Making Something Else Ultimate

This thought was brought to my attention by one of my favorite pastors, Matt Chandler. Check out the church he pastors and his podcast if you would love to listen to some solid teaching

Look around and see if you see any of the following this Christmas season - The falsehood of the following statement, "The reason for the season is family and friends"

Directly or indirectly we often times make something else ultimate, rather than Jesus Christ. Now I agree with spending time with family and friends during Christmas and it is a great thing and a thing that should be pursued and planned for. What I don't agree with is making a bigger deal out of your time with family - than your time acknowledging the grace that has been given to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. When we acknowledge Christ as ultimate and make Him primary at Christmas and all through the year - our time with family and friends can be an extension and a reflection of that grace you have been given. When we fail to do this, I believe that we are drifting into the area of idolatry? I believe we can make anything an idol....a relationship, money, our comfort, and even family and friends. Anytime we exchange the truth about God for something else (Rom. 1:25) I believe idolatry is committed.

Friends this Christmas season and all the year through - please make Jesus Christ ultimate and by making Him ultimate extensions of your life such as family, friends, vacations, work, money, comfort, Christmas parties - will then be seen as grace rather than replacing it (grace).

Blizzard to the Glory of God

Today God is showing His power, His timing, and His plans with gusts of wind, frigid temps, and snow that is falling and blowing. As is with everything I believe God wants His glory more than anything and this is just another directing me to that thought.

Every church in our city has called off services today. One may ask - how can God glorify Himself when all the doors of the church are closed? I would respond with saying that the church isn't limited to a building or a time. As we are all stuck inside today - we still can have sabbath and time that honors the Lord. The key is to make sure that that happens for you.

This morning we laid in bed and got the girls and had a couple hours of watching TV and sleepin' in together. It was a good relaxing time of family time that we rarely ever get due to work.

One thing I think about is the fact of going to work vs. going to church. Would people venture to work today if this was a normal business day? My guess would be yes or maybe? Would people venture to church today -absolutely not - what is the difference? I guess it would be priority at first thought. There is some worth and value for families to be at home together on a day like this.

Since many of you will read this today since you will be at home and won't have anything else to do but veg out, watch movies, watch football, or surf the net - I urge you to find some time for sabbath today.

Rick Warren: Just Give Jesus a Try???

The other night I was laying in bed watching my hospital TV before I fell asleep. At 11 pm I usually watch the nights previous episode of Hannity and Colmes on Fox News. Rick Warren just happened to be on this night discussing issues related to Christianity, Christmas, his new book The Purpose of Christmas, and politics.

Here is the dialogue between Alan Colmes and Warren. One section was particularly interesting. If you don't have a garbage can nearby - you may want to get one - cause this could make you throw up.

COLMES: What about — what does it say for all those people who do not accept Christ as their personal savior?

WARREN: I'm saying that this is the perfect time to open their life, to give it a chance. I'd say give him a 60-day trial.

(CROSSTALK)

COLMES: Like the Book of the Month Club.

WARREN: Give him a trial. See if he'll change your life. I dare you to try trusting Jesus for 60 days. Or your money guaranteed back.

You have got to be kidding me. One of the leading voices in Evangelicalism put Jesus Christ into the category of exercise equipment infomercials??? You don't give Jesus a try? I dare you to give Jesus a chance?? That sounds similar to statements I heard in elementary school growing up - "Brett I dare you to put those boulders and other marbles in the pot - and I'll play you for them." Or, "I double dare you, Brett." (they apparently watched too much Double Dare on Nickelodeon). You don't dare people when talking about Jesus Christ.

God, in His Sovereignty, by the power of the Holy Spirit - buys us - purchases us - by shedding His blood on the Cross as a ransom - a payment for sin - so that we can be reconciled to God.

The rest of the interview had some issues as well, but nothing compared to this catastrophe. Rick Warren has a lot of talent and gifts and is pastoring a large congregation. He has sold more books than I will ever buy in my lifetime. He obviously has been blessed and God has used his books to reach people, but these comments speak to the truth of how Warren perceives the Christian life. How committed can anyone be to something they can just return for a money back guarantee? The sad truth is that people buy this message - They try out church - They try out mormonism - They try out etc....and nothing works because God, in His Sovereignty, is in charge period.

The Peasant Princess: Top Ten

The past couple of months I have been blessed by Mars Hill Seattle's series entitled The Peasant Princess based of the book of Song of Solomon. I have watched every sermon and during the process have been taught and challenged on every level as a Christian husband and father. For some silly reason we think that pre-married counseling is an end all discussion when talking about our marriage - when really it should be the start of continually examining your marriage while always striving to learn more and more about your spouse and how you can serve he/she better. Here are my Top Ten quotes or ideas that I remember as I reflect on this great teaching series. Some are practical personally, others are just great observations of culture and can be used as I Pastor and do marital counseling.

1. My Wife = My Standard of Beauty. When my standard of beauty changes - that is when marriages start falling apart. Replacement of your wife being the standard of beauty - can lead to a trainwreck of a marriage. This is obviously an issue as the cultural standard of beauty is sold/advertised/marketed/placed in front of us at all times.
2. In my marriage I am after INTERDEPENDENCE, not INDEPENDENCE.
3. Date Night = PRIORITY. With two kids (22 months and 1 month) - my wife and I need 1 time a week to go out on a date. Why? To connect, to talk, to get to know each other better - so we don't get to be empty nesters w/ nothing to talk about. The past 5 weeks we have had date night each week no matter what - and it has been awesome!
4. Before I touch my wife physically - I need to touch her mind, her heart, and her soul.
5. Selfishness - In a marriage - research shows that it takes 9 years to remove oneself from all selfishness within. The worst part about this is people get divorced and then repeat the worst years.
6. Cohabitation Quote = "Cohabitation includes - Hook up, Shake up, Break up."
7. Dudes - In our culture guys typically want all the benefits, but want/take no responsibility.
8. Pornography Quote = "Just cause we are thirsty - doesn't mean we drink from the toilet."
9. Divorce Quote = "So many Christian couples are divorced in every way, but the paperwork - and they ridiculously pat themselves on the back for not getting a divorce."
10. Childhood = A lot of what happens in one's childhood - greatly affects how they define, think about, and behave when they are married.

You can watch all the sermons here. Driscoll has produced a free online book available to help those struggling with pornography. You can download that here.

I feel like in church we don't talk about marriage, sex, and parenting enough. We have at times failed to deal with real issues that the Bible addresses. I am glad that Driscoll steps out and talks on these issues, and that Mars Hill shares this content for free. Please check it out if you are married or preparing for marriage.

Farewell song written to President Bush

My first tape that I received in 1991 was Steven Curtis Chapman's For The Sake of the Call. 17 years later Chapman is still making music and his most recent contribution was to write a farewell/thank you song for President Bush. Chapman has had a difficult year w/the death of his daughter. His writing this song is part of his testimony that he is truly thankful for all that God has ordained. You can check out the song here.

Vikings Week 12: Gifts From the Jags

The Vikings 30-12 win on Sunday seemed to be an early gift to the Vikings as the holidays approach. Jacksonville gave the Vikings 4 total turnovers and missed 2 field goals on Sunday. The key to these turnovers was that 2 of them occurred early and scored on both to take a 14-0 lead. The Vikings D gave up a ton of yards in the pass game, but allowed only 35 yards rushing. The offense was so-so - especially concerning was the amount of hits that Gus took.

