ok so im taking a break on my top 25 cbf preview to talk about something that really matters. in fact its the only thing that matters. dont get me wrong, i love college football and many other things, but when it comes down to it, its only a game. but friends, what i want to talk about today isnt a game. this truly is life and death. today we were singing a song by lincoln brewster called "god you reign" part of the song says- god you reign, forever and ever- god you reign. clever right? but seriously it is a very true statement. the god i serve does reign, now and forevermore-with out end by the way. and so that song got me thinking about two verses. the first one is found in the book of james chapter 2 verse 19 "you believe that there is one god. good. even the demons believe- and tremble" like i told the class this morning- that doesnt say even the demons are agnostic, or atheist, or muslim, or buddist, or to borrow a phrase from brother gary "any other religion, ism, and skism out there." no. that verse says that EVEN the demons believe god. believe in him. know that the bible is true. without question. it doesnt say that they agree or like the outcome, but it does say that they believe. i feel that is something that is not a very comforting thought to nonbelievers. question. do YOU believe?
next verse. philippians 2:9-11 "therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above EVERY name, 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." once again this verse doesnt say christians, or believers or good people or anything like that. it says that simply put every person that ever lived will one day bow down to the king of kings and lord of lords. this doesnt mean that on judgement day everybody will be going to heaven, it just mean that everybody will admit the truth and bow down to honor god. it is my prayer that you come to know jesus like i know him. if there is anything that i might be able to do for you or try to explain anything or answer any questions, please let me know id love to talk to you about this. and summing up these two verses- it doesnt matter what you believe or dont believe, one day you will know and admit the truth, and i just hope that its not to late. trust me. ill save a seat for you.
PUDGE
8.30.2009
8.28.2009
College Football Preview pt3
25. Notre Dame
24. Iowa
23. Kansas
22. BYU
21. Utah
20. Nebraska
19. UNC
18. Oregon State
17. TCU
16. FSU
15. Georgia- lots of questions remain for the the bullfrogs this year. how will new qb joe cox do? how about the loss of allstars knowshow moreno and matthew "i have more ints than tds in big games" stafford? how will dawg fans treat d-coor willy martinez after okla st thrashes them in the opener? when will mark richt win a big game with his own players? (seriously. withouth greene and shockley-neither he recruited no sec titles) and one more- how come it seems that the only time uga is any good is when everybody in the sec is down? at least in my life time that is. which is all that matters. but seriously dawg fans- i like your coach. i think he is a great guy and has done a pretty decent job. every year in the top 25. rb caleb king will fill in nicely and outstanding lb rennie curran will lead the D. gotta love super soph wideout aj green too. definite losses to okla st, florida, and gtech. tough road trip to knox but im not ready to give either team the W there. i say 8-3-1 counting ut. bowling again. very easily could be another 10 win season.
14. Georgia Tech- wow. one of my favorite stories from last year! i love coach paul johnson and his version of the "spread option offense" he claims they just run it out of a flex set! haha. but he does return dynamic qb josh nesbitt and acc offensive player of the year jonathan dwyer so the offensive should only be better. problem is they lost 3 of their front 4 on defense. i look for the jackets to be better this year after another offseason under johnson and he might have a few more players that actually fit his system. it is not time to proclaim them national powers yet, but they might sneak into the acc contention. there are several games on the schedule that will either propel or derail them- and if they are a good team then they should win most of them. if not, well...they lose. after all one of my favorite qoutes is "youre only as good as your record says you are" there is no such thing as a good 6-6 team. the jackets get unc and uga at home- both wins. fsu on the road upset win. and vtech at home. tough loss, but i think vtech will be really good this year. yellow jackets might slip into a bcs bowl. look for them to finish 11-1
13. Boise State- gone are the days of statue of libertys and fake qb handoffs, but its official. boise state is a good program. averaged 11 wins over the last ten years and i see no reason why that wont happen again this year. they will be untouchable in the wac with qb kellen moore running the show. the only thing from preventing them from bcs talk will be a rematch of an upset for them last year when they host oregon to start the year. i say the ducks take it mainly because the broncos only return 5 starters on D. 11-1
12. Penn State- joepa has the nittany lions rolling again. 40 wins in 4 years and a pretty favorable schedule sets up nicely for them. a cupcake nonconf sched and the two toughest big2little9 (big 10)games at home. iowa W and ohio state for the title and trip to the rose bowl. they do however have three very upsettable games-all on the road. an improved michigan, a juice williams led illinois, and michigan state to close out the year. will more than likely be ok thanks to qb darrly clark and the "spread HD" offense they run. plus a beavy of skill guys coming back-on both sides of the ball. they will probably drop one game somewhere, but thanks the the victory over ohio state will be the big10 champs. rose bowl bound at 11-1
11. Alabama- a shut down defense and a power running game-with just enough passing to keep julio happy. sound familiar? it should be. bama returns 9 starters on D and enough people on offense to survive. mark ingram will be the feature back this year and greg mcelroy will lead the charge. if he stays healthy and doesnt cause too many problems bama could be really good. however nick saban doesnt have a month this year to prepare for a dinky acc bust(clemson) hes got to prepare for the real deal and national title contender VTech. i dont think the tide will win that one throw in a split with @ole miss and hosting LSU leaves the tide just short of the sec with a 10-2 mark.
