God and are very approachable human beings. I don't think ill of any of them, and they've all played a huge role in my development as a young man and as a Christian. I don't believe that any of them tried to abuse their position.

However, the power of their platform is that we allow them to speak on God's behalf. And that is an immense amount of power for someone to have. Like I said, I don't know any of my pastors that have willingly abused this power. I'm 100% confident that they believe they were specifically called by God to do this ministry. And I don't disagree with them or disbelieve them- I'm just throwing out thoughts here.

It is an interesting offshoot of the modern church set-up- fallible human beings, just like me, responsible for leading the spiritual lives and growth of numbers of other fallible human beings. I know there are many biblical-based spiritual gifts that tie into the pastoral position as we know it. And I know that even the early church was still involved with the local religious establishment. I just think that the church now is set up to be more of a spoon-feeding institution as opposed to an empowering one.

What I mean is that the church now is not an open forum. There is no real place for discussion. This is a setting where one person comes to preach and the rest come to listen. Can you see how that might be a little problematic? This is not an environment that fosters deep thinking and open questioning. This is an environment that says "I am the Pastor. I hear from God. Therefore, the words that I give to you are words from God". And if you have paid any attention at all to events in, say, the Middle East- you know that one of the quickest way to a volatile situation is to question or doubt another person's "God card".

Pastors aren't the only ones that are granted a portion of power. The worship leader (side tangent- why does worship almost always involve music in churches today? Are there no other ways to worship?) also wields power- music is a huge emotional conduit, and the right songs or musical mood can make all the difference in a person's worship experience. Hey, I love worship music- as a drummer, I find it to be an amazing outlet to express my worship and praise. And I really enjoy the magic of being able to share that experience with other musicians.

But I do struggle at times with the knowledge that because of the power of the medium (music)- that realistically, I can help manipulate the mood by which drums or cymbals I use, or the dynamics of build-ups. As musicians, we have a type of power, and we have to be very careful of how we use that power.

Of course, there is political power as well. All you need is a couple Bible verses- in or out of context- and a cause, and you have a pretty well united block of voters. And you know what? I was there. That was me, sitting in the pews, listening to messages and sermons and such, allowing my world view to be shaped by what others were saying. I used to vote for candidates strictly by what their policy was on abortion. In 2004, I voted for George W. Bush because he opposed gay marriage. Seriously- that was the issue for me. And I've heard many other preachers and speakers tell congregations what God considers to be the most important issues in the political climate. That's serious power.

I don't want to say that the early church was perfect- but it's pretty obvious to me that power wasn't really an issue. Yes, there were apostles, and they devoted themselves to their teaching- but it seems to me that they processed it together, as a unified social group, as opposed to just sitting there and soaking these words in as a collection of individuals.

3) Profit is distributed to owners who invest in businesses
Ah yes- the "haves" versus the "have nots". An age old struggle in humanity, and unfortunately one that rears its ugly head in churches today. Because of the spiritual nature of the power at play, cliques can arise with devastating consequences.

How do you get to be a "have" in the church? How do you get to be in the clique? You invest in the business- that is, you are ultra-involved. Go to all the services. Do the activities. Listen to the messages and say the amens at the right times. Interact with the right people. Say the right things. Put your best spiritual foot forward at all times.

Of course...if you're a "have-not", and you have an understanding of what the church is supposed to be like, and you're not really feeling it- where do you turn? Because Christianity is so dependent on the subjective religious experiences of its adherents in the broader scope of a supposedly objective framework, it can be very frustrating when your beliefs or ideas do not fit in with those accepted by those on the inside.

Again, I can't say that the early church would solve all the problems and make everyone feel like a hero. But look at the description- these people sold all they had, gave to everyone who had need. They hung out every day. Every. Day. They broke bread together. This doesn't strike me as the type of people that would take a laissez faire approach to those that felt like they were falling out of the group.




So what do these thoughts all mean? Am I saying that we should tear down the church buildings and sell our homes and go live with other people that sold their homes? Yes. I mean no. I mean....I don't know what I mean.

I am not talking about dismantling organized religion- I believe that churches have uses, particularly in the organization of humanitarian efforts and things like that. Because of the leadership hierarchy and organization structure of a church, they can move much faster in organizing aid to Haiti, for example, than can a loose group of people. And I do think that todays church can serve as an excellent supplement to the body of Christ as a whole.

Besides, the early church still met at the temple every day, and were immersed in the teaching of the apostles. I do believe that there is a need to have organized teaching of the Bible- it's a pretty big book, after all.

But I think it's very important that we look at the role of the church in our lives- are the people more important- or the institution? I'm not even just talking about the physical building- I mean, churches themselves will tell you that it's not about the location- but unfortunately, I feel that the church today falls short of teaching us the appropriate alternative.