This game was especially nice because the Vikings seemed to have the game in control with about 10 minutes to go. In a time of thanksgiving the Vikings should send a card, an email, a text-message, or a couple of wrapped gifts to Mike Tice, Jack Del Rio, Brian Williams, and Troy Williamson for their sucky coaching, play, trash-talking, and the good gifts they gave the Vikes on Sunday.

My Grandfather: My family and my friend pt. 1

Proverbs 22:6 commands parents to: "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." My grandfather, Marlin Kusler, trained my mother, Sheila to raise me a certain way, to teach me, to put up with me and to ultimately love me despite my faults, disobedience, and times of disrespect growing up.

I had the privilege of spending a weekend around my grandpa last weekend, while deer/pheasant hunting. My grandpa got the opportunity to hang out with his great-grand daughters, which was truly a blessing. I got the chance to interview my grandpa and ask him some questions about growing up and living in one place for his entire life.

Saved From Wrath (Brett): "You were born in 1932 and spent your childhood growing up amongst the Great Depression: what is one of your memories of that time?"

Grandpa Kusler: "One thing I remember on the farm was sleeping in a grain bin for an extneded period of time. My parents were building the home on the farmstead and we kids sleep on top of the grain in the wooden bin on mattresses."

SFW: "What are some of the things you did for fun growing up on the farm?"

GK: "Well....we really didn't have any toys or anything so we had to make our own fun. I remember when mom and dad had people over we would sometimes find dired cow pies and stick them on the running boards of the model T's in the driveway."

SFW: "Grandpa....you haved lived in this town for 76 years and have never moved (aside from moving from the farm into town, but still spending all your time on the farm).....what have been the best and worst parts of that."

GK: "The best thing has been that we've never had a crop failure. We have been blessed. God has overseen the land we've been farming as a family for generations. I guess the worst thing is that i've never lived anywhere else, so I don't know if it would really be any better."

I am proud of my Grandfather because he is my family and he is my friend - along with a slow, but effective player at any card game. Stay tuned for part two when an interview will be coming with the one and only Oscar (aka "Ozzie") Moser.

From the Library - to the garbage can!

A fellow church member found this gem in our church library and we decided that it probably does not need to be in the church library any more. Why? Because our church isn't a KJV only church! We believe in using either word for word (ESV, NASB, NKJV, KJV) or thought for thought translations (NIV) and would discourage the use, for preaching and teaching, of paraphrase translations (The Message, NCV, NLT).
My favorite chapter is chapter 8 when the author goes through multiple translations and prints copyright information for each version (year - along w/publishing company). At the end of this list he asks the question:

IS THE KING JAMES BIBLE COPYRIGHTED?????
NO!!!!!!
WHY? You cannot copyright God's Word!!!!!!!
You can only copyright man's words!!!!!!

I pray against the people who make this a divisive issue and stray from talking about Jesus more than which version is the greatest.

Vikings Week 11: Hovan the Barbarian

Ex Minnesota Viking Chris Hovan (and his cut apart jersey) - along with his Tampa Bay Teammates beat the Vikes in a game that if the Vikings would've been average in the second half would've won. I am not going to blog about this this week. I just can't find any positives from this game. This is a game - against a well coached team that we should've won.....enough said

Kenny Chesney: "I think I speak for the crowd"

My lovely wife is from the state of Montana. Every time we head west to visit we crank up the radio and listen to country music. Last night we put the kids to bed and watched the CMA awards. I've always thought country musicians write songs that are the most honest, in your face, and passionate personal reflections. Comparative to other music, this is what puts country music into a distinctive category. If Contemporary Christian artists wrote with such honesty - who knows, the songs might say a little more about the glory and majesty of Jesus Christ (although there are some that do this).

This leads me to the sad cultural reality that the lyrics of Kenny Chesney's new song, Everybody Wants to go to Heaven represent. The song closes with these three lines:

Everybody wanna go to heaven
But nobody wanna go now
I think I speak for the crowd

There is truth in this lyric. Nobody wants to die and go to heaven because we have put our treasure right here on earth. Sadly, I think some Christians have bought into this as well. Our treasure being Christ has been replaced by this party called life (as "natural/sinful" beings rather than the resurrected beings that should long to be with Jesus). We don't get what Paul says in 1 Cor. 7 - "This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let ...... those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away."

Chesney says he "thinks he speaks for the crowd" and I would say he is right on here....even though I don't know his point in writing this song (as it is a fun Caribbean country song).

The truth is as I've heard one Pastor say, "If you are not a Christian - this world is the closest thing to heaven that you will ever experience....conversely if you are a Christian - this world is the closest thing to hell that you will ever experience." May followers of Jesus Christ want to go to heaven - because of the glory and majesty of Jesus Christ.

Vikings Week 10: Cheese Stinks

The Minnesota Vikings escaped with a wild 28-27 win on Sunday to go as Childress would say, "We went 1-0 this week, that's all we could do." Actually Chilly got his first win against the Pack and avoided going 0-6 against the hated cheese heads. He received the game ball after Sunday's win from Zygi and probably gained a glimmering hope of retaining his job through the end of the season. I believe the Vikings need @ least 10-6 and make the playoffs for Childress to be retained. The reasoning is this. Look at the Childress era.....

• First year - 6-10 record. Brought in Steve Hutchinson via Seattle with a huge contract for an OL. Improved the running game w/ brining in Hutch and Chester Taylor via Baltimore. Defense showed vast improvement in becoming a run - stopping machine. Pass D was still ugly. Troy Williamson sucked.
• Second year - 8-8 record. Made possibly the best draft selection in Vikings history with Adrian Peterson. Could run the football and stop the run. Pass D still bad. Couldn't get the ball down the field in the passing game. Lost D Coordinator, Mike Tomlin to the Steelers. EJ Henderson develops into a Pro Bowl MLB. Were on the brink of the playoffs and blew a home game to Washington in late December. Troy Williamson solidified himself as the biggest bust in Vikes history. Can you believe Williamson and AP were actually both drafted 7th overall???
• Third year - 5-4 record as of 11-12-08. Zygi spent some money. Brought in Jared Allen (via Kansas City - gave him a huge contract and traded draft picks), Bernard Berrian (via huge free agent contract - stole him from the Bears) and Madieu Williams (via free agent from the Bengals). Lost MLB E.J. Henderson for the season, benched QB T Jackson, and have decided to role the dice with the veteran known as Gus.
  

We need to be 10-6 this year. The owner has done everything possible to improve this team. The coaching staff has to do their job. As one radio personality put it the other day, "Everygame though is a circus. Get ready buckle up Vikings fans, it's always going to be a wild ride." That is how I felt Sunday was - a rollercoaster that finally stopped. Here's this weeks positives and negatives

Positives

1. Goat to hero - AP kind of looked like Terrell Owens on the sidelines screaming at Chilly to go for it on 4th and 1 - . If AP doesn't come back and have 8 touches (6 rush and 2 pass) on the final drive for 64 yards and the game-winning TD - analysts would be playing that clip over and over. Chilly finally just put the Vikings on AP and OLines back and good things happened.
2. Jim Kleinsasser and Jeff Dugan - J Kleinsasser absolutely pancaked Aaron Kampman on AP's 29 yard game winning run. Dugan is back and made it easier to go with 2 TE sets and a 1 back set - and presumably put Tahi (our FB) on the sidelines which I am happy about.
3. Safeties and Pass Rush - We had pressure all day on #12 for the green and gold. 2 safeties and a sack each from Jared Allen, Napoleon Harris, and Brian Robison. Throw in an absolutely awesome knockdown by Ben Leber and I think we had Rodgers a little frustrated.

