UNC/Dook quick hits

Ok, tonight is UNC/Dook at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Here are some quick thoughts about the best rivalry in college hoops.

1. Dook is 20 points better than UNC this year on paper. We are loaded with freshmen who play like freshmen and upper classmen who play like . . . freshmen. We could set a record for turnovers tonight.
2. If Coach K can run it up, he will. He's not going to back off. He is a worm, and he's been owned by Roy lately. Make no mistake, Roy and Rat Face don't like each other. Mikey had it too good for too long. Then Roy came to town and has cut the nets down twice since Mikey has been to a final four. Mikey has even resorted to tell Roy how to coach his team and never did apologize for Gerald Henderson breaking Hansbrough's nose a couple years ago. Of course, UNC just kept its cool and kept winning. They're probably not going to win this game, so I hope they keep their cool.
3. This is a tough game for me, because I can't think of a Dook team I hate less than this one. They're not a bunch of punks. I don't think they're the number four team in the nation, but they're not a bunch of punks. They're aiight. But they are Dook, and I still want to win.
4. Remember what I said about Mikey? He has extra incentive to blow Roy out tonight, because Roy just stole the number one 2010 recruit in the nation out from under him at the last minute. Of course, Coach K has had a harder time recruiting in the last few years. That has something to do with Roy and something also to do with the fact that your greatest player of all time is Christian Laettner. Advantage: Tar Heels.
5. All I want is for them not to be wide-eyed. Go in with a little arrogance and play like you expect to win. I need to see Leslie McDonald stick some big shots. I need to see Will Graves vocally lead this team. I need to see Larry Drew play within himself and Deon Thompson to get his head out of his rear. Dexter Strickland needs to show me he's going to be the man who deserves to wear that number 5. And John Henson needs to play tall and block shots down low. The main thing is, just play like you expect to win.

All I know is that I'm Tivoing it so that I can fast forward through the rough parts. You know, like the first 37 minutes?

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

This is such a great time of the year for sports. Usually about this time, I am getting geared up for the men's NCAA basketball tourney. But since UNC is 16-14 currently, I'm not too excited. I'm hoping they at least win a game or two in the ACC tournament and get to go to the NIT. They play Dook tomorrow, so I think they'll finish the season 16-15. Maybe they'll make the NIT. I just want to see them get some experience. But don't fret. This time next year, we'll be talking about getting a number one seed in the Big Dance. And of course, we all know who cut the nets down last year.

But NFL free agency just started and it's off and running pretty well. The Dolphins are going to sign a safety and release an overpaid one. Gibril Wilson, one of the worst tacklers at safety I've ever seen, is out of here. Antrell Rolle, former Cards safety, will be in before the day is over. So I'm guessing we're not taking Taylor Mays in the draft. I also know Karlos Dansby is in Miami today, and we really need help at linebacker. Joey Porter is going to be released in a few days, and we need help on the outside. But we also have to get an inside linebacker or three. We'll see what happens with Dansby. My gut is he's too pricey. Of course, the Jets already made a big move by getting a former pro bowl CB from San Diego for a third round pick IN NEXT YEAR'S DRAFT! I swear there are teams in collusion with NY and NE. The Pats get Randy Moss with a fourth rounder a few years ago, and this happens with the Jets this year. I'm waiting to see what Miami offers the Cards for Anquan Boldin.

Here are my predictions of players who will be cut and/or signed, as I've stated all along. Gibril Wilson, Joey Porter, Ted Ginn and Channing Crowder should be cut immediately. The Fins should sign Rolle before the day is over. He came out and said Miami is his first choice! He grew up in Miami/Dade county! He went to Da U! How many more exclamation points do I have to use to get across the message?! Sign him!

I'd also like to get Dansby, but I don't blame them if they don't give him $30. I'm not sure he's worth that, and I think the linebackers in this draft are pretty good. I'm just wondering if we're looking to the draft to find a playmaker. I am almost sold on the notion that they're going with Dez Bryant with the number one pick. I could be all wrong, but I believe that's where they are going. At least it will tell you something by the way they handle Boldin and the rest of free agency.