Here's where I bring back that whole concept of being one with Christ. You remember, don't you? All the way up at the top of the page. The....first paragraph? The one that led off this whole shebang and then promptly fell off the radar? Yeah. Yeah! That's the one!

Because of our position as being one with Christ, we don't have to go somewhere to do this spiritual thing- it's wherever we are. We take it with us at all times. When the Bible says that they will know we are Christians by our love, I don't think it was talking about anything the American church is. I believe that it's talking about the acts of love that the early church showed to each other.

Human beings are social creatures, and people just want to belong- there is security when we are in a group, knowing that there is someone out there who has our back. The early church sold their own belongings for the benefit of others. They were intricately involved in each others lives- a cycle of self-perpetuating unity.

So how do we integrate that into our very busy 21st century lives? I think a good place to start is by putting away pretenses and just letting people get involved in the nitty gritty details of us. We are all people that have blemishes and imperfections- but we try to move forward in our spiritual growth by putting our best foot forward. There is no time to be broken. The show must go on. We can't rely on our churches to take us into this realm of unity- we have to take a step of faith and initiate the effort.

A practical way that we have walked this out is to have people over when your house is messy. This was a big step for Sara and I- we used to work very hard when we knew we were having people over to get the house as clean as we possibly could. But that's not being real with people- that's us, controlling the situation, wearing our happy face, and allowing others to see the side of us that we want to have seen.

But come on- how often do we actually keep our house clean and spotless- especially with toddlers? Not very often. And so gradually we started to relax on this. Now, we do try to make sure there is a semblance of order, and I do feel a little self-conscious about clutter when we have visitors. You know what though? This is us- this is our life- and if you want to be a part of it (which we would like you to, since we're having you over) then you have to be able and willing to look past our faults and flaws and to see us for the human beings that we are, and the greatness we are trying to achieve.

This is where I think the church fails to teach us how to be the church- because to be the church, you have to be a human being. You have to be able to love, unconditionally, as Christ loves. And right now, I don't believe that we taught that- not in its fullness, anyways. It wasn't until I entered into the social work program that I feel I learned how to be a human being. I learned how to separate the parts of a person that would reduce them to a label or category and appreciate them for the human being that they are.

How do we "be" humans? Short of entering into the Social Work program at NMU...I can't tell you a checklist. Here's something you can do, though. Find someone that represents a demographic that you hold predjudice against. Maybe it's skin color, or political/religious affiliation, or sexual orientation. Whatever the label, find someone with that label, and try to get to know them. Not to win their souls, or to bring them into the fold- but just get to know them. Humble yourself. Listen to them. Learn what it is to be them. What makes them who they are. Let them set the agenda. We are one in Christ, right? So we shouldn't have to worry about what to say or what to do or what to condemn. If we are cultivating our relationships (both with God and other people) then we can just 'be', and out of our being will come the fruit of love and sacrifice that came with the early church package.

I now sit and await my pending excommunication. Or becoming a saint. Whichever comes first.

Did haz it just got real?

Wow. I mean, WOW. What the flip is happening on Earth here? First Egypt, now most of the Middle East...and Wisconsin too. Wisconsin? Come on, cheese heads- you guys just won a Super Bowl. What could possibly be going on to make you so upset?

Seriously though- it's kinda crazy, if you're following the news at all- so much unrest in the Middle East, and things on the home front aren't any more stable. Plus, there is a possible government shutdown looming- as well as an NFL lockout. I can't imagine life without the government or the NFL (not necessarily in that order).

And to top it all off, I watched a special on Fox the other night about Iran (it was called 'Iranium'), which basically talks about how Iran wants to wipe America off the map. They talked about how they could fire a nuke way above the country that would effectively serve as an EMP that would wipe out all the electronic devices that we have. All of them. Knowing how much we depend on electricity for everything- it was a slightly disconcerting thought.

I don't know how feasible this whole thing is- I know that Iran would need a nuclear warhead, which they don't have yet. Yet. Of course, it seems that their whole national focus is to acquire this so that they can destroy us. Those big meanie heads!

What does it all mean? I'm no Nostradamus. So I don't know. It's a little scary- and yet, it's surprisingly comfortable. I feel like we've danced this dance before. 31 years isn't a lot of time to accumulate lots of worldly experiences- but it is a decent chunk of time. I know this isn't anything new- and that in a lot of ways, life is like a game of Mad Libs. Just plug in this 'noun' or this 'a country' or any 'natural disaster' at any given time and you'll get an accurate state of affairs of our planet.

I'm not really freaked out, and I'm not trying to play the role of fear monger, either. I do, however, think that it's important that we know what's going on in this great big, and yet small, world that we all live in. We are all interlocked- after all, we're six degrees away from knowing Kevin Bacon.

Can't we all just get along?

Did I mention...

