the McDonalds

switching to gutensite

2010-01-30T22:41:00.001-05:00

www.brettandhelen.com now forwards to brettandhelen.gutensite.com.

Sooo... Time for Another Update? I say Yes!

2009-06-11T13:11:00.004-04:00

A lot has happened since the last post. I promise I'll start doing better with this soon.

First, due to the great response to my riding of the Great Dane, next I will attempt to ride a Liger, as drawn here.

It's pretty much my favorite animal.

Second, Charlie was born April 19, 2009. But you all know that already. We'll post the birth story some time soon... sans birth pictures, if you know what I mean.

Third, a full time ministry job is so close I can smell it. I have been talking with First Baptist in Seguin for almost two months. I have met the staff and the personnel committee. I went in view of a call last Sunday, and we loved the church. The church is voting on June 14th, this coming Sunday. So, though not official, we're close! In the future, I'll give more details about the job.

Fourth, if the vote goes well, Helen and I will be moving from Buda to Seguin. We went to look at some places to live last week, and the Lord has provided a quaint little duplex a few blocks from the church. We are planning on moving next week.

One might think with all that has been going on, there would be more to say and more posts. But for whatever reason, I'm terrible at keeping up with this.

One more thing-- I need the opinion of the intrawebs. I am thinking of switching our blog over to a wordpress account. Originally, this blog was wordpress, but I couldn't figure out how to do it. Now that I am a blogging genius (ha!), I feel like I have outgrown the capabilities of blogspot. So those of you with an opinion, I'd like to hear yours:

Do you like this site (blogspot)?

Or do you like this site (wordpress)?

Well, back to doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

What happens when you try to ride a great dane?

2009-04-17T23:04:00.002-04:00

We stopped by Jenny and Michael's house this evening. They have a great dane, Rudder. In case you didn't know, the "great" means HUUUUGE. it looks like a human being. anyways, i thought it would be a good idea to try and ride him. Hilarity ensued.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_V0cXTI5os

Sir Charles is on the way...

2009-04-13T15:54:00.003-04:00

Sorry, no video from Culver's today. Surprisingly, it takes a while for the video to process, get to youtube, and then make it to your computer.

I want to hear your thoughts. Charlie is due on April 23. Post your guess on when he graces us with his presence.

A Joke at the Office

2009-03-09T23:34:00.003-04:00

I can't study at the house. For whatever reason, there's too many distractions here. So I did a little research and found a place with free wi-fi. Culver's in downtown Buda. The past few weeks, I've been using it as my office. I think the people there are starting to get to know me.

Anyway, I was taking a break and was a little bored. So I made a video. The audio is a little quiet, I didn't want the people who work there to think I'm nuts. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMTajcarsBg

Almost Famous...

2009-03-06T11:20:00.002-05:00

If you can't be famous, marry someone who is. Helen hasn't been in high school for 7 years, but is still getting press.

Here, Helen was asked about how this team compared to her team back in 2001. (Hays Free Press) How come no one asked my opinion?

Here, Helen is mentioned as the connection between the last state tournament team and this state tournament team. All of her siblings are mentioned, since they are all freak athletes. And of course, yours truly gets some press. What can I say? Not everyone can do what I have done. I was born as son of a great coach-- accomplishment #1. Then, I married into a family who are all better athletes than me and my brother combined-- accomplishment #2. I'll be signing autographs later.

Riding the coattails of other people's success to fame = priceless.

Congrats 2008-2009 Lady Rebels

2009-03-06T11:07:00.003-05:00

So my dad made it to the state tournament again. I was thinking last night about how greedy I've become. Ten years ago, I was hoping he could just a get chance to play at the Erwin Center. In 2001, my senior year, he made it and I was satisfied. It's such a privilege to make it to the final four, I thought surely that was his one shot. Well this year, out of nowhere, they made the state tournament again. Before state, they had a record of 34-4. that's the most wins he's ever had. Two of those losses were to rival Del Valle, who they beat in the Regional Final with seconds to go. One of those losses was to another team who is in the 5A state tournament. So this year, I was greedy. It wasn't enough for them to be there. I wouldn't be satisfied unless they won it all.

The problem is that they may as well have been playing the spurs last night. Waco Midway had 4 players with D-1 scholarships and the Baylor Women's Basketball coach's daughter. We were overmatched. I watched with pride as the Rebels played toe-to-toe with basically a D-1 college team in the first half. Entering halftime, they were only down 6.

The second half was a different story, and the final score wasn't close. I left the Erwin Center with a sick feeling. It wasn't because of all the cow-poop colored burnt orange, although that didn't help. I was sick because I wanted my dad to win the whole thing. No matter the circumstances, no matter how good the other team is, I always have a feeling tucked deep down inside that my dad can win any game. And for the first half last night, the feeling was almost realized.

So congratulations, Dad and team. You guys were unbelievable this year. You consistently surprised everyone in the area and I was proud to watch. 11 juniors returning next year should make things interesting...

Happy Valentimes Day!

2009-02-14T11:13:00.003-05:00

How many of you noticed what is wrong with the title of this blog? The sad part is that I'd be willing to bet that some of you really thought it was Valentimes Day. I've heard at least two people say that this week and they were dead serious. So consider this your free word of the day: It's Valentines Day, not Valentimes Day.

Helen and I woke up this morning and gave each other our gifts for Valentimes Day.

If you forgot to get your significant other something for Valentimes Day, there is still time. If you want, I bet Helen could make you a couple of shirts. Just let her know and I'm sure she'd oblige.

Happy Valentimes Day everyone!

A Man of Many Faces

2009-02-13T15:57:00.010-05:00

I tried really hard. But I was tired of looking homeless. So I decided to have a little fun:

This is as far as I could get. It was time to look respectable. But first...

This is my X-treme sports look. If I were going to ride motorcycles off 20 foot high mounds of dirt, this is the facial hair I would go for. Alas, I'm uncoordinated on bikes, I'm afraid of heights, and I look like a tool with this facial hair. Time to move on...

This is my youth minister's face. It's pretty much standard. If you're a youth minister, you have to have a gotee at some point in the life of your ministry. It doesn't matter how terrible it looks. You have to do it. Does it count if you had one for about 45 seconds (just long enough for Helen to take the picture)? Again, looking completely ridiculous is not my favorite thing to do, so...

uhhhhhh......

separated at birth?

Just add glasses, and hello Ned Flanders. Okily dokily...

Who is this guy?I was going for respectable, but I failed miserably.

Needless to say, it will be awhile before the facial hair comes back. For the next blog, look for Helen to do something similar...

or not.

Love you Helen. Please don't hurt me.

January Update

2009-01-24T02:15:00.002-05:00

I haven't been so good with this thing over the last few weeks. I tend to blog more when I am really busy with school. It's my way of stalling. There's no real big update or anything, but Cami Bethancourt complained on my facebook wall and now i feel guilty.

Helen is still teaching away. She is working really hard, and I'm sure it feels like she is killing herself, carrying a child and all. I can't begin to imagine how she must feel. There have been multiple requests for pregnant pictures of my beautiful wife. I'm not sure that she's so keen on the idea... i'll have to convince her. maybe i'll take one of her while she's sleeping? or is that creepy? Maybe I'll just take a picture of my Dr. Pepper gut.

Charlie has begun to kick, punch, karate chop, use nun-chucks and whatever else he's doing in there. I really wish I could figure out what he's doing. We read somewhere that he dreams. What do yet-to-be-born babies dream about anyway?

Charlie is just over a foot tall and weighs a pound or two. I can't believe that we are in our 3rd trimester. Time has just flown by. Before we know it, we'll be holding Charles Henry tight! Someone asked Helen what she is looking forward to most... and I really thought about that one for awhile. I can't wait to see his personality. I can't wait to hear his laugh. I can't wait to discuss the hypostatic union of the person of Christ with him (that one will have to wait).

As for me, I'm starting seminary here in the next few days. I have six classes to go. I'm taking four this spring, and I guess I'll finish next fall. (I'm no Philip, i can't finish 6 classes in one semester.) I am still working at Hays Hills. The Lord has been gracious there, and I believe the Holy Spirit is stirring in students' hearts. Also, the Lord has provided another job for me. Last November, I started tutoring at a local middle school. the hours are flexible and the pay is great. God has always provided for us, and he's doing it again! We are so thankful.

If you're praying for us, here's a few things to remember:

1. Charlie.

2. Helen and her work. It's gotta be rough being pregnant and teaching 20 1st graders.

3. My job situation. I have a strong desire to serve the church full time. right now, the church that i'm at doesn't have a position for me full time. So I'm looking.

4. Living situation. We are house sitting right now. The people who own this place are possibly coming back in july and we are going to have to find new arrangements. This is also related to my job situation.

IT'S A BOY!!

2008-12-05T10:53:00.002-05:00

So we are 20 weeks pregnant. We went to the doctor yesterday to see our baby for the first time since the 6 week mark. Needless to say, we were very excited and very nervous. Helen and I had discussed several times that we really didn't have a preference, whether it was a boy or girl. The awesomeness of either was enough to make us excited. So we went in with no expectations.

We got to the doctor's office in downtown Austin right on time. As these things tend to go, there was only one doctor in the office, and so our appointment was running about an hour late. They told us we could go home and schedule another appointment, but we were too excited, I had already taken off work, and both our moms were there. We just waited it out.

The ultrasound was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. It's one of those things where you see others who are pregnant and you understand what is going on. But when you see for yourself, and it's your child, you are floored by the magnitude of it. I have never seen anything more beautiful. It's a boy. I have a son. I am a father. This was no more true yesterday than it was the day before. We had heard the heartbeat before. But we got to see him.

At one point, we had a good profile view of him, and he was opening and closing his mouth as if to say "mama" over and over. The doctor pointed out that his first words will probably be "dada" since that's easier to say, but this was proof that his first words were "mama."

Charles Henry is due April 23. We can't wait to meet him, and we can't wait to introduce you.

If you're upset about the outcome of the election...

2008-11-05T09:40:00.002-05:00

If you're upset about the outcome of the election, then this post is for you. If you're worried about America's future, then this post is for you. If you're worried about your bank accounts, freedoms, and safety, this post is for you.

Proverbs 21:1 "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will."

1 Timothy 2:1-2 "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."

Romans 13:1-7 "Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor."

1 Peter 2:17 "Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king."

The Niche Church

2008-10-30T10:15:00.001-04:00

I have become a regular contributor to Evangelical Village. Here is my first post.

The Niche Church

"I done wet my britches"

2008-10-27T18:09:00.002-04:00

This has got to be one of the funniest things I have ever seen. You have to watch the whole thing, all the way to the end.

Find more videos like this on PrepTicket

Quotes that hit me like a ton of bricks...

2008-10-20T19:03:00.003-04:00

You know when you hear something and it just sticks in your mind? Every spare moment you have, the words flash through your brain as if they are being said aloud to you? Two quotes I've heard in the last two days that have hit me like a ton of bricks:

1. "I heard of a story of two farmers praying to God for rain to come. Both prayed but only one prepared the land. Who do you think trusted God more to send the rain?" from the movie Facing the Giants. At the end of the movie, the coach sends his kicker out on the field to win the game and someone asks him "what are you doing?" His response: "Preparing for rain."

2. If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat.

I'm not sure why, but both of these have stuck with me this week.

