Nobel prize for effort...

Interesting awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize this morning to President Obama.  At first, I thought maybe there were just no other candidates this year and they gave it out based on plans and promises... then I saw an article on yahoo with this little paragraph.

"Compare this to Greg Mortenson, nominated for the prize by some members of Congress, who the bookies gave 20-to-1 odds of winning. Son of a missionary, a former army Medic and mountaineer, he has made it his mission to build schools for girls in places where opium dealers and tribal warlords kill people for trying. His Central Asia Institute has built more than 130 schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan - a mission which has, along the way, inspired millions of people to view the protection and education of girls as a key to peace and prosperity and progress."

Seems like a worthy choice to me.

Full article here...

Mash right here

A shocking trip to the restroom

Yeah, so the other day, I was in Columbia doing some water testing (a process whereby we spray water on a roof at specific locations where a leak is suspected to isolate the point of water entry into the roof system so it can be repaired) at a middle school.  We were there pretty much all day and part of the job involved cutting the gypsum board ceiling (think sheetrock like is on walls overhead) in order to monitor the underside of the roof deck to watch for water coming in... if you have ever cut sheetrock, you know it creates a ton of fine dust.  Now, imagine standing under the cut and looking up... yeah, dust in the hair, in the mouth, in the nose and in the eyes as well as down the shirt.

So, when we had finally finished up, I wanted nothing more than to get some water and wash up.  I am driving down the road toward the interstate and spot a gas station.  I go inside and see that it is a unisex restroom.  I turn the doorknob, no problem, and open the door.  As I am pulling the door open and starting to walk in, I am glad I was looking down and rubbing my eyes as I only see a woman's purse on the floor and a pair of woman's shoes with feet in them and hear a woman frantically exclaim, "There's somebody in here!!!!".

Which brings me to my main point... if you are using a unisex restroom in a gas station... LOCK the door.  Needless to say, I quickly left the gas station and drove down the street until I found another station (with separate restrooms) and washed up and got my bottle of water and a small package of peanuts.

I'm not going to lie to you...

I would love for Clemson to be a dominant team in college football.  Heck, the painful truth is I would love for Clemson to be a dominant team in our own conference.  But, despite any frustration I feel toward the football team over performance on the field, I am always proud to be a Clemson alumnus.  It is letters like the one below that give me this pride.

For background, Mark Herzlich is a linebacker for Boston College (Clemson's opponent from this past weekend) that won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award last season.  In the offseason, he was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.  This letter is from his dad after his visit to Clemson on Saturday.

Sept. 22, 2009

Dear Clemson Fans:

First - My son is Mark Herzlich, the BC linebacker recovering from Cancer. The entire Tiger Nation should be proud of the complete class your entire program carries itself with. I wear a copy of Mark's jersey to games and I lost track of the number of Clemson fans who approached me to wish him well and to say that they were praying for him. These are people who don't know me, don't know Mark and have little reason to even be aware of his situation yet were both aware and involved enough to say some kind words. Thank you.

Second, for those who missed it, prior to the game Coach Swinney presented Mark with a Clemson jersey signed by the whole team with Mark's #94 on it. I've never seen such an outstanding and unsolicited display of sportsmanship.

Finally, throughout the weekend the major topic of conversation outside football was the graciousness of the Clemson fan base. All of us commented on how welcoming everyone was, both before and after the game. I've been to Clemson before and interacted with Clemson fans in Boston so I wasn't suprised any more but I was glad to see my friends get the message too. There was absolutely no lack of support or fanatacism for Clemson football but it was all wrapped up in an understanding that competing doesn't mean hating, that you need an opponent to play a game and that there's a difference between an opponent and an enemy. My younger son, who's used to the whole us versus them attitude in a lot of fan bases turned to me at one point and said, "you just can't hate these guys!"

Clemson continues to be my favorite road trip. I always root for Boston College to go undefeated and win the ACC, but in the years that it can't be us, I hope it's you.

If you're going to be a bear - be a grizzly!

-Sandon Herzlich


I take no credit for this as I never saw this man and wouldn't recognize him if I saw him.  Having seen his son play in person (in Boston last year, a great trip), I knew him and I certainly was saddened to learn he had cancer and I do wish him the best and I have prayed for him (though I confess it wasn't until after reading this letter that I thought to do that).  But it makes me proud to be a Clemson man when I hear of how well we treated this man and how well our football team treated his son.  


This is not an isolated case as I've heard from many opposing team's fans during tailgates and read on other team's message boards on the internet about the unique atmosphere at Clemson where the passion for the team is undeniable but so is the hospitality shown toward visiting fans.  Clemson hasn't cornered the market on good fans, and we have our share of idiots, but I still love that people come to visit our campus and leave with such great memories (along with a loss, hopefully).

Wow, just wow

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/post/190257091/worlds-largest-burger-a-185-pound-burger-is-the


this is a 185 pound burger... wonder if that is pre-cooked weight, because you know, it loses weight while it cooks








largest burger i've ever had was the one pound (post cooked weight) burger from Cheeburger! Cheeburger! in Auburn, AL. (www.cheeburger.com)


Cost me (well, the church as I was on a road trip with the utes, that's me, suffering for the Kingdom) over $12.00.   But I got my picture on the wall, so I got that going for me, which is nice.

Week 3

Several interesting games this weekend...