...that I hate not having a computer? I mean, I feel like I've done my self-imposed penance- I haven't had a computer for a few weeks and so I have had to fill my time with different things. I guess in some ways, it's been good- I have been more productive around the house, and I've trimmed down the amount of mindless internet surfing I do, and I don't play any more Facebook games, and I spend more quality time with my children. Oh, and I've found time to be a loving husband as well.

But my blog is suffering- severely. Seriously- I have like 10 ideas for posts that are just sitting there in limbo. I can't give them any love or attention- they just sit and rot in the dark places of my mind, like some long lost Soulja Boy song.

I know that I mentioned that I was going to try and fix the computer- and that's still a possibility. Here's the thing though- regardless of how easy the fix might be or inexpensive the part might be, the fact is that we are poor, and soon we will be rich (that's right folks- big government is great for poor people with kids!), so I'm really thinking of just getting a new computer...possibly an iPad (crosses fingers, prays, sacrifices small animal). So it's just a manner of time. And I definitely understand that our one working computer is the property of my wife, and is meant to be used by her for school- which is important. I think I could even be learning patience through all of this.

But doggone it, my blog is important too- and like a tender plant, it needs to be watered and left out in the sunlight. I'm running out of brain space, and with all these great blog ideas just floating around in my head, I might explode soon. While death via exploding head might be a cool way to go, depriving the world of my awesomeness before its time is not cool. Not cool at all.

Why am I writing this, other than for the narcissistic release? Good question. I'm not eliciting funds. I'm not really sharing new information. I'm not even being very funny. So, um....I guess that's it. Post over.

Open Ice

Here's something that you should know about me. As thoughtful, sensitive, and caring as I might be, there is one area where I tend to walk first and look later- and that is with the area of movie spoilers. At any given moment, I am prone to start talking or writing about a movie with the assumption that you have seen it. As part of the 2011 Jason Parks upgrades, I'm trying to get better in this area. So I'm letting you know now- SPOILERS.

Last night, we had a friend come over. We watched a movie. It was awesome, a wonderful time- one of those magical evenings that you just don't want to end- and no, it has nothing to do with the fact that we are parents of young children and are pretty much recluse shut-ins. The movie was Robin Hood: Men in Tights. It's a great movie!

So after it was over, we were hungry for more. So we scoured Netflix Instant, looking for the One Movie that could sate our appetite. And we found....well, we found a movie. Frozen. It was pretty intense, like a labor contraction after you've had an epideral. Think Open Water, but instead of the vast expanse of ocean, our threesome is trapped on a ski-lift somewhere in the mountains. And the sharks are wolves.

I'm not going to tell you much about the movie in terms of a synopsis- there will be no analysis of character development here, or discussion of the plot. What I am going to tell you is the basic life principles that I learned from this movie, that I immediately integrated into Jason Parks 2.011.

Actually, before I get into that, there is one little thing that bothers me. The dude that played Iceman in the X-Men movies, Shawn Ashmore, was in this movie. Why couldn't he conjure some of that mutant magic? Or sent a psychic distress signal to Professor X? I would have thought a guy that spent time as Iceman could have handled this situation much better than he did. Is it because those powers don't transfer between roles? If so, then I'll have to rethink my desire to reprise the role of Totally Cool And Popular Awesome Man.

Okay. Here's what I learned.
1) Don't go skiing. EVER. But I knew that already.

2) If you decide to go skiing, purchase a legitimate lift ticket. If you con your girlfriend into getting you onto the lift for a discounted price, you will get stuck on the lift, and you will die. Also, adhere to the rules of the slopes. If you try and talk the lift operator into taking one last run right before close, he will probably cave and give you what you want. But then he will leave you stranded there, and you will die.

3) If your friends girlfriend is a terrible snowboarder, and you spend most of your time on the bunny hill- be okay with that. Because all of your skiing prowess will be useless when you are forced to sled down the hill on a snowboard while you are being chased by hungry wolves. Wolves that, by the way, will catch you and eat you off screen.

4) If you are in an intense arctic climate, and have to choose between covering your face and your hand- choose your face. Because even if you rip skin clean off of your hand, it will obviously regenerate at a rapid rate.

5) When mulling over your chances to survive, choose the survival option that is least likely to leave you lying helpless on the ground with multiple compound fractures while a pack of wolves catches your scent. I mean, chances are 2 to 1 that you are going to die anyways- but at least this way, you have at least a glimmer of hope before it is torn away by the jaws of a wild animal.

6) If you are watching multiple movies in one night, it is best to save the light hearted comedy for the end, instead of the psychological thriller. Especially if your movie night swaths a path right to 3 in the morning.

But it was a movie night that was well worth it, and there were no repercussions of sleeping in- in no way did Delaney get glue all over the table. And Shane definitely did not wet through his pull-up all over the futon. So...all is well. Yes, yes- all is well.

