Wednesday, December 31, 2008

nfl thoughts

1. the patriots had an amazing season this year. i listen to dan patricks radio show and they had a pole on the most disappointing nfl team this year. the jets were voted most disappointing with new england as second. i was never disappointed with the end result of the season. 11-5 is a good record any year, especially with a bunch of injuries specifically but not limited to brady, maroney and harrison. after the injury week 1 to brady i thought our season was over, after the 16 games cassel proved that he can play.

2. cassel had an amazing season in which he had some amazing accomplishments including back to back games