Does Anybody Really Care Game:  GT @ Miami
I know a couple of GT fans, but really, other than them, is there a lot of interest in this game?  Judging from attendance down there at the game... no.  Come on, combine The Office season premiere with the game being played in the outfield of a baseball field and these announcers (and ESPN's insistence on breaking into coverage every 15 minutes to tell us what is going on everywhere except for the game we tuned in to watch).  Anyway, GT ran over, around, through and maybe even under Miami last year en route to a rout... so I'll say GT wins.  (Note: The game just started and I paused it on my DVR so the opening kickoff is in the air, so I don't think it is too late to make the call.)

Revenge is a Dish Best Served... with Brisket?:  Texas Tech @ Texas
Last year, on their way to a Big 12 and possible national championship game appearance, Texas ran into a problem, they had to go to Lubbock where they were shocked by Crabtree, Harrell and the video game offense of Mike Leach.  This year, they play in Austin and Crabtree and Harrell are gone.  Texas wins this one, but everybody gets some great brisket and then they all go to Dallas to see if one of the punters hits the scoreboard in Sunday's game.

Shut Yo Mouf Game:  UT @ UF
Loud mouth Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin commented that he would enjoy singing "Rocky Top" all night after beating Florida this season.  Not sure if he said this before or after he accused Meyer of breaking NCAA rules (turns out he did what Lane accused him of doing, but it was legal, whoops).  Not much to see here, except maybe Lane crying on his daddy's shoulder.  Tennessee is just not that good this year (maybe they'll get better, time will tell).  Florida will win this one big and Tebow may actually beg Meyer to show mercy.

North vs. South, Part 5 Game: BC @ Clemson
This has become a very good series with 4 very close games (BC leading the series 3-1).  There is even a trophy, the O'Rourke-McFadden Trophy, now for the winning team and an MVP award for the player of the game (http://bceagles.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102908aac.html).  Clemson has much more talent and the Eagles are going with their 3rd coach in 4 years and have lost key players on both sides of the ball over the last two years... Clemson normally finds a way to keep this game close, often with BC finding a way to win it at the end or in OT, but this year is different - Clemson wins this one.

Can you blame one team when the other just does nothing to stop them?

Poor sportsmanship or poor defense?

Apparently, a Florida high school football team has come under fire for beating another team 83-0.  At first glance, this seems a clear cut case of "running the score up".  Now, many will rightly say, it is the defense's job to stop the offense, but at some point, to score 83 points, you assume the offense had to be doing something, right?  I mean, it is certainly the defense's job to stop the other team from scoring, but that doesn't give the offense carte blanche to run trick plays and leave the starters in and go deep ever series and call timeouts throughout the game.  Now, when you look at the details of this game (in the link above), several factors lean me to believe that Chaminade-Madonna didn't do anything wrong.

1. They lost to this team the year before.  It is not a case of an inferior team just being outclassed and a game that should never have been scheduled.
2. Chaminade-Madonna lost 5 games in which they gave up more than 40 points last year.  They are not some historical powerhouse with a history of blowing teams out.
3. They scored on a blocked punt and a kickoff return (to open the second half) and had two interceptions that set up short TDs.  They forced four other turnovers that led to quick scores.
4. The starters did not play in the second half.
5. You cannot ask the backups, who practice just as hard as the starters (and often serve as tackling dummies to prepare the starters for the game), to not try to perform to their best.  That being said, they only threw one pass in the second half.
6. The entire second half was played with a running clock (the clock didn't stop for anything - not incomplete passes, not turnovers nor even going out of bounds).

And yet, the team is having to answer questions about what they did and the parents talked of being embarrassed as they scored in the 4th quarter... can't imagine a mom of a second stringer being made to feel embarrassed that her son scored a TD.  The coach of the losing team won't talk about it and the AD won't return phone calls.  I hope they are using this opportunity as a teaching point for their team.  If this is the worst thing that ever happens to these players, then they are very blessed.  Teach them to use it to grow.

I've read stories in years past where states such as Connecticut and maybe New York state were imposing penalties on teams that won by too many points as it was deemed poor sportsmanship... give me a break.  There are youth leagues in baseball (not talking about T-Ball, but 12 and 13 year old kids) nowadays where they don't keep score and everybody bats every inning so that nobody loses and nobody feels left out.  Ummm, losses happen in life, what's wrong with teaching kids how to deal with it?  I think we are teaching a dangerous lesson to kids when we tell them that there are no losers because this means there are no winners, and no matter what effort we put into it, we are all guaranteed the same result...

The next step...

Yeah, so I got my Ministry Data Form (form used by the PCA to let prospective churches know more about you as they seek to fill pastoral positions, rather exhaustive with questions about your views and preferences, big city vs suburbs vs rural and so on, and where you rank certain aspects of ministry... how do you rate missions versus small group ministry, etc.?) filled out and submitted to the denomination.  Even applied for two positions.  One was more of an inquiring email to a church in Scotland seeking a youth minister.  I'm not too sure what they are looking for or if it would be even close to a good fit for me and the church, but asking for information never hurts (unless you are asking questions of a big guy with little patience that doesn't like to be asked questions).

The one I am really excited about is a church in Mauldin, SC (near where I used to live in Greenville).  I know the pastor and know the church and their vision.  I, personally, think it is a great fit.  They just started their search so I am not sure what their time frame is, but they have my resume and my MDF... I'll just keep praying and seeking God's direction.

Ever since beginning to help teach Sunday school at my current church, I started to feel that tug to go back into youth ministry.  Then, helping run the ministry over the summer between interns for the church really began to confirm for me that God created me to be a youth minister, not an engineer.  I resisted this call for several months,  because I didn't want to go changing careers again at age 35.  But I am now convinced that I can do no other than follow Him where He leads me.  I would rather follow what I believe is His leading and make a mistake than ignore Him and do my own thing.

I covet your prayers as I journey on the road to find God's specific call for me.