How to Handle a Baby

2008-10-09T22:26:00.005-04:00

Seeing as how Helen is pregnant with our first child, I did a little research and found this chart to help us out.

I stole this from someone's facebook photos. But it would be a disservice to you not to share.

"Come for Me" - by Charlie Hall

2008-10-08T15:28:00.003-04:00

Jesus come take me away

I long to see your face

This world is broken

Yet beautifully made

Jesus come take me away

Jesus I'll patiently wait

Until like a vapor I fade

Help me fulfill

All your dreams for these days

Jesus I'll patiently wait

And you'll come again with a shout

Like a thief in the night you'll come riding on clouds

And finally the voice I have followed for life

Has a glorious face that is lit up with light

And you'll come for me

No more pain, peace

No more fear, release

Just lost and consumed with my glorious king

Jesus today I am tired

And I need your music to come and inspire

And I give myself to be refined

In this fire

Jesus today I'm so tired

...come for me...

Brett is a movie star

2008-09-30T15:07:00.003-04:00

It's a little known fact that I starred in a recent motion picture about the life of the Reformer Martin Luther. The picture is entitled Luther. Here are some pictures from the movie:

The Tale of the Leaky Corolla Revisited

2008-09-28T15:25:00.002-04:00

Toyota calls me and lets me know that it is the glass. It's a slow leak, so spraying the glass with a squirt bottle does no good. There needs to be a lot of water and it needs to sit for a minute. I immediately call the glass company to have him get in touch with Toyota. An hour or two later I receive a message from glass doctor explaining that they were going to replace the glass for me.

Friday afternoon, Helen and I go pick up the Unleaky Corolla. To be sure, I washed the car yesterday-- because it needed to be washed, first of all, but also to test the new seal. No leak, of course, so it seems our problems are solved. The glass company covered the expense at Toyota and so it seems that it all worked out.

I am satisfied with my windshield, but I am not satisfied with the trouble I had to go through to prove that the glass was leaking. One particular lady at the glass company even had the nerve to imply I might be lying about the leak!

Lady: "It only leaks when you take it through a car wash?"

Me: "I haven't taken it through a carwash. It leaks when it rains."

Lady: Rolls eyes. "It leaks when it rains? Well let's take it through a carwash and if it doesn't leak then..."

So I'm not pleased with the service I got from Glass Doctor in Austin. They are supposed to be glass specialists, but the dealership had to point out where the leak was. You would think specialists would be better than or at least as good as a dealership.

The moral of the story: if it's under warranty or if someone else is paying for it, take it to the dealership because they'll do it right the first time.

The second moral of the story: if you know you're right, keep pushing until someone finally follows through on their promises.

Case closed, for now.

Watching the Aggie Football Disaster

2008-09-27T15:06:00.002-04:00

I'm learning a lesson in humility. This football team is terrible. I have been asked multiple times, "what's wrong with them?" I have no answer except, "They are terrible." It's not injuries. It's not bad luck. I don't even think it's coaching. I just think we are terrible. They say that things are going to get worse before they get better. I can't see things getting much worse than this... That is all.

The Tale of the Leaky Corolla

2008-09-25T13:08:00.004-04:00

Helen and I bought a car in April. We bought a brand new, 2009 Toyota Corolla. We talked to several people who owned Toyotas, and they gave great reviews. "I've never had any problems!" "It will last you twice as long as a Ford or Chevy!" So we bought it. We got a good deal (Thanks, Sean Sivils!) and we were extremely happy.

One day, Helen was driving home from work, and as she rounded a corner near Buda Elementary, some kids from the after school program launched rocks from the playground at our car. Yes, it broke the windshield. Two weeks after we bought our first car, the windshield was broken. I'm just glad Helen was driving and not me, otherwise I'd probably be in jail right now. Anywho, the after school program agreed to pay for our windshield replacement.

Being very busy, we decided we would call a glass company to come and replace the windshield (Mistake #1). They came and replaced the glass with no problems, so we thought. It cost almost double to replace this windshield because the car was so new that they had to order the glass from Japan (at least that's what they told me).

A few weeks later, it began to rain. In Central Texas, we've been in a perpetual drought for the last several months. It is so bad that when Hurricane Ike came through, we didn't get a single drop of rain. But it rained for a week. And our car began to leak from underneath the dashboard on both the driver side and passenger side. Our floorboards were soaked (and still are).

We took it to the dealership in San Marcos, where we bought it. I was told "Toyotas don't leak." Uhhh, this one does. Anyway, he told me that if they looked at it and it was the glass, they would charge me. He suggested that I talk to the glass company first.

So I called the glass company. They sent out a technician who squirted water from a bottle to "prove" water wasn't coming through the seal. First of all, a little mist in Texas evaporates before it has the chance to leak. I needed a hose on it. But nonetheless, he was confident it wasn't the glass. He left. Thirty minutes later, after he had left, the water he sprayed had leaked onto the floor. I decided to call Toyota anyway (Mistake #2).

I did some digging and friend has family that works at the dealership in Round Rock. So I take the Leaky Toyota to Round Rock, only to be told the seal is definitely leaking. I was told they could see where the water was coming from and the glass company needed to fix it.

I left the Toyota dealership with all kinds of paperwork explaining what the problem was. I made an appointment with the glass company and showed up ready to have my glass fixed. The technician at the glass company must have been having a bad day, because he was a real jerk. Sean was with me, and the tech guy asked if we wanted to wait. The conversation went something like this:

Sean: "How long will it be before you can tell us something?"

Techy: "I don't know."

Sean: "Well, can you give us an estimate?"

Techy: "I don't know, sir."

Sean: "Is it going to be like an hour, or five days, or five years? I'm just asking if there are any cars in front of us."

Techy: "I just told you sir, I'm not sure how long."

Sheeesh. Anyway, the techy was gone for awhile and came back quite certain the glass wasn't leaking. We got the manager involved, who was also quite sure that the glass wasn't leaking. Luckily, the manager was more of a people person than the techy. Mr. Manager sent me to another Toyota Dealership in Austin (where I'm sitting now). If this dealership finds that it's the glass, Mr. Manager is going to come see for himself. If it's found that the glass is leaking, the glass company is going to take care of all my costs, including Toyotas fee to look at it. (They should also pay to replace my wet carpets, and my ruined owners manual.) But if it's Toyota's fault, then they'll handle it all because we're under warranty.

That brings us to today. It is now 12:30PM. I've been sitting here since 9:30 AM. I was just informed that they are going to have pull the dash off to figure this out. It probably won't be until tomorrow that there is a verdict.

Stay tuned to see who the culprit is: Is it Toyota? Or is it the glass company? Hopefully, this will be solved soon.

PS To top it all off, the truck broke down on Monday and had to go to the shop. It is still there. Helen and I would be car-less, except for the generosity of my parents who are letting us borrow their 2009 Corolla that doesn't leak.

Remember, Toyotas don't leak, except for mine.

The Barack Obama Loyalty Quiz-- What's your score?

2008-09-25T10:40:00.002-04:00

The Barack Obama Loyalty Quiz

"Your score is 0 on a scale of 1 to 10. You are a fierce opponent of Barack Obama. He is the embodiment of everything you despise in a politician: an elitist, morally superior, gun-grabbing, religion-bashing, terrorist-coddling appeaser who threatens all that is good and decent in America. Plus, he bowls like a girl."

http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/bl_barack_obama_quiz.htm

Good quote

2008-07-15T00:28:00.001-04:00

“Reason shows that men’s deeds are better and more faithful interpreters of their minds, than their words.” Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections

Why Francis of Assisi is Wrong

2008-06-27T11:52:00.004-04:00

"Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary use words."

I get what he's saying. This is a jab at people who honor Christ with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him. People who preach Christ, but hate their brother are no more Christian than the people to whom they are preaching. I understand what Francis is saying. I get it. But he's wrong.

1. What is the gospel? Some may argue that the gospel is the Sermon on the Mount. Live lives that cause people to look to Christ and glorify God in heaven. That sounds good, but that's not realistic. Being a good person in the eyes of the world... or even following the Sermon on the Mount... is not the gospel. What is the gospel? The gospel is that He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God. The gospel is that He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. The gospel is that I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. The gospel is that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"-- so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

The good news is not that now I can be a good person. The good news is that I was a wicked worm of a man, but God being in rich mercy because of His great love with which He loved us made me alive together with Christ. That's good news. How does one preach this message without words?

2. Faith comes through hearing, not seeing. Romans 10:13-17 For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

If faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ, how are they to believe unless they are told?

3. A wordless morality may point some toward a works-based salvation. Let's face it, the human condition is so twisted that we want to believe we can work ourselves into right standing with God. Without the gospel being preached (the good news that one is not justified by works of the Law but instead by faith in Jesus), our morality may appear to the world to be our successful efforts to make God love us. Words are always necessary.

I understand the sentiment of Francis of Assisi's statement. I get it. But he's wrong and in need of a slight adjustment. You see, in a small way, he's right. No one will listen to the gospel being preached if your actions say otherwise. But without words, no one can know the only gospel that saves.

They say that actions speak louder than words, and that may be true. But both voices-- the mouth and the hands-- need to be heard in order for the gospel to take root. As in most things, balance is in order.

"Preach the gospel at all times both in word and deed."

Bugs that Crap Oil

2008-06-17T15:35:00.000-04:00

Take that OPEC!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,367642,00.html

One Random Thing that Needs to Be Said

2008-05-28T00:56:00.003-04:00

It is a traveshamockery that Joey Crawford is allowed to officiate Spurs games. Carry on.

Brett's New Blog

2008-03-15T00:31:00.002-04:00

I've been working on getting another blog started for theology and ministry. I've decided that I will post those sort of things on that blog. This one will be reserved for family news and other random things that need to be said.

Click here for the Sounding Board.

A tip of the hat to chase bowers...

2008-03-14T17:59:00.002-04:00

thanks for the nod chase.

The Spring Update

2008-03-07T11:01:00.002-05:00

Things are a bit different this Spring. Not much has changed for Helen, but there have been some significant changes for me. First, the San Antonio extension of SWBTS is not offering any courses I need, so I am traveling to Houston every monday this semester. Doing the math (and i hate math), it is cheaper to fly to Houston and back than it is to drive. So every monday morning, Helen drives me to the airport and then she picks me up at night. She's great, i know.

I am also tutoring two days a week at a middle school. it's a good gig and i really like spending time with people, instead of sitting around the house reading books all the time.

I'm still working part time at Hays Hills. Things are starting to pick up again as summer draws closer. We have two major trips planned for the summer: mexico mission trip and a mountain climb. Both should be fun.

Hopefully we'll have more to post in the coming days and weeks. Until then, enjoy spring.

wow

2008-02-20T16:28:00.002-05:00

It's been awhile. I just remembered we had a website when i had to renew our domain name. oops. well, for your enjoyment...

Sorry for the Lapse

2007-08-17T15:10:00.000-04:00

So it's been over a month, almost two, since the last post. Things got super crazy, super fast once we got to Texas. So here's a brief update on where and what Helen and Brett are doing.

First, Helen officially started her job last week. Although, she has been up in her classroom working for several weeks prior. Things are coming along nicely... she might disagree... but her classroom is shaping up well. She'll have her first grade students for the first time in two weeks... complete with lunchboxes, backpacks, toothless smiles, runny noses, and high pitched voices. I'll bet she's excited.

