Great Quote:

This quote is from the Dark Master himself, Mr. Woody Hayes in 1968:

When asked why he went for two despite a 36-point lead against Michigan, Hayes quipped, "Because I couldn't go for three."

[Just another reason why the University of Michigan-Ohio State University rivalry is the best college football rivalry in the country.]

Great Quote:

"Biblical Egypt is a symbol for a society that has no standard but a bent sense of its own importance, no values but those of profit, no understanding of strength unless it is violent."

-Johanna W.H. van Wijk-Bos
"Making Wise the Simple: The Torah in Christian Faith and Practice"

HT-Tim Founds
[via Twitter: tfounds]]

Great Quote:

[The question here is not of political ideology, but why somebody would be accused of being a communist for simply asking why people are suffering? Perhaps the real issue is that people are translating the actions of a Christian through political and economic lenses.]

"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.”

-Archbishop Dom Helder Camara
[http://tinyurl.com/yhfnc4s]\

Who is blessed?

who are the people we think of as blessed?

well we like the people who have it all togeather. the people who are on time. those who show up. the group of people that dress well, that shower, or that have cool hair cuts. We like to bless the people with the best argument, the ones who pay their bills on time. The innovative, the creative, the front runners all get our praise. We're crazy about the people who are the best!

Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount by pronouncing another type of person as the blessed: the poor in spirit [aka losers], those who mourn, the meek [shy, introverted people], thos who hunger and thirst for righteouness [not power, wealth, & fame], the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, & those persecuted for righteousness. It is these people who God considers blessed.

Its not the people who have it all together, the leaders of industry, the people who are in, cool, or famous. Its the quiet, the meek, the bottom dwellers of our social circles. Blessed people aren't the celebrities, its the anti-celebrity who lives in your neighborhood.
Blessed is the single mom who is working her fingers off trying to support her family.
Blessed is the person who has no clout in politics.
Blessed is the man who can't find work.
Blessed is the social awkward person.
Blessed is the family who can't make their rent.
Blessed is the person who thinks its wrong that the above mentioned family can't make their rent and does something about it.
Blessed is the person who instead of adding on to their house, buying a new car, or taking a vacation, shares what the have with the single mom working herself to death.

Blessed are you when you realize just what the Kingdom of Heaven is about.

That's nice, but I'm a realist.

Perhaps you've heard somebody say this: "that's nice, but I'm a realist." What they're really saying is that death is winning; in the end the world is still governed by the powers of darkness. Their mindset is pessimistic. A pessimist views reality in a negative light. An optimist views reality in a positive light. Therefore, when somebody says, "I'm a realist" they're really saying that their world-view is dominated by the negative.

Christians who are pessimists, cannot take the resurrection very seriously; the resurrection is all about hope [after all, death has been defeated]. Constantly in the New Testament we see references to a new humanity, a new creation, a world now governed by the hopefulness of the resurrection. We see this in John 20. The author says, "One the first day of the week..." This is not just a comment about which day of the week it is, this is a conversation about creation. The author is hinting back to the first week of creation, a creation that was governed by sin and death, but this is now the first day of the new week [and a new creation]. The world is not the same, the resurrection has changed everything.

I love Daniel chapter 7. This chapter is written to post destruction of Jerusalem Jewish people. Their best years as a nation are now behind them. They have been defeated, their independence stripped from them, and now they are lorded over by people who are not concerned with Yahweh. The world is now being ruled by the great empires of the ancient world -Bayblon, Persia, Alexander the Great & his legions, and Rome- and Israel is merely a pawn in their real life game of Risk. This is the people who are God's chosen. They have been called the Sons of God, trusted with the very words of YHWH given to Moses on Mount Sinai, and a part of God's healing and restoration of the world. Yet now they're just a very small province in the corner of a very large Empire. Is Yahweh still in control? Daniel chapter 7 is written with this question in mind.

