1st Team All-Star

Move over Roberto Luongo. Seriously, I hope my kid plays forward if he does decide to play hockey. I can only imagine the cost of goal equipment these days. Barb got that mask for me. I really enjoy playing goal. She bought me the mask because I keep getting hit in the nose, which makes me want to smash things when I get hit there. I have had my nose broken four times, so you can imagine my mood when I get hit in the old beak. Anyway, all seems to be well with our camp here. Baby will be here in a few months, Lord willing. Peace out homies!

Bush Out!

I wanted to talk about this in my last post about the Bears/Saints game but I forgot. Anyway I was very happy to see the Bears win because of Saints running back Reggie Bush, who is a great talent, but has something to learn about respect. As he scored his touchdown he was taunting Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, who may be the best defensive player in the league. You just don't do that. Reggie is a great back don't get me wrong, but again you don't do that. One Fox Sports analyst said "You don't taunt the money". I couldn't agree more. Reggie I hope you have a great off season dreaming about what could have been!

Bears Win!

A very good day for me today. My Bears are in the Super Bowl for the first time in 21 years. I was a little concerned about the Saints who boast a deadly offence. But hats off to the Bears defense who were fantastic today. They looked like they did early in the season, which is good news heading to the big game against the Colts, who also have a good offensive game. I am very excited by the win today, it really made my day. Rex Grossman who was not great again today was good when he needed to be. Thomas Jones again had a big game running for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. Final score Bears 39 - Saints 14. Go Bears Go!

The People have spoken!

Just so you all know, Roberto Luongo has been voted the starter in the All-Star game, ahead of, you guessed it, Miikka Kiprusoft. Luongo has really hit his stride in Vancouver, which is great. I've said it for years that what the Canucks need is a superstar goaltender. They certainly have that now with Bobby Lou.

Milllion Dollar Baby!

I love this picture. This is Alex wearing my old school helmet that I got from MCC for a buck. I love my kid, he is so funny. He always says "Hockey, Hockey". Anyway I just wanted to show this picture of my kid wearing the helmet and the Canucks jersey. Canucks by the way are the NHL' best team right now, 7 straight wins. Go Bears Go. Big game against Seattle on the weekend. Peace out.

Coffee talk

It was nice to see the Canucks beat the Flames two nights in a row. I got to watch the first game in the presence of many Flames fans, that was cool. Christmas has been good. We 've had the chance to spend a lot of time with family which has been good, but more importantly it has been good to connect with the Lord a little more. For instance today we were at Barb's parents farm. We took Alex out for a tractor ride which was cool, but it was so awesome outside that I immediately thought of the Lord and how blessed I am. I have my family and I was able to connect with the Creator of the universe. It doesn't get much better than that. I have had two weeks off from YFC and I can not believe how fast the time has gone by. I remember in October wanting to get to Christmas so I could take my holidays because we were working a lot on the building and I was tired. Now that it is here and almost gone I'm a little sad because I won't get the time with my family, but I am also looking forward to getting back to YFC and the ministry. I like the kids I work with, they may be rough around the edges but their never really seems to be a dull moment. I'm going to bed now. Go Bears and Go Canucks!

Together Again!

As many of you may or may not know my favorite music group is P.O.D. A few years ago they had an ugly split with guitarist Marcos Curiel. He was replaced by ex-Living Sacrifice guitar player Jason Truby, who is very good, and brought a very broad range of styles to P.O.D. Well it appears that P.O.D. have reconciled with Marcos, which is great even if he is not in the group. As far as Truby goes it looks like he has left the group and Marcos is back in. It sounds like the Truby/P.O.D. split was amicable, which is good, but too bad as well. Back in the day when P.O.D. was independent they talked about adding Jason Truby as the fifth member. I would be stoked if that would be the case, but I don't think it will be. So I am excited, yet sad to see Truby go, even though this has not been made official. It will be interesting, OG P.O.D., new record deal. Time will tell how this will play out. Go Canucks and Go Bears!

Go Bears Go!

My Bears are 7-0. Imagine that. After thumping the 49ers on Sunday 41-10 the Bears are poised for thier best start in franchise history, a little ways to go, but who's counting. I was listening to the radio this morning and Brent Loucks said that he is flying to Chicago with his son tomorrow. They are going because it is little Loucks' birthday and he is a huge Bears fan. I was in Chicago in June and got to see Soldier Field up close, which was very cool, but unfortunately the season had not begun at that point. Anyway I am quite envious of the Loucks boys. The new Soldier Field is really something to see, I wish I was going. Go Bears Go!

