i am legend

Kendra and I watched the latest Will Smith flick tonight and we were not disappointed, okay maybe just a little bit. The film is inventive, creepy, choppy (camera work...on purpose), and intellectual, at least in my humble opinion. The film basically shows the life of a lone survivor living in New York City. Why does every film (maybe I'm exaggerating) have to be in the Big Apple?! Will Smith's character is all alone, except for his dog. And the world...the half-dead, vampire-like, can't be out in the sun, rabies infected people...are out to get him...and his "little dog too." His mission is to stay there and figure out a cure for the very creatures out to get him. Toward the end of the film (spoiler warning), he discovers two things, that he's not alone and that he has found the cure.

Many times in the Christian life, we feel like we are all alone and that the world is out to get us. We are not alone. And while the world (in a spiritual sense) is out to get us, we don't have to face it alone. Remember that the next time you see a mannequin. Don't understand, I guess you'll have to watch the film.

answered unprayers

Garth Brooks has a song about thanking God for unanswered prayers. I don't think there really are unanswered prayers. I believe God either says yes, no, or wait. But I do believe there are answered unprayers, prayers that we should have prayed but didn't, and yet they are answered. Yesterday, we sold our Chevy Suburban. It has over 250,000 miles and only drives in 2nd gear. It has been parked in our driveway all winter. As we are very, very, very likely moving to Iowa in a few weeks, we really needed to get rid of it and we really needed some extra money. I have been praying about a number of other things, but I did not really pray to get our truck sold. I praise God for answering a prayer that I should have prayed.

allegiance

I pledge allegiance to...Kansas, for the time being. Tonight I will watch the last college basketball game of the season. The Kansas Jayhawks and the Memphis Tigers play for the national championship. Almost every year, I root against a team more than I root for a team. Here's the progression. In 1989, my first year watching the tourney, I rooted for U of M. Of course, I'm from the Great Lakes State. I also rooted for the Wolverines in '92 and '93. The Fab Five and company were defeated by Duke and UNC. To this day, I will always root against those Carolina teams. The next year, I rooted against Duke and for Arkansas. I can't remember the nest two years, but I believe I rooted against Kentucky in 1996. In 1997, the year I graduated, I rooted against Kentucky and for Arizona. I may still have an Arizona Wildcats t-shirt from that year. The next year I believe I rooted for Utah against Kentucky. In 1999, I of course rooted for UConn as they battled and defeated Duke. In 2000, my allegiance shifted from Ann Arbor to East Lansing. I know that's borderline treason. I rooted for the Flintstones as they defeated Billy Donovan's Florida Gators. To this day, I loathe Florida. In 2001, I again rooted against Duke to no avail. In 2002, I pulled for Maryland as they played Indiana. Sorry Nathan (my cousin who lives in Indy). In 2003, I rooted for Syracuse to beat Kansas. In 2004, I didn't really care who won, but I believe I rooted for UConn again. In 2005, I of course rooted for Illinois and against UNC. Bummer. In 2006 and 2007, I rooted against Florida both years and was very disappointed. This year, I don't really care. Florida is not in it. Duke lost early. And UNC got whipped by Kansas. This year the team I despise is Memphis. 1. They dismantled my team, MSU. 2. They are one of the most arrogant teams I have ever seen. So, even though in 2003 I rooted against Kansas, this year I am pulling for the Jayhawks. Can I really be wrong 4 years in a row?

running

Today I went running. I have never enjoyed running, unless it involves dribbling a basketball or kicking a soccer ball, but I know I need to start exercising again. I was somewhat inspired by my own message yesterday. Sometimes that actually happens. My message was about running the race, based on Hebrews 12:1-3. We were challenged to think about those who have gone before, those all-stars of the faith and to imagine them in the stands of a great arena cheering us on. We were challenged to put off the things that weigh us down and the sinful choices that trip us up. We were challenged to run with endurance and to keep our eyes on Jesus, the one who finished his race. We were also reminded that we are running together. That passage is filled with plural pronouns. We don't have to run alone. So after the message was over, I jokingly challenged everyone to go out and run. So, I guess this morning I responded to my own challenge.

Javan's Birthday

We celebrated Javan's birthday yesterday. Most of Kendra's family and most of my family got together to celebrate his two short years of life. He is the first and currently only grandchild and nephew on both sides, so he is very spoiled. He received some great gifts. He got some new clothes, a few toys, a blanket made by his great grandma, a special basketball hoop that counts in both English and Spanish, and a red tricycle. He also got to ride on a horse. He loved that. He was truly the center of attention.
It's no wonder that kids and grown ups struggle with pride and a sense of entitlement throughout life. We start out being the center of attention and then we have to grow up and realize that there are other people on the planet. Some people never actually do that. Well, in a couple of months, Javan is going to have to share the limelight with another little person.