This is like Christmas time for me. I hope I'm on the "nice" list.

It's The Ministry Fair

We had a "ministry fair" at the Teen Center last night. I thought it went pretty well. We had about 100 people move through there. We had local outreach and service organizations come and set up a booth and let people walk through, chat, ask questions and pick up some literature. The goal was to spotlight the people doing work right here in our own back yard, and maybe get some people at our church plugged in locally. I'd love to see whole families get involved with one of these groups. I think it can be a huge thing for a family to work together to serve others. And instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, we wanted to talk to the people who have a good grasp on the people of our community that they work with. For example, it would be ridiculous for us to try to start our own home-building group. But we can partner with Habitat. That's why they're here.

We had 8 local organizations come in. But the best part of the night for me was the 2 student-led ministries we had represented. Christi Stewart, who constantly amazes me with her willingness and desire to serve, has started a blanket ministry for street church. She makes blankets. You buy one. And someone in need gets a blanket. Kind of like the Tom's shoes thing, except right here in our own back yard. Christi Stewart. Remember the name, folks. It won't be the last time you hear it. And one of her classmates, Molly Sayers, has a ministry where she gives underprivileged girls a room makeover. Wow! Did you read that? Am I the only one who thinks this is amazing? They didn't wait for permission or assistance. They asked themselves how they could help people and went for it. And they are receiving incredible support from their families. It's just a beautiful thing. These are the kinds of hearts Jesus needs in his kingdom.

I think we had a pretty good night overall. It wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be, but it happened. People learned some things they probably didn't know. They got a chance to receive some free information and get involved with an area of service. And that was the whole goal going in. I hope the representatives were pleased. I think it was worth their time. I'm already hoping to do another one. I think stuff like this gets a congregation's juices flowing. We have such a tendency to focus on the 10% that's not going right, we miss the 90% that is. This night was everything that's right for Jesus people. I know I feel a little more hopeful and a lot less alone in this battle.

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger Woods y'all!

Ok, I'll cut to the chase. Everyone who saw the Tiger Woods statement today is weighing in with their opinion, so I will too. As a leading deception expert, or at least someone who has seen every episode of "Lie To Me," I feel more than qualified to assess the statement. I fought myself to stay awake this morning just to watch it. And if any of you know how much I love to sleep all day on Fridays (my day off, by the way), you know this was a feat in and of itself. So here goes.

First of all, for those upset that he "read" his apology, which was in its essence a written statement, that means absolutely nothing. In an emotionally charged situation like this one, I actually prefer the clarity of a written statement. It doesn't mean that his words were hollow. I'll give you an example. When I left Gateway in Pensacola, it was a very emotional day for me when I gave my "farewell" speech to the congregation. So I typed it out. And I just read it. I don't even think I looked up. I didn't want to make eye contact with anyone. It wasn't that I thought I was making a mistake. I love Houston. I'm happy with my decision. I was then and am know. I just knew that I was leaving a place I called home and a group of people that had been family for me. I knew I would never get out my thoughts if I didn't prepare something to say and just read it. I wanted to let everyone know that I was leaving, and I didn't want to boo hoo my way through a bunch of rambling mess. Nothing I said was untrue. I just knew I couldn't have made it through it. And I didn't want to leave anything out. So I don't have a problem at all. If you want to make your point and make it clear, you type it out and read it. And that's what Tiger did. So if you have a problem with that part of it, I think you're off base on that point.