come back later as we crack the top 10
24. Iowa
23. Kansas
22. BYU
21. Utah
20. Nebraska
19. UNC
18. Oregon State
17. TCU
16. FSU
15. Georgia- lots of questions remain for the the bullfrogs this year. how will new qb joe cox do? how about the loss of allstars knowshow moreno and matthew "i have more ints than tds in big games" stafford? how will dawg fans treat d-coor willy martinez after okla st thrashes them in the opener? when will mark richt win a big game with his own players? (seriously. withouth greene and shockley-neither he recruited no sec titles) and one more- how come it seems that the only time uga is any good is when everybody in the sec is down? at least in my life time that is. which is all that matters. but seriously dawg fans- i like your coach. i think he is a great guy and has done a pretty decent job. every year in the top 25. rb caleb king will fill in nicely and outstanding lb rennie curran will lead the D. gotta love super soph wideout aj green too. definite losses to okla st, florida, and gtech. tough road trip to knox but im not ready to give either team the W there. i say 8-3-1 counting ut. bowling again. very easily could be another 10 win season.
14. Georgia Tech- wow. one of my favorite stories from last year! i love coach paul johnson and his version of the "spread option offense" he claims they just run it out of a flex set! haha. but he does return dynamic qb josh nesbitt and acc offensive player of the year jonathan dwyer so the offensive should only be better. problem is they lost 3 of their front 4 on defense. i look for the jackets to be better this year after another offseason under johnson and he might have a few more players that actually fit his system. it is not time to proclaim them national powers yet, but they might sneak into the acc contention. there are several games on the schedule that will either propel or derail them- and if they are a good team then they should win most of them. if not, well...they lose. after all one of my favorite qoutes is "youre only as good as your record says you are" there is no such thing as a good 6-6 team. the jackets get unc and uga at home- both wins. fsu on the road upset win. and vtech at home. tough loss, but i think vtech will be really good this year. yellow jackets might slip into a bcs bowl. look for them to finish 11-1
13. Boise State- gone are the days of statue of libertys and fake qb handoffs, but its official. boise state is a good program. averaged 11 wins over the last ten years and i see no reason why that wont happen again this year. they will be untouchable in the wac with qb kellen moore running the show. the only thing from preventing them from bcs talk will be a rematch of an upset for them last year when they host oregon to start the year. i say the ducks take it mainly because the broncos only return 5 starters on D. 11-1
12. Penn State- joepa has the nittany lions rolling again. 40 wins in 4 years and a pretty favorable schedule sets up nicely for them. a cupcake nonconf sched and the two toughest big2little9 (big 10)games at home. iowa W and ohio state for the title and trip to the rose bowl. they do however have three very upsettable games-all on the road. an improved michigan, a juice williams led illinois, and michigan state to close out the year. will more than likely be ok thanks to qb darrly clark and the "spread HD" offense they run. plus a beavy of skill guys coming back-on both sides of the ball. they will probably drop one game somewhere, but thanks the the victory over ohio state will be the big10 champs. rose bowl bound at 11-1
11. Alabama- a shut down defense and a power running game-with just enough passing to keep julio happy. sound familiar? it should be. bama returns 9 starters on D and enough people on offense to survive. mark ingram will be the feature back this year and greg mcelroy will lead the charge. if he stays healthy and doesnt cause too many problems bama could be really good. however nick saban doesnt have a month this year to prepare for a dinky acc bust(clemson) hes got to prepare for the real deal and national title contender VTech. i dont think the tide will win that one throw in a split with @ole miss and hosting LSU leaves the tide just short of the sec with a 10-2 mark.
come back later as we crack the top 10
8.26.2009
College Football Preview pt 2
25. Notre Dame
24. Iowa
23. Kansas
22. Byu
21. Utah
20. Nebraska- i see things being a bit better for nebraska during Bo Pelini's second year. better, but not great. it all depends on how quickly jr qb zac lee matures and figures out the offense. however, most people think that their dt ndamukong suh is probably the best in the country(i did have to look that spelling up btw) but the downfall for the cornhuskers is they play at vtech, at kansas and oklahoma at home for three tough losses. i do see them beating a very down missouri and rebuilding texas tech to finish 9-3 just out of the big 12 title game.
19. UNC- no this is not a preview for basketball, and yes you read that right. unc. the unc. tar heels. whatever. butch davis has got this team improving every year and they will finally take that next step into the national spotlight. they have a 3rd year starter in tj yates and a continually improved defense. losses at gtech and at vtech leave them on the outside looking in for the acc, but still could have a really good season and finish 10-2 with a good bowl. watch for ecu to pull an upset however...
