Happy October 31

Say That Again

How do timbers become shivered? And is it legal in all states?

Never Jumped, But...

As I stated a couple of weeks ago, I was not jumping on the Rockies bandwagon. The Cincy Reds will also be "my" team, through thick and thin. Yet, the Rockies appealed to me because of watching the kids come up through the farm system and playing at AAA Colorado Springs. That is what appealed to me.

I remember when Todd Helton was a kid hoping to grow facial hair and waiting for a Cat to be traded or retire. The Cat being Andres Gallaraga. Andres was one of the nicest guys you will ever meet and one of the more under-rated players of his time because he had the * of playing in Denver. The place where all hit and no pitch meant Thursday night softball scores instead of a MLB game. But I digress: Helton was one of the many talented kids in the minors who was waiting for an established player to leave. When he got his chance, the Rockies continued to bring in free-agents to fill gaps and win quickly while the young kids continued to develop in an improving farm system.

The wait was worth it. The kids who played in Colo Spgs made it to the biggest show in the game. Yes, they got swept by another great team. Sometimes that happens. Don't forget that the 1970 Reds were swept by the Baltimore Orioles. Two years later, the Reds lost in 7 games to a great Oakland A's team. Three years later, the Reds added the first of two in a row World Series titles. I see some resemblance in the 1970 Reds and the 2007 Rockies. There were a bunch of young players learning to play together and learning how to win a championship. The Rockies are learning how to win. I think they will be back in the playoffs for the next few years and, maybe, in the World Series a couple of more times. Will they finally win? Let's watch and see.

I didn't jump on the bandwagon, but everyone loves to watch a parade.

Girls Night Out, Boys Night In

Lona and Madeleine are going out to dinner, do some shopping and see a movie. I think they are going to see the Transformers movie on the IMAX screen. I am a little jealous.

Meanwhile, Ian and I will figure out what to do for dinner, eat some popcorn and/or icecream and watch a movie. Maybe I will carve his pumpkin.

After he goes to bed, I will get caught up on my Greek homework.

That may sound like a boring night, but I kinda like it!

New Ezekiel Book

Another book came in today. It is "Messiah's Coming Temple" by John W Schmitt and J. Carl Laney. This book discusses the temple as described by Ezekiel in chapters 40-48. The author built a scale model of the temple complex based on Ezekiel's description. It looks pretty cool!

Red Sox 2 - Rockies 1, Sox lead the series 2-0

What a great game! Both starting pitchers pitched well and the bullpens did even better. The Rockies bats haven't woke up from their 8-day slumber. Hopefully the thinner air will do them some good. I am looking forward to a good weekend of baseball.

What is the Cost of Discipleship?

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
-Jim Elliott

"God loved a lost world and gave His only Son to be a missionary. I love a lost world and I am a missionary, heart and soul. In this service I hope to live and in it I wish to die."
- Dr. David Livingstone

“To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only Him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us.”

“The first call which every Christian experiences is the call to abandon the attachments of this world.”

“To endure the cross is not tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ”

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Ezekiel Books

I mentioned a couple of days ago that I will be starting a study in Ezekiel. I ordered 3 books of Amazon to help me along. I got "Ezekiel," a Tyndale O.T. Commentary by John B. Taylor in the mail today. It looks pretty good, but haven't had a chance to read the forward or anything yet. If I get my Greek homework done, then maybe Sunday afternoon I will check it out more thoroughly.

A New Streak

Well the 21 out of 22 is over. It is time to start a new streak. The Rockies lost (embarrassed maybe?) last night 13-1 in game 1 of the World Series. For most of the country east of the Mississippi River, this will be thought of as a typical American League dominant-who's this from the National League series. I do agree that the Rockies looked terrible last night.

More likely, and if you are Manager Clint Hurdle you will expound on this, this was the Rockies first appearance in a World Series in a venue that has hosted many big post-season games. They looked more intimidated by the surroundings and the big stage than anything else. It is one thing playing a meaningless inter-league series in June and playing the Series in October. Okay, the first game is out of the way. The Red Sox have in the bag. Now the Rockies can shake the first game jitters and play like they know how and resemble the team that won 21 of 22 to get here.

Ezekiel

I am starting a study of Ezekiel. While I wait for some used books to show up from Amazon, I am reading through the book. There is a great reminder for us all concerning our heeding God's call. In chapter 3 God tells Ezekiel to tell the exiles whatever God wants them to hear. They may not listen, but that is not for the prophet to worry about. God sternly warns Ezekiel that if He wants to warn the people and Ezekiel does not convey the warning and that person dies, then the blood is on Ezekiel's head.

How can this be applied today? If God compels you to say something to an individual, you had better do it. If I am preaching, I had better say what God has placed me in the pulpit to say. If I am on a mission trip, I had better share with whom God wants me to share. If my neighbor says hello and God tells me to invite them to church or engage in conversation, I had better do it. He may have greater things for that person than I realize. I do not want to be the vessel that won't share His word or message.

If God tells you to speak up, then speak up!

Rockies/Red Sox bets

Typically, governors of states and/or mayors of cities tend to have friendly wagers on the outcomes of big games or series such as the World Series, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, etc. Might I suggest some wager possibilities:

Rocky Mountain Oysters for Boston Clam Chowder

Coors Beer (the whole production) for Samuel Adams (1 keg)

The Broncos for the Bruins (hey, NY has two hockey teams)

'Melo and AI for KG and PP

I am sure there are other wager options but lets not get carried away.

First Snowfall

We received our first snowfall of the year yesterday morning. Lona and I were leaving the philharmonic Saturday night and there was a warm breeze. We were not wearing coats or even sweaters. By morning we had 2 inches of snow and it snowed until about 1PM. Ya gotta love Colorado!