Now comes the believability of his apology, that's a different story. To me, it's pretty simple. If you like Tiger, you probably believe him. And if you don't like Tiger, you probably think he's full of it. I don't have any feelings either way. I enjoy watching him play golf. I don't really think his personal life is any of my business. That being said, I do think he owed it to the public to make a statement. He's had a lot of time to think about what he was going to say, and it's not really my place to say whether or not he's genuinely contrite. It's only my place to forgive him, as if I owe that to him anyway, and move on. His family is affected by this, I'm not. I think a lot of athletes and celebrities cheat on their spouses. I think it's a good thing we don't know about all of them like we learned about Tiger's failings.

I do think he should fire his PR people. It's not that I don't believe him. I just think he tried too hard to make himself seem believable. The whole looking into the camera thing, well, that looked like a man who wanted you to believe him. And that makes him seem less credible. Whoever told him he needed to look into the camera should be fired. And they should also watch "Lie To Me." Of course, it may be that I should watch less of it, because I don't believe anything anyone says anymore.

So here's what I do believe. And again, this is just my take on it. It doesn't really matter what I believe, it only matters what he's able to do from this point moving forward. It only matters what God knows to be the truth, and since I'm not God, I'm not going to judge the man. However, I do believe that he's sorry for what he did. I used to think he was sorry he got caught, and that may have been the case for a while. But sometimes you have to get caught to realize what you're doing is wrong. In the long run, it could turn out to be a very good thing, if he can be a good husband and father from now on. This could turn his life around, and I hope it does. Not because he's Tiger Woods, but because he's a man who made a series of mistakes. And I'm not going to sit here and throw stones at the dude. At the end of the day, though, this apology is only worth the paper it was written on if he doesn't make strides to being a better person. He's smart enough to know that.

So whether you believe him or not, the point remains the same. It's not for us to sit in judgment of the guy. It's only up to us to give him the benefit of the doubt and put ourselves in his place. If we held ourselves to the same standard we are holding Tiger to, what would we be saying about our apology? If you had to get up in front of the media every time you did something stupid, how would you react to that? If someone uncovered all the skeletons in your closet, would you still be saying the same things about Tiger Woods? If not, then maybe we all need to examine ourselves and try a little harder to forgive and move on.

100 Miles An Hour

The busy time here at Bammel is starting. Soul Link is coming up in less than two weeks, and I'm experiencing less trepidation than last year. Of course, that is probably because we actually got a real band (Hawk Nelson) this year. I'm pretty excited. They are a fun group of guys and there should be a lot of energy. I think we're going to break some fire codes. But I also have to preach this Sunday and we're changing our Sunday morning format to a "table ministry" in three weeks, and we're having our ministry fair for local service organizations in two Wednesdays. We have only hired one intern and have no leads on a guy for the summer. And speaking of summer . . . well, it's on the radar. We also have a retreat coming up in April. And I'm supposed to go on Staycation March 14-19. No, I meant to say I am going on Staycation at that time.

So youth ministry is busier than most people give it credit for. And I am busy. And yet, I am here blogging.

Percy Harvin and the Temple of Doom

I went to a midnight movie last night. It was Percy Jackson and the Olympians in the Lightning Thief. I've called this guy everything from Peter Jackson to Action Jackson. It was aiight. It would have been better if I knew anything about it before I went. But I went with a youth deacon and his son, so at least I got to spend time with them and earned some points. JK. LOL. ROFL.

And speaking of movies, I've been on a kick lately. I have watched several movies lately, getting caught up on some of the things I've been missing. Keep in mind that it takes something special to get me out of the house. You know, like Michael Jackson and the Book of Shadows, so most of these are going to be on DVD. Here's a quick rundown of the movies I've seen most recently and my grade for each, as if anyone cares what I think.

Saw 6

It was actually aiight. I do think they're going to have to stop making these movies though. They think they're more clever than they actually are. But they just mailed it in on Saw 5. At least give me some pretentiousness or something. I think they actually thought about this one. But the first one was so good and surprising and deliciously twisted that I got sucked in right away. I don't feel like I can miss any of them now. It's like a train wreck and I can't stop looking for fear I'll miss something. Anyway, it's not great in comparison to the first one, but it's better than most "scary" movies out today.