18. Oregon State- this is the first team that most people in the media feel will make a huge jump this year, claiming their huge upset over usc last year has got them moving in the right direction. i say that usc will beat the beavers pretty bad and then traveling to oregon at the end of the year and drop another. the rodgers brothers will continue to fire the offense pretty well. 3rd at best in the pac10
17. TCU- only returning 4 starters on defense will hurt their chances to win the mwc. but they do play a tough schedule that IF they were to somehow run the table would be bcs bowling, however experienced qb andy dalton will help them in early upset special at virginia and at clemson. i see them 1-1 a loss at byu keeps them from winning anything of note. might finish 10-2 if they dont lose both to early acc foes.
16. FSU- christian ponder will lead the 'noles back to...well how about respectability? a tough schedule for bobby bowden and the boys, maybe the toughest in the nation. at byu, south florida, at bc, gtech, at unc, at florida(read loss, win, win, loss, push, huge loss.) i see the criminoles of free shoes u at 8-4 in grandpa bowden's last year...
ok folks thats all for now. ill be back in a day or so with 15-11...
24. Iowa
23. Kansas
22. Byu
21. Utah
20. Nebraska- i see things being a bit better for nebraska during Bo Pelini's second year. better, but not great. it all depends on how quickly jr qb zac lee matures and figures out the offense. however, most people think that their dt ndamukong suh is probably the best in the country(i did have to look that spelling up btw) but the downfall for the cornhuskers is they play at vtech, at kansas and oklahoma at home for three tough losses. i do see them beating a very down missouri and rebuilding texas tech to finish 9-3 just out of the big 12 title game.
19. UNC- no this is not a preview for basketball, and yes you read that right. unc. the unc. tar heels. whatever. butch davis has got this team improving every year and they will finally take that next step into the national spotlight. they have a 3rd year starter in tj yates and a continually improved defense. losses at gtech and at vtech leave them on the outside looking in for the acc, but still could have a really good season and finish 10-2 with a good bowl. watch for ecu to pull an upset however...
18. Oregon State- this is the first team that most people in the media feel will make a huge jump this year, claiming their huge upset over usc last year has got them moving in the right direction. i say that usc will beat the beavers pretty bad and then traveling to oregon at the end of the year and drop another. the rodgers brothers will continue to fire the offense pretty well. 3rd at best in the pac10
17. TCU- only returning 4 starters on defense will hurt their chances to win the mwc. but they do play a tough schedule that IF they were to somehow run the table would be bcs bowling, however experienced qb andy dalton will help them in early upset special at virginia and at clemson. i see them 1-1 a loss at byu keeps them from winning anything of note. might finish 10-2 if they dont lose both to early acc foes.
16. FSU- christian ponder will lead the 'noles back to...well how about respectability? a tough schedule for bobby bowden and the boys, maybe the toughest in the nation. at byu, south florida, at bc, gtech, at unc, at florida(read loss, win, win, loss, push, huge loss.) i see the criminoles of free shoes u at 8-4 in grandpa bowden's last year...
ok folks thats all for now. ill be back in a day or so with 15-11...
8.22.2009
College Football Preview pt. 1
Ladies and gentlemen, boy and girls, children of all ages...THIS is the moment that you have all been waiting for. or at least i have been waiting for. this is one of the main reasons that i decided to start a blog, so that the millions and millions of my followers could all come and read my college football stuff. i urge to you to check out my facebook page and read some of my older notes on this. i consider myself to be pretty objective when talking about teams and will do my best not to be biased. haha yeah right. in theory this is going to turn into a five part preview taking five teams at a time, and ill clue you in now- this is not your daddy's poll. nope this is only created by me. my version of the bcs. we will see what happens. spoiler alert- UT is not in my top 25- more on that later. let us begin-
disclaimer- and ill share credit with miller for this, and its not some novel concept. but if you dont have good qb play you have no shot. look at the good teams in cfb- tebow, bradford, mccoy and past national champions have had them too. they dont always have to be a do it all qb, (tebow), or air it out (matt leinart), or just regular ol ball control (ken dorsey) ya gotta have one if you want to win it all. no qb= no chance look at three teams last year with traditionally good programs that had lousy qb play- lsu, auburn, and ut...coincidence that they had below average years? i think not. and here we go...
25. Notre Dame- i feel that this is the perfect team to start my countdown with. the most overrated team in the history of college football. the golden domers. but as we will see throughout, having a decent qb gives you a chance. too bad for nd backers that this qb is a clausen, but nevertheless he does have some good upperclassmen targets, and the fact that the media is already proclaiming them opposite the gators for it all in jan.(no lie. lou holtz said it today) they have the two toughest games on their schedule at home michigan st and usc(without a solid qb) so even if they split those i dont see them losing at the big house to michigan. cake wins over wash, wash st, stanford, purdont. and the usual service academies. finish 9-3 at worst. upset alert= uconn comes to town late in the season.