The new church- with muffins

Sometime soon here, hopefully this next week, I'm going to be breaking out a big, long, lengthy, wordy post about my thoughts on the church in America versus the early church. But today is not that day. No, today I am going to just say that I've seen the future of the church- and it involves a very early morning, free refills on coffee, and muffins. Oh, and a group of dudes sitting around talking conspiracy theories and the most efficient form of energy.

This morning, I finally broke down and went with some guys to have coffee at a local coffee shop. This is a weekly Friday ritual that I have been invited to several times, but have always been able to come up with a fool proof way out of....

"Hey Jason. Want to go have coffee with us this Friday?"

"No man. I am going to sleep in"

But this week, I decided that I was going to go. I decided this much earlier in the week, so that when I got sick yesterday, it made for a "convenient" out for this morning. But like Isildur in the heart of Mount Doom when he was told to destroy the Ring, I said "No", and set my alarm and began preparations for an abnormally early morning (which for me is going to bed before 11).

Now, I know that there are people that have to be awake during the ungodly hours of the day. Police officers, hospitals, and football coaches all work during the times when most of us are riding the sleep cycle. And those people legitimately need to be awake- Police keep our streets safe, hospitals help the people that weren't kept safe by the police, and football coaches have to get their teams ready so our Sunday afternoons don't suck. But apparently there is another group of people that brave the uncharted parts of the day- Coffee drinkers.

Coffee drinkers- and the spots where they congregate- wake up during these dark hours when even hope rests. It's sort of a funny phenomenon, if you think about it. You're waking up early so that you can go somewhere and put a substance in your body to keep yourself awake. Why not just sleep guys? We can do breakfast at a much more normal and socially acceptable time- say, 10:00? I mean, if you have to pump chemicals into your body to stay awake- and the only reason you're awake is to pump those chemicals into your body- you may want to rethink your sleeping habits.

Guys, I kid, I kid. But seriously- for me to get up before 7:00 is kind of a big deal. I'm not one of those people that can sleep until the early hours of the afternoon- but my kids are pretty much up every day like clockwork at 7:30, so sleep is a precious commodity for me. It is not a small thing for me to purposefully set my alarm clock for an earlier time than I would already be getting up. I'm not saying this to make anyone feel guilty- I'm informing you, so that you know how important I am when I grace your presence at these early "morning" functions.

Anyways, I went this morning, had a ton of fun, laughed about airport security and a conspiracy theory around the shooting threat at NMU and football and what types of energy are most efficient. The most important part for me, though, is that we laughed. We laughed and laughed. Laughter, to me, is how I connect with people. It's my love language. One of the biggest things that really drew me to my wife was the fact that she could make me laugh. Not just 'haha, you're cute and thus I will laugh at your jokes in order to obtain your approval'...but legitimate laughter. (And she's drop-unconscious gorgeous and filthy stinking rich, but that's beside the point. Also, she's not filthy stinking rich)

Human beings are very complex entities- each one is a labyrinth puzzle, with a dynamic set of interlocking parts. We can't just assume that our tried and true ways of doing things will work for everyone. But I do believe that one universal truth for building relationships with people is that we start with the small and gradually work our way into their lives.

I think that's one thing that the church does backwards (and I'll talk about more in depth in my upcoming post)- there is this expectation that you come in, and because you have this mutual ground of being a 'Christian' with other people, or because we have this Biblically-based security clearance that somehow we're all just kumba-ya and we can jump right into the deepest parts of the relationship pool. But that's not how it should work- we need to get to know people in a progression before we can really, and meaningfully, get involved in their lives. That's why a get-together like this morning was so important. We didn't break out our bibles and discuss the implications of Zechariah 3:7 (note- completely pulled that verse out of the air. Seriously.) or the different eschatological stances and how they relate to the events of our modern world. And that's okay- because there can be just as much life in the laughter about bodily functions and drug houses closing down as there is in our spiritual expositions.

Besides, the shop they frequent has the best Apple-crunch muffins. So if nothing else- there's that.

Sore loser? What, me?

Okay, I have to admit this before I get rolling too much- this is a bit of a sour grapes post. I guess if I was forced to really introspect- I'd say it's a whole wine made of sour grapes. But you know what? This is my blog. My frickin' blog. And so I reserve the right to b*tch and moan. At any given time.

Why am I so upset? What earth-shaking event could have possibly happened to disrupt my equilibrium? I am pissed that I didn't get invited to see President Obama speak at Northern. Perhaps irrational (no, definitely irrational)- but pissed, nonetheless.

The funny thing is- I didn't realize how much I apparently cared about seeing the President until they announced the manner in which they were going to disperse the tickets. Tickets were not made available to the public- this was an invitation-only affair. Say good-bye to Barack Obama, closet socialist, and say hello to Barack Obama, he who caters to the Elite.