Daniel sees a vision of these massive beasts roaming around this plain; each bigger, each stronger. These beasts roamed this plain destroying everything in sight. Daniel feels nothing and nobody can stop these massive beasts! In the heavens, the Ancient of Days sits watching all this unfold from his throne in heaven. Yet suddenly one who appears to be a son of man appears in the clouds, and he is given authority over the beasts. Not only is he able to rule over these beasts, but we don't even get a record of a battle; he just wins! To a people subjugated, this is would be a story of hope! The rulers of the world only appear to have power and authority, there is one sitting in heaven who really is ruling the world. This is a message of hope; this is a story that would force somebody to be an optimist.

Now there are tons of pessimistic people out there who look at the world in a negative light; the world is falling apart; good is on the way out; the cup is half empty. But to them I like to say, "That's nice, but I'm a realist!"

Long live the Lamb that was slain!

Peter Rollin's Twitter Parable:

Peter Rollins is now on Twitter [his twitter page here]. He has recently begun Tweeting Parables 140 characters at a time. Here's his first Parable. Each paragraph is an individual tweet. Check it out!

There was once a poor and compassionate woman who lived in one of the world’s largest cities

She was a kind and tender lady who laboured tirelessly with the unloved and unwanted

She was also a skilled painter and would subsidise her work by sketching portraits of wealthy tourists in their fine robes

At night she would chat with strangers in the local tavern or relax with friends in her modest home at the edge of the city

Her life continued in this way for many years, however, on her thirtieth birthday she made an incredible discovery

She found that she had been miraculously bestowed with an astonishing gift

For no apparent reason she could now perform supernatural feats of the sort she had only heard of in the fables of old

One word from her lips could generate breathtaking wealth and a mere thought could turn her dwelling into a golden palace

People would travel thousands of miles just to sit in her presence, watch what she could do and learn from her

Soon even those in power began to take note of this miracle worker, and where awed by her immense power

Her divine gift captivated everyone she met and caused many to revere her as a god

Yet, throughout her entire life, not one person ever learned of her supernatural powers; for never once did she use them

She could have taken herself out of poverty in an instant or gained any possession in the blink of an eye

Yet she had no desire to do so for she already loved her life and saw it as already infused with overwhelming beauty

People were in awe of her because she was able to love without limit, forgive without reserve and live without fear

The rich where so poor that they longed to be in the presence of one who could live meaningfully in a world that seemed devoid of meaning.

To them she was nothing less than a living testimony that life before death was possible.

This woman’s very existence was her miracle and her example was her divine gift to humanity… The End

What happened to UofM's season?

Famed football player, coach, & announcer John Madden [made famous coaching, more famous for his broadcasting, and uber famous for his video game] was the long time coach of the Raiders. While working for the Raiders he famously argued with Al Davis [the overbearing, clueless, & not football savy owner] about how to develop and organize a football team. Madden argued that it was the offensive line, Davis promoted the secondary.

IMHO I believe Madden is right, every winning football team you'll ever find will ALWAYS have a solid offensive line; sometimes they have a good secondary. They offensive line is the group of players designated with the tasks of protecting the Quarterback when he throws the ball, and to block defenders when the running back runs the ball. A solid, healthy offensive line allows an offense the ability to make long drives, hold the ball, and tire the other teams D. If you don't do those things, I guarentee that your football team is bad. [I grew up cheering for the Lions...I know what I'm talking about here.]

I say all this because the University of MICHIGAN football has gone through a couple rough years and has been historically poor [3-9], yet the start of this season came with great hope! They started with a win against Western Michigan and in week 2 defeated Notre Dame in a game that featured an exciting finish. Needless to say, MGoBlue nation was pumped as a season we all thought was going to be more of the same, suddenly was infused with hope; we could be good! The week after the ND game, David Molk UofM's starting center [the core of the line] broke his foot. Ever since that injury, Michigan's season has gone down hill. Now there are other factors, but the key factor has been the fact that they have not had the protection and stability of a solid offensive line to lead their attack. Never has John Madden's insight been more useful in attempting to understand why MICHIGAN's team has fallen apart, the glue, the Offensive Line has crumbled.

I understand that its MICHIGAN and one player getting hurt shouldn't destroy the entire season, but center is a pretty important position. I'm not panicing and saying we need to get a new coach, I just think that they're a young team without much depth. I'm excited about the progress I saw in the first 3 games of the season, and think that those Buckeyes should be scared of the "team from up north."

Get ready to hear this song all day long!

Go BLUE!