college football ratings part II

not that i'm an expert like those at ESPN, but i have some things to say about college football. well, i have one thing to say: GIVE US A PLAYOFF!

this season once again proves one thing - crowning a champion in college football is guesswork and extremely biased. it also proves that the rankings are extremely nebulous so long as teams refuse to play a schedule filled with legitimate games.

let's look at the current standings:

how is Iowa ranked behind Penn State? didn't they beat Penn State? doesn't that imply they are better?

and doesn't USC's loss to Stanford confirm their "overrated-ness"? i'm still trying to figure out how they were ranked higher than Oregon last week after getting demolished by Oregon and lowing to powerhouse Washington!

not to toot the Big-12 horn, but if Oklahoma State were USC, they'd probably be ranked 4 this week. the Cowboys only losses are to Texas and Houston. somehow USC stayed at number 8 last week with losses to Washington and Oregon.

finally, a plea for my Huskers. how are they not ranked higher than Miami? they have two common opponents: Oklahoma and Virginia Tech. they both beat Oklahoma and both lost at Virginia Tech. Nebraska should have beat Virginia Tech while Miami got destroyed. how is Miami ranked higher? how is Miami ranked higher than North Carolina who has the same record and just beat them? confusing...

i demand a PLAYOFF!

conducting an orchestra as a model for leadership

stumbled across this video from TED [ideas worth spreading]...watch the video...

"when you love something, you give it away."

what does it look like to lead as a conductor leads an orchestra? here's what I think...

*the conductor has the overall piece in mind, but also understands and appreciates each part.

*the conductor is almost like a coach. he/she participates and leads during the performance, but the real success is based on preparation and cohesiveness of the group as a whole.

*the conductor, when confident in preparation, can "give it away."

*the conductor, by his/her body language, can give praise or criticism to individuals to help them help the group be successful.

*the conductor is the leader. if the performance goes awry, he/she will be held responsible.

what do you think? what principles would you deduce?

i'd be very interested to hear from any who have participated in orchestra, choir, ensembles, band, etc...

how do/did you view the leadership of your conductor?

retreat ministry

just had a weekend retreat and it got me thinking about my life and the importance of camp on my spiritual journey. there are so many people who have influenced my faith and have given of themselves for me. thank you to everyone who has taken time to influence me!

i thought of this as i had the chance to be part of 17 students' lives this weekend. retreats are great opportunities to connect with each other while we're disconnected from life's normal distractions. thank you to all of you - students, adults alike - for trusting me and allowing me to speak into your lives!

check out some highlights from the retreat...

psalm 119

read through all of Psalm 119 today (it is a joyous chore!)...

i am struck by the Psalmist mentions of loving the Lord's commands, laws, decrees, statutes, rules, etc.

it almost makes me wonder, is he trying to convince himself he really loves the Lord's laws? have you ever felt that way? have you ever tried to convince yourself of something you ultimately knew was good for you, but had a really hard time acting on? surely we can all think of things we know we shouldn't do but we do anyhow because in the moment it feels/tastes/looks so good.

as i read Psalm 119 in the New Century Version, i finally came across verse 131 and felt more at ease. finally, the Psalmist was speaking my language. it reads:

"i am nearly out of breath.

i really want to learn your commands."

we all want to obey. we want to know the right thing to do. we want to follow God and reap all the benefits. we want badly to draw nearer and nearer to God and godly living. sometimes, we get in our own way. sometimes, we run after things that aren't good for us and flat out ignore God's commands.

and then, we are nearly out of breath - nearly to the point of having nowhere else to turn - we say, "ok God, i guess i'll give you a chance."

we cannot do this thing called "life" on our own. we need God's commands because they give us life. read Psalm 119 and see how many times the Psalmist links God's rules, commands, decrees - God's Word - to LIFE. God's rules give us life; help us live an abundant life.

so i conclude: Lord, help us - make us - to WANT to WANT to learn your commands.

college football ratings

WARNING: this is a rant. it may be irrational. it is a bit biased. but i've always wanted to rant about college football, so why not now.

the rankings are a joke. obviously, being a Nebraska Cornhusker fan, i'm biased, but see if this logic makes sense...