I know I am technically no longer a 'student'- but I guess it's a little frustrating that I feel like I fall into the category of the 'little guy' that Obama seemed to champion so much for during his campaigning. This whole trip had a sort of executive fly-by-pants-seat feel to it- I mean, just last week we get a threat on our campus, and then all of a sudden the President wants to come see us RIGHT NOW. BTWs- it was funny to see the Northern web-site change from 'Northern. Naturally' to 'Northern. With Teh Interwebz'.

So they had to come up with some system to stem the tide of people that wanted to see the President. That makes sense- obviously lots of people wanted in on this action. Whether you agree with him or not, he's still the President of the U-freaking-nited States of America- coming here. To Marquette.

I am not a staunch Democrat. I don't donate large sums of money to a political party. I didn't even vote for Obama. But that doesn't mean that I didn't want to go see him, or that I'm not interested in what he has to say. I just wanted a fair shake.

I'm not a student organization president or a participant in the Superior Edge program (which I had never even heard of until this whole fiasco)- but frick man! I graduated summa cum laude while helping raise two toddlers and working basically through that time. Upon graduation, my wife returned to school full-time towards her music education degree. And I know there are tons of people like me, with a story of triumph over adversity.

Instead, I am on the outside looking in, like so many Marquettians. I'm not impulsive enough to let this affect how I view the President- but doggone it, it sure is affecting how I view my 'friends' that got to go see him. You are all a bunch of overachieving, elitist, suck-ups. There, I said it.

Seriously, this is the most volatile political climate we've ever had since the last President was in office. It's now this cycle of self-perpetuating hatred towards our fellow man. President Obama had a chance to spread love and good will simply by allowing me...I mean, other people...to come and see him speak. Instead, we have more bitterness and division in a place where unity used to reign supreme.

And the real kicker is that the speech, which was supposed to start at 1:20, didn't start until 1:34- which means I got stuck watching the Today Show and Days of Our Lives. So not only was I kept out of the loop from seeing the President- I had to watch television crap while I was being kept out of the loop from seeing the President.

I'm a low key guy who is normally pretty chill. I will get over this very soon, and I don't really harbor (very much) any animosity towards those who were lucky enough to fall into the chosen demographics. But still- as one of those faceless masses left on the outside looking in- well, we're just not as happy as this great day in NMU history should make us feel.

This post is brought to you by Teal. Teal- the official color of sarcasm since 2009.

Super Bowl Weekend...which is much more like Super Bowl Two Weeks

I blogged about the Wild-card round. I wrote about the Divisional round. You read my thoughts right here about the Conference Championships. Shoot, I even spent time on the Pro Bowl. So what makes you think I wouldn't spend time on the biggest game for futbol americano?

Let's get it started in here.

-Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh
So I decided to watch a little bit of the pre-game show this year. Not the whole thing- after all, doesn't it start at like 6 in the morning? I did watch a couple hours of it at the in-laws house though, while munching delicious turkey.

And I had an epiphany. Maybe it was the MSG in the turkey, or maybe the fact that I actually sat down to watch a Super Bowl pre-game show, but I realized as I was sitting there watching it that it is probably the biggest waste of time in TV history (or so I thought...until I saw the half-time show). The red carpet "show"? LAME. Seriously, why do I want to watch a bunch of famous people coming into the game and then listen to them blabber about football? The only reason you are there is because you're rich and famous. Woopdy doo. And their "insight" was no more "insightful" than much of what I say right here- and in some cases, it was less so.

I also have mixed feelings about the whole Danica Patrick godaddy.com line of ads. Obviously she's a very attractive woman, and she needs to make money too. It just seems like such a shame that someone who, in my eyes, has done a lot to show that women can be successful, high-profile athletes in male-dominated sports (yes, for this argument I am considering race-car driving a "sport") would cater to the lowest common denominator by appearing in sexually provocative (although non-explicit) commercials. But that's just me. I'm sure millions of dudes out there would disagree- even if they are being led to a watering hole with no water in it.

Unfortunately for me, I missed the absolute best moment of the Super Bowl- the National Anthem-because we didn't get snacks and such until right before the game (BTWs- don't go to Wal-Mart right before the Super Bowl- they only have like two check-out lanes open and they are all out of the really good stuff).

Now understand that I'm not violently opposed to Christina Aguilera getting the gig to sing the Anthem. I just don't get into that type of singing as much. I enjoy a good, traditional Anthem, and the occasional acoustic rendition. I pretty much detest the pop-star diva amped up version. But that doesn't mean that I don't think that people who sing like that shouldn't get a shot at it. She's had a good career, she can sing well, she's American- sure, why not? Well, now we know why not. Because she obviously doesn't know the song.