Negatives

1. Where art thou head, Gus? - Gus completely lost his mind a couple of times on Sunday. The most obvious was when Bobby Wade was absolutley open on a deep post with no one within 5-7 yards on him - a sure TD. Gus proceeded to throw the ball not the V. Shiancoe, but to the other team. The 3 int's can't happen anymore. He did throw 2 TD's - but I give more credit to C. Taylor and Sidney Rice on those than Gus. Gus completely kept the Pack in this game.
   
2. Punt Coverage - In this space I've dedicated enough time to this issue. We now hold an NFL record for giving up 6 returns for TD's. Should our special teams coach be back next season? I don't think so. What does it say about your punt coverage when the returner catches a punt 2-3 yards deep in the end zone - ummm he doesn't respect you and your coverage unit at all.

Next week it is off to Tampa Bay. I heard it said the other day, "It's hard to win @ that stadium w/the pirate ship." I agree with this statement. The Bucs are 6-3 and are well coached with Monty Kiffin and J Gruden (chucky) at the helm.

No More Special Report w/Brit Hume

Brit Hume is retiring at the end of the year and will work 100 days a year for Fox News as a Senior Political Analyst. His reasons for retiring are interesting and well worth citing. Brit talks about one of his reasons for retirement in this recent interview and says,

"I certainly want to pursue my faith more ardently than I have done. I'm not claiming it's impossible to do when you work in this business. I was kind of a nominal Christian for the longest time. When my son died (by suicide in 1998), I came to Christ in a way that was very meaningful to me. If a person is a Christian and tries to face up to the implications of what you say you believe, it's a pretty big thing. If you do it part time, you're not really living it."

Brit also shows humility when he talks about the show that he has anchored and its' future:

"I have urged that the show be kept intact with a new anchor. I believe the show is not about its host to the extent, for example, that "The O'Reilly Factor" is about Bill. The stories he likes, his preferences, his views, they're stamped all over the show. That's fine. We notice when I'm away, the ratings hold up fine. When Bill's away, the ratings don't hold up so well. That's part of what we were trying to create when we created this show, a show that's not about me."

God's Glory Through Creativity

Creativity in worship music is something I have started to really appreciate this last year. I think at times in leading worship I can get obsessed with waiting for the next Tomlin CD, trying to do songs exactly as recordings, or just doing the "worship hits" according to CCLI. Perhaps no church provides creative arrangements better than Seattle's Mars Hill. Not your typical contemporary praise sound, but these arrangements point to the Creator as they show a creative and diverse sound that only He can instill and give. I am going to post the same song, but done differently by four different bands.

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I Love My Wife: Therefore......

.....we went on a date night two weeks ago on October 24th to the opening night of High School Musical 3. Honestly, it has taken me 2 weeks for the pure shock of this event to wear off. Now that I am back to normal I can blog about this event without feeling the urge to punch myself in the throat.

We apparently picked the wrong showing to go to. Since my wife had just given birth 8 days earlier and was still in recovery mode, we went to the 7 o'clock show instead of the 5 other showings that night that were later. Mistake 1 - this is when all the girls 12 and under came to the showing. Although there were some annoying parts being in a sold out theater with this crowd the cultural implications that I observed were quite important

• It amazes me that surrounding a movie there can be this engulfing type culture that has been born out of a production that captures the minds, attentions, and passions of kids. I know Disney has been doing this for years - but the obsession came true as I saw a picture of worship as the night went on. As the lights dropped - the place erupted with cheering. Two girls in the front of the theater got up and led the crowd in a chant. "I say High School, you say Musical.....High School _______....High School ________. I say Senior you say Year....Senior ______, etc." It was at this point that I knew I was in for a treat. After every song in the movie - there was immediate/loud applause and cheers. At the end of the movie people were on their feet clapping, dancing, and singing along.
• Another observation made was that I only saw 2 other dads at this movie with their girls. I saw a handful of moms, grandmothers, babysitters, and nannies. This reinforces the truth that Fathers in our culture don't really put family first - but put themselves, the bar, the remote, the job, or the project at home before spending time with their kids.
• Lastly - this movie was clean - but provides a foundational framework that provides the fantasy high school dream that is not even close to reality. This fantasy land of the perfect couple - accompanied with gossip, backbiting, and popularity - gives the framework for young girls to desire this fairytale - and to do anything to attain it - which in my opinion - is very sad.

Like I said I love my wife so I attended this movie......it was musically catchy and creative - but more importantly to me it was culturally insightful. More important than anything I observed that night - it was about my wife and serving her.

Vikings Week 9: Jared Allen Hurts My Fantasy Team

Going into week 9 at 3-4 and coming off of a bye week, the Vikings faced a must win last Sunday. The Vikes prevailed against the pass-happy Texans 28-21. It seems that the Vikings can never get blown out or conversely blow someone else out. Every game is a nail bitter or head scratcher.

Perhaps the most frustrating part of Sunday's game for me was seeing my best fantasy player Matt Schaub hobble off the field due to a low hit by Jared Allen. This came after Schaub had already thrown an interception, lost a fumble, and hadn't thrown a TD - so his fantasy score was pretty awful/non-existent - since he didn't stay in the game to reverse/offset those stats. Thanks in large part to Kurt Warner, Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Antwan Boldin, and Andre Johnson - my team stayed in first in my league.

Week 9 positives

1. Special Teams - we didn't make a disastrous mistake - and limited Jacoby Jones of the Texans to limited yardage on punt returns - Jones had taken 2 punts to the end zone earlier this year. We also owe a big "thank you" to Darren Sharper for his leaping ability and saving the game with his onside kick recovery
2. 1 Back Sets - Adrian finally found some daylight and popped some bigger runs of 20 + on a couple of occassions. Much has been made of Peterson's preference to run out of 1 back sets (without big Tahi in front of him) - that he is more comfortable. If I were Darrell Bevel (O Coordinator) I would listen to #28.
3. Passing Game and Gus - Oh to be old and still be playing in the NFL. Gus has to be loving this! 3 TD's and 1 Int. Berrian and Shiancoe have been playing really well lately. Shows you what happens when the QB can make quick decisions and doesn't have happy feet. Sidney Rice - yes! Hopefully his TD is a sign of things to come.
4. Bend But Don't Break - the Vikes D gave up 398 total yards to the pass-happy Texans. We did have 3 takeaways (2 int's and 1 Fumble recovery) and 5 sacks which helped offset some of the yardage we gave up. I don't like the fact that we have to depend on turnovers, but we have playmakers and they are making plays.

Negatives

1. Jared Allen injured - Allen played the rest of the game, but suffered a shoulder sprain that could keep him out of the year's biggest game this Sunday against the hated cheese heads.
2. D - Line - a great strength this year - may suffer as Allen may be out Sunday and who knows when the water pills appeals will be over. It is likely that Pat and Kevin Williams will get 4 game suspensions. W/out Allen our D - Line consists of RE - Brian Robison, LE - Ray Edwards, DT - Ellis Wymns or Fred Evans, and DT - Otis Grigsby. That leaves only Ray Edwards as the only starter. With the loss of E.J. up the middle our D could be in trouble the next couple of weeks.
3. Coach Childress - can you ever show any emotion. The CBS postgame show had Chilly in the locker room with the guys and he was pretty emotionless - i am not even sure he was happy that we won. Please coach show some emotion and be happy once in a while.