I have been keeping mildly busy working at the church. I have taken over the reigns for the youth worship time on Wednesday Nights, and have inherited several students to develop a band. So we'll get going on that in the next few weeks. I'm super excited about that opportunity.

Most of all, we're glad to be back in Texas. We'll get to see Helen's brothers Paul and Sam play football this fall. Paul is a varsity receiver for Hays High School, and Sam is on the JV. We'll finally get to see them play (maybe they'll throw the ball to Paul every once in a while... if not, i'll be that guy who yells at the coach from the stands. I've always wanted to be 'that guy.')

We'll get to see Anna (Helen's sister) play volleyball for Baylor. Helen and I are both excited to see that. I'll cheer for Anna and her team, but it will take a lot for you to see me wearing green and gold.

The best part about being back is that we get to see many of the people we love and have missed over the last year. It really has been a blessing from the Lord, and we are so grateful. The worst part is that we now have people in Louisville who we love and miss. So Louisville People... come visit. We miss you. And know that you always have a place to stay in the austin/san marcos/san antonio area. No charge.

Soon we'll have some pictures of the house and some other recent happenings. I'm about to start classes at Southwestern, so we'll see how busy I get in the coming weeks. Let us hear from you!

We're Back

2007-07-06T13:56:00.000-04:00

So Helen and I have a lot to update you on since the last post. Things have been crazy for the last few weeks, so you'll have to excuse our laziness in posting. Since the last you heard from us, we have been to Chicago and back. Then we loaded up the truck with all of our stuff and traveled across the country, making it safe and sound to Texas. We move in to our new place some time on Sunday. We have a bunch of pictures to upload. We'll get to that soon.

Want Free Pizza?

2007-06-25T11:16:00.000-04:00

We need help moving on Saturday, June 30. We'll be serving pizza. If you are willing to help, please let us know that you'll be coming. Be at our place at 4:30pm. See you there!

Cincinnati or Cincinatti... Either Way We Had a Good Time

2007-06-17T18:59:00.000-04:00

You would have thought we could spell the name of that town, but simply visiting Cinncinnatty doesn't help with spelling questions. Helen and I visited that city last week. Here are some pics...

The first thing we did was go to the Reds vs. Angels game. We parked in a parking garage across the Ohio river in Kentucky, and rode a ferry across the river which dropped us off right outside the park. Our tickets were $5 seats, way up high along the third base line. We actually moved higher so we could be under the overhang for shade. It was stinkin' hot! The game was a pretty good game, until about the seventh or eighth inning when the Angels blew it open. Cinci "fans" began to boo their team... at which, as Aggies, Helen and I were appalled.

Ken Griffey, Jr was playing and we got to see him hit a homerun... with the exact same bat we saw being made in the Louisville Slugger Museum... well, probably... well, maybe (see post below).

Here is a ZOOMED IN picture of Ken Griffey, Jr waiting on a pitch... yes, our seats were closer to the sun than they were to home plate.

But all in all, we enjoyed our afternoon at the ballpark. It's definitely worth the visit for those of you who are still living in Louisville.

After the game, we checked into our hotel and then went walking around the area. There were various bridges that crossed the Ohio River between Kentucky and Ohio. This bridge was high, and it was a long way to the other side. To top it off, there were cars ZOOMING BY at dangerous speeds. Seriously, do people not consider others while driving across these bridges? Needless to say, I was terrified. It didn't help that Helen heard a noise and screamed, latching onto my hip. It creeped me out even further. Above is a picture of me being very brave. Very, very brave.

And here is a picture of me exiting the bridge as soon as possible. (Still being very brave.)

That night we watched the Spurs seal up game 4 of the NBA finals. We celebrated...

And celebrated...

The next day we woke up, parked downtown and viewed all things worth viewing. For example, we walked the perimeter of Paul Brown Stadium (where the Bengals play). There wasn't much to see, and there wasn't even that great of an entrance. This is the best picture we could take...

But we did learn that to everyone in Cinci, it's pronounced BANGls, not BINGls. So here I am making the distinction...

We also stumbled upon the University of Cincinnati. It was a really pretty campus. The funniest thing was that the football stadium was right in the middle of the campus, and there was no fence around it. You could just go on the field without anyone stopping you. So we did...

This is the first time anyone has struck the Heisman pose on this field.

And I am the closest anyone on this field will ever come to winning the Heisman trophy.

All in all, we had a pretty good time. We still can't spell the stinkin' name of the city, but we did enjoy its fine dining, the ballgame, and its beautiful scenery. If you are ever in the area, Cinci is worth going to.

Visit from Mom and Dad

2007-06-16T12:32:00.000-04:00

My parents came and visited a couple weeks ago, and we had some technical difficulties getting the pictures. But Helen worked hard to get them from my parents so we can now post them.

First, we went to the Louisville Slugger Museum in downtown Louisville. This is where they make bats for the Major and Minor Leagues. This is the largest bat in the world.

We took a tour of the Louisville Slugger Factory, but we weren't allowed to take pictures inside. We watched them make bats from pieces of wood called Billets. It was really interesting. As we walked through, we saw some bats that had just been completed. They had tags on them with the names of players they were going to. One of them was for Ken Griffey, Jr.

There was a batting cage at the Museum, so I took a crack at it.

Helen did too...
I had a conversation with Micky Mantle. We just couldn't believe the ump made that call. I mean come on! If he had one more eye, he'd be a cyclops.

After the Slugger Museum, we drove out to Churchill Downs to catch a race or two.

We had no clue what was going on. There were numbers and colors and everyone around us seemed to know what going on. It was like a whole new language. The only thing we were sure about was the horse that crossed the finish line first won the race.

The next day we went to Huber's Farm in Indiana to pick some strawberries. It's this huge farm out in the middle of nowhere. There were so many twists and turns, it's a wonder we got there, and it's even crazier that we made it out. Once we got to the farm, we got on a tractor with this guy who drove us out to this field with strawberries in it. He let us loose and we could pick as many strawberries as we could eat and/or pay for.
Of course, as soon as we got away from the shelter, it started to rain on us. But here is what we managed to pick before we got soaked. I think my mom was excited about the strawberry shortcake and smoothies we were going to have later that day....

After we paid for our strawberries, we headed over to the ice cream shop where we bought some homemade ice cream. It was great. Here I am enjoying my delicious homemade chocolate ice cream while riding a cow.

After that, we went on a cruise down the Ohio River on the Star of Louisville. The cruise included a meal and a two hour cruise up and down the river.

We had a great time with my parents, and we got to do some things in Louisville that we hadn't had a chance to do yet. We were glad that they got to come, and we're even more glad that we are getting to go back to Texas here in a few weeks.

Goodbye Louisville...

THE COOKIE MONSTER and the BETHANCOURTS

2007-06-09T22:07:00.000-04:00

C is for cookie that's good enough for me. C is for cookie that's good enough for me. C is for cookie that's good enough for me. Cookie cookie cookie starts with C.

We had dinner with the Bethancourts the other day, and after dinner, we decided to experiment with something. Cheddars serves this dessert, a cookie in an iron skillet, topped with ice cream and some other goodies. Who needs Cheddars though, when you have 4 aggies and a gift card to bed, bath and beyond?

Here is the result:

That's two rolls of cookie dough and a gallon of Blue Bell Ice Cream.

And here's the damage we did (especially garbage disposal Phillip):

Phillip swears up and down that he could have eaten more, but we were pretty stuffed afterward. Just a hint, one roll of cookies is plenty for four people.

Classic NBA Video

2007-06-08T15:32:00.000-04:00

This speaks for itself.

Those Clever Aggies...

2007-06-06T22:08:00.000-04:00

Coach Fran will be speaking at the Capital City A&M Club (Austin, TX) Coach's Night on Tuesday July 24th. He'll be speaking at 6:48pm. "Why 6:48?" you ask. Well, if someone asked you for the time, and if you wanted to give the time in reference to 7 o'clock, you might say that it's 12 to 7. Hmmmm.....

BLAM!

Surprise Guest in Class Today

2007-05-22T21:57:00.000-04:00

This week I'm taking a week-long course at Southern. Basically, it's an 8-5 class for a week. You do almost the same amount of reading and assignments as you would in a semester-long course. Right now, I'm taking a really practical course called Discipling Adults. Dr. Hal Pettegrew is the prof. Obviously it is a challenge to keep students engaged for eight hours a day, and Dr. Pettegrew is doing a great job of it. He has wisely brought in guest speakers in the afternoons to talk about different topics pertaining to discipleship.

Today we had a break just before the guest speaker came. I was sitting in the classroom with a few other students as the guest speaker walked in. He wasn't anyone famous (to my knowledge, at least) and yet he treated all of us as if we were the famous ones. This man, who had to be in his seventies, came to meet each of us before the class started, walking around to greet each of us. After meeting each of us and learning our names, he responded with "Glad to know ya."

As I sat at my computer, waiting for the break to be over, this man looks over my shoulder and says "Gig 'em." I was caught off guard. I wasn't expecting something like that. I looked down and he was pointing at my ring. Then, he pointed at his hand which had a smooth gold ring on his finger. He grinned at me and said, "class of 1956." His ring didn't look quite like mine. The year and shield had worn off, and you could hardly tell it was an Aggie Ring. I shot a "Gig 'em" right back at him, and I listened to him speak for about an hour and a half. I learned much about pastoring and discipleship, and I really appreciated his humility, as I learned from his actions as much as his words.

The McDonald Coaching Legacy

2007-05-16T21:13:00.000-04:00

Here is a link to a story about my Dad.

For the lazy, here are some snippets:

This offseason has made it abundantly clear. The McDonald family is firmly established as one of the top basketball families from the San Marcos area.

Donny McDonald, son of legendary Texas State head basketball coach Vernon McDonald, was named one of the Dean Weese Outstanding Coaches of the Year for 2007, the girls 4A Texas Coach of the Year, by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.

His brother Lynn, the head coach at Clear Lake High, earned the boys 5A honor.

And here I am upholding the legacy with 7th and 8th graders...

The legend lives on...

Aggieland...

2007-05-07T17:56:00.001-04:00

Summer is Coming

2007-05-07T12:36:00.000-04:00

Helen is down to 3 1/2 weeks of teaching left. I have two finals this week, one take home and one in class. Then we are done for the Spring semester. I'll be taking two J-Term classes... Discipling Adults and (against my better judgment) Hebrew Exegesis of Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes. After those two classes, we'll have a few weeks before we move.

Summer has several good things in store for us.
1. My parents are visiting at the end of May for about a week.
2. My brother and his wife are going to help us move. We are going to meet them in Chicago and watch the cubs, then drive back to Louisville and move out.
3. Several good movies are coming out... Shrek 3, the Simpons... what else do you need?
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out in July. Will Harry make it out alive?
5. Texas.

Summer is the best time of the year.

All in the Family

2007-05-05T16:32:00.000-04:00

My uncle Lynn and Dad sporting their trophies for 5A Boys Coach of the Year and 4A Girls Coach of the Year respectively. Way to go!

PS It looks like Dad has an idea with that light above his head. Haha!

We Bleed Maroon

2007-05-05T16:31:00.000-04:00

From the outside looking in, you can't understand it. From the inside looking out, you can't explain it.