GRADE: C

Moon

Sam Rockwell is a great actor. Don't think so? Well, toot on you. Yeah, I said it. This movie almost lost me, but it brings everything back in a pretty odd way. It has the feel of a late 70s sci-fi epic, which I liked. Kind of like 2001 or Close Encounters. The story drives the movie, which I like. It is easy to get lost looking for holes in the premise, but I just took it for what it was. It delivers, and in my opinion, it's all because of Sam Rockwell. He makes it believable. And interesting. It's worth watching if you're into a slow-paced sci-fi movie.

GRADE: B

Paranormal Activity

First of all, it's not scary. It's not remotely scary. You might say it's mildly creepy. But the creepiest part of the movie is where she's standing next to the bed looking at dude for like three hours and walks out of the room. I have been told that you have to see it in theaters. Ok, I'm going to give some credence to that. I do object, however, to the notion that in order for your movie to be scary, you have to be in a room full of people jacked up on Rock Star. If I watch a movie by myself in a dark room and I don't get scared, you need to shut your pie hole about the "scariest movie of all time" junk. Paranormal Activity was about as scary as that Jimmy Fallon/Queen Latifah movie. Actually, that was far creepier. And the sad part is that they didn't even try something new. They rehashed Blair Witch techniques, but tried too hard to make it believable. You're not going to film all the crap they did. Stupid. Now I'm getting angry, which is about the only emotion I had for this film outside of disgust. The "home movie" thing is played out. Blair Witch was brilliant. Cloverfield was slick. Paranormal Activity was ten years too late. And the only believable character in the movie is the psychic dude that comes to the house. It's poorly acted, and that bothers me more than the bad dialogue. I think a good actor can overcome bad dialogue. Ok, I can't find anything positive about this movie. But I still can't say I hated it. I'm actually glad I watched it, and I think everyone should watch it.

GRADE: D-

PROMOTION: A+

District 9

Didn't like it as much as I thought I would the first time. Again, it's got the Cloverfield feel to it. But this wasn't distracting, as the movie wasn't dependent on the premise. I liked it, but I wanted to love it. I like the ending, but you see it coming a mile away. But at least they didn't do something they thought was clever, but really wasn't. I hate it when people do that. (M. Night Shaymalan, are you listening?) I liked it a lot, now that I think about it. I was riveted to the screen at all times. I just saw the ending coming after about half an hour in. And that's a shame. Or maybe that's the charm of the film. It didn't try to hide the end. So I'm going to give them props for that actually. It's a fresh approach to alien movies. And it was very well acted. That main dude was brilliant. And the filmmaking itself was incredibly fresh. I also didn't think it overhyped itself. But I'm not going to give it an A+.

GRADE: A-

Zombieland

Here's a case where I had zero expectations, and thus I was pleasantly surprised. I very rarely rave over a movie, but this one was exquisite. I can't find any fault with this movie at all. It's funny. It doesn't try to outsmart itself. It's like Tarrantino and The Coen Brothers did a zombie movie. This is the most fun I've had watching a movie in a long time. Definitely my favorite of 2009. And the cameo they keep hush hush is a riot. I can't love a movie more than this one. It was a fun ride. I don't give out A+ very much.

GRADE: A+

Avatar

According to the box office numbers, everyone on the planet has already seen this movie. Twice. The cinematography is impossible to describe. It's breathtaking. The story? I'm sorry, but there's nothing original about it. And it's kinda preachy. And please tell me that ending surprised anyone. But that James Cameron knows how to make a blockbuster, doesn't he? He may be my least favorite director not named Joel Schumacher. I'd like to see what he'd do without a $300 million budget. Liked it. Didn't love it. If it wins best picture, I'm never watching the Oscars again. Oh wait. I don't watch them anyway.