With Green Bay coming to town - it will be a tough NFC North battle. It will be even tougher if J Allen doesn't play. I think the Vikes will follow precedence and will be in the game until the end and will win on a Ryan Longwell game ending field goal 27-24.

Theology Shapes Perspective on Election

The last couple of days I have been visiting with friends about the the upcoming election. I rest in the fact that GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY WINS! This video will hopefully help you as we all approach this upcoming Tuesday.

1 Samuel 16:1 and the Philadelphia Phillies

The 2008 baseball season is now over with last night's Phillies game 5 win over Tampa to conclude the World Series and give Philly its' first pro sports title since 1983. Up until this point when I hear Philadelphia Phillies I think of:

1. Watching Mitch Williams as a 12 yr. old boy serve up a home run to Joe Carter of the Blue Jays as the Jays won in stunning walk-off fashion in the 1993 World Series.
2. Their mascot - the most ridiculous in sports in my opinion - the Philly Fanatic.
3. Fargo Native Chris Coste - the Phillies back up catcher
4. The home run call of Sportscenter anchor, Steve Berthiaume, which comes from 1 Samuel 16:1. Berthiaume says the following after a Philly player hits a home run: "Fill thine horn with oil....and ggggoooo!"
   

1 Samuel 16:1 says: "The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being kind over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jess the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." (ESV)

Now thinking about this metaphor/analogy....it seems to me that it makes zero sense at all. And if it does make some kind of sense - it seems to me that taking a Biblical concept and using it as a home run call - seems pretty lame.

The context of 1 Samuel 16 is coming off the heals of Saul's reign as King of Israel. Saul disobeyed the Lord and did not follow through with His commands (1 Sam. 15). A new King was going to be anointed (David) and the Lord tells Samuel to "Fill your horn with oil" - the oil being placed in the horn - to carry to David and anoint him as King. The Lord tells Samuel to "Go" and do this. The only connection I can really make here is the horn was looked at as an instrument that communicated power - which a long ball in the Major Leagues is a demonstration of strength and power.

The last thing that seems odd about this analogy is who in the world reads 1 Samuel in the middle of the OT to come up with creative sports calls on ESPN? And if Berthiaume is a Christian and read this in 1 Samuel it seems rather strange that he would use this in such a bizarre way. The media isn't just flat out crazy covering politics - the sports media is right in line and is just as crazy.

How To Measure Success?

Lebron James recently stated that this season for the Cleveland Cavs is either win the NBA championship or bust (or their season is a failure). James has made a statement that hinges on how he measures success. In the church we have this weird, messed up notion of how to measure success as well. This usually is surrounded with NUMBERS. This parallels a corporate mentality and sadly it has crept into the church (along with other cultural examples). How do we look at numbers? We can measure success in terms of

• Attendance (usually a number that someone records)
• Budgets and Giving (a number on a sheet and a number of $$ that comes in each week)
• Staff (a number)
• Year end reports filled with how many came to the outreach? how many kids?, etc.
• Programs - are their a lot of options on the buffet?
  

Other areas where we tend to measure success in the church are

• Style - does the aesthetic appeal to me? Does the worship create an experiential moment for me?
• Prestige - is this where everyone goes? Is this where I can be seen to enhance my reputation?
• Big, Large, and Small - People value large congregations because size is how we measure success. We must not confuse large with successful. Nor for that matter should we equate small with successful.
  

Now, numbers as well as these other areas can be looked at correctly when they point to something much greater such as obedience, grace, and the greatness of Jesus Christ our Lord that has saved us from ourselves. The problem lies in the fact that many of the things I've listed are ends in themselves. May Jesus' church never lie in these things, but lie in the obedience that has been pressed upon the hearts of His people. When obedience is pursued "one anothering" will happen, community will be formed (no matter big or small), and Christ will be glorified.

Piper on Guns

I have a 12 gauge shotgun that I use for hunting. I have never thought about the issue of having guns relating to being a Christian. I think this video helps in gaining a right perspective on having a gun and using/not using it for self-defense.

Vikings Week 7: Sound The Special Teams Alarm Again!

With the birth of a new daughter it seems completely ridiculous for me to devote to much time for this Vikings review write up this week so I will just give you my thoughts on the 48-41 track meet/loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. I found Phil Mackey's opening words of his review as quite funny: "You’ve got to give the Vikings credit. They continue to find new ways to lose football games each and every week."

• Special Teams continue to cost the Vikings this season. The two that cost the Vikings 14 points on Sunday didn't come from collective failures (coverage as in the case w/the Reggie Bush debachal), but came from mental miscues from two individuals. Chris Kluwe - no excuse for dropping a perfectly good snap.....and then playing world cup soccer trying to kick the ball again after it was blocked - that looked completely ridiculous. Charles Gordon was trying to prevent getting pinned deep by blocking a Bear player when the ball took a funny hop and hit him in the arm. Gordon was trying to allow the ball to get into the end zone. Conversly, many times you see a punt returner high tail it out of the way of the ball. Gordon was too close and we got burned. Another issue was the good field position that the Bears got in the first half. We had to give up some field position to keep the ball from Devin Hester. I agreed with this decision because Hester could've done to us what Reggie Bush did a couple of weeks ago.
  
• The Vikings scored 41 points and lost. Who would've thunk that this could've happened. Dennis Green is sitting in a rocking chair somewhere saying I've seen that happen before.
• Where is Sidney Rice? I was hoping that he would've emerged as our solid #2 receiver this season. Berrian clearly has established himself as a clear #1 and is starting to deserve and justify all the cash we are paying him. Rice is absent and has been fighting injuries so Bobby Wade and Aundrae Allison continue to be our secondary options and aren't doing too bad of a job.
• Kyle Orton beat us - that does not sound good....and hurts to think about and stomach
• The Vikings leading tackler through week 7 is Cedric Griffin. You may say Wow! Griffin must be playing well. Griffin has been good against the run, but has been picked on all year as the receivers he is covering continually get thrown too. Teams are avoiding Antoine Winfield and throwing at Griffin - which has led to him making tackles many times after 10+ yard gains.

A bye week is needed and this should give the Vikings some time to heal up, refocus mentally, and maybe try out some new punters.

Father of 2: Day 2

The latest pics from the hospital

Baby #2: Joy, Blessing, and Ministry

Today God extended His grace to us with blessing us with another child. Alayna May Moser was born at 10:03 a.m. and weighed in at 8 lbs. 3 oz. The delivery/labor time was a whole 3 hrs. and 3 minute! Quick, fast, and painful at times, but the Lord blessed the whole situation. Shannon is doing well, laughing, and looking great. The pic is from about 10 minutes after birth and Alyna yawned so I thought I better take a photo. Initial reports are that she is a little squeaker(literally) when she sleeps.

The following was taken from John Piper's sermon: Marriage is meant for making Children and as I read it today it reminded me of the calling that Shannon and I have as husband and wife and father and mother. It reminded me that marriage and being parents are in and of themselves minstries that God has entrusted to us. May we honor him with our response.