24. Iowa- hey they have a junior qb in rick stanzi that completed 59% of his passed last year too bad for them that they have all of their tough games on the road. penn st, ohio st, mich st, and wisconsin. 1-3 at best. i think the hawkeyes will be ok this year, but i dont expect them to contend for anything worth noting. plus rivalry game against iowa st on the road, doesnt look good for them. im saying 8-4
23. Kansas- a shout out to the peters klan on this one. senior qb todd reesing comes back along with his two best recievers and top rusher from last year. and they play in the easily weaker big 12 north. missouri will be awful and itll come down to the KU vs. Nebraska matchup for sure(jayhawks have the early advantage because they will be at home.) rebuilding texas tech on the road could be a win. still cant beat texas or oklahoma. will finish 10-2 and playing for the big 12 championship. but the game i have circled in red- jan. 10. 2010. sunday. 1:30 pm. cbs. the vols will get revenge!
22. BYU- after getting blown out by oklahoma to start the season, look for the cougars to crash the bcs. senior qb max hall is back along with a fleet of other offensive weapons including rb harvey unga seeking his third straight 1000 yd year. all tough mwc games at home (read utah, tcu) after getting beat by both last year look for some revenge. also with all of the hype of past mid-major teams(read utah 2008, boise state 2006) people have made a bunch of noise and i think that they will justify the claims if they take the conference plus and intriguing game vs Free Shoe U (fsu for you non cfb fans). this will make the difference of bcs bowl or .com bowl. im saying 11-1 and bcs...
21. Utah- whoops. i guess last years bcs buster will not be there again this year. on the road losses to byu, tcu, and oregon spell disaster for the utes. did i mention that they are breaking in a new qb this year? and they lost their best offensive and defensive player from last years team as well as both coordinators. still a good program and will finish 9-3
alright folks thats all for now. next up 20-16.
PUDGE
disclaimer- and ill share credit with miller for this, and its not some novel concept. but if you dont have good qb play you have no shot. look at the good teams in cfb- tebow, bradford, mccoy and past national champions have had them too. they dont always have to be a do it all qb, (tebow), or air it out (matt leinart), or just regular ol ball control (ken dorsey) ya gotta have one if you want to win it all. no qb= no chance look at three teams last year with traditionally good programs that had lousy qb play- lsu, auburn, and ut...coincidence that they had below average years? i think not. and here we go...
25. Notre Dame- i feel that this is the perfect team to start my countdown with. the most overrated team in the history of college football. the golden domers. but as we will see throughout, having a decent qb gives you a chance. too bad for nd backers that this qb is a clausen, but nevertheless he does have some good upperclassmen targets, and the fact that the media is already proclaiming them opposite the gators for it all in jan.(no lie. lou holtz said it today) they have the two toughest games on their schedule at home michigan st and usc(without a solid qb) so even if they split those i dont see them losing at the big house to michigan. cake wins over wash, wash st, stanford, purdont. and the usual service academies. finish 9-3 at worst. upset alert= uconn comes to town late in the season.
24. Iowa- hey they have a junior qb in rick stanzi that completed 59% of his passed last year too bad for them that they have all of their tough games on the road. penn st, ohio st, mich st, and wisconsin. 1-3 at best. i think the hawkeyes will be ok this year, but i dont expect them to contend for anything worth noting. plus rivalry game against iowa st on the road, doesnt look good for them. im saying 8-4
23. Kansas- a shout out to the peters klan on this one. senior qb todd reesing comes back along with his two best recievers and top rusher from last year. and they play in the easily weaker big 12 north. missouri will be awful and itll come down to the KU vs. Nebraska matchup for sure(jayhawks have the early advantage because they will be at home.) rebuilding texas tech on the road could be a win. still cant beat texas or oklahoma. will finish 10-2 and playing for the big 12 championship. but the game i have circled in red- jan. 10. 2010. sunday. 1:30 pm. cbs. the vols will get revenge!
22. BYU- after getting blown out by oklahoma to start the season, look for the cougars to crash the bcs. senior qb max hall is back along with a fleet of other offensive weapons including rb harvey unga seeking his third straight 1000 yd year. all tough mwc games at home (read utah, tcu) after getting beat by both last year look for some revenge. also with all of the hype of past mid-major teams(read utah 2008, boise state 2006) people have made a bunch of noise and i think that they will justify the claims if they take the conference plus and intriguing game vs Free Shoe U (fsu for you non cfb fans). this will make the difference of bcs bowl or .com bowl. im saying 11-1 and bcs...
21. Utah- whoops. i guess last years bcs buster will not be there again this year. on the road losses to byu, tcu, and oregon spell disaster for the utes. did i mention that they are breaking in a new qb this year? and they lost their best offensive and defensive player from last years team as well as both coordinators. still a good program and will finish 9-3
alright folks thats all for now. next up 20-16.