Nebraska has one loss. to who? Virginia Tech who is currently ranked #6 in the entire nation. Nebraska barely lost, should have won, and it was AT Va Tech. so where is Nebraska ranked? #23.

Oklahoma has one loss. to who? Brigham Young [BYU] who is currently ranked #20. Oklahoma's loss was AT home as well. so where is Oklahoma ranked. surely below Nebraska right? #8.

please, someone explain how USC is still in the top 10 after losing to Washington? Washington just got beat by Stanford people. that's not even a loss to a quality opponent [sorry Husky fans but you did go 0-14 last season; you're not quite "quality" yet, but you're getting there and i have hope as a current Washingtonian].

do i need to go on? probably not, but i will anyway. hopefully you're with me and you're enraged!

Penn State has one loss. to who? Iowa who is currently ranked #13 after previously being UNRANKED. so Iowa beats an untested, unproven Penn State team at home and jumps to #13? surely they must have some other quality wins, right? wrong. they barely beat powerhouse Northern Iowa at home [they had to block to field goals to win], and they held off perennial clunker Iowa State. but don't worry, Penn State kept a #15 ranking. after all, they have beaten Akron, Syracuse and Temple, all HOME games.

i'm begging for consistency. i'm begging for sanity. in the end, i'm begging for a PLAYOFF system that puts an end to all this nonsense...

Scripture 'N Youth Ministry

ran across this short video from Youth Specialties a few weeks back. simply put, i was challenged and inspired. the role of Scripture in my own life, especially as a youth, is a major factor in my desire to follow Christ and my call to ministry. without the Bible, i don't think i would be where i am today.

i hope you watched the video. it's only 1 minutes and 24 seconds! amazing ideas. things i want to implement and see happen. how? how do we get kids to fall in love with Scripture? i think it's nothing short of a miracle that i did.

thinking specifically about traditional "youth group" and "Sunday school", how do you think kids should be introduced to Scripture? what is the best way to get them to fall in love with God's Word?

"old school" U.S.A.

in New York Times opinion piece, "High Five Nation," David Brooks weighs in on the U.S. then and now. specifically, he writes of the attitudes and sentiments following victory in WWII. it was a moment of humility, of awe, and, as war correspondent Ernie Pyle expressed, "I hope that in victory we are more grateful than we are proud."

why don't we hear more of that today? have we lost our sense of gratitude and thankfulness for life and all its little joys? have we lost the sense of privilege and gift that is each new day? instead, we complain about the little things. instead, I complain about the little things that bug me, annoy me, and that need to be fixed or else. or else what? or else i'll shrink away in self-loathing and self-pity...

from the article:

But that humility came under attack in the ensuing decades. Self-effacement became identified with conformity and self-repression. A different ethos came to the fore, which the sociologists call “expressive individualism.” Instead of being humble before God and history, moral salvation could be found through intimate contact with oneself and by exposing the beauty, the power and the divinity within.

Everything that starts out as a cultural revolution ends up as capitalist routine. Before long, self-exposure and self-love became ways to win shares in the competition for attention. Muhammad Ali would tell all cameras that he was the greatest of all time. Norman Mailer wrote a book called “Advertisements for Myself.”

Brooks ends the article with a line that caught my attention and continues to scream out to me:

It’s funny how the nation’s mood was at its most humble when its actual achievements were at their most extraordinary.

what about us? as followers of Christ, are we humble? are we willing to celebrate adversity and an opportunity to grow? are we pursuing Christ's vision and Christ's Kingdom goals, or are we after wealth, fame, and self-grandeur?

i ask these questions as a fellow traveler. i ask these questions as a 21st Century American Christian struggling to find the answers and make some sense of it all...

join me on the journey!