"The most fundamental task of a mother and father is to show God to the children. Children know their parents before they know God. This is a huge responsibility and should cause every parent to be desperate for God-like transformation. The children will have years of exposure to what the universe is like before they know there is a universe. They will experience the kind of authority there is in the universe and the kind of justice there is in the universe and the kind of love there is in the universe before they meet the God of authority and justice and love who created and rules the universe. Children are absorbing from dad his strength and leadership and protection and justice and love; and they are absorbing from mother her care and nurture and warmth and intimacy and justice and love—and, of course, all these overlap.

And all this is happening before the child knows anything about God, but it is profoundly all about God. Will the child be able to recognize God for who he really is in his authority and love and justice because mom and dad have together shown the child what God is like. The chief task of parenting is to know God for who he is in many attributes and then to live in such a way with our children that we help them see and know God. And, of course, that will involve directing them always to the infallible portrait of God in the Bible.

Finally, God has ordained that both mother and father be involved in raising the children because they are husband and wife before they are mother and father. And what they are as husband and wife is where God wants children to be: As husband and wife, they are a drama of the covenant-keeping love between Christ and the church. That is where God wants children to be. His design is that children grow up watching Christ love the church and watching the church delight in following Christ. His design is that the beauty and strength and wisdom of this covenant relationship be absorbed by the children from the time they are born."

That time from when Alayna was born starts today. Please pray for us as we draw our strength and direction from the Lord in our days ahead as parenting has moved from one to now two.

Vikings Week 6: A Win Is A Win

Bernard Berrian hit the nail on the head with his postgame comments on Sunday when he said, "This game should've been a blowout." The Vikings 12-10 anything-but-thrilling win over the anemic Detroit Lions on Sunday was possibly the most boring 3 hours of my entire week. When you have a 20 month old daughter that loves playing, dancing, and putting together puzzles with you - it isn't too hard to compartmentalize what boring is and what boring isn't. This game goes in the compartment of super boring as well as super frustrating. When you need a questionable pass interference call on a 2nd and 20 in your own territory - you clarly are not playing well offensively. Here are my postives and negatives from week 6.

Positives

1. A Win in the NFL is a Win - Often overlooked in a game like this is the fact that the Detroit Lions are professionals as well and came into Minnesota wanting and probably deserving a win on Sunday. They clawed and scratched anyway they could to put themselves in position to win. The Lions played hard (especially on D) - and in the NFL anytime you get a win like this and keep this positive in the locker room - I'll take it!

2. Berrian 2 stratight - Bernard had the first back-to-back 100 yd. receiving games for the Vikings since 2004.

3. Kevin Williams and J Kleinsasser - Keving Williams led the Vikings on D with 8 tackles and 4 sacks (a total for 6 on the year now). Also Jim Kleinsasser catching a pass and running 34 yards was exciting. Anytime you see a guy that big (272 lbs.) run that far and that fast it is a good thing

4. First Win w/out - I see it as a positive that the 2008 version of the Minnesota Vikings can win a game without a touchdown from CB Antoine Winfield. One of your best defensive players shouldn't be counted on week in and week out to score points.....that's what you pay offensive players for?

Negatives

1. Offense - The Lions defense has been giving up an average of 36.7 points per game coming into Sunday's game. The Vikings offense scored 10 (the D scored the other 2 pts.). If we are going to make any considerable playoff push - we have to put the ball in the end zone. We managed 392 total yds - and that should be enough to win. Turnovers hurt as AP fumbled twice and Gus threw a pick. Overall we need a better performance.

2. E.J. - E.J. Henderson being lost for the season is a huge loss. E.J. was playing at what one commentator called "a Pro Bowl level". Look for the Vikings rushing attack to suffer. We gave up 100 yds. on the ground overall. There were moments of concern as rookie Kevin Smith ran for a 50 yd. run and Rudi Johnson seemed to find some holes at times (but only managed 32 yds.). Look for better running teams to exploit this weekness. E.J.'s replacement David Herron also left the game and was off and on with injury so with limited depth at MLB the run defense could be exploited in the coming weeks.

3. Bobby Wade's Stache - Anyone that saw a close up of Bobby Wade on Sunday would probably agree that Bobby needs to shave that stache.....man that was not a good thing! It makes matters worse when you see the stache amidst a holding call by Wade.

Next week it is off to the Windy City to play the Bears. The Bears will be ready and will be a tough test on the road.....playing a division rival....who is coming off heartbreaking loss to the now rejuvanated Atlanta Falcons (I'm guessing no one cares about Michael Vick anymore). I think this will be a close game and I am leaning towards 3-4 instead of 4-3, but as we saw Sunday who can predict the NFL.

Earth From Above

Check out these spectacular images.

Stay At Home Dads = Wimpy and Unibiblical???

Mark Driscoll recently took a stand for a conviction that he has for him, personally, and for the men of the church he Pastors. I personally love when he reads the question he immediately knows how he will answer and says "This is now the time when most of you will leave"......and lastly the stand that he takes saying "That in this church this is pretty much grounds for church discipline." Check out the video.

Vikings: Week 5 - Thank You Mr. Gramatica

I just finished watching a nerve racking football game that

1. Had me out of my seat on several occassions yelling at the projection screen while having others stare at me (I watched the game amongst about 50 Canadians that couldn't have been anymore apathetic....although I did meet a Viking fan from Ontario and I made his day because I was the first Viking fan that he'd ever met! What a joy for this guy knowing he wasn't the only one out there...)
2. Had me thinking Zygi Wilf would turn into Al Davis and fire Brad Childress if we blew this one.
   
3. Hoping that Gus can play quarterback the rest of the season and remain healthy and not "fuzzy"? and
   
4. Laughing at Gramatica.....when a kicker is that cocky...it is just flat out funny when he stinks it up that bad.
   

The observations of this game came down to a couple of positives and a couple of negatives

• Positive - A. Winfield had the game of his life and overall has to be our MVP this season so far. In our two wins - who has turned the game in the Vikings favor and created momentum for us to be "in" the game and have a fighting chance? That man is #26. Yes he was Johnny on the spot for the blocked FG run back for a TD, but also had some game changing hits on D. Brees. My only thought was that they need to put him in on punt coverage....find someway to get him on the field (more on this issue later).
• Negative - We failed to put a team away when we had 'em down. The Vikes D in the 2nd quarter continually forced the Saints into punts and the Vikes couldn't capatilize and that continued on throughout the third quarter until Reggie had his way.....AP didn't have his best game and the O-Line didn't perform well against a depleted D-Line from New Orleans.
• Positive - Bernard Berrian and Bobby Wade. I really liked what I saw out of these two guys. Again Berrian had a drop, but seriously compared to Troy Williamson this guy is money. 6 catches for 110 yds. and a TD. Perhaps Berrian's 2 biggest plays that won't make the stat sheet are 1) his making sure that the Saints defender didn't intercept a ball thrown at the end of the half to the inside shoulder of Berrian instead of the outside shoulder where we probably would've had a TD and 2) The pass interference call that resulted in a huge gain and set up the game winning field goal. Bobby Wade turned in another solid possession - workman - like night with 8 grabs for 64 yards.
• Negative Negative Negative! - Last time I checked it wasn't a penalty to punt a ball out of bounds....a penalty is only issued on a kick off....and when I watched this game the coaching staff or Chris Kluwe's minds went to La La Land....for a stretch...where Reggie Bush returned 2 punts for TDs and probably should've had another one - except he slipped. Special Teams has been an area I have pleaded for help here the last couple of weeks. When are we going to improve in this area....and wow! did Erin Henderson get lit up on that first punt return for a TD

This game would've stung massively if the Vikes didn't come back and win the game. Gus showed why his veteran presence is so vital right now. Taking hit after hit...he delivered when it counted. T Jack should be taking notes. Next week home against the Motor City Kiddies.