Thanks for Playing Mavwrecks

2007-05-04T16:05:00.000-04:00

The Mavs were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors. The Mavs were the 1 seed and the Warriors were 8 seed. This is the first time an 8 seed has beaten a 1 seed in a 7 game series. It's just the third time an 8 seed has ever beaten a 1 seed in any type of series. The Mavs won 67 games this year, which is the most regular season games won by a team eliminated in the first round. This is for all the arrogant, loud, and ignorant Mavs fans, for the players, and for the whiny, annoying, bratty owner Mark Cuban...

Good luck next year. Thanks for playing.

Jack Black, the Next American Idol

2007-04-27T09:03:00.000-04:00

Just for fun...

The Biggest News of the Year

2007-04-22T20:20:00.000-04:00

We've been waiting to post until we announced it to the church. We did that today, and it was very sad because we love Grace Community.

While home on Spring Break, Helen was offered a job as a first grade teacher at Fuentes Elementary. We also were asked to rent a house from a family who is going to Indonesia for two years. Several other things fell into place during Spring Break, and we are confident that we should move back to Texas this summer. We will be leaving the last week of June. Helen will teach, and I will spend a year taking classes from the Southwestern extension center in San Antonio, and then finish my last year at Southern online.

While we are sad to leave our friends and church family here, we are thrilled to go back to Texas.

Back in KY

2007-04-15T19:55:00.000-04:00

Yes we're back. We flew from San Antonio to Chicago Midway and then from there to Louisville. The ride from Chicago to Louisville was pretty bumpy, but I was able to get some sleep anyway. We got back, ate lunch, and mailed our taxes. Now it's back to business as usual. I have three weeks left of school and Helen has about a month and a half.

More coming soon...

Something to Pass the Time

2007-04-13T10:35:00.000-04:00

We have several months before Fightin' Texas Aggie Football kicks off. This should help.

That's Right You're Not From Texas...

2007-04-11T15:42:00.000-04:00

We're in Texas right now. Our trip is a little past half way through, and we're having a good time even though people have to work during the day. We were able to watch Helen's brother Sam play baseball and we'll get to see her other brother Paul pitch on Friday. It should be a good time. Maybe we'll get some pictures or something.

We'll be back Saturday in the early afternoon, just in time for church on Sunday. The semester is winding down and we both have much to do before it ends.

In other news, billy gillispie decided to go to Kentucky, which I can't be upset about. However, the manner in which he left was very disappointing. He did not meet with his players, and in fact was a little dishonest with them and with the incoming recruits. He also told a big time recruit a day before he made the announcement that he was leaving for Kentucky and he wanted the recruit to come with him. That's either an ncaa violation or unethical or both. But either way, he's gone. At first I was distraught, but I forgot we still have Bill Byrne on our side. And lo and behold, the new Aggie coach that I'm extremely excited about...

Mark Turgeon from Wichita State. A heck of a coach, a family man, and one mean snarl. So I'm excited about Aggie bball again. Now if only he can keep Deandre and Co. for next year. (BJ Holmes, Nathan Walkup, Victor Dkzkwzsky -- don't know how to spell it-- and Co.)

We're Still Here

2007-03-30T14:54:00.000-04:00

We haven't posted anything in awhile, but we are still here. Helen is still teaching her little ones and preparing them for their big tests coming up in a few weeks. She's down to two more months in her first year of teaching. She's already excited about next year and thinking about what she'll do differently. I have been busily reading and writing for school. April is going to be very busy for me. I have almost 2000 pages worth of reading to do and two fairly large papers to finish. I've started one of the papers, and I'm about halfway done. It's crazy to think that this semester is winding to a close and that I'll be over 1/3 of the way done with my degree.

Church has been going well. Last Sunday, the Church voted unanimously to keep me as their worship leader. (I had been serving as Interim since January.) It's a blessing to know that I'm doing something right, and the Lord has really blessed Helen and I to be at such a great place. I've learned so much about ministry just in the last three months, and I can't imagine what I'll learn in the months and years to come, Lord willing.

Next Friday is Good Friday. Helen and I will be leaving on a flight that leaves at 630am and we'll arrive in Texas around 11am. We'll be in Texas for the week, and we're really looking forward to going back and seeing everyone. It will be a good break, although I will probably be working diligently on school stuff while there.

Thanks for your support and prayer.

ANNA!

2007-03-25T16:46:00.000-04:00

Well, here are the promised pictures of our time with Anna. All but one of the pictures were taken when we went to Mammoth Cave. Anna's camera has all the other pictures, I'll try to get them from her.

Ignoring warning signs, Anna crosses into a dried up creek bed. She really is a daredevil.

Anna posing on a bridge that leads to a little spring. How nice.

Brett and Anna posing inside the cave. That thing was spooky!

Wasting time before the tour started.

Waiting for the tour to start.

The tour started late...

It started really late.

At the 1st round NCAA game in Lexington against Penn. Ryan hooked us up and we had great seats. Hope Anna isn't beaten mercilessly for sporting a&m gear. We all know where her heart is anyway. Thanks and gig 'em.

BCG Article

2007-03-20T10:57:00.000-04:00

This is a great article on Billy Gillispie from the Houston Chronicle. Texas A&M is very lucky to have a coach of this caliber and they would be very stupid not to do what it takes to keep him around. Dollar Bill, give him whatever he wants and do whatever it takes to keep Billy around.

"Why not us? Why not Texas A&M?"

Off to Lexington...

2007-03-15T10:59:00.000-04:00

Because I am friends with a generous and thoughtful person (thanks nichols), Helen, Anna, and I scored some free tickets to watch the fightin' texas aggie bball team beat the ever livin, ever lovin, compound, complex etc etc...

Make sure you have us winning it all in your bracket. This could win you some big bucks.

"That's what I do!"

BTHO Penn! Whoop!

Anna's Here!

2007-03-11T21:35:00.000-04:00

Anna's here!!!! :-)
There will be updates coming soon with pictures...

Global warming?

2007-03-10T16:41:00.000-05:00

thoughts from this article from msnbc.com.

Scientists are reporting that within a few decades, hundreds of millions of people will face starvation and many animals face extinction. One scientist claims that we as a human race are on the brink of extinction as well. Are these scientists blowing smoke? Are they overreacting? Or are they right? Are humans really facing a global disaster?

What does this mean for Christians? How should we respond to these claims by the scientific community? We know that not everyone will be destroyed because our Lord hasn't returned yet. But that doesn't discount a terrible change in climate that could lead to the destruction of millions of people.

Here are some of the claims from this report:

* Hundreds of millions of Africans and tens of millions of Latin Americans who now have water will be short of it in less than 20 years. By 2050, more than 1 billion people in Asia could face water shortages. By 2080, water shortages could threaten 1.1 billion to 3.2 billion people, depending on the level of greenhouse gases that cars and industry spew into the air.
* Death rates for the world’s poor from global warming-related illnesses, such as malnutrition and diarrhea, will rise by 2030. Malaria and dengue fever, as well as illnesses from eating contaminated shellfish, are likely to grow.
* Europe’s small glaciers will disappear with many of the continent’s large glaciers shrinking dramatically by 2050. And half of Europe’s plant species could be vulnerable, endangered or extinct by 2100.
* By 2080, between 200 million and 600 million people could be hungry because of global warming’s effects.
* About 100 million people each year could be flooded by 2080 by rising seas.
* Smog in U.S. cities will worsen and “ozone-related deaths from climate (will) increase by approximately 4.5 percent for the mid-2050s, compared with 1990s levels,” turning a small health risk into a substantial one.
* Polar bears in the wild and other animals will be pushed to extinction.
* At first, more food will be grown. For example, soybean and rice yields in Latin America will increase starting in a couple of years. Areas outside the tropics, especially the northern latitudes, will see longer growing seasons and healthier forests.

Is this an overreaction from the scientific community? What are we to think?

Why Must I Fail in Every Attempt at Masonry?

2007-03-05T16:27:00.000-05:00

Why must life be so hard? Why must I fail in every attempt at masonry?

The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views Review

2007-03-03T21:39:00.000-05:00

The Meaning of the Millennium outlines four views about the coming of Christ and the millennium. Each of the four authors defends their viewpoint in a chapter, and at the end of each chapter, the other three authors challenge that view. The authors attempt to firmly establish their position, but leave the reader with a few additional unanswered questions.

Summary

George Ladd begins the work with his explanation of historic, nondispensational premillennialism. He explains that premillennialism is “the doctrine stating that after the Second Coming of Christ, he will reign for a thousand years over the earth before the final consummation of God’s redemptive purpose …” (17). He asserts that Old Testament prophecies must be interpreted by the New Testament, and also claims that the nondispensational view “forms its theology from the explicit teaching of the New Testament,” since a contemporary Christian cannot be sure how Old Testament prophecies will be fulfilled (27). Ladd then presents a brief exegesis of the Book of Revelation where he concludes that the entire argument rests on the interpretation of Revelation 20:4-5. He affirms that there are two resurrections: one at the beginning and one at the end of the millennium (37). Finally, Ladd explains that the purpose of prophecy regarding the millennium is not to be a complete rendering of things to come, but rather to encourage believers to endure their present sufferings (39).

Hermann Hoyt makes similar conclusions albeit through a different method. He argues that the purpose of God from the beginning of time is to establish His kingdom, and that both Old Testament and New Testament prophecy should be interpreted as literally as possible (66). Where Ladd presents an uneasiness of interpreting Old Testament prophecy, Hoyt claims that if taken literally, many Old Testament prophecies have not been fulfilled yet, and must be applied to the End (67). Next, Hoyt examines the Scriptures with regard to the mediatorial kingdom. He concludes from the Old Testament that the mediatorial kingdom will be a literal, physical kingdom governed by a King (78-9). Hoyt asserts that Christ must have referred to that same kingdom in His teachings since the kingdom is always mentioned in conjunction with Old Testament prophecy and Christ never makes a distinction between two different kingdoms (85). Finally, he explains that the present time is a transition period for the mediatorial kingdom in which Christ will be literally present (91). When the mediatorial kingdom comes, Christ will place all His enemies under subjection, and once “this mission is accomplished, he will then voluntarily deliver the kingdom into the hands of the Father, and the mediatorial kingdom will be merged with the universal kingdom …” (92).

Loraine Boettner, a postmillennialist, takes a different approach to defending his view. Instead of using his chapter to examine many specific passages of Scripture, he simply explains her position, supports it with logic, and concludes with an exhortation. First, Boettner directly explains his postmillennial position, stating
Postmillennialism is a view … that holds that the kingdom of God is now being extended in the world through the preaching of the gospel … that the world eventually is to be Christianized, and that the return of Christ is to occur at the close of a long period of righteousness and peace… (117).
In contrast to premillennialists, postmillennialists understand that when the text warrants, prophecies must be taken figuratively instead of literally, and he supports this with scriptural examples (134). Finally, Boettner explains that all positions regarding the millennium agree that the Bible is authoritative and that Christ will return, and that there is only disagreement in an area of interpretation and should not be divisive (140-1).

Anthony A. Hoekema defends the last position, amillennialism, by an examination of applicable Scripture and then a description of the key points of the position. First, Hoekema asserts that the Book of Revelation should not be viewed as a chronological sequence of events, but rather “progressive parallelism,” where much of the events take place coincidentally (156). This directly affects the reading of Revelation 20:1-6, where Hoekema concludes that the millennial reign of Christ occurs before His return (160). He asserts that the millennium is nothing more than figurative language to describe a complete period of the reign of Christ from heaven, in which believers who have passed away also reign (169). Hoekema also claims that many prophecies used to describe the millennium should not be viewed as literal, future events, but rather should be read figuratively. (172). Finally, Hoekema briefly explains the amillennialist position, claiming that Christ’s return will be a “single event.” (182). At His return, both believers and unbelievers will be resurrected, and those who are still alive will be transformed into their new body (182). This is followed by the final judgment and the eternal state (183-4).