PUDGE
8.20.2009
"lots of thought on a lousy day"
first of all today wasnt a totally lousy day, but i guess it could have been better. i really just wanted a clever title that would entice you to read this blog. hopefully it worked.
today started out with me having to go to a meeting with david ivarson at red bank high school to talk with the title 1 teacher and then another later from on point. "on point" seems like a pretty good program, that is the official sex ed program for all of hamilton county, and they really want to make an impact on the schools that they are in(all middle and high) so that was pretty cool. i then ran into a buddy of mine that i played against/coached with/coached against for several years and talked for just a second with him. after that i remember how bad that i want to teach and coach, but at the same time know that that isnt in the works for me right now. our summer bible study has been great, and i wish that all of you could read it. we did "experiencing god-youth edition" and im telling you it really opened my eyes as to how and why god does things. do i believe that god has big plans for my life? sure i do, but do i think that its time for me to do them yet? i guess not. but i do know that he has provided me with awesome opportunites so far in life, and i hope that i can take advantage of them. then when the time comes for me to enter into what i am called to do, i will be better prepared and able to make a great contribution to the public....
ok enough of that.
mike vick- well i see that he signed with the eagles...thats probably a good fit for him. and i hope he does well. do i like the guy?? eh.. its up in the air. do i like to watch him play football? for sure. do i think that he is a good qb? nope. but what does he give the eagles boys?...options!
brett favre- wow. i mean it does kinda suck how much the media plays up to this guy and his he said/she said relationship with retirement, but it doesnt change the fact that he instantly made the vikings better. and as you will see in the many cfb updates to come, QB is all so important. bad qb=bad team. if and only if it allows the viks to run with "all day" peterson more then its a good signing. which it will probably help brett exponentially by having a great run game. it will help him to not force as many throws, and therefore limit his mistakes. and we all know that the fewer mistakes you make, the better your chances of winning will be. so do i feel bad for the jets? yeah sure, they did sign him for two years and he only played one. they shouldve told him not to come to practice, ota, training camp...whatever. just play. i think AI put it best. "we talkin practice, not a game, practice." brett can still play the game he just cant put up with all the work. so let him play. who cares. do i feel bad for the packers fans that call him a traitor now? heck no. i remember two summers ago when he wanted to come back and they said...NO. so i dont feel sorry for them at all.
PUDGE
ps. this might be the last post before my cfb predictions come out...
today started out with me having to go to a meeting with david ivarson at red bank high school to talk with the title 1 teacher and then another later from on point. "on point" seems like a pretty good program, that is the official sex ed program for all of hamilton county, and they really want to make an impact on the schools that they are in(all middle and high) so that was pretty cool. i then ran into a buddy of mine that i played against/coached with/coached against for several years and talked for just a second with him. after that i remember how bad that i want to teach and coach, but at the same time know that that isnt in the works for me right now. our summer bible study has been great, and i wish that all of you could read it. we did "experiencing god-youth edition" and im telling you it really opened my eyes as to how and why god does things. do i believe that god has big plans for my life? sure i do, but do i think that its time for me to do them yet? i guess not. but i do know that he has provided me with awesome opportunites so far in life, and i hope that i can take advantage of them. then when the time comes for me to enter into what i am called to do, i will be better prepared and able to make a great contribution to the public....
ok enough of that.
mike vick- well i see that he signed with the eagles...thats probably a good fit for him. and i hope he does well. do i like the guy?? eh.. its up in the air. do i like to watch him play football? for sure. do i think that he is a good qb? nope. but what does he give the eagles boys?...options!
brett favre- wow. i mean it does kinda suck how much the media plays up to this guy and his he said/she said relationship with retirement, but it doesnt change the fact that he instantly made the vikings better. and as you will see in the many cfb updates to come, QB is all so important. bad qb=bad team. if and only if it allows the viks to run with "all day" peterson more then its a good signing. which it will probably help brett exponentially by having a great run game. it will help him to not force as many throws, and therefore limit his mistakes. and we all know that the fewer mistakes you make, the better your chances of winning will be. so do i feel bad for the jets? yeah sure, they did sign him for two years and he only played one. they shouldve told him not to come to practice, ota, training camp...whatever. just play. i think AI put it best. "we talkin practice, not a game, practice." brett can still play the game he just cant put up with all the work. so let him play. who cares. do i feel bad for the packers fans that call him a traitor now? heck no. i remember two summers ago when he wanted to come back and they said...NO. so i dont feel sorry for them at all.
PUDGE
ps. this might be the last post before my cfb predictions come out...
8.17.2009
"the end of an era"
so tonight was the end of 2009 midnight kickball and i want to be the first to claim that it is the end of an era. the chargers will not win it all next year, but congrats on back to back and it was a fun game to watch(since we got beat last week)
but aside from that, life has been going pretty good. i think that i have got some chances coming my way, but i dont want to say too much about it yet, because it may not happen after all. along those lines, it is kind of frustrating the things that i have to go to just to be able to sub...i mean really?!? and lets not even talk about being a "real" teacher.
....sunday school was great today. miller and i were joking that i was teaching to "eac" type crowds...(easter at coolidge). hopefully the class will continue to grow and we will be able to do some great things for the cause of christ.