Taking a Breath

It is Saturday and I usually don't blog on Saturday, but I feel the need to communicate the overwhelming load I have off my shoulders. I just completed my 6th lock in (1 for every year in youth ministry). These gatherings are pretty important to our youth ministry in building relationships and provides opportunity for kids to bring their non-saved friends so they can hear about Jesus - Even though tonight when I was going to speak for a short while the Pizza man came 15 minutes early and walked right into the room where I was speaking. All in all it was a good night. I spent some time with a couple dudes from the church on Friday putting together a sequel to last year's rules video. It is silly, pointless, and flat out dumb - I pray that somehow God can glorify Himself through this.

Parents Fighting: Football Team Doesn't Care

Check out this story from Minnesota by Rick Reilly - in which a Football team is making big news even though the parents can't get along and the school may be shutting down after this year

Study Bible!

If you are looking for a new study Bible I highly recommend the new ESV Study Bible put out by Crossway. It drops soon!

Summer of Stun = Summer of Done

Tuesday night's loss to the hated south-siders really hurts right now due to the way it went down at U.S. Cellular. The following are my reasons for being really upset right now....

• Nick Blackburn - surprisingly in my opinion turned in a great outing and allowed 1 ER over 6.1 innings in a hostile environment. That really should've been enough. The offense lost this game, not the pitching. His one mistake with a high changeup out and over the plate essentially sealed the Twins' season.
• M&M Boys - how depressing that our two superstarts (who essentially are as unemotional as they get) went 0 for 6 and looked confused against John Danks whom both of them had previously had success again. Think about Morneau's last 30 trips to the plate this season. He went 3 for his last 30 (an avg. of .100). That isn't deserving of even being in the MVP consideration. Even though his line finishing at .302 w/ 23 HRs and 129 RBI will get him some votes. I pin some of the blame on Morneau. If you play well - the team is in the playoffs and you have a shot at the MVP. Conversly - you played horrible and as a team leader you now deserve some blame.
• Developing Reliever - It would've been fun to see how Jose Mijarles would've progressed in the postseason. Many set-up relievers became huge stars and essentially arrived on the scene kind of like Mijarles did this season. September call-up that essentially rips it up and helps lead a team to a World Series. Mariano Riveria and Francisco Rodriquez would be the most recent examples
• Plate Discipline - In this huge game the Twins hitters at times appeared to be very aggressive, free-swinging (like some of them have been all year), and most importantly lacked patience. They lacked working the count and making Danks work hard as the game progressed. The most annoying example had to be Delmon Young not even really looking at any pitches during the game. Ummmm, Delmon the scouting report is out....throw you hard fastballs to get you down in the count - then throw you junk and you'll swing.

MLB Coin Flip????
This game should've been played in the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Peter Gammons on Baseball Tonight explained this very well. The Twins went 10-8 against the White Sox this year and had a better record against the Sox head to head. What frustrated Gammons was the fact that for example in the AL East this year if the two teams were tied at the end of the season and one would be the division champs and the other would be the wild card it wouldn't even come down to a playoff game....it would come down to head-to-head to determine the winner. Gammons argued that if head-to-head records are being used - let them be used in this situation as well - to determine where to host the game - not come down to a stupid coin flip. The White Sox did not deserve to host this game. This is pretty much what we can come to expect from Selig who also down the stretch took the Hurricane escaped Houston Astros and made them play a neutral site game in Milwaukee? - an hour away from Chicago - to which a Cubs fan in my church calls "Wriggly North"? I guess this stupid coin flip thing just goes along with boneheadedness that Bud Selig has developed over the years (also, calling an All-Star game a tie? - who does that?)

The Royals
The Royals are slowly starting to look like the next Tampa Bay Rays. I mean they are loaded with number one picks in their farm system and once some of these guys start to get experience they are going to be competitive. The Twins really lost this season when they couldn't pony up and take 2 out of 3 from the Royals.

Vikings Week 4: Shooting Thy Self In Thee Foot Hurts!

In my week 3 analysis I mentioned that this week's game will be very competitive and the Vikes will have a chance to win the game down in humid Nashville. That is exactly what happened on Sunday. With that said I believe the Vikes blew a huge opportunity on Sunday to even their record and go 2-2. Instead we are still in a stinky situation at 1-3. The NFC North hasn't exactly been stellar here in the early going and the Vikings remain 1 game back in the division. I listened to this game live while driving and reviewed it on my DVR when returning home. The following is my analysis that at times is painful to think about again.

Positives - you kind of have to look hard here, but I have some

• Maurice Hicks - the return of our kick return specialist did show some hope for some big plays the rest of the year. It actually was nice starting drives at the 32 yd. line oppossed to the 18-20 yard line. Hicks averaged around 28 yds. per return which was in my opinion an improvement.
  
• Bobby Wade - Wade is quietly establishing himself as a very good possession receiver that can move the chains. Wade caught 7 balls for 75 yards on Sunday against his former team.
• Chad Greenway - Greenway had 11 tackles and in my opinion was a leader for the defense during E.J.'s up and down afternoon.

Negatives - Straight Pain Writing This

• Turnovers and more Turnovers. The Vikings turned the ball over 4 times. There was absolutely no excuse for this many. Maybe one or two, but 4! The Titans turned the ball over 1 time. To put this in perspective think about the fact that the Vikings outgained the Titans in total yardage (333 to 275) against a stingy D. The Vikings gained more yards through the passing game (253 to 199) and the running game (80 to 76). The Time of Possession was relatively even with the Vikings holding the ball for roughly 29 minutes and the Titans holding it for 31 minutes.
  
• Penalties - I have decided after last week's analysis of too many penalties (9 for 100 yards) that this weeks poor showing in this department has to be blamed on COACHING. The Vikes had 7 penalties for 50 yards on Sunday. Initially, this may seem like not too many, but the timing and boneheadedness of most of them was too much to handle. Note: Bobby Wade's holding call on a 12 yard run by AP was bogus. Why do I say coaching. Coaching is also about discipline and teaching. Clearly this is not happening like it should. Marcus Johnson came in for 1 play for Artis Hicks and basically tackled Kyle Vandenbosh for a terrible holding penalty. Jared Allen's first half offsides call was huge as the Vikes held on a 3rd and 8. The Titans then converted on the following 3rd and 3 play and went on to score a TD and grab a 10-0 lead. This all followed a terrible fumble by Tahi.
• LET'S ESCAPE DELAY OF GAME - What a great game within a game that the Vikings had with trying to escape Delay of Game calls. This I believe can also be blamed on COACHING. On two separate occassions the Vikes came out to start drives (1 of them after a long TV timeout) and proceeded to waste timeouts to escape Delay of Game penalties. We even wasted a timeout when a delay of game would've cost a whole 1 yd. in the fourth quarter. There actually is no excuse for this. What is going on on the sidelines that we can't get to huddle, proceed to the line, snap the ball, and play football?
• Big Play - B Berrian! - Bernard you need to catch that ball in the second quarter. Gus put it right on his fingertips and what a beautiful double move - that would've been a TD and could've turned around the game. Berrian did make up for it with a spectacular one handed catch in the fourth, but with the kind of cash Zygi is dishing out - that ball needs to be caught.
• T Jack showed that he should and can continue to handle warming the bench. He came in and hit B. Wade for 8 yards. He then proceeded to be sacked badly 2 times...and turned 2nd and 2 into 4th and 13 very quickly. On 2nd and 2 he proceeded to miss a wide open Visanthe Shiancoe who was open for a first down and a gain of about 6-8 yards. Instead T Jack pulled the ball back and tried to scramble....which lead to something I've seen before.
  