Strengths and Weaknesses

Each author presents an adequate defense of their positions, but there also remain a few weaknesses that must be addressed. First, Ladd demonstrates a deep understanding of his position, and very clearly indicates that the debate centers upon Revelation 20:1-6 (32). He spends a significant portion of his chapter explaining how he believes this Scripture should be interpreted and why he interprets it as such (36). He holds tightly to his hermeneutic of literal interpretation and claims that when interpreted properly, Scripture teaches that there are two resurrections of the dead (37). The strength of his argument is found in his regard for Scripture’s authority and his commitment to a literal interpretation of Scripture.

However, he fails to use Old Testament prophecy about the coming of Christ because he believes only the New Testament may interpret the Old Testament. This weakens his argument because he ignores the rich wealth of information in over half of the Bible (27). More solid conclusions may be drawn, as Hoyt argues, if a believer interprets the New Testament in light of the Old Testament (43).

Hoyt succeeds where Ladd fell short, claiming that “all the biblical material must be surveyed …” (71). He examines a large amount of Scripture from both Old and New Testaments and from there makes his conclusions. Hoyt claims throughout his essay that he has chosen the “biblical” interpretation, and this appears to be very accurate due to the large amount of Scriptural interpretation and proof-texts (84). On the other hand, claiming to have the “biblical” interpretation inaccurately assumes that the other views are not biblical. The problem is not that the other views are unbiblical, but that there are differences in the interpretation of the biblical data. Obviously, there is only one possible correct view, but since we do not have the complete answers recorded in Scripture, proponents on all sides may claim their view is the biblical one.

Boettner’s essay defending postmillennialism explains the position very simply and adequately. While some of the other authors wait until the end of their respective chapters to state their position, he begins his essay by succinctly defining his interpretation which allows the reader to easily understand her position. Also, Boettner demonstrates a genuine concern for the Church by reminding proponents of all positions that they “agree [Christ] will return personally, visibly and in great glory.” (119). He rightly understands that the issue of the millennium should not be divisive among believers because it is not an essential issue with regard to salvation.

However, Boettner does not use much Scripture to make his position. In fact, most of the Scripture he uses is to demonstrate that Scripture cannot and should not always be interpreted literally. His argument would be stronger if he supported it with more Scripture. Also, attempting to prove that the millennium will be brought about gradually by forces already present in the world, Boettner claims that “Today the world at large is on a far higher plane. Christian principles are the accepted standards in many nations even though they are not consistently practiced.” (126). He claims that the world is moving toward righteousness, prosperity, and the return of Christ (132). In reality, the world seems to be heading in the opposite direction. Crimes and other atrocities seem to be on the rise, while Christian perspective appears to be constantly questioned due to the onset of postmodernism.

Hoekema thoroughly explains why he interprets Revelation 20:1-6 differently by demonstrating his overall interpretation of the Book of Revelation. He makes an intriguing case showing how Revelation can be separated into divisions, and “these seven sections are parallel to each other [revealing] a certain amount of eschatological progress.” (158). Through this framework, his interpretation of Revelation 20:1-6 that begins at the end of the New Testament time period and continues to the Second Coming of Christ flows logically (168). Also, since Revelation uses much figurative language, Hoekema finds strength in his argument that the millennium indicates a completeness of time, and not necessarily a literal millennium (161). By shifting the understanding of the Book of Revelation and also by appealing to the symbolic nature of the book, Hoekema argues compellingly for amillennialism.

However, Hoekema tends to treat Revelation as if it is all symbolism and mostly about events that have already happened. He dismisses the notion that some of the events in Revelation could be literal or future. Also, as Ladd discusses, some of Hoekema’s interpretation of Revelation 20:1-6 is derived from assumptions that may be faulty (189). For example, Hoekema claims that the binding of Satan mentioned in the Gospels is the same as that mentioned in Revelation 20, but this is not an obvious conclusion. Ladd contests that the binding of Satan described in the Gospels refers to his defeat on the cross and Revelation expresses something different (189).

Remaining Questions

After reading and critiquing these essays, a few questions about each position remain. First, how do nondispensational premillennialists apply unfulfilled Old Testament prophecy? Do they assume that all Old Testament prophecy that is not mentioned specifically in the New Testament has been fulfilled? Second, dispensational premillennialists seem quick to apply Old Testament prophecy to the future, but how can they be sure that they apply these Scriptures appropriately? Nondispensationlists stand on one side fearing to apply any Old Testament prophecy without New Testament interpretation, but dispensationalists must be careful in this endeavor. Where do they draw the line? Third, postmillennialists argue that the world is improving and Christian values are becoming standards. How do they support their assertion with reality where the world appears more hostile to Christian values? Fourth, while ammillennialists hold to progressive parallelism in Revelation, are there many other notable theologians who support this interpretation of Revelation? Is it wise to base an entire millennial position from one small passage of Scripture?

Mr. Clutch IV

2007-03-01T11:05:00.000-05:00

Acie Law IV is clutch.

video evidence.

"That's what I do!" Acie Law IV upon drilling a 3 in Kevin Durant's face to send the game into OT.

and in 2006...

more evidence coming soon.

All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes Review

2007-02-26T12:21:00.000-05:00

Kenneth Myers of Mars Hill Audio is on campus this week. I recently read his book All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes Here's my take.

Kenneth Myers asserts that those who do not have much contact with popular culture will not enjoy nor do they have need to read his book, All God’s Children and Blue Suede Shoes, in which he closely examines popular culture and its nature, effects, and value and attempts to demonstrate the aesthetic superiority of high culture over popular culture (xii). Myers begins by defining culture and demonstrating the importance of studying culture. He claims that we are commanded to love God with all our being, and this includes our participation in culture. Thus, “we cannot be indifferent about culture.” (26). Culture is, he writes,

a dynamic pattern, an ever-changing matrix of objects, artifacts, sounds, institutions, philosophies, fashions, enthusiasm, myths, prejudices, relationships, attitudes, tastes, rituals, habits, colors, and loves, all embodied in individual people, in groups and collectives and associations of people…in books, in buildings, in the use of time and space, in wars, in jokes, and in food (34).

Clearly culture is not something that is easily or briefly defined.

Next, Myers explains the extent to which Christians should participate in culture and allow it to influence their lives. He writes that “we cannot expect our culture to be a holy enterprise, [and that] we can at least try to avoid participating in its profanities.” (53). Modernism found its roots in popular culture, and teaches that “what is popular determines what is good,” which has led to individualism and to subsequent isolation (71). Furthermore, modernism has contributed to popular culture a restlessness that desires the newest and most efficient devices (66).

Finally, Myers compares the aesthetic qualities of high and popular cultures, asserting that the debate is not rooted in taste, but rather in aesthetic value. He explains that since there is no quantitative measure by which we might easily compare high and popular culture, other bases for evaluation must be established (78). Myers claims, “The problem with standardized popular culture is that what is standardized wasn’t very good in the first place,” explaining that good art is supposed to reveal truths from human nature and it should not be suppressed by the demands of the populace (79-80).

Furthermore, popular culture “emphasizes the self and the present… it [encourages] a self-centeredness that Christians ought to avoid.” (101). Thus, when making decisions about culture, Christians should seek that which is most likely to “transcend our earthly preoccupations” (101). Popular culture has a tendency to highlight the artistic medium itself more than the actual message it is trying to convey, and for this reason Myers argues for the aesthetic superiority of high culture and the danger of the influence of popular culture (114).

Myers defends high culture throughout the book, while gently attempting to dismantle any value Christians might find in popular culture. He inadequately demonstrates the superiority of high culture, and makes large generalizations that apply only to pockets of popular culture. First, he compares popular culture to fast food which is served quickly, but lacks sufficient nutrients (89). Those who survive only on fast food, according to Myers, might be severely under prepared for “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.” (89). His analogy successfully conveys his ideas: that prepackaged food is similar to prepackaged art, for example. However, Myers’ analogy unsatisfactorily describes popular culture because it falsely and prematurely degrades it. Fast food is practically a loaded word due to its negative connotations.

Myers cites Scripture to further make his point that high culture is superior to popular culture. He uses Philippians 4:8, claiming that Paul calls believers to think on that which is objectively true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. According to Myers, popular culture is more individualistic and subjective, and one cannot make objective decisions about whether it meets these Scriptural criteria (98). This trend of subjectivity, Myers fears, has crept into Christian worship services. He illustrates his point by imagining a service where a soloist sings a popular song that is

exceedingly trite, clichéd, maudlin, and pretentious. While the text it presented was generally true… the music was not true, noble, lovely, or admirable. If the soloist had some classical music training, you might stand a chance of persuading her that this was the case (99).

I too would be discouraged with such a performance. However, in this example Myers falsely characterizes popular music as “exceedingly trite, clichéd, maudlin, and pretentious.” (99). Surely Myers does not think that all popular music is this shallow. He makes large generalizations about popular music, and neglects much of popular music that could be characterized as true, noble, and lovely. Furthermore, not all people are “classically trained musicians,” and trite melodies may not be obvious to them. Also, not all people are well-educated theologians, and what he would call trite descriptions of God may not be so trite to them. Moreover, many of the terms in Philippians 4:8 are subjective, depending upon the culture in which one lives. For example, what is noble in the Middle East may not be so noble in America.

Myers seemingly neglects differences in classes and types of people by appealing to high culture as the superior form. Myers addresses this, however, arguing that judging culture means not only being concerned with taste and social class, but also with “the nature and the effects of cultural phenomena…” (76). He explains it this way:

If what happens when we listen to classical music, read literature, or attend the theater is fundamentally a different kind of experience than listening to rock ‘n’ roll, reading romance novels, or watching ‘The Cosby Show,’ then it is clear that having a ‘taste’ for high culture is a very different matter from having a ‘taste’ for popular culture (77).

Popular culture, according to Myers, focuses on ethos, while the quality of high culture is preserved by objective standards (77). However, mankind is not all on the same plane with regard to art, and not everyone appreciates classical music in the way that Myers does. In fact, one might find more aesthetic beauty, nobility, and loveliness in a popular song than a classical song, and there may be more truth in a popular song than the other.

Moreover, Myers generalizes, “The problem with standardized popular culture is that what is standardized wasn’t very good in the first place.” (79). He still makes objective a quality that is subjective by nature. People who are not classically trained musicians may actually prefer the popular as opposed to the classical, and they may not wish to “acquire the taste” of high culture (83).

Myers argues that great culture “imprints itself in our lives and becomes a reference point for our most subtle and profound experiences.” (82). According to Myers, if held by this standard, anything that meets these criteria should be considered good art, whether it is a part of high culture or otherwise. There is a fundamental fallacy in trying to dogmatically quantify something that is truly subjective. Because of this, Myers inadequately transcends his high culture biases, and in doing so, makes highly generalized strokes that are too broad to be completely valid.