Book Suggestion

I went to Scott's Parable yesterday and picked up Philip Yancey's new book called Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? I have only read the first three chapters but I can say that I am really enjoying the book and would recommend it even though I haven't read through it yet. What I get from it so far is that God just wants the real me (us). Yancey does a great job of helping the reader realize that we are not in control. In light of our lack of control, we are to take some time and reflect on who God is. "Be still and know that I am the Lord." I've done a lot of underlining so far and I can say that I am very excited about the rest of the book. One thing that I thought was interesting was how prayer is mentioned as a social skill, as it relates to our context (praying aloud). Basically saying that sometimes we pay God lip service without being real with him. I hope this makes sense. It's 1:00am and again I cannot sleep.

Da Bears are 6-0!

I can't believe the Bears escaped with a 24-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals were leading 20-0 at halftime. Besides that Bears QB Rex Grossman threw four interceptions and fumbled twice. You gotta love the Bears defense. They did it all last night. This is the first time the Bears have gone 6-0 in twenty years. I am very pumped about the Bears chances come Super Bowl time, but I am a little leary when I hear coach Lovie Smith say that they are a team of destiny. To me it's a little early for that. But I will enjoy it while it lasts. Go Bears!

24 hours a day!

Howdy. It seems like forever since I last posted. Lots going on these days, though I have been home with the flu for the last three days. I can't remember when I have had the flu this bad. On a good note it seems that my wife is getting a little better, which is encouraging. My son Alex is doing new things all the time. He is a lot of fun right now which is cool. Kinda makes up for all those dirty diapers I have changed in the last year and a half. My wife and I finished watching the first season of 24. I must say I really enjoyed watching this show. I have always been a Kiefer Sutherland fan, but beyond that I really liked how the show works. The real time thing is pretty cool, and the twists are cool as well. I put this picture in because I like to see Roberto Luongo in a Canuck uniform.

God Appointments!

Hey all. Canucks 3 Red Wings 1, enough said! Anyway, yesterday I was on 20th street putting up some missing person posters and handing out cards in the neighborhood advertising our thing at the Bridge. On my way to work I spent the time in the car in prayer. I felt quite connected to the Lord and I had prayed that God would use me somehow, someway. I have been feeling a little discouraged with what I do, was hoping that God would show me he is still working and that what I do isn't a waste of time. Pretty much as soon as I got out of my car I ran into Cody. Cody is a buddy that I met through family services. I was his mentor for about 3-4 months before he fell off the map. Cody has overcome Crystal Meth, but still lives in chaos. I asked him how it was going, he said he was not doing well. To make a long story short, there is no doubt that this meeting was by accident. Cody poured his heart out to me, I have never seen Cody like that before. I was glad that I could be there for him. Praise God. I believe that he has big things for Cody. My prayer is that Cody would not get sucked in by the world, and by those who only want to use him.

Inked Pt.2

Howdy all. Not too much going on lately. My wife is still quite ill, which stinks. My son is a lot of fun at this stage, which is very cool. He is talking so much, I can't believe how much he learns each day. Miami Ink is still my favorite show. My buddy at work downloaded season one for me last week. I was stoked, I watched like three episodes in one shot the other day, I couldn't sleep, which is another story. Anyhow I really enjoy the stories of people and what motivates them to get tattoos. I have included a picture of one of my tattoos. I was inspired to put them on my blog after watching Miami Ink. I am for the most part proud of my tats, though I am quite careful about showing them off, as some people don't share my enthusiasm for tats, which is cool. They certainly are not for everyone. If you are looking at getting any work done I can recommend a couple of good shops in the city, and also a couple of great artists who are fun to be tattooed by. I use the word fun loosely here, as getting tattooed is not always a pleasureable experience. I am also stoked about the new NHL season. Even though my Canucks will be in tough for a playoff spot. It's all good though, as long as Calgary doesn't win the cup I'm happy.

It Could Be A Long Season

If the pre-season is any indicator it could be a very long season for us Canuck fans. They are currently 1-4 in the preseason and are having big problems scoring goals. This is not a surprise, the loss of Bertuzzi and Carter are big holes in the lineup. Between Bertuzzi / Carter the Canucks are missing over 50 goals on the right side. The writer of Ecclesiastes says there is a time for everything: This may be the time for the Canucks to rebuild and lose some games for a while. I would be okay with this. Anyway I don't have much to say, I'm really tired.

If you can't beat em, beat em!

I Love It!

Yankees Clinch!