....this is what i am really excited about however. as many of you know by now, and are hopefully very fond of my annual college football preview will be coming out soon. i am doing some serious research this year and look forward to revealing to you my thoughts on who will be good/bad, heisman winner, nat'l champ and so forth.
....i know that this was kind of a lame note, but i wanted to give you something to think about until i write something better...so...from brother gary today...and the bible...and jesus, "the greatest commandment is this 'you shall love your god with all you heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' and the second is liken to it 'love your neighbor as yourself' "
PUDGE
ps. answer this question from youth. what is your favorite will smith movie?
but aside from that, life has been going pretty good. i think that i have got some chances coming my way, but i dont want to say too much about it yet, because it may not happen after all. along those lines, it is kind of frustrating the things that i have to go to just to be able to sub...i mean really?!? and lets not even talk about being a "real" teacher.
....sunday school was great today. miller and i were joking that i was teaching to "eac" type crowds...(easter at coolidge). hopefully the class will continue to grow and we will be able to do some great things for the cause of christ.
....this is what i am really excited about however. as many of you know by now, and are hopefully very fond of my annual college football preview will be coming out soon. i am doing some serious research this year and look forward to revealing to you my thoughts on who will be good/bad, heisman winner, nat'l champ and so forth.
....i know that this was kind of a lame note, but i wanted to give you something to think about until i write something better...so...from brother gary today...and the bible...and jesus, "the greatest commandment is this 'you shall love your god with all you heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' and the second is liken to it 'love your neighbor as yourself' "
PUDGE
ps. answer this question from youth. what is your favorite will smith movie?
8.12.2009
"the common man"
sorry it has taken me a few days to post, but i have been thinking about this since sunday. darrell preached on sunday because brother gary was a little bit busy, and ill be honest i wasnt really expecting too much out of the sermon- and i heard maybe the best ever(at least to me).
first of all, it is no secret and i have revealed to many of you that i feel i have an incredible calling on my life to do something great(im not sure when and where yet, but i have some ideas) and i think that this sermon was just what i needed to hear. it was basically a story and call to action all in one. and ill pose the same questions that darrelll opened with to you.
raise your hand if you have ever heard of billy graham? ok..everybody obviously knows who billy graham is, but go ahead and keep your hand up if you have ever heard of mordecai ham? wow. not many people know about him, and ill save you the time so you dont google it and can keep reading my blog(selfish i know). he was a evangelist preacher in the mountains of north carolina and one night he spoke to the audiance and a young man named billy graham accepted jesus christ as his personal lord and savior. ham was not and is not famous, rich, or even very popular, but because he was faithful to the calling of god in his life billy graham got saved and in turn has become the greatest preacher of all time. preaching to over a billion people and saving more people than anybody ever has(side note- i realize that jesus actually saves people. and some say that bill bright-founder of campus crusaders for christ has saved more, but that seems more like a ministry than a one man revival). its just incredible that a simple preacher from nc doing what he was called to do helped to give the world the greatest preacher that ever lived. what a testimony.
the biblical example came from acts chapter 9 and a common man named ananias. typically when people hear about the 9th chapter of acts they hear about saul who becomes paul, but i want to show you how ananias comes into play. god called ananias and his simple response was "here i am lord" once again just being honest, but i had trouble controlling my emotions during the sermon. god called ananias and he simply responded, "here i am god. what do you need me to do? where can i go? how can i bring glory to your name? how can i advance the kingdom of god?" obviously most of that i paraphrased, but i feel that is exactly what ananias was saying. the point is, just another common man, doing what god had called him to do, and because of his faithfulness and obediance to god, he helped get saul into the ministry. saul then became paul and then became the greatest missionary that ever lived. a man that used to persecute christians became maybe the most influential christian. missionary to over half of the known world, writer of most of the new testament, and suffered more than most people can ever imagine.
earlier this summer i did a study on the disciples, and while they were small in number(12) they completly changed the world. they werent super human or anything of that nature. just simple, regular, everyday, common men.
i think it is amazing what god can do with people. and hope and pray that someday god will give me the opportunity and the chance that i have been praying for. when and if that day comes i hope that i can respond much like ananias and say, "here i am lord, send me."
PUDGE
first of all, it is no secret and i have revealed to many of you that i feel i have an incredible calling on my life to do something great(im not sure when and where yet, but i have some ideas) and i think that this sermon was just what i needed to hear. it was basically a story and call to action all in one. and ill pose the same questions that darrelll opened with to you.
raise your hand if you have ever heard of billy graham? ok..everybody obviously knows who billy graham is, but go ahead and keep your hand up if you have ever heard of mordecai ham? wow. not many people know about him, and ill save you the time so you dont google it and can keep reading my blog(selfish i know). he was a evangelist preacher in the mountains of north carolina and one night he spoke to the audiance and a young man named billy graham accepted jesus christ as his personal lord and savior. ham was not and is not famous, rich, or even very popular, but because he was faithful to the calling of god in his life billy graham got saved and in turn has become the greatest preacher of all time. preaching to over a billion people and saving more people than anybody ever has(side note- i realize that jesus actually saves people. and some say that bill bright-founder of campus crusaders for christ has saved more, but that seems more like a ministry than a one man revival). its just incredible that a simple preacher from nc doing what he was called to do helped to give the world the greatest preacher that ever lived. what a testimony.