Transformers... more than meets eye

2007-02-25T12:58:00.000-05:00

Helen and I didn't sleep well last night. It started out as a regular Saturday night. Helen and I were both working on school work while watching a movie on TV. We watched Back to the Future II which was followed by Back to the Future III. Around 8:45, we heard an explosion and the power went out. A transformer must have blown somewhere. So what do you do when there's no electricity? I thought we should just go to bed, but Helen wasn't tired. So we decided we would watch a movie on our laptop. The problem was that the battery wasn't fully charged and we weren't sure if we would be able to watch the whole thing. We started Coach Carter and put the laptop screen on super dim to conserve battery.

Much to our delight, at 9:45, the power came back on. We both got ready for bed and decided we would watch the rest of the movie. At 10:45, there was another explosion and the power went out again. Frustrated, we kept watching the movie until the battery ran out.

We couldn't sleep, it was too quiet. About 1 am, the power came back on. We turned on the fan for some noise, and I finally started to sleep well. But, guess what happened at 2:45. Another explosion and another power outage.

We opened the window, fell asleep at some point, and woke up this morning with the power back on. What a crazy night!

No funny stories, just a life update

2007-02-15T10:19:00.000-05:00

Things have been going well lately. School is just starting to kick into full swing, and since I did a lot work over Christmas break, I'm not feeling to overwhelmed right now. I've been trying to stay a couple weeks ahead on reading, and I've been successful so far.

On Wednesdays, I've been dropping Helen off at work, and then spending the day at church. We have staff meetings in the morning, and then I spend the rest of the day reading and writing for seminary. It's been so good to trap myself away from internet and TV, since it forces me to do something. If I stay at home, nothing will get accomplished. I wish I could fix that.

Helen and I are excited about Anna coming to visit next month. Helen is giddy, especially since Anna will be here for 6 or 7 days. She's probably going to blow all of her leave from school, but it's worth it.

Soon I'll have some book reviews and papers to post so you can see what I've been doing in school. Maybe that will interest some of you, or maybe it won't.

Today, if you're feeling down in the dumps, at least you're not having a day like this guy had:

Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven...

2007-02-14T19:52:00.000-05:00

but nobody wants to die.

Amazing Grace

2007-02-09T15:13:00.000-05:00

Somehow this slipped past my attention. Amazing Grace is a movie that is coming out in a couple of weeks.

"Gruffudd plays Wilberforce, who, as a Member of Parliament, navigated the world of 18th Century backroom politics to end the slave trade in the British Empire. Albert Finney plays John Newton, a confidante of Wilberforce who inspires him to pursue a life of service to humanity. Benedict Cumberbatch is William Pitt the Younger, England's youngest ever Prime Minister at the age of 24, who encourages his friend Wilberforce to take up the fight to outlaw slavery and supports him in his struggles in Parliament."

The movie's title is taken from the popular hymn by John Newton. Newton was a captain of a slave ship until he had a radical conversion after navigating his ship through a storm. Newton is quoted as saying in his journal about that day, "that the tenth of March is a day much remembered by me; and I have never suffered it to pass unnoticed since the year 1748-- the Lord came from on high and delivered me out of deep waters." (Then sings my soul, Robert J. Morgan, 2003.)

After watching the previews on the website linked above, it looks like a good movie. Go see it. It releases 2/23/2007.

Vote!

2007-02-06T17:51:00.000-05:00

A girl that plays for my dad's bball team is in a poll for best player in centex. Her name is Lindie Kimbro and she's a junior. She averages 25 points and 9 rebounds a game. she shoots 85% freethrows... the team is 20-6. they just beat #2 in the state last week. in that game she had 32. Please help...

go to this link.

Sounds like Somebody has a case of the Mondays

2007-02-04T19:48:00.000-05:00

This is preemptive, because I already feel a case of the Mondays coming tomorrow. If this blog finds you in the same condition, please watch this video and see if this doesn't make you feel better.

Super**wl Sunday

2007-02-04T19:35:00.000-05:00

The NFL is enforcing their copyright on the Super**wl, and going after the big culprits who abuse the system: churches. That's right, churches and their Super**wl parties are singlehandedly costing the NFL millions... or BILLIONS of dollars in advertisement revenue. Just like Christianity brought the downfall of the Roman Empire, so too might FBC Anywhere, USA cause the demise of the National Football League. So beware... no showing the Super**wl on a TV larger than 55", and for crying out loud, don't call it a Super**wl Party!! Call it an NFL Championship Party or Big Game Watching Party... or maybe call it what it REALLY is: Funny Commercial Watching Party. Because seriously, who really cares about the Super**wl when the Cowboys aren't in it?

Take that SBC! Watch the commercials in small groups at your houses on your undersized TV's!

Huge Win for Aggie Basketball

2007-02-04T00:11:00.000-05:00

They beat #6 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. A big 12 south team has never won there. A&M has never beaten Kansas in basketball... EVER. Huge win for the Aggie program.

A&M students watched the Aggie women beat Kansas in college station, then watched the men's game on the big jumbotron at Reed Arena. After the win, the students stormed the court. Check out this amazing video. It's pretty sweet.

Snow!

2007-02-03T11:15:00.000-05:00

Helen had two Snow days this week, Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, I still had class, but we spent the rest of the day playing in the snow. On Friday, we decided we would go sledding with the Bethancourts at Reservoir Park. We used the lid to a big plastic tub as a sled and we had a blast! Here are some pictures from our adventures.

Look how graceful the Bethancourts doubled up on their sled!

And look how graceful Helen and I did it. Notice that there is no sled in sight. It slid out from under us and stayed at the top of the hill. Amateurs!

Our second try was a little better.

Phillip decided he would go without a sled. But he lived in Connecticut for awhile, so he knows what he's doing. Yankee.

That's me sledding. The marks on the outside are places that we sledded before.

It was so steep and slippery that we had to use the railing to walk up. It was quite a work out.

This is right outside our apartment in the courtyard.

My first snow angel. I made this on Thursday.

Not bad, eh?

On the steps leading up to our apartment.

The Southern campus.

Our truck was covered in snow on Thursday. It was worse on Friday, but we didn't get a picture.

This is Southern's campus also.

For more coverage of the sled-fest, please see the Bethancourt's blog.

oh the weather outside is GLORIOUS

2007-02-01T10:36:00.000-05:00

It snowed enough for me to peg Helen with a few snowballs and for me to lose traction for a second driving out of our apartment complex. She got the day off and we're going to play before I have to go back to class.

Carry on.

Confidence in the Sovereignty of God

2007-01-29T13:09:00.000-05:00

"Though He slay me, I will hope in Him." Job 13:15

I have not had any experience that equals Job's sufferings. Not even close. But when hard things have come in life, small as they may be, some of my emotions are the same, although on a smaller scale. I wish that I could say that at all times I have had the same confidence in God's sovereignty and goodness that Job expresses.

If we know that God is good and we know that God is sovereign, then we can completely trust Him in every single situation that arises, and we can echo Job in saying even if the Lord kills me, I know that it is His will, by His goodness, and for my good. There is nothing to fear in death, hunger, nakedness, peril or sword, because none of these things can separate us from the love of Christ!

Will it snow?

2007-01-28T15:43:00.000-05:00

Before moving to Louisville, all I could think about was how cold and wintry it would be in the winter months. I imagined ice and snow and difficult driving.

But in reality, it hasn't snowed here yet. There have been a few days of flurries, and only one day did it accumulate. Other than that, Texas had more snow in one day than we have had. Wherever Helen and I have gone lately, the weather has deviated from the norm.

It hadn't rained in Texas in months... until we got there. They are having a warm winter here in Kentucky. The month of December was 11 degrees warmer this year than last. I guess Helen and I are messing up everyone's winter.

So the question remains. Will we get a good snow in this year? And then, will we be happy when it does?

Hello Grace Community!

2007-01-28T15:40:00.000-05:00

I discovered this morning that I have some new readers from Grace Community Baptist Church. I hope that you enjoy what you read, and feel free to make comments as you please.

Helen and I had a great time at church this morning, and we look forward to seeing you all again.

Louisville is not good for me

2007-01-26T12:21:00.000-05:00

At least, that's what this study says. To summarize, out of 100 US cities, Louisville ranks #97 with regard to men's health. The study looked at several factors such as "life-and-death data on cancer, heart disease, and stroke, lifestyle issues, such as annual income and daily commute, crime rates and college graduation rates. Lastly, [they] ran a sweat check, looking at how often, how long, and how intensely men exercise." Louisville is not good for me. For example, this is what the typical Louisville man looks like today:

While Buda, Kyle and San Marcos could not be found on the list, Austin and San Antonio found themselves at 21 and 68 respectively. I suppose Austin is 21 because of all the health food nuts there... or maybe it's all the cyclists.... or maybe it's all the liberal t-sips on hunger strikes...

San Antonio spent some time as the nation's fattest city, didn't they? That would explain their rank in the bottom half of the list. Either way, I'm not interested in being in a city that is detrimental to my health.

So for my own sake, Helen and I are moving to Hawaii.

Just kidding.

J-term over

2007-01-20T12:11:00.000-05:00

This last week flew by. I took 3 hour course that lasted four days. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, Dr. Fuller was sick, and so the class didn't last as long and probably wasn't as challenging as it should have been. On one hand, the class was supposed to last from 8am to 5pm, with few breaks and an hour lunch. But since he was really sick, we went from about 9-4, with a two hour lunch and long breaks. On the other hand, I don't know that I got the full benefit of the class that I would have had he been well. It all worked out though.

As it turned out, I got was sick on Wednesday and Thursday, so I had to tough it out too. So it worked out that class was short, since I don't think I would have made it if it had been much longer.

I took the final and got a B+ on it. Which was good because I didn't study all that much for it. Sick people don't feel like studying. We'll see how my final grade turns out.

I'm looking forward to next semester. I have the rest of the week to get ready, maybe read another book and study Hebrew. This is my first Sunday to lead worship at Grace Community Baptist Church, so I'll be sure to post again letting everyone know how that went.

Anyway, Helen and I are going to eat grilled cheeses and watch Vegas Vacation and Little Miss Sunshine. Until next time...

It should be called Brett's law...

2007-01-15T21:30:00.000-05:00

everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. well not exactly, but it was a rough weekend.

Helen and I taught Disciple Now at Hays Hills in Texas this weekend. Sean flew us in so that we could teach. It was a really great time and we got in some quality teaching. Before we left, we checked the weather and it said the highs were in the 60's for the entire weekend.

As you can probably guess, that's not what happened. Friday night, a cold front came in and quickly brought the temperature into the 30's. Then, a bunch of rain came into the area making the driving and more importantly, the flying conditions awful. We were supposed to fly out sunday at 5, but our flight was cancelled and we were rescheduled for Monday at 12.

Again, as you can probably guess, that flight on Monday was delayed by about an hour. We were able to leave Austin a little after 1 and landed in Dallas at 1:58pm (I looked at my phone) for our connecting flight which was scheduled to leave at 23opm. So we had to book it once we got off the plane.

It never fails that when you're in a hurry, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. We taxied to the gate and had to wait about 10 minutes for a gate agent (who knows what that is). So our 30 minutes to get to our next flight just became 20 minutes to get to our next flight. After we got off the plane, we ran to the Sky link and ran to our gate. We got there just in time and got on the plane.

Again, as you can probably guess, our flight didn't leave right away. In fact, we sat there for another 30 minutes waiting for the plane to be de-iced. So even though our plane was not officially delayed, it was delayed. Then as we were pulling away from the gate, we stopped and the captain came on the loudspeaker and told us we had to go back to the gate to pick up another crew member. Seriously, does this stuff ever happen?