Ah yes. It is a sweet day for me as a Yankee fan. The fact that the Yankees clinhed their division tonight because of a Boston loss is very sweet. The Red Sox can now resume phase two of their current world series drought. In my opinion the words champions and Red Sox never went well together anyway. New York on the other hand, with 26 World Series Championships, are the best franchise ever. The Yankees are the perfect villian. Everyone loves to talk about how they buy their team. What people don't realize is that in order to be successful you need to spend money. Sure there are a few exceptions, but for the most part you need to put up the dough. Look at the Blue Jays G.M., saying that they need to spend more cash. The fact is, yes, New York spends money. But why wouldn't they. The difference between them and everyone else is that they win. That's why people get mad, they simply use the money thing as a reason to hate them. It's all good though. It appears that there is a little trouble, could A-Rod be playing his last year for the Yankees? It's okay, maybe they could trade him for some pitching. Go Yankees Go. Bring home number 27!

"What's in your hand"

This weekend our staff at YFC spent the weekend at Arlington Beach for our annual Board/Staff retreat. The weekend was very good, though not much of a retreat for my family, as Alex never seems to sleep well except for at home, and my wife is quite sick. I'm not sure why they call it morning sickness, because she seems to be sick all day long. Anyway our weekend was good. I was particularily challenged by a message from Rick Warren, the Purpose Driven guy. He talked about Exodus/Moses. The message was titled "What's in your hand". What I gathered from it was, how are we as God's children using our affluence and our influence to better our world. I have a lot of respect for Rick Warren. He and his wife give 90% of their income. They have chosen to keep the lifestyle they had before he became famous. I admire that. I wonder if I would be able to handle success in such a manner. I was really challenged in the area of materialism. For me this is a great struggle. Warren said the best way to curb materialism is to give more. I had one of those moments of clarity at that point, now though is time for the rubber to hit the road. I need to conquer the beast that is materialism. "So don't worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. Lord, help me to desire you and your Kingdom alone. I can't do it Lord. I need you.

Inked!

I watching T.V. today at my mom's place (they have satellite), I have to report that I have a new favorite T.V. show, Miami Ink. For those who don't know me, I really like tattoos. I have heard about this show a little bit from my friends, but had never saw it myself. I thought it was great, it was a little cheesy at times, but I did enjoy the fact that they tried to explain why people were getting tattooed and what they were getting tattooed. I think if you are getting tattooed it should mean something, not everyone will agree with me, but hey that's their right. I enjoy hearing stories of why people get tattooed. Tattoos can really tell a story. I feel that mine tell of my life since coming to know the Lord. My tattoos are basically Faith & Family, the two most important things in my life. The NFL season began this week. I was stoked to see that the Chicago Bears kicked butt in Green Bay beating them 26-0. This is great for me, as Green Bay is my dad's favorite team, and the Bears are mine. A good start for Da Bears. The Riders on the other hand let one slip away, again. Oh well, I come to expect mediocraty from the Riders. How long have they been in the league and only won two Grey Cups. Gimme a break. Though I do expect good things with Eric Tillman as G.M. Bye for now. Go Canucks, Yankees, Bears!

Engulfed in Flames

I can't believe it. It is like a virus. Calgary Flames fans are everywhere. My entire care group at church are Flames fans. What is going on here? Is it because Robyn Regehr is from the area? What is it? I know many Flames fans are die hards and have cheered for them for a long time, but it does appear that there is a bandwagon situation going on here (I don't mean our care group, but society in general). I suppose the same could be said of the dreaded Oilers after last years run. I did see a lot of those goofy Oiler flags in car windows (I had one for England in the World Cup). I guess what I am saying is that Vancouver is the best. Some of us are going to Flames/Canucks game on February 3rd in Calgary. I can't wait. I am going to wear every piece of Canucks clothing I own. I may even go buy more so I can round out my wardrobe, maybe even underwear! I am going to be so loud. Win or lose, I will be out of control, 100% Canucks baby! Go Canucks Go!

My thoughts for today

Howdy. Just finished watching Canadian Idol and watched Tyler Lewis get voted off the show. I'm not a really big Idol fan but I did like Tyler' singing. I'm not really a huge T.V. guy. Although I used to be and probably would be if I wasn't so busy. I'd most likely watch sports all day if I could, but that's another story. Personally, there is stuff going on in my life that remind me that God is my true Father in this life and for eternity. I am reminded how God has taken my life and turned it around. A cycle has been broken that only God could do. I feel very blessed to come home to a loving family, to a son who cries when I leave, and who opens his arms when I come home. I wouldn't trade those moments for anything. To have another child on the way is truly a blessing. As hard as it is (being a parent) it is like nothing else. Without God I think I might be dead or in jail. Everything I have I owe it to the Lord. Go Canucks Go!