the biblical example came from acts chapter 9 and a common man named ananias. typically when people hear about the 9th chapter of acts they hear about saul who becomes paul, but i want to show you how ananias comes into play. god called ananias and his simple response was "here i am lord" once again just being honest, but i had trouble controlling my emotions during the sermon. god called ananias and he simply responded, "here i am god. what do you need me to do? where can i go? how can i bring glory to your name? how can i advance the kingdom of god?" obviously most of that i paraphrased, but i feel that is exactly what ananias was saying. the point is, just another common man, doing what god had called him to do, and because of his faithfulness and obediance to god, he helped get saul into the ministry. saul then became paul and then became the greatest missionary that ever lived. a man that used to persecute christians became maybe the most influential christian. missionary to over half of the known world, writer of most of the new testament, and suffered more than most people can ever imagine.
earlier this summer i did a study on the disciples, and while they were small in number(12) they completly changed the world. they werent super human or anything of that nature. just simple, regular, everyday, common men.
i think it is amazing what god can do with people. and hope and pray that someday god will give me the opportunity and the chance that i have been praying for. when and if that day comes i hope that i can respond much like ananias and say, "here i am lord, send me."
PUDGE
8.09.2009
"a tale of two qbs"
unlike the famous novel "a tale of two cities", i feel that this post, "a tale of two qbs" is something that i might actually know a little about and can discuss at length if needed to do so.
QB #1- B.J. Coleman- i just want to say that i feel terrible for BJ. he outplays his competitors, but doesnt win the job? are you kidding me? why not play the better QB? plus there once was a man named david cutcliff who thought very highly of BJ and his talents- this is the same man that thought very highly of college qbs named manning(peyton and eli) martin, tee and shuler, heath. pretty good string of college qbs. compare that list with the man who found crompton- randy sanders and his college qbs. clausen (rick and casey) brent, schaeffer suggs,aj stephens, nick. all flops by most calculations. his lone standout ainge, erik who was helped by DC coming back for sure. so BJ leaves and comes back home to downtrodden UTC. now i must say this. being a native of chattanooga my whole life, i do not pull for UTC. i do however keep up with them and hope that they do well, but in no way does my fandom lie with the mocs. keep in mind the mocs are coming off of a 1-11 season or worse. and there is my problem. they got a new coach "former great rich huessman" and season tickets have gone through the roof. question. do you think that all of those fans want to see jare "i started and lost ten games last year" gault, or the hometown kid? cmon coach. lets get real. things cant get any worse. why not name BJ the starter and go about your business. nobody wants to see gault play. check the attendance records from last year. to borrow a line from friday night lights "if you want to win, put BJ in!"
QB#2 Jon Crompton- the number 2 rated qb coming out of high school, parade all american and he who has more career interceptions than td passes. awesome. for some reason we are stuck with crompton as the qb at ut for the moment. granted we have a much weaker schedule this year than we did last year so we should win more, but he is terrible. i mean every day all the reports talk about how he struggles with the offense and such...but i seem to recall a few other players on roster that played qb in high school berry, eric and jones, gerald. sounds like a good qb combo to me. or how about a little single wing action. bryce brown, david oku, tauren poole, and montario hardesty and just run the ball every freakin play. haha. oh well. we will see soon. and a cfb preview is coming soon.
while we are talking about troubled qbs here is my thought on another. mike vick. ok i know its wrong what he did, but he did serve time and if some team wants to sign him..let them. he has never materialized in the nfl and was mediocre at best. the way he plays doesnt lend itself the the nfl very well right now, but we may see that change at some point. but if you have a stout D, a great offensive line, and a dominant running game-go ahead a sign him. but if you have all of that stuff.....why not trent dilfer or vinney testaverde? haha
PUDGE
8.06.2009
"ill make you smell your coffee"
so this was a phrase that i heard while at "sunday school university" at bayside baptist tonight and im going to be using this soon. just not sure how to fit it in a conversation.
basically what we went to was a conference all about sunday school. how to teach, lead, direct, reach, influence, inspire, and anything else that you might want to do to positively impact someone in sunday school. and to make sure that youre church is doing that "from the cradle to the grave"
the first session that i went to was talking about "crisis that teens deal with." the leader made a very good point in the fact that when he was in high school all the had to worry about was breaking curfew and whether they were going to drink or not after the game on friday. and any of you know that is no longer the case. we talk about cutting, criminal acts, abuse(sexual, physical, emotional, substance) suicide, family issues, and basically any number of crazy topics that young people have to deal with. and when these topics come up what are we as adults/leaders/mentors/friends going to do about it and how to handle them. very interesting to say the least.