We landed in Louisville about 20 minutes late, and called the bethancourts to come get us from the airport. We went to get our bags at the location they told us. And we waited. and waited. and waited. no one's bags were coming. Then, at a completely different area, bags start coming out on the conveyor belt. People from our plane began to pick up their bags and leave (this is 45 minutes after landing.)

As you can probably guess, our bags were not there. So we had to stand in line for an additional 30 minutes before we could actually leave. We felt sorry for the Bethancourts who had waited for us for nearly an hour, so we called some other friends to come get us. We're so thankful for all the people who will drop what they're doing to help us out.

Helen and I finally walked in the door around 750pm. We dropped our carry on items and went to eat at Olive Garden. It was a tough day, but at least we're home.

Helen has to work tomorrow and I start a J-term. We're going to be tired, but hey, American Idol starts tomorrow night.

January 2007

2007-01-09T13:34:00.000-05:00

Since we've been back, Helen has been working hard at her job. They started back with students on January 3rd. I've been trying to stay busy, but I'm really having a hard time motivating myself. I've read one of the books for next semester, and I'm almost done with another one. But looking at my reading list, it sure would be nice to finish a few more before school starts.

I've also really tried to keep up with Hebrew. I ignored it for the month of December, and I've been reviewing for the last few days. It's amazing what you can forget in only a month. That tells me that I will quickly forget many of the things I learned in seminary unless I continue to use them.

I've started my job tutoring. I catch the bus in the afternoon. Sometimes it's late and sometimes it's on time. But I can't complain, at least I don't have to walk. I'll begin leading worship at Grace Community on an interim basis January 21.

Helen and I have been preparing for Hays Hills' Disciple Now. We leave Thursday night and we'll be back in Louisville Sunday afternoon... just in time for MLK Day. Helen doesn't have to work, but I still have to tutor. (If you don't work, you don't get paid. So I'm not complaining)

My January Term starts the 16 and last through the 19. It's a course over the Psalms. It should be interesting. In the Spring, classes start the 28 or 29. I'm taking Doctrine of the Person of Christ, Systematic Theology III, Hebrew Syntax and Exegesis, and Contemporary Worship in a Contemporary Culture.

Waiting on the World to Change

2007-01-03T14:41:00.000-05:00

Waiting On The World To Change
listen to the song here

me and all my friends
we're all misunderstood
they say we stand for nothing and
there's no way we ever could
now we see everything that's going wrong
with the world and those who lead it
we just feel like we don't have the means
to rise above and beat it

so we keep waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change

it's hard to beat the system
when we're standing at a distance
so we keep waiting
waiting on the world to change
now if we had the power
to bring our neighbors home from war
they would have never missed a Christmas
no more ribbons on their door
and when you trust your television
what you get is what you got
cause when they own the information, oh
they can bend it all they want

that's why we're waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change

it's not that we don't care,
we just know that the fight ain't fair
so we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change

and we're still waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting waiting on the world to change
one day our generation
is gonna rule the population
so we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change

we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change

The Red Rowdies

2007-01-03T14:37:00.001-05:00

First of all, right about the turn of the century, some good Aggie students established an organization to promote aggie basketball called "the reed rowdies." They are alive and well, and should probably sue.

The "red rowdies" support rockettes basketball. I submit that they make these people take an IQ test before they let them represent Houston.

Here are some gems they chanted during the game that showed how smart they are:

1. Tim Duncan sucks. Anyone who knows anything about basketball knows that Tim Duncan is probably the greatest PF to play the game. To say he sucks is just dumb.

2. Chanting at Robert Horry "Houston Reject!" I'm pretty sure Robert Horry left Houston for LA where he earned more rings than he knows what to do with. A better statement would be that Houston is a Robert Horry Reject.

3. The Spurs Coyote came out disguised as a Christmas tree so he could listen to the rockets game plan during a time out. These fans starting chanting "gay tree! gay tree!" I have no explanation for why this is dumb, it just is.

4. After the Rockets had the game won handily, and I had had enough of them screaming and beating a drum directly in my ear, I got mad and reminded them that it was December and that the Spurs were preparing for June. They informed me that we lost to Dallas in game 7 last year. What that has do with our conversation I'll never know, but I did remind them that their team was watching that game from home since they failed to make the playoffs that year.

5. I asked them who had more championships, and they said our 1999 championship only counted as half because of the shortened season. I gave them a math lesson and reminded them that 2 and 1/2 is more than 2. Then they told me again that we lost to Dallas in game 7 last year. Intelligent.

After all that, I truly hope the Spurs and Rockets meet in the playoffs because it will humorous to watch the Rockets collapse again.

We're Back

2007-01-03T14:24:00.000-05:00

Helen and I had a great trip back to Texas, and it wasn't easy to leave.

We arrived in San Antonio late Thursday night. My Mom, Dad, brother and sister in law met us at the airport. As we walked through the gate and past security, I read my mom's lips "they look the same." kinda funny.

Anyway, Jeff and Shana gave us our Christmas present early, which was tickets to the Rockets/spurs game Friday night. turns out, our tickets were in the red rowdies section ("intelligent" rockets fans), and they were completely obnoxious. In another post i'll put some of their comments.

We got to go to my Dad's basketball games. (In case you didn't know, he's a high school bball coach.) They won all the games I went to, and I didn't get ejected (Jeff?).

We went to Helen's grandparents house for Christmas and also went to my aunt's house for annual Christmas eve gathering. It was good to see our families since we hadn't seen them in so long.

Our break was really good, but it went really fast. Helen is already at work, and I'm already back to watching Walker Texas Ranger. So much for new years resolutions.

Do Human Beings Have Free Will?

2006-12-31T15:43:00.000-05:00

Someone was asking me this question recently. If God decides whether or not we are saved, then do we have free will or not? I found a good article by John Hendryx regarding this. Click here.

I'll try to summarize it later.

There's no Place Like Home for the Holidays

2006-12-21T10:47:00.000-05:00

It's almost 11am. Helen and I have been up for awhile getting ready to go back to Texas. We decided it'd be much easier to come back to Louisville if the house was clean and there was nothing for us to do around the house when we got back. So we've been cleaning and packing and getting ready to go.

We're so excited to come home and we can't wait to spend time with our family and friends. Our flight leaves at 6:20, so keep us in prayer if you read this before then. Adios!

First Anniversary Weekend Extravaganza with Pictures

2006-12-17T13:48:00.000-05:00

We got back a few hours ago. Helen uploaded the pictures to the computer, so now we can give the full account.

We left Louisville about 10am and arrived in Indianapolis a little after noon. The first place we went was the NCAA Hall of Champions.

We walked in and the first thing we saw was a picture of someone Helen knew...

She was a finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year. So that was funny. The next thing we saw was a statue of an old football formation called the flying wedge. Basically, the ball carrier would get behind these guys who would then smash anyone who got in their way. This led to a ton of injuries and deaths, and it led to the formation of the NCAA.

We also got to visit a half-court replica of a gym from the 1930's. It reminded me of some gyms I played in in high school. Here's some pictures of me shooting and also the first official "Fair Play" clock used in the NCAA. Apparently, there was a discrepancy over how much time was left in games, and this happened a lot. So they decided it would be best to have an official clock that everyone could see.

Some other cool things that we saw were some of John Wooden's "coaching shoes" and a page out of his playbook with his handwriting on it.

We were able to find something about Texas A&M. It was a picture of the Red, White, and Blue Out Game. I was at that game my freshmen year. Unfortunately, this picture was in the corner and covered by a fake tree. So, being good ags, we decided to move the tree in front of another display and leave Aggieland visible.

So A&M did make the Hall of Champions. After this we went back to our hotel and stayed for two hours. This is where I typed the first update. I promised a picture of Helen's funny sleeping position... so here it is...

After she woke up, we walked to the zoo. It was less than a mile and it wasn't too cold.

The above bear is asleep. He was sleeping on his back and snoring. He kept moving around and even put his thumb in his mouth. Pretty funny. We had a good time at the zoo.

After we left the zoo, we went to eat at the Olive Garden. No pictures from that, but we did have a delicious meal. After we ate, we went back to the hotel, got our camera, and went down to Circle Center. They were supposed to have an amazing lights display, but it was false advertisement. They did have a huge tree and downtown was really busy.

After the circle of lights, we went back to the hotel for the night. We woke up in the morning and ate at McDonalds for breakfast. We left about 10 in the morning and got home after noon.

Update on First Annual Extravaganza

2006-12-16T15:23:00.000-05:00

I'm writing this from our Marriott Hotel room in Indianapolis, Indiana. Last night Helen and I went to the Actor's Theatre performance of "A Christmas Carol." Unfortunately, flash photography was not allowed, so there won't be any pictures. It was a good show and I was really impressed. We woke up this morning and left from our apartment around 10:15 and headed North on I 65. We got to Indianapolis a little afternoon, checked in to our hotel and then had lunch at Wendy's. Our hotel is in an awesome location. It's right downtown, so we're in walking distance from just about everything.

After lunch, we walked to the NCAA Hall of Champions. It's basically the headquarters and museum of the NCAA. It was pretty interesting. We'll put some pictures up later and give details about what we saw.

As I'm typing this, Helen is asleep on our hotel bed, face down with her feet sticking up in the air. Pretty hilarious. I'll see if I can get a picture in a minute. We didn't bring our cord to put the pictures on our computer, so that won't happen until we get home.

If you would have told me last year that Helen and I would be spending our anniversary in Indianapolis within walking distance from Canseco Field House and RCA Dome, I would have told you that you were crazy. It's weird how much things change in just a few months.

More coming soon!

Anniversary Weekend Extravaganza 2006

2006-12-13T20:28:00.000-05:00

On Friday, Helen and I will begin our first annual Anniversary Weekend Extravaganza! As soon as we get back, I'll let you know where we went. Most of it is a surprise, and Helen doesn't know! Yes sir! So look forward to that!

Post UCLA Comments

2006-12-09T19:25:00.000-05:00

I said before this week that after these last two games, we would know how good our basketball team is. It's safe to say that our team is up there with the best. Yes we lost both games, but we were in them both and had a chance to win them both.

We got to see how the Ags responded to adversity. They were down in the second half in both and came back and made it a game. I'm proud of their never-quit attitude.

Unfortunately we lost both games. Our offense is stagnant at times, and we need to find a way to get the ball down low. Joseph Jones has got to have some touches early and throughout.

Acie got it going, but he turned the ball over too much and only had four assists. He's got to get back in the groove.

Josh Carter needs to be looking for his shot instead of deferring to Acie so much. I'd also like to see some set plays for him to shoot the ball.

With all that said, I am not the coach (thank goodness). I think BCG knows what's going on better than I do, and I really think we'll be a major contender by the end of the year. We are a top 20 team, if not top 15.

I'm excited about basketball season.

Things I noticed from last night's LSU game

2006-12-06T08:38:00.000-05:00

1. Chants of "overrated" were incredibly accurate. There's no way our team is the 6th best in the country right now. We're good, but that ranking is too high.

2. Our offense becomes stagnant too often. Acie needs to take control, and he was nowhere to be found last night.

3. We foul too much. We get a lot of questionable calls, but if you look at it from the officials perspective... we foul a lot, so if it's close, we probably did it. The officials were terrible last night. We got homered big time, even the TV announcers mentioned that at least twice.