If there is one part of the Super Bowl that should go off without a hitch, it's the National Anthem. The football game itself is prone to the mistakes that normally would occur during a football game. The half-time show is a mistake anyways. But the National Anthem? It's you and a microphone and a song that you've probably sung hundreds (if not thousands) of times. So how do you mess that up? Especially during these very politically charged times that we live in- Christina, you have to nail the Anthem! America is counting on you! The Stock Market is counting on you! The military is counting on you! Don't you dare let us down! (BTWs, it was awesome that the cameras went immediately to a group of troops that looked like they were going to do a Code Red to Aguilera as soon as she got off stage)

Going into, and for much of, the game- I really didn't have a rooting preference. I'm not much of a Packer fan or a Steeler fan, but I do appreciate the legacies that both franchises have created over their respective histories. Living in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, I know many Packer fans. MANY Packer fans. In fact, here's an interesting theory I came up with- I believe that all Michiganders (except the transplanted cheeseheads) are band-wagon Packer fans, and this phenomenon exists on a scale. The closer you are to Wisconsin, the less of a bandwagon fan you are. I'm just saying.

So my rooting interest was very much influenced by my situation at work tomorrow. A couple of the parents of the kids I am in charge of are very big Packer fans. I definitely did not want to go to work after a Packer loss- because that would have just killed the air of positive small talk that I have worked so hard to cultivate. But also, I would be expected to be empathetic to the plight of their beloved Pack- and as a Lions fan, I just don't have enough pain and suffering to give to anyone else's team. Plus, I think that Packer fans could use a dose of humility- and who better to give it to them than a team with a sex addict at quarterback? (Note: I have no idea what the connection is there)

I hate to be a hater- and admittedly, I wasn't 100% sold on Black-eyed Peas as a half-time performer- but oh my goodness. That was the worst half-time show I've ever seen. It's even worse than those MTV "all-star" half-time shows they used to do before the nipple slip. I mean, there was lots of cool lights (probably too many, which is why they put some of them on the costumes)- and a neat stage- and all sorts of dancers- and even a guest appearance by Usher (dude can dance). But what the heck was going on? I mean, there are four members of the Peas, correct? But only like two of them were actually doing any significant singing. What do the other guys do?

The truth is, the NFL is in a long-term rut for half-time shows. I can't even remember the last time there was a decent half-time show. I understand that they want to make the Super Bowl an event the whole family can enjoy, but all that the Black-Eyed Peas did was put on a show that had entire families saying "What the heck is this crap?". You know what I think they should do? They should make half-time like the half-time of a normal game. You know- where the talking heads sit around and talk about the actual game- the game we're all watching. It couldn't be any worse than seeing lots of shiny lights, pyrotechnics, and crappy music.

They could cut the pre-game show down by about five or six hours- the only thing that the pre-game show brings to the table that hasn't been beaten to death over the previous two weeks is the red carpet and live music- and I'm sorry, if I wanted to see the red carpet and live music I'd watch the Grammy's. Just think about it, NFL.

At the beginning of the 4th quarter, I decided to root for the Packers (sorry Josh). I did this for a couple reasons:
1) Our friend Zach came over to watch the game. He is from Wisconsin, and so by birth he is a Packers fan.
2) My dread of having to pretend to care that the Packers lost joined forces with my desire to have something to small talk about at work tomorrow.
3) The Packers were winning. Like most Packer fans from Michigan, I figured that now was as good a time as any to jump on the bandwagon.

Man, the economy must really be bad. Pretty much the only commercials were car ones and movie trailers. Even the beer companies came up lame. Speaking of lame- again, most of the commercials were duds, although there were some very clever ones. I had never heard of Car Max before, and probably never will again- but they definitely had my attention for about a minute of Super Bowl Sunday. Good work, Car Max.

I'm sorry Fox- I've never seen Glee, but I can tell you it's not a comedy. And how do I know it's not a comedy? Because I've never seen it. Do you know how to spot circular logic? It's easy- the logic is circular.

Oooh, new show on Fox. Terra Nova. Looks like Avatar, but in the past (I originally thought that they were doing a sort of Star Wars prequel to Avatar). Even has the same military dude in it. PASS.

I had a feeling that tonight was going to be a good, good night. What a great game- coming right down to the wire, and when Green Bay failed to score a touchdown on that drive- well, I got a little nervous. I mean, Big Ben has been here before, and ripped human hearts right out of their cages, right on this stage- and it was like they scripted it. Fortunately the Pack's D was able to overcome Chuck Woodson's injury (which, again, felt scripted) and stop the Steelers to "bring the Lombardi trophy home".