GRADE: B-

The Blind Side

Sandra Bullock was good. She should definitely keep the blonde hair and tan. And I like the story, but I already knew it. It was just slightly better than aiight for me. Oh, and as an actor, Tim McGraw is a really good singer.

GRADE: C+

Well, I think that's about all I've seen lately. Some quick hits: Chris Nolan has officially signed on to do the next Batman movie, so that's a relief. And the next Spider-Man movie will be in 3D. So that will be cool. I just hope it's a good movie and no one from Twilight plays the title character. I swear I won't go see it. Oh, and Inception and Iron Man 2 are the main movies on my radar for this summer. That new Alice in Wonderland movie looks colossally stupid. Hey, Tim Burton, did you know Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter aren't the only two actors on the planet? I also read that The Flash is going to start pre-production, and there will be a Wonder Woman movie as well. I'm excited about The Flash, although I was hoping Ryan Reynolds would play him. But Ryan Reynolds is already playing Green Lantern. So I don't know who they're going to get to play The Flash, but they'd better not screw this up. I don't know why, but I've always been partial to The Flash. One of those things you can't explain, I guess. I do have a suggestion for Wonder Woman though . . . not Megan Fox. Seriously, you want to screw this up from the get-go, cast her as Wonder Woman. Huge mistake. Personally, a few years ago, I would have gone with Angie Harmon. But now, I'd try to get someone a tad younger and more current. I wonder if Scarlett Johansson would consider dying her hair? Just kidding. I'll think of someone good for both Wonder Woman and The Flash. Maybe next time.

Update on Jenny (Ross) Bizaillion

The past five days have been bananas. It started Thursday when Jonathan, our worship minister, came told me that his sister has pneumonia. He was concerned because his sister and their husband didn't have medical insurance. I was concerned because I have worked with Jonathan for going on two years and I didn't even know he had a sister. So that started everything. The next morning, Jonathan was on his way to Dallas to be with his sister and family and we all found out just how serious it really was. She was dying. She had complications from infection coupled with pneumonia, and her body was shutting down one organ at a time. It all happened to quickly, and we felt so helpless being back here in Houston, not being able to do anything.

So we prayed. And it didn't take us long to realize that we often don't give prayer its place in life. We look at prayer as something we can do when we can't do anything else. We don't view it as the best thing we can ever do for anyone. So that has been good for me personally. I've been praying and wrestling through what we want to happen and still trying to allow God to fulfill his will. Things with Jenny were bleak. It didn't look like she was going to make it, but we prayed. And we prayed. And the next morning, we got up and looked at the update. It didn't look good. So we called, emailed, texted and facebooked everyone we could to get a group together to pray at Bammel from 1:00-2:00. We had a good number show up, and we prayed fervently. Tears were shed. God was questioned and challenged. Mark Brannen was able to bring us before God's throne from a unique perspective. Even Will talked to us about his take on his family's experience. We boldly reminded God about his promises and took him up on his offer to pray for the sick. I left very confident that God would heal her. But it didn't look like it was going to happen. Jenny has been up and down. News has literally changed from good to terrible in as little as 15 minutes. The family has been on a roller coaster.

But Rick McCall (our pulpit minister at Bammel) and I went up to the hospital yesterday. I was able to switch my days off to make the trip. Our plan was just to drive up after I dropped the girls off at school, stay at the hospital for half an hour or so to pray with the family and make the four hour drive home. I was planning on being back to pick the girls up at school and go to a high school basketball game last night. But after being there for a while, we took Jonathan out to eat. He was glad to be able to be out of the waiting room for a little bit. It was good to spend time with him and hear how everything was really going. I am very weird about tragedy. I want to be there for the family, but in this case, I thought they might need some time to be together as a family. And I didn't want to be a distraction or get in the way. I'm just sensitive about stuff like that. But yesterday was a good day to be there. Nothing but good news yesterday and they are hopeful that it will continue. It looks like Jenny is improving. It's slow, but they'll take it.

We'll continue to pray for the Ross family.