the second session was easily my favorite. we were discussing "7 mega trends" that influence ministry. some of these things can be good, some of them can be bad, and some of them can be both. it was cool because one of the trends was/is the growth of multisite and multivenue churches, which being at stuart heights "one church, two locations" i enjoyed this conversation. david ivarson was able to share a little bit about how we do ministry and it was cool to see the responses. something that broke my heart, and this i do believe is a bad trend, is the dropout of 18-24 year olds. some speculate as many at 80% no longer attend church. they gave several reasons for this, and im sure that there might even be people reading this that no longer go.
so tonight i want to leave you with this challenge. ive recently started teaching a sunday school class at church and im searching, recruiting, asking, begging people to come to class. maybe you dont want to come listen to me ramble on about the book of james(but give me a chance) at least come to church. there are too many people just out of high school, somewhere in college, or trying to survive in the real world that just dont go to church anymore and i believe that as a young people we can make a big difference for the cause of christ if we get serious. just give it some thought.
PUDGE
basically what we went to was a conference all about sunday school. how to teach, lead, direct, reach, influence, inspire, and anything else that you might want to do to positively impact someone in sunday school. and to make sure that youre church is doing that "from the cradle to the grave"
the first session that i went to was talking about "crisis that teens deal with." the leader made a very good point in the fact that when he was in high school all the had to worry about was breaking curfew and whether they were going to drink or not after the game on friday. and any of you know that is no longer the case. we talk about cutting, criminal acts, abuse(sexual, physical, emotional, substance) suicide, family issues, and basically any number of crazy topics that young people have to deal with. and when these topics come up what are we as adults/leaders/mentors/friends going to do about it and how to handle them. very interesting to say the least.
the second session was easily my favorite. we were discussing "7 mega trends" that influence ministry. some of these things can be good, some of them can be bad, and some of them can be both. it was cool because one of the trends was/is the growth of multisite and multivenue churches, which being at stuart heights "one church, two locations" i enjoyed this conversation. david ivarson was able to share a little bit about how we do ministry and it was cool to see the responses. something that broke my heart, and this i do believe is a bad trend, is the dropout of 18-24 year olds. some speculate as many at 80% no longer attend church. they gave several reasons for this, and im sure that there might even be people reading this that no longer go.
so tonight i want to leave you with this challenge. ive recently started teaching a sunday school class at church and im searching, recruiting, asking, begging people to come to class. maybe you dont want to come listen to me ramble on about the book of james(but give me a chance) at least come to church. there are too many people just out of high school, somewhere in college, or trying to survive in the real world that just dont go to church anymore and i believe that as a young people we can make a big difference for the cause of christ if we get serious. just give it some thought.
PUDGE
comments from wednesday night
so the first group of people that i told about my blog was the high schoolers and i told them i would give a shout out. so..thanks to Josh, Ryan, paige, nichole, jillian, ashlyn, and brooke. after i attempted to lead a somewhat meaningful discussion about what it means to have a place in you life where your faith is tested to believe that god is who is says he is and will do what he says he will do, we went to eat. "hi welcome to cici's" where basically josh and i had to listen to nichole, paige, and ryan tell this incredible story that never ended and wasnt even funny but we gave them a chance. i would like to hear from zac and david on this...
and in other news...the reds won today for the first time in...a month? dad miller and i counted it up. since july 5 the reds are now a pathetic 5-23. yuck. but nevertheless...this one belongs to the reds!
PUDGE
and in other news...the reds won today for the first time in...a month? dad miller and i counted it up. since july 5 the reds are now a pathetic 5-23. yuck. but nevertheless...this one belongs to the reds!
PUDGE
8.05.2009
"in the beginning"
ok so what. pudge started a blog thats what. after years of reading blogs of all sorts(mainly dealing with UT, baseball, or one of my buddies) i thought it was time to let the world know what i was doing. i have mulled this over for quite some time now, but finally decided to jump in and start a blog. who knows what will end up on here, but i love to talk about the bible, education, baseball, UT, sports in general, politics, family and friends.
for those of you that dont know, this is what im doing with my life right now= ive just started teaching a sunday school class for "our age" people(check out my facebook group for more info) so hopefully i can get that up and running soon, and ill be subbing in the fall. shocking i know. but it will allow me to stay in "the system" and hope that i find a job soon. im sure that there will be much more on this later.
as for now, it is wednesday night and im about to put the finishing touches on my lesson and the itll be time to go.
as we in the biz like to say "anything is possiblllleeeee!!!!!!!" some of you will get that.
PUDGE
for those of you that dont know, this is what im doing with my life right now= ive just started teaching a sunday school class for "our age" people(check out my facebook group for more info) so hopefully i can get that up and running soon, and ill be subbing in the fall. shocking i know. but it will allow me to stay in "the system" and hope that i find a job soon. im sure that there will be much more on this later.
as for now, it is wednesday night and im about to put the finishing touches on my lesson and the itll be time to go.
as we in the biz like to say "anything is possiblllleeeee!!!!!!!" some of you will get that.
PUDGE
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