Greg Jennings was the first Packer on the scene to be congratulated by Pam Oliver. "To God be the glory" is the first thing he said. I knew it! I knew it! I totally knew that God intervened in this game. His fingerprints are all over it. If I were the Steelers, I'd as Commissioner Goodell to look into this. I know these are serious ramifications- but if we thought the Patriots were cheating when they engaged in Spy-gate, imagine how the world would feel if they found out that the Packers had elicited help from the Divine? Would we have to go back through all the Super Bowls? How many championships has the Lord directly affected? What should we call this- Heavens Gate? Greg- I'm just playing. To God be the glory indeed- but don't forget to thank Big Ben, who basically handed you guys 14 points.

Anyways- from beginning to end, Fantasy Football to Madden NFL Superstars (best game on Facebook, if you're my friend you should totally play it) to these playoff blog posts, it's been a great and fun season. I hope that there is season next year for me to dip my shenanigans into- and if not, I'll figure out some way to brag about my exploits in virtual football. Until next time- I love you. And I love me. Hence, the title of my blog.

Jesus love your church like I love my wife. No wait...don't do that. That is a terrible idea.

There comes a point where every blogger has to decide how much of themselves that they are willing to really share through this medium. I mean, sure, the really famous bloggers have hundreds of readers and can pretty much just say whatevs- but for guys like me, readership is largely limited to family, friends, and acquaintances. I have to balance my desire to share all my thoughts and ideas with the knowledge that I'm not doing this in a bubble- that I will most likely have interaction with people that read the stuff I write. As much as I want this to be a journal of sorts, the fact is that I have to determine how much of what things I'm going to share.

But I need to write this- because these thoughts and this struggle have been by and large fought in the recesses of my mind and soul- and I need to put them out there. I need to have them in a place other than inside of me. For insight from others? Maybe. Mostly so that it can be known that I have a heart and soul, and that for all the things I do poorly and perhaps improperly- I am trying to be a better person. A better father. A better husband.

A couple weeks ago I was with a group of dudes praying at church. With the undiagnosed ADD that I have, I noticed that we were all married dudes, and so I started thinking about the verse where husbands are told to love their wives like Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25). And I prayed that for all of us in that little group- a couple newly weds, a longer-wed, and me.

Then I was visited three times by an angel dress...no, that's not what happened. And I did not experience any sort of mystical tractor beam drawing me towards in- but this verse has stayed with me these past two weeks. I've been consciously pursuing it, chewing on it, and wrestling with it. Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. As Christ loved the church.

Christian dudes, we love to hear the preceding verse (24) that says wives need to submit to their husbands. I mean, it just seems so simple to us- hey, I'm the husband, you're the wife, and you need to do what I say. I realize that we could begin a discussion about the changing gender roles within marriage in the 21st century, or even the role of marriage in our society- but that's not what I'm blogging about.

I try not to be this overbearring tyrant that makes decisions from the seat of his pants, expecting my wife to just shut up and play good soldier. We're fairly (I think, anyways) egalitarian, and the only time the 'Submit' card gets played is in really ridiculous situations, like when we're trying to figure out which movie to watch or where to grab pizza.

Do I feel like the 'wives submit to your husbands' is slightly antiquated then? Perhaps. But I believe that the husband part of the verse still has a very real place in the institution of marriage today. Even as gender roles change, the fact that love should have such a self-sacrificial tone is something timeless.

Not that I've been a shining example of this by any means. Those who know me most closely could testify to my selfishness- both overt and subtle. I can be extremely thoughtless and absorbed in my own little world. So these past couple weeks I've been making a more concentrated effort to have sacrificial love be a part of my relationship with my wife. It hasn't been easy- hence the blog post.

Because I wasn't brought up in a world where this type of thinking is very prevelant. This culture is not predicated on what we can do for others, but rather what others can do for us. It's the Capitalist song. So I'm left in the rubble asking what does such a love look like? And then how do I translate that love into the circumstances of our lives? How do I so freely give of myself in this society that stands coiled and ready to pounce?

I suppose I could do an in-depth study on the different iterations of the word 'love' in the bible- the different Greek verbs and their tenses, the subtle nuances and the different meanings. But that's now how I roll- not on a Saturday morning. So you get the cliff notes version.

It's pretty common to associate love in our culture with the romantic, pre-marriage sort of love. You know, where you talk on the phone for hours about nothing, and have nervous laughter, and try to hold your gas in when you're around them. You may write poetry or songs, and encircle their initials with a heart. And that's a very valid aspect of love, I don't disagree with that.

But when I look around me and see marriages and families torn apart over lack of 'love'- it seems like these situations center around a rather juvenile understanding of the concept. Yes, the spark may be gone, and that same spark may be ignited by the presence of a new person. But much of that is just the feeling of uncertain excitement- we marvel over the unknown. Once it becomes familiar, it becomes boring. So love has to be deeper. Love is a commitment. Love is a sacrifice. Without those aspects, then love is just hopping from one romantic comedy to the next.