4. We have a lot of young players, so the future looks bright, even though we lose Joseph Jones and Acie Law next year. I was excited to see them play. Of course they make costly mistakes, but they will be great players for us.

5. We lost for these reasons (in no particular order):
a. We got homered. Our guys got so cheap calls early and had to sit. Then they were in foul trouble and weren't allowed to guard that fat tub of lard. That put us in the hole early. They treated Davis like he was Jordan, and he got every single call.
b. We couldn't throw it in the ocean. Our shooting percentage was below 40% which is pathetic.
c. We didn't get the breaks when we needed them. Sometimes it just comes down to which way the ball falls. For example, at the end of the game, we were down six and it was LSU's ball. We forced a terrible pass, it bounced off of two of our guys and landed in that fat guy's hands right under the basket.

The best thing about college basketball is that one loss doesn't kill you. This was good for our guys. A hostile environment. Tough calls. Tough shooting night. And played with another top 10 program. We played awful and had a chance to win at the end. I'm excited about things to come.

The Job Hunt Continues

2006-12-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

I've interviewed for a few jobs so far. Here's what has turned out:

First, churches that are looking for worship leaders are looking for someone to lead their choir. I've known all along that would hinder me, it's just becoming incredibly obvious now. I have nothing against choirs, I just am unable to lead them in the way they need to be led.

Second, I've interviewed for two tutoring positions. These jobs fluctuate, which should have been obvious also. People sign their kids up to be tutored, then a few weeks later they may take them out. Hours in tutoring cannot be guaranteed.

Third, the more I interview, the more confidence I gain. I feel more in control now that I've interviewed for several jobs.

Fourth, the more I put things in perspective, the more confidence I gain. If I truly believe God has a plan and He will take care of us, I can be confident in interviews, not worrying that I will say the wrong things or not say the right things. I can rest in knowing He's in control.

So here's what I'm looking at. I am one of two people being considered to lead worship at Grace Community Baptist Church in Louisville. It seems like a good situation, and I really like the pastor. So I'm waiting to hear from them. They meet on Wednesdays, so maybe I'll hear today.

I am supposed to return a phone call to Educational Resources this morning. I interviewed there a couple of weeks ago, so I'm anticipating that I may have a job there. That would be a good situation as well.

Updates are coming soon, hopefully.

Why we will beat Cal...

2006-12-04T09:16:00.000-05:00

Distinguished Cal alumni... she bangs! she bangs!

ps. borrowed this from someone else, i'm not this witty.

william hung

Semester Over

2006-11-30T15:09:00.000-05:00

I took my last final today. It was an essay test, but I was pretty well prepared. We'll see if Dr. Ware thinks the same way.

I suppose now I can start working on my January Term stuff. I'll be taking a four day course on the Psalms. It should be pretty good and interesting. We'll see how it goes.

Christmas is coming....

Found this gem online today

2006-11-28T10:10:00.000-05:00

(note: edited for content)

For those people who thought cart mccoy could be considered for the heisman... (yes, I have heard it from some sips).

Passing
McGee 2118 yards this year
McCoy 2262

Rushing
McGee 635
McCoy 167

Receiving
McGee 1 (completed a pass to himself)
McCoy 0

Total
McGee 2765
McCoy 2429

Punting
McGee 2 punts for 57 yards, 1 touchback and one pin inside the 1 yard line.
McCoy 0 punts 0 yards

Cries like a little baby on television
McGee 0
McCoy 2 (1 on national TV)

tu Bingo

2006-11-27T09:20:00.000-05:00

I've almost got a bingo... what about you?

Here are the Fall Leaves Pics Brett Promised

2006-11-25T10:13:00.000-05:00

Our First Snow

2006-11-24T21:37:00.000-05:00

We woke up to this a few mornings ago... we're not in Texas anymore...

man, I should be a hand model. Maybe I'll give George Costanza a ring.

READ MY SIGN...

2006-11-24T21:35:00.000-05:00

The Adventure of the Leaning Christmas Tree

2006-11-24T21:14:00.000-05:00

Today we woke up around 9 and went to Lowe's to buy a Christmas tree. We don't have room in our house to store a fake one, so we have to buy live. Plus, Helen really likes the smell of a live tree. I do too, but Helen really does.

Anyway, we get to Lowe's and look around for the perfect tree. It was cold and there were tons of trees. We were looking through the $20 price range, and we found a great one.

We carried it to the people who worked there and they trimmed and baled it. The only problem is they cut it too short, which would cause problems later.

We put it in the truck, and instead of tying it down well, I decided I'd drive really slow. After an uneventful trip home (no flying trees or anything) we dragged the baled tree to the top of our stairs.

Once we got it inside, we set it up in the stand. As it turns out, the guys at Lowe's trimmed the bottom too short, and it wouldn't sit all the way down in the stand. So we had a leaning problem.

So very patiently and intelligently, we decided to use our bolt cutters to trim the bottom of the tree. You see, the branches at the bottom were thick, and we had nothing else. So we trimmed and trimmed and trimmed. But the tree just wouldn't sit right. So I got out the pliers and tightened those bolts down, hoping that the tree would finally give in to our persistence.

Eventually we won the struggle and the tree sits in our living room.

The next thing we had to was decorate it. It didn't take long, seeing as we don't have many ornaments. (Don't worry, this wasn't something we were disappointed about. Remember, the more you put on, the more you have to take off.) So we decorated the tree and prepared ourselves to watch the aggies BTHO tu.

Wouldn't you know it? during the game, the tree begins to lean... and not slighlty. So what did I do? I got out my pliers and tightened that bad boy down even more. The tree hasn't fallen yet, and the aggies prevailed against the dark side, 12-7.

Thanksgiving Feast picture

2006-11-24T21:03:00.000-05:00

This was our first Thanksgiving together. Let's see...
It was our first time to cook a turkey, it didn't turn out too bad. I made a ton of mashed potatoes (which Brett has already almost finished off), some green bean casserole, corn, gravy, rolls, cranberry sauce, and sweet potatoes. And Brett bought some sparkling grape juice and brought out our chalices from our wedding. :-)
And, for the first time we used our fancy napkins that we got for our wedding!
Later that day the Bethancourts came over to hang out and eat some leftovers with us. It was a pretty good day. But, I agree with Brett, it definitely wasn't the same as being around our family! We're looking forward to Christmas for that reason.

Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T19:01:00.000-05:00

Helen and I stayed in Louisville for Thanksgiving. We had a couple of invitations to eat with some people, but we chose to stay home and have our own Thanksgiving. Helen made a delicious Turkey Feast... with my favorite, mashed potatoes. We watched a movie or two, played cards, and watched the Cowboys massacre Tampa Bay. It has been a good day.

We miss home. I missed being made fun of for using ketchup with my turkey. (Helen's used to it by now. In fact, I think I've brought her over to the dark side.) I missed seeing all of my family act goofy. It wasn't the same this year. I suppose that's part of getting older. Not everything can stay the same all the time. Being away makes you appreciate things so much more, and it makes you realize how much you love your family. We're thankful for them, that's for sure.

Pictures are coming of our feast. (yes, we took pictures of our first thanksgiving.)

And one more day until the Aggies beat the ever livin, ever lovin, compound, complex, fightin' texas aggie 12th man, fightin' texas aggie stephen mcgee, fightin' texas aggie class of 2005 hell out of tu!!!!

brett

Job Hunt

2006-11-17T11:39:00.000-05:00

I've been looking for a new job the last couple of weeks. FBC did some restructuring of staff, and decided my position would be a part of another full time position for which they've already called someone (or are about to call them). So, I need another part time job.

I've dropped some resumes, and honestly I'm realizing what a good job I've had the last few months. I've not found anything to match the hours and the pay and the actual job description.

I've looked into secular jobs as well. Tutoring, childcare, etc. I refuse to give in to the UPS machine here, though it seems like that might be the easiest route. I'd rather not have to choose between school, sleep, and time with Helen. So that's a no to UPS.

I've had an interview or two, and what churches are looking for are a more traditional worship leader. Not only is that something I don't want to do, it's also something I can't do. I don't know the first thing about leading a choir.

If you have any ideas or tips, send 'em my way! I have until December 31 at my current job, and then after that... yikes! The good news is that the Lord has always provided for me, and He's never given me a reason to worry about that. I've gone through about 3 years of money being tight and having to find the perfect job. It's always worked out fine.

Praise to the Lord who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth
Shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth
Hast thou not seen how thy desire e'er have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?

Insults flying from Austin to College Station

2006-11-14T12:24:00.000-05:00

this classy article can be found here
let me know what you think...

COMMENTARY: JOHN KELSO

Hullabaloo, kaboom kaboom: Aggie president takes over Defense Department

Sunday, November 12, 2006

If you hear a lot of bleating in the distance coming from the east, it's because the sheep in Iraq are nervous today. Why? Because President Bush has picked an Aggie big shot to serve as this nation's Defense secretary.

If asked to step into that ticklish position, most normal people would have told Bush to go chase himself. But Aggies aren't normal people. Aggies are the kind of folks who rise to the challenge. Only an Aggie would be, uh, foolhardy enough to accept this unpopular and difficult job.

So you've got to admire the guts of Robert Gates, who expects to step down as Texas A&M president to take over for Donald Rumsfeld, whose main duty had become traveling about the country so that people could holler insults at him from across the room. What was Gates thinking? Boy, is he in for it. If he thought the Army game was tough, wait till he has to deal with the Mahdi Army.

On the other hand, Corps of Cadets, Abu Ghraib: What's the difference?

Not that I'm saying Gates getting the head Defense job is a bad thing. Aggies and defense go hand and hand. Before Dennis Franchione came along, A&M had one.

Gates served as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency before he moved to Bryan-College Station in 2002 to become the head of the, uh, Central Unintelligence Agency.

Some people think that the way to handle the Iraq problem would be to divide up the country and give equal chunks of land to the Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites. With an Aggie running the show, the fix might be to build a large bonfire and stick an outhouse on top.

Now, many may wonder if an Aggie leader is intellectually capable of dealing with the Iraqi situation, since most A&M graduates think Kurd has something to do with cheese. And, let's face it, putting an Aggie in charge of the war in Iraq could lead to the stockpiling of pitchforks and cloning the occasional companion animal.

But the job is a natural fit for Gates. Basically, A&M president and Defense secretary are the same darned position. When you're the head honcho at A&M, you're dealing with guys in burr haircuts, men who march and dudes who can really shine the heck out of a pair of shoes. When you're the boss at the Defense Department, you're dealing with guys in burr haircuts, men who march and dudes who can really shine the heck out of a pair of shoes. Plus, either job is a good one if you get the itch to make somebody drop and give you 20.

So Gates should love his new gig. And, you know, the restaurants in the Green Zone can't be a lot worse than the dining options in Bryan-College Station. Although I doubt if the Green Zone has a Dixie Chicken.

There are a lot of intellectual reasons why it's a good idea to have an Aggie in a spot that could reshape world history. A university where lofty thoughts are commonplace, A&M is the place where cutting-edge vegetable scientists developed the maroon carrot.

Plus, Aggies understand tribal hatred. I think most of them feel about the Teasips the way the Sunnis feel about the Shiites. So Robert Gates, get after it. You da man. Gig 'em.

John Kelso's column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Contact him at 445-3606 or jkelso@statesman.com.