Rockies vs. Red Sox

Well, it took the Red Sox 7 games to dispatch the Indians and now we know who the Rockies play. The series opens in Boston on Wednesday. As I said previously, I am not jumping on the Rockies bandwagon but I am pulling for the kids that I have been watching over the last 13 years while watching the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. All the starters except for Kaz Matsui have spent time in Colorado Springs. A home grown team. This doesn't happen too often. I think I will really enjoy this series. I can only hope that the farm talent that the Reds have developed will see the same results next summer. But for now, it is the kids from down the road getting to play on the biggest stage of the game: the World Series.

Still Waiting...and Ezekiel

The Rockies are still waiting to see who they play: the Indians or the Red Sox. I hope the long lay-off does not hurt them.

There has been a lot I have wanted to write about this week, biblically speaking, but I will wait until next week. I am just now finishing Isaiah and will go over to Ezekiel. I have never studied that book and I know of a couple of passages I would like to preach on but I need the whole context of the book before I do so. Anyone have any good ideas of study helps for Ezekiel?

ROCKIES ARE IN!!!!!

WOW!!! The Colorado Rockies are in the World Series for the first time in their 15 year history. They have been on an historic run winning 21 of 22 games, including 7-0 in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Their opponent will be the Cleveland Indians or Boston Red Sox. The Rockies have an 8 game layoff until the beginning of the series.

On a side note, my favorite team, the Cincinnati Reds, have chosen Dusty Baker as the 60th manager in their history. He will be trying to improve upon a team that finished 72-90 and 80-82 over the last two years. Starting pitching and a reliable bullpen are the two main concerns for him. I don't agree with the media when they say he ruins the arms and pitching careers of young pitchers. Kerry Wood and Mark Prior had arm injuries prior to his arrival in Chicago. In fourteen years of managing, these are the only two pitchers (and highly visible) that had problems while he was manager. I am not worried about it.

But the Reds are in hiatus until late February, so:

GO ROCKIES!!!

Question of the Day

Where would you go to get away from it all?

If you were able to get away for a week by your self, where would you go and what would you take. Limit yourself to 5 items. I will start:


Place: A small, Irish cottage near the sea with a peat fireplace


Items:

1. Bible
2. Fishing pole
3. Compass
4. Journal
5. A history book I haven't read yet

Ok, its your turn...

Game 1 is in the books

The Colorado Springs Rockies (or Sky Sox North) have taken game 1 from the reptiles of Arizona, 5-1. The Rockies got timely hitting and pitching and benefited from a rookie mistake while the D-Backs continued to show why they had the lowest team batting average in the National League.

Let's hope the Rockies/Sky Sox continue their amazing stretch of games.

Irish History

If you are a student of history, and I know some of you are, this article will be of great interest to you. The Annuls of the Four Masters has been put together for the first time in nearly 400 years. It is being shown in one of the greatest libraries in the world: the Long Room of the Old Library at Trinity College in Dublin. The article is worth the read.

MLB League Series Start Tonight

The Rockies and Diamondbacks start the NLCS tonight in Arizona. The Diamondbacks have not sold out their tickets yet. They still have over 4000 tickets available for tonights game starting at $9 a ticket. Incredible! This is only their second shot at a World Series and they can't sell out a game.

On the other hand, the Rockies have sold out all 3 potential home games. It is cheaper for a Rockies fan to FLY to Phoenix and buy a ticket for tonight's game than to buy a home ticket in Denver!

Go Rockies!

Climbing the Ladder

Indiana University has started turning things around with the team Coach Heoppner built and Coach Lynch is leading. After whomping on Minnesota, IU is 5-1, getting some love from the Top 25 voters and on the verge of bowl eligibility. The way this past weekend ended up in the Big Ten, every game on the IU schedule is winnable.

Look out!

Well, the kids from the Springs, the Rockies, are in the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The upstarts thumped two of the oldest baseball franchises (Cubs and Phillies if you are scoring at home). Now the Rockies get a break until Thursday which means their starting pitchers will work their normal order. It should be a fun series.

Did Your Mom Say This?

Colorado Springs Rockies 10, Phillies 5

Well, the kids from the Springs played well again yesterday. They took the first two games on the road and now hope to sweep on Saturday at home.

It was good to see the Indians win, especially by spanking the Yankees. It is always good to see the Yankees lose.

The Cubbies are in a heap o' hurt after losing both games in the desert.

My Jesus by Todd Agnew

No Bandwagon Jumping but...

Ok...first off, I am a Cincy Red fan through and through. I think they have a good group of guys for next year if they can add another starter and bolster the bullpen. I also hope they resign Pete Mackanin as manager, but who knows.

Now, on to the playoffs at hand. I live in Colorado but have never been a Rockies fan. When the Blake Street Bombers were the identity of the club, I couldn't stand them for many reasons. I thought the TV and radio commentators were horrible (Dave Campbell, now on ESPN, was the main guy). They had no pitching. I saw better pitching in the slow-pitch softball league I played in. All their "talent" were obtained through trades and free agency.

Because of that, I watched the Rockies local AAA team, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. I watched guys like Barry Helton, Brad Hawpe, Garrett Atkins and Matt Halladay play. Whoa, wait a minute! These are the guys on the Rockies now! I have enjoyed watching the Rockies this year because their farm system has produced some dynamic players. I feel like I am watching the Sky Sox.

No, I am not jumping on a bandwagon. I am rooting for the kids I have watched over the last 13 years. Go Sky Sox! errr...I mean Rockies!