Next week we travel to New Orleans for a Monday Night Showdown with the Saints. We need E.J. to come back and be effective. I think this game will actually be a Vikings win. Our backs are pretty much up against the wall. If we lose this game, I think the Childress era may be in danger. I will be watching MNF from another country in Canada....so I will try to get analysis done ASAP next week.

Driscoll on Piper

Tomorrow, my wife and I and others from our church will head out to Minneapolis for the weekend to enjoy some fantastic teaching and worship at the Desiring God National Conference. Two of my greatest influences as a young pastor have to be John Piper (I own 17 books either written or edited by him) and Mark Driscoll (I own all 8 books written by Mark and another 2 that he contributed to). Piper and Driscoll will both be speaking at this weekends conference and I am praying that God would give them words, clarity, and passion as they speak about words and language. Recently Driscoll blogged about why he loves John Piper....read that blog post here. I will provide a full wrap of the conference next week after returning. I love blogging, but live blogging is a little too much for me.

Chris Tomlin Song Rearranged

Last year Chris Tomlin released a song called "God of This City" which he found in Ireland. The song was originally written by the band Bluetree. Bluetree's recording was pretty cool and sounds like something that would come out of Europe. Tomlin's version is essentially an adult contemporary version that sounds right at home on K-LOVE and other Christian Radio. Recently Ex Nihilo in Seattle arranged another version of the song that I enjoy. For the record I enjoy all three versions of the song.
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Premeire Week and The Glory of God

While a large percentage of my TV viewing is dedicated to Sports and Fox News, I also watch a couple of shows/sitcoms. The past couple of weeks mark the premiere of several TV shows that I will tune in for. Among them are House, CSI: Miami, and Raising The Bar. 6 months ago I saw a Facebook group started that was counting down the days until Sept. 25th - the Season Premiere of The Office.

Now, I enjoy TV shows. My wife and I have used our DVR extensively so that when we put the baby/toddler to bed we can stay up and enjoy our shows together. One area where I nonchalantly just seem to ignore is discernment in watching. Now, I am not saying here to shut your TV's off or become super legalistic and go and bash your TV like a computer in Office Space, but what I would like to encourage is discernment. How can I watch this show and at the same time glorify God? That, I believe, is a great question to ask yourself. Most of the time, I believe, I have said things such as, "I'm not using that language or speech, or I'm not committing adultery like that person on screen, so it's no big deal. I can still watch it and not be affected by it" I'm convinced that this is not a good level of discernment. In fact, I believe it is a pretty poor level of discernment if that is how I and maybe you think.

In the book Worliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World (Crossway, 2008, p.67) it says "We can watch TV and glorify God by it. To do so, we must be motivated by grace, and we must view selectively, proactively, accounatably, and gratefully.....For most of us, applying biblical discernment and viewing with discretion will mean watching less than we currently do. But that's no great loss. It means more time to interact with actual people - a date with your spouse, talk-time or play-time with your children, fellowship with friends, serving people in your church, or reaching out to non-believers. There's a world of things to do with the TV turned off."

Now, with that said - we still can watch TV - we may just have to readjust what we watch or how long/how much time we devote to it. I mean how many times does a dude really need to watch SportsCenter?

Vikings: Week 3 - We Win!

I have to be honest in saying I was not expecting the Vikings to win this past Sunday. Adrian Peterson was dinged up all week with a strained hamstring. We were starting a stinky old towel in Gus Frerotte. We had a coach in Brad Childress who was saying that these were "desperate times" that call for "desperate measures". Add all this up and throw into the equation that Carolina was 2-0 and had last minute wins at San Diego and defeated the stinky Bears at home. Plus, the Panthers welcomed back Steve Smith from suspension. I figured we Vikings fans would be in for another frustrating afternoon of head scratching. Turns out much of the first half was exactly that until A Winfield made a play and turned the game around.

Positives

• Vikings D - Does anyone remember the days of Denny Green when we absolutely could not stop anyone! I mean we'd have to score 28-30 points minimum to win games! On Sunday the Vikes D gave up 204 total yards. What was encouraging was the fact that gunslinger Jake Delhomme w/ Steve Smith, M Muhammed, and D.J. Hackett could only muster 157 yards through the air. Again our rushing D continues to be suberb allowing only 47 yards on the ground. The secondary looks a lot better when we have a pass rush that can make a difference. Getting 5 sacks was super encouraging. Kevin Williams and Jared Allen are starting to make a big difference.
• Gus, Gus, and more Gus - Next week Gus could get absolutely crushed by a great D-Line in Tennessee, but for one week at home in the dome it was very evident that the Vikings offense was different.
• Bernard Berrian - Finally we get to see what we paid so much for in this ex-Chicago Bear. Eight and Nine defenders in the box will not happen any longer if Berrian can make big catches down the field like the 48 yarder he had on Sunday.
• EJ Henderson - man is this guy just flat out good. 11 tackles again - a couple of them going for a loss - I especially enjoyed his superman dive over a block to drill the running back for a 3 yard loss.
  
• TOP - Time of Possession. The Vikes controlled the clock in the second half and ended with holding the ball almost ten minutes more than the Panthers. (Vikes - 34:18, Carolina - 25:42)

Negatives

• Penalties - The Vikings were terrible in this department. This usually costs a team a game when they have 9 penalties for 100 total yards. More discipline is needed in this department.
• Special Teams - I know I harp on this a lot, but the Vikes special teams are flat out terrible. We have absolutely zero threat unless we put AP back to return kick offs of anyone getting us half way decent field position. Our coverage as witnessed again on Sunday is terrible. Jonathen Stewart ran right by us a couple of times and for not a block in the back that was questionable the Vikes wouldve been in trouble when they were up 17-10. We also got lucky on a blocked field goal that the Panthers blocked when John Fox called timeout prior to the play. Vast improvement is needed in this area.
• Free Garrett Mills! - We need more Garrett Mills! Much like Twins blogger Aaron Gleeman's plee to free Jason Kubel - we need more of G Mills in the offense. Free this man up. Anyone who watched him in last years Denver game knows what this guy is capable of.

I expect the Vikings to be very competitive at Tennessee and have a chance to win this game. Can we continue to have a respectable passing game. The odds with Gus are much better than with TJack. I think that was made clear this past week.

New I-35W Bridge opens in Minneapolis

Apparently some of the dudes from Desiring God were pretty excited to go to work today and cross the new I-35W bridge that they made this video of their experience.

