Sport
This is really cool. Andy deals honestly with the point that would have won him the match, and ends up losing.
Sportsline.com front-page story title as of midnight says "Roddick's good-guy move backfires." What a dumb thing to say. It's just good, honest sport. I guess for Sportsline winning and losing is the bottom-line. (See also Sports Illustrated article)
We new it was coming someday soon. For real fans it's all too soon. Lance Armstrong is near the finish line of his career as he announces this summer's Tour de France as his final professional race.
Let me just say that as a Lance and cycling fan, I'm much more eager for him to be a dad than race anymore. Wouldn't it be great if fans really wanted athletes to put family first?
Click on this pic to get the full effect. If this picture isn't evidence that mountain bikers need trails, there is no evidence. This is an advertisement from the International Mountain Bicycling Association.
I've been a mountain biker for 4 years now, and ride a full-suspension Giant VT1 modified. Now that I'm a pastor, and living in the flats of Northern Illinois, it's harder to find and ride trails. It's hard enough to just stay in shape! But I'm doing my best to keep up this passion of mine.
Ride on.
March Madness has never felt so good.
The University of Illinois "Fighting Illini" are continuing to knock off opponents on their way to (dare I say?) a national championship. Their almost perfect season wasn't a fluke, but the work isn't done. Their next game is Saturday night against Arizona, and it looks to be a tough one. As a lifetime Illini fan who grew up an hour from UofI, this is fun.
One of the most incredible feats of any living human has to be everything accomplished through the continuing saga that is Lance Armstrong. He has now decided to go after Tour de France win number seven. Incredibly good news for cycling fans and LA fans.
Thought it might be nice to make a few random comments and observations about the Arizona trip I took from very early Wednesday through very early Sunday of last week.
1. Going to the desert for golf and being rained out isn't cool. But man is God sovereign or what??? I needed some of the rain time to work on my sermon. He is very good. He gave me family time with dad and uncles I love, and sermon work time, and a chance to see a beautiful part of the ol' US of A where I have never been...all for free. Thanks to the good ol' boys of McCoy Construction.
2. When I fly (which I haven't done for 5-6 years) I tend to feel like I'm flying for about a week straight. I still feel woozy most of the time. A few more days and I'll get over it. I enjoy the act of flying, but not what it does to me.
3. Cacti are huge! Well, some of them. I didn't expect that at all. You can see what I mean here.
4. Hanging with my dad and his brothers is a blast, even when they are being knuckle heads. For example, my uncle Doug asked me without provocation in the car one day, "Steve...so what do you think about cremation?" Sounds like a good question to ask a pastor, right? But he asked it while laughing, and so a long list of questions in a form of mockery ensued. "Steve, what do you think about murder?" "Steve what do you think about _______." It was funny. Sorry Dougie. Not picking on you.
5. We argued for 10 minutes about what it means to be lost. The funny thing is, I made up my own definition and told them I got it off an internet site, and they bought it! Funny. Also provocative. Some argued for a definition that means someone is almost never lost! Curious. I can feel a blog post on this coming soon...maybe.
6. Golf hurts your hands. On the 17th hole of the first day I hit a great shot very close to the hole, but in the process I burst a blood vessel in my left thumb. It still hurts quite a bit. You focus on things like skill and talent and practice. But just as crucial are things like callouses (or lack of). My milky soft pastor hands didn't do me any favors.
7. I realized that I have no desire to play enough golf to be any good anymore. I have the ability to be a good player again, but I realized on the trip that it would take too much time. Golf used to occupy most of my time and thought while growing up. But I'm happy that it occupies so little of my time and thought now. It's a great game, but it's no longer a passion.
8. Getting to spend time in Phoenix and Scottsdale, and drive through Tempe and Mesa, was great. (Though some of the time we were "lost" in these places.) I don't think I value traveling enough. It's eye opening in a number of ways. It makes maps into living, breathing places. It helps me to think about needs in new places. I should try to travel to new places more.
9. This is the first time I've been away from home for more than a day or two where I haven't felt a pit of loneliness while away from Molly and the kids. I was really able to enjoy my time. On the other hand, I felt just as happy to see them and enjoy them when I got home. It was all good.
10. If you have to work while on vacation, it doesn't really feel like a vacation. My mind is always thinking about what I have to work on, and I need an open schedule to enjoy time away.
Here are some pics from day two.
Here is a link to my family blog where I have some pics of day one of the Arizona trip.
I've been guilted (willingly!) into a 4 day Arizona golf trip with my Dad and his two brothers. My grandpa is sick and has to cancel on them, so I'm filling in - all expenses paid (flight, golf, ya know).
We are all pretty close so it should be an awesome trip. But it takes up all of the rest of this week, putting all sorts of pressure on my sermon prep, Bible study prep, and other goals for the week. I leave very early Wednesday and return very late Saturday night. On the other hand, it's one of those opportunities I just can't pass up, especially with all the history behind my family and the game of golf. It's the chance of a lifetime maybe, especially for someone as poor as me.
We are playing three courses in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area: Raven Golf Club at South
Mountain, Gold Canyon - Dinosaur Mountain (left pic), and Las Sendas (above pic). These courses look incredible. I hope (if I'm not to dumb to remember) to take a bunch of pictures of my own of the trip. Look for a post next week.