Jesus' love for humanity is defined by the cross. In that place, he showed husbands everywhere how to love their wives. It's not pretty. It's not sexy, at all. In fact, it will be one of the most grueling and difficult tasks that we have to do.

I didn't understand that when I first got married. I was too preoccupied by nervous glances and warm fuzzies to really take time to meditate on the fact that I was being called to love her in a way that not only sacrificed my own desires- but also would operate under the assumption that there would be no reciprocation. Think about this- Jesus was crucified by the same people He was sent to save. It'd be like your wife pulling a gun on you during the wedding vows and you standing there and saying 'I do'. Love doesn't need to be reciprocated by another person, because it is a virtue that sustains itself by its expression. Like Wesley in Princess Bride, we're poor farm boys getting ordered around- and loving it. We do not this thing because we are permitted to- we do it because we have to. We do it because we are compelled.

Wait a minute, that's a terrible take on love! Well yes- but it is what it is. That's the journey that I've been on these past couple weeks. It's pushing myself to do things that I'm asked to do, even when I don't want to. I don't feel like getting up with the kids while Sara sleeps in. I probably don't want to work on the house when I have free time during the day. Maybe I just want to buy something for myself at Starbucks. And it doesn't matter if I'm working on a stellar blog post- if she's talking to me, I need to stop and listen.

The reason I struggled with writing this is that I worried that I might be somehow nullifying my efforts by making this struggle public. I mean, does real love need to let itself be known out loud like this? Jesus' death on the cross, in its own time, was not this huge spectacle. It was a death amongst thieves, witnessed by only a few. And yet, it was an act of love that has inspired millions of people throughout time.

That's the goal I am striving for (except, instead of 'millions', it should read 'my wife and children'). I long to have these simple actions incorporated into my being so that they happen without so much as a second glance. Maybe there will be no fireworks or chick flicks made about it. The only thing that matters is that my wife knows I love her- even if she doesn't realize all of the ways I might show it.

Obama to host rock concert in M-town

If you didn't know, you do now- President Barack Obama is coming to Marquette, Michigan. If you don't know me, that's the town that I currently lay my head in. If you do know me and are having trouble connecting the dots, that's the place I call my home.

Now I'm not often prone to fits of narcissism or delusions of self-grandeur, but I honestly think that I am at least partly responsible for his decision to come to Marquette. Please everyone- don't thank me/grab your torches and pitch forks all at once.

Let's look at the time-line, shall we?

This tale actually originates back in early January, when my investigation into graduate school ended up with me popping up on The List. You know The List, right? The one where they train a satellite at your house, and tapping your phone line, and having hot girl secret agents send you drinks at the bar with an address and instructions written on the bottom of the napkin- that List.

Fast forward now to Groundhogs Day, and some wacko wakes up and comes out of his hole in the ground, sees his shadow, gets depressed, and decides to write a threat against NMU on his blog (note- it was not this wacko). Someone catches wind of this and calls NMU, which goes into full scale lock-down mode.

Meanwhile, I decide to write a blog about Threat Day (which in many ways was like Snow Day, except we had to stay inside because there was possibly someone trying to kill us). Unbeknownst to the five people that read my blog, I was actually sending an coded distress signal to try and take advantage of my place on The List.

Obviously President Obama got my message, and is coming here to meet with me personally. I'm sure of it. He might be telling the public that it has something to do with our universities Wi-Max 4G network or some such shenanigans- but that's just an elaborate ruse and an encrypted message to yours truly.

In all seriousness, I am definitely excited that the President Obama is coming up to da Yoop. It's kinda like a politician and a rock-star mixed into one bag. Obama is probably the most polarizing figure since...well, since the last man who presided in the oval office. I'm definitely going to call in all (two) of my connections and try and see him when he comes to town. Love him or hate him, he is the President of our country, and this is not something that happens every day (unless you live in Washington, D.C.). In the meantime, I have to go close the curtains- there are a couple dudes with sunglasses and a black SUV sitting out in the parking lot.

Ummmmm....

So for the first time in the history of my life, I am experiencing the joy and uncertainty of a day off from work/school because of a threat made against a place of education. Right now, I'm not sure what exactly is going on- but NMU apparently got some sort of threat this morning and canceled classes. Then a little bit ago I found out that all the area elementary schools are evacuating because of the same threat. So no work today.

It's quite a conflicting feeling, actually. Normally, if both Sara and I had an unplanned day off, we'd be like "Thank You Lord" and get on with the fun. But this is different. I'm not really feeling scared about anything- so that's good. But it's also a little unsettling- I mean, I've never had anything like this happen, and I know that there have been numerous school tragedies over the past several years. Is this a bomb threat? Shooter? Something else entirely?

I'm hoping that this is just an act of extreme caution by the local schools. Keeping an eye on the Public Safety page on NMU's website. And praying that some idiot kid just decided that he wanted a snow day and made a prank phone call.