Vikings: Week 2 + QB Change

I am beginning to know what Boston Red Sox fans went through from the years 1918 - 2004. Disappointment after disappointment. Expectations were so high for the Minnesota Viking this year that their 0-2 start has tempted me to put all my efforts into

1. Fantasy Football - which I have maintained to lead my league for the first two weeks
   
2. Cheering for whoever plays the Green Bay Packers each week and
3. Cheering for the New York Jets - so Green Bay would essential miss Favre as much as possible

If you play with fire....you are eventually going to get burnt. This is what I saw as the Vikings repeatedly failed to punch in a touchdown and settled for field goals against Peyton Manning and the injured Indianapolis Colts. The Colts eventually torched the Vikings and made enough adjustments against a first half Vikings pass rush (which got me so excited - J Allen actually was a huge difference maker), to get the job done.

Positives Combined W/ Negativity

1. AP - Adrian Peterson looks like last seasons last 4 game slump is behind him as he has rushed for an NFL leading 263 yards in two games and carries a 5.5 avg. per carry. Unfortunately AP couldn't get one in the end zone this week....If he would've scored a TD = a Vikings win.
   
2. Ryan Longwell can kick....at one point 5 for 5 he was our team MVP....but although Longwell can kick he can't kick all day - that dude is old - as he missed a big one and ended the day 5 of 6.
3. The defense intercepted one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time twice and had a decent pass rush for 2 and a half quarters. After that Anthony Gonzalez and Reggie Wayne had their way and made plays. The defensive pass rush wasn't as effective and Manning made the necessary adjustments to gut out a win.
   
4. Tarvaris - man he can hand the ball off well, but other than that I saw no signs of him improving from week one to two although he did slide a couple of times. He did have Visanthe Shiancoe drop a TD and Bernard Berrian trip over his own feet on a deep ball.
5. Zygi still having hair....if i'd spent this much money on a product that didn't work very well my hair may be gone

QB Change

Coach Brad Childress today announced that Gus Frerotte will be taking over at starting quarterback this weekend for Minnesota. When I think of Gus taking over the team it is like when we go to the lake and take towels with us that we never use because these towels are so old and crusty that we don't use them normally. Now the towels still serve their purpose, but just aren't really what you're looking for in a towel. T Jack still has a chance to be a good player in this league. Let's face it - his opportunities are diminished because of great running game - but whoever is going to be the QB for the Minnesota Vikings has got to make defenses pay and get the ball down the field - that's all there is too it. If Gus can do that - I am fine with a stinky old towel.

Ray Boltz: 4.5 million records later

When I was 14 years old I remember receiving a disc man for my birthday along with a cd by a guy named Ray Boltz. Apparently my parents thought I would like the music they were listening to, but I soon found Audio Adrenaline and Geoff Moore among others to rock my teen years as I've previously noted being a CCM junkie back in those days. Last night I was reading Justin Taylor's blog and came across the fact that Ray Boltz has 1)divorced his wife of 33 years and 2) announced that he is gay. Very very sad. You can read about it here.

So You Think You Can Dance?

One of the most hideous attempts at church dance ministry - Wow! Check out this video

Hymn Of The Week: All Creatures

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All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

Refrain:

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!

Refrain

Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!

Refrain

CNN: Voddie Baucham on Palin

Check out this video that aired recently on CNN - Voddie Baucham and Margaret Feinberg weigh in on Sarah Palin and also talk about gender roles. I applaud Voddie for talking about the Gospel and also about staying true to the text. Feinberg's interpretation of Eph. 5 - Wow - You've got to be kidding me! The video starts with some national news but moves to a 5 minute interview with Baucham and Feinberg.

Vikings: Week 1

I am grateful that I have a Digital Video Recorder (DVR). Last night I reffed an adult volleyball league and wasn't present to watch my favorite football team lose to the rival Green Bay Packers. I did however, review the game after I got home and observed positive and negatives from this early season. I will try to post thoughts the day after each game. These posts will come as a fan's reaction that is aimed at not making football a god or an idol, but as a hobby that if not carefully discerned can turn into the previous if not kept in check (examples include: watching games, checking stats, working on fantasy team research, and spending too much time blogging about game reactions).

Positives

1. A Better Effort in Green Bay - If memory serves me right we lost 34-0 last year at Lambeau Field as well as losing Adrian Peterson to a knee injury. Most fans shut off the TV in the third quarter after the injury. This year the game came down to the final possession and our running back ran over Al Harris, pounded the ball for 4-6 yards all night, ended with 103 yards and a TD, and didn't get hurt.
2. The Second Half - the Vikings did look like a different team offensively in the second half. T Jack did move the ball and it was too bad that Bernard Berrian tripped over the 45-yard line on possibly T Jack's best throw of the night (under pressure from a blitz and hit Berrian in stride on a slant that should have gone for 6). It is surprising that Childress and company made half-time adjustments - something that has been lacking in the past.
   
3. Balance - the offense was more balanced than many games last year. The Vikings last year were the leagues best running team and pretty much the worst passing team. Last night they gained 355 total yards with better balance (168 passing - still pretty low and 187 - rushing).
4. The D - proved it can still stuff the run - but is susceptible to big plays in the running game if one tackle is missed or assignments missed (Ryan Grant's 4th quarter run).

Negatives

1. Tavaris Jackson - Aaron Rodgers looked like the guy who had 15 career starts and T Jack looked at times like he was making his 1st career start. Jackson made a horrible throw and threw away the game. Jackson did take the blame for the loss in his post-game interview, but is he improving and can he be a marquee franchise quarterback???? This was a game against one of the best defenses he will see this year (along w/TN, Jacksonville, and Tampa Bay). Also, after last season missing 4 games due to injury - will you please slide Tavaris!! Ray Lewis already gave you a sprained MCL - now your putting your head down numerous times against AJ Hawk and Nick Barnett????
   
2. No Sacks - The Vikes invested highly in Jared Allen (draft picks and a huge contract) and although there were a couple of hurries and they did force Rodgers out of the pocket to scamper - I was pretty disappointed that we could not register one sack on Rodgers.
3. Special Teams - Heath Farewell was the Vikings special teams captain and MVP last year for the second year in a row. He is out for the season w/injury and his absence was visible last night as the Pack ran a punt back for what proved to be a huge score. In addition our return game was terrible and has been for a long time (hopefully Maurice Hicks coming back from injury will help that). Lastly, we missed a huge opportunity to recover an onside kick that Ryan Longwell kicked perfectly and brushed off a Green Bay player only to go out of bounds.
4. Missed Calls - I officiate Volleyball and Basketball (on a high school level - not professional) - so I know that officiating is not easy, but come on guys, seriously. I enjoy MNF because the commentating crew (Mike Torico, Tony Kornheiser, and Ron Jaworski) do act like fans sometimes which was evident when the Vikes were making a late drive and Nick Barnett horsecollared Chester Taylor and no flag was thrown - to which Torico said, "HORSECOLLAR???" to which the booth went silent which means they pretty much agreed, but didn't want to trash the refs on national TV. Another examples was the booth review that clearly showed that the Vikings should win the review. The commentators and every fan in America (except Cheese Heads) would agree that the call should be overturned, but the officials came back and let an obvious catch stand. Silly!

In conclusion, the A Rodgers era in Green Bay got off to a rocky, but positive start. The most positive part of the game for me was that maybe now the Favre comparisons can stop and the media can just let both guys just play a simple game. That probably won't happen. Also what won't happen is Peyton Manning looking like he did against the Bears on Sunday night. So the Vikings better practice hard, think hard, and get some pressure on the quarterback or we're looking at an 0-2 start amidst a season of very high expectations.