Football Friday: NFL Playoffs

Posted on January 5, 2007 by Jason

I’ve always been a huge NFL fan. No other professional league boasts the parity and competitive balance of the NFL. It seems like any team has the chance to go all the way in any given year. Well, any team but the Lions, at least as long as Matt Millen’s running the show.

Now that playoff time is here, it’s time for my annual picks. I’ll go ahead and let you know what I’m predicting for the big game: Ravens / Saints. You heard it here first. Now on to this week’s matchups.

AFC
Chiefs at Colts – A lot of prognosticators are picking the upset here. They point to the Colts porous run defense and the down-hill running style of Larry Johnson, KC’s bruising tailback. This is certainly the matchup the Colts didn’t want in Round 1. What’s being discounted, however, is the Colts ability to score points in bunches. I’m predicting a shoot out here, but I give the advantage to the Colts offense playing at home. Colts by 3.

Jets at Pats – I know these two clubs split their regular season meetings, but this is the easiest pick of the week, IMHO. Brady and Bellichik turn it up a notch in the playoffs. I can’t see a weak-armed Chad Pennington beating the Pats in Foxboro. Patriots by 10.

NFC
Cowboys at Seakhawks – The NFC is so weak. The Seahawks lost their All-Pro QB and their MVP RB for most of the season, yet they still won their division. I’d take a handful of AFC teams that didn’t make the playoffs over either of these clubs. That said, I like Seattle to make some noise this offseason. They have everybody back healthy and when they’re clicking, they’re the best offense in the NFC this side of New Orleans. Alexander will carve up the ‘Boys for a couple TDs and the ‘Hawks will roll. Seahawks by 9.

Giants at Eagles – No game is a greater testimony to the mediocrity of the NFC than this one. Despite their best efforts to implode, the Giants somehow survived their late season swoon and made the playoffs. After Donovan McNabb went down, I figured the Eagles were toast, too, until Jeff Garcia started playing like the Pro Bowler he used to be in San Fran. I’m not big on either of these clubs, but I’m going to go against the grain and pick the Giants here, solely on the strength of Tiki’s running. Giants by 1.

Posted in Football | 5 Comments

What I’m Watching

Posted on January 4, 2007 by Jason

I’m usually skeptical about new TV shows. I rarely will invest myself in a show if it’s new, simply because I don’t want to get attached to a program only to have it yanked by the network execs. I’d rather let a show catch a full head of steam before I start watching. I did the same thing with 24…I missed the first season, got caught up on DVD and became a huge fan (until last season, but that’s a different story). Same with LOST. Same with Survivor, Amazing Race, American Idol. Call me bandwagon, I don’t care. I don’t have the time to fool with newby shows.

Thanks to the glory of the worldwide web, I don’t have to wait a full season to catch the latest TV craze. Everybody’s been talking about Heroes and you can catch all the episodes online so I decided to give it a shot. I’m 4 episodes in and I’m hooked. I’m a sucker for character-driven sci-fi drama. Any of you watching this show? I hope to finish the other 5 episodes by the time it returns from hiatus Jan. 22. Good stuff.
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I got Season 2 of The Andy Griffith Show from my big sis for Christmas. It contains my all-time favorite episode, The Pickle Story. I’ve seen it a thousand times, but it cracks me up every time. And Sunny and I just finished up Season 7 of our favorite show, Everybody Loves Raymond. Man, I miss that show.
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I’ve been a huge LOST fan for the past two years, but I’m afraid the producers may have shot themselves in the foot by airing a six-episode mini seasonette in the fall and waiting nearly 3 months to air an original episode. In the coming weeks, 24, American Idol, Prison Break, and Heroes will all return. I’m afraid my favorite show will get lost amid all the hoopla. But I’ll be there Feb. 7th to find out what happens to Jack, Kate, Sawyer and the rest of the crew. Only one more month!

Posted in Television, What I'm Loving | 6 Comments

Collaboration: New Heavens, New Earth

Posted on January 3, 2007 by Jason

Help me out here .What does it mean when Scripture refers to a “new heaven & a new earth” (Rev. 21, Isa 65, 2 Peter 3:13)? What is the implication of God as the one who makes “all things new” (Rev. 21:5)? I’m working through this for a presentation I’m making tonight. I have a few thoughts, but I’d love to hear from you. Any thoughts or insights?
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As an aside, Larry James had a great post yesterday about his New Year’s Resolutions. I encourage you to check it out.

Posted in Collaborations, Preaching, Theology | 4 Comments

Resolutions

Posted on January 2, 2007 by Jason

I know I’m crazy for doing this and I’m completely ripping this off from my friend Jon, but my New Year’s Resolutions are threefold and culinary in nature. I will…

  • Eat no fried foods in 2007.
  • Eat no desserts in 2007.
  • Drink no Cokes in 2007.

That’s right. No French fries. No Mountain Dew. No chocolate pie. No fried chicken. No Sticky’s. None. I thought about going no meat in ’07, but that’s just crazy. I really don’t think this will be that hard. I’ve done no Cokes & no desserts before and I dropped about 10 lbs. The fried foods will be difficult, though. I’ll keep you posted.

Any bets on how long you think I can last?

Posted in Random | 11 Comments

Top 5 Books of 2006

Posted on December 29, 2006 by Jason

I wanted to take some time to reflect on some of the better books I’ve read in 2006. Between teaching prep and grad school, I spend quite a bit of time reading. I don’t know how many books I’ve read this year, but I compiled my top 5 list of the most important / enjoyable reads of the year. Not all of these were released in 2006, but these were texts that impacted me at some level this year. Here goes:

5. Fantasyland by Sam Walker. Each summer, I make a special point to read a baseball-related book. A few summers back it was Shoeless Joe. Then it was Moneyball. This was my baseball book this summer. Well, sort of. Fantasyland is a book about the addicting craziness that is fantasy baseball. If you’re even a semi-serious Roto player, you gotta read this book. Only 3 months till draft night!

4. God’s Politics by Jim Wallis. I’m almost finished with this one and I can already tell it’s not going to crack the top 3. Wallis can be a bit verbose (I wish he would’ve lopped off about 75 pages of anecdotal material) but his message is an important one. He critiques the Republican Party for co-opting Christianity and distilling “faith & values” to two issues: abortion and homosexuality. But he also hammers the Democrats for not even allowing faith to enter into the discussion. A must read for Christians on both sides of the aisle.

3. The Shaping of Things to Come by Frost & Hirsch. I had to read this one for a grad class in October and I’m still sorting through some of its implications. The authors issue a prophetic call for the church to return to her roots as a missional, messianic, organic presence in our world. I’m not entirely comfortable with all of their conclusions, but no other book has caused me to so closely consider the future of the church. I probably need to re-read this one after letting it percolate for a few months.

2. Simply Christian by N. T. Wright. This is sure to go down as one of this decade’s classic Christian texts. Wright does away with the “insider language” that corrupts so much of Christendom’s jargon and expresses the faith in beautifully evocative terms. This would be a great book to offer a seeker looking for an explanation of Christian faith and doctrine. Simple, concise, profound…Wright has given us a treasure in Simply Christian.

1. Mere Discipleship by Lee Camp. This book challenged me so thoroughly that I often found myself uncomfortable with what I was reading. I soon understood that my discomfort came from years of explaining away (or in some cases, completely ignoring) the words of Jesus. Thanks to this book, Jesus has become the litmus test for everything in my life. Camp caused me to reevaluate my understanding of discipleship and its implications. What does it mean to follow Jesus? And by following Jesus, what sort of things will I have to abandon? I think everybody ought to read this book. It made me love Jesus more and for that, it earns my designation as Book of the Year.

There’s my list, folks. What’s been the best book you’ve read this year?

Posted in Books, What I'm Loving | 3 Comments

In-Vince-able

Posted on December 28, 2006 by Jason

(This is for you, Dylan.)

I have a confession to make.

At first, I wasn’t a believer in Vince Young.

I had plenty of reasons to dislike VY. His Wonderlic score was too low. His delivery was unorthodox. His run-first, pass-second tendencies were ill-suited to the pro game. I thought, “Why pass up Matt Leinart, a more polished, NFL-ready prospect? Let’s reunite him with his ol’ buddy Norman Chow and watch the magic happen.” When the Titans selected Young with the third overall selection in April’s NFL draft, I literally winced. “Terrible pick,” I told Sunny. “Terrible pick.“

It wasn’t always this way. In January, after his awe-inspiring Rose Bowl performance against USC, I was pretty pumped at the prospect of Young going to my Titans with the #3 pick. Dont believe me? I blogged about it. But still, I have to go on record: I hated the thought of Vince Young quarterbacking my favorite team for the next decade.

I was wrong.

And being wrong has never felt so good.

Vince has the Titans on the cusp of playoff contention at 8-7. Granted, they need a win Sunday against the playoff bound Pats and a boatload of help, but what Young has been able to accomplish these past two months has been truly remarkable. With come from behind wins against the Giants, Texans, Colts and Bills, Young is already the most exciting player in the league, Michael Vick included. His dual threat playmaking ability has certainly salvaged the Titans season and — in all likelihood — Jeff Fisher’s job. If he plays this well as a rookie, imagine how good he’s going to be! The Titans still have a long way to go before they return to being a dominant AFC force, but at least the QB position in Nashville looks to be set for quite a while.

Man, I love it when I’m wrong.

Posted in Football | 4 Comments

Your Best Life Now: The Game

Posted on December 22, 2006 by Jason

Please, somebody tell me this is a joke. Who wants this? Seriously.

Osteen, you’re shameless.

Posted in Humor, Random | 2 Comments

Jesus: Messiah

Posted on December 20, 2006 by Jason

I love the story of the woman at the well in John 4. I’m struck by the humanity of Jesus; he arrives at the well thirsty. I’m struck by the audacity of Jesus; he initiates conversation with this Samaritan woman, an uncouth move for a Jewish rabbi. I’m struck by the transparency of Jesus; he reveals to her his Messianic identity.

The text says Jesus “had to go through Samaria,” (4:4). Why? Jesus decides to leave Judea and head north for Galilee. But any self-respecting Jew would go out of his way to avoid passing through Samaria. For 750 years, the territory of Samaria was considered a dirty, filthy place filled with dirty, filthy people. The Israelites leftover from the Assyrian captivity married with some of the Gentile groups sent to repopulate the territory. These people — “Samaritans” as the Jews derisively referred to them — were considered religious and ethnic half-breeds. And yet, Jesus must go here? The necessity is less geographical than theological.

It is significant that this encounter occurs at noon (the sixth hour). Most women chose to draw their daily water in the cool of the morning. This was communal time, the time to chew the fat with your girlfriends and catch up on all the latest gossip. But not for her. She comes to draw water alone, in the heat of the day. An empty water jug. An empty heart. No doubt her past made her an outcast. 5 failed marriages and a current live-in! She comes to draw water at noon to avoid the judgmental stares. The whispered conversations. This is the kind of woman who walks down the street and mothers pull their daughters close and whisper, “Take a good look, honey. That’s the kind of woman you don’t want to become.” Her journey to draw water is as purposeful as Jesus’ trip to Samaria.

After pinpointing her greatest thirst, she gets defensive by throwing out a theological question: Where is the proper place of worship? Jerusalem? Or Gerazim? As a result of their rejection by the Jews, the Samaritans developed their own version of the Scriptures (the Pentateuch), their own expectation of the Messiah, even their own holy mount of worship. Jesus swats away the theological question. Worship is not about location, it’s about spirit & truth. She replies, “When Messiah comes, he will explain everything to us.” Jesus finally reveals His identity: “I, the one speaking to you — I am he.” (4:26)

The Samaritan expectation of Messiah is an interesting one. They referred to him as the Taheeb, the Reconciler. Imagine you’re a Samaritan. For 750 years, you’ve been told you’re a religious and ethnic half-breed. Sure, you’re a descendant of Abraham, but that’s not enough. You’ve been told you couldn’t worship in Jerusalem. Jews won’t even pass through your territory for fear of defilement. What would that do to your expectation of Messiah? What would you be looking for? The Samaritans longed for the Messiah to come and restore all things. To restore dignity to a group of people. To reconcile God’s people back to Himself.

That’s what the Samaritans were looking for.

In particular, that’s what this woman was looking for.

Someone to respect her personhood.
Someone to restore her dignity.
Someone to reconcile her back to her community.

When Jesus tells her He’s Messiah, He’s not only saying something about His identity as the Anointed One sent by God, He’s also speaking to her expectation.

He’s saying, “I’m the one you’ve been looking for.”

He’s her Messiah.

Posted in Devotional, Jesus, Scripture, Theology | 5 Comments

Top 10 Albums of 2006

Posted on December 19, 2006 by Jason

As you know, I love music. And this has been a great year with some excellent albums by some of my favorite artists. Without adieu, here’s my Top 10 for the year.

10. B Collision – David Crowder Band. Only 8 tracks on this one, but Crowder could sing the phone book and I’d buy it. The lack of new material warrants a lower ranking, but live versions of Be Lifted and I Saw the Light help this album make the cut. Best track: I Saw the Light (live).

9. Under the Iron Sea – Keane. This album makes the list on the basis of Is It Any Wonder? alone. Throw in Crystall Ball, Hamburg Song and Nothing in My Way and Under the Iron Sea is my favorite rock album of the year. Best track: Is It Any Wonder.

8. Christmas Offerings – Third Day. I know it’s a seasonal record, but this is far and away my favorite new Christmas album. No Frosty or Rudolph here; each song focuses on the Christ-event. Mac’s never sounded better. Best track: Merry Christmas.

7. Taking the Long Way – Dixie Chicks. Although I’m still partial to the bluegrass sound of Home, the edgier feel of Taking the Long Way works, thanks in large part to producer Rick Rubin (see Cash’s American Recordings). The live show’s pretty good, too. Best track: Lullaby.

6. See The Morning – Chris Tomlin. I was eagerly anticipating this one all year and when it arrived, I wasn’t disappointed. Tomlin seems to turn up the juice a bit compared to his previous albums. But this one is dedicated to the miraculous God of the morning. Best track: Glory in the Highest.

5. Good Monsters – Jars of Clay. I’ve been a fan of these guys for years. Dan & the boys followed up the brilliance of last year’s Redemption Songs with a louder, catchier sound and the change of pace is a welcome one. Catchy hooks, power riffs and Hasltine’s traditional lyrical depth are the hallmarks of Good Monsters. Best track: Oh My God.

4. Big Iron World – Old Crow Medicine Show. I only got into OCMS a few months ago, but I’m already a huge fan. Their sound is vintage, a throwback to the bluegrass music of yesteryear. Best track: New Virginia Creeper.

3. We Shall Overcome – Bruce Springsteen. The Boss goes folk, ladies & gentlemen. Recorded in 3 one-day sessions, this album contains material popularized by folk singer and political activist Pete Seeger. Spontaneous, fun, poignant…everything you want in a great album. Best track: Old Dan Tucker.

2. Mockingbird – Derek Webb. Technically, this one was released in 2005 (Dec. 27th), but this record has been foundational for me in ’06. Webb writes and sings with conviction and his prophetic voice is a breath of fresh air for the Christian music landscape. This record will challenge you to re-evaluate your discipleship. Best of all, Webb made his album available for free to the public in September. That’s how much he believes in the message of Mockingbird. Best track: A King and a Kingdom.

1. American V: A Hundred Highways – Johnny Cash. Hands down album of the year, in my opinion. Released posthumously, A Hundred Highways is the fifth installment of Cash’s critically acclaimed American Recordings Series. Cash’s voice has never sounded more vulnerable or more accessible. Truly a masterpiece. We still miss you, John. Best track: If You Could Read My Mind.

Posted in Cash, Music | 10 Comments

The Weekend in Sports

Posted on December 18, 2006 by Jason

At first, I thought the Knicks / Nuggets brawl was the most appalling sports story of the weekend.

Then I read this about Terrell Owens and I thought that was the most appalling sports story of the weekend.

But I’m pretty sure this takes the cake.

Tomorrow, my top albums of the year.

Posted in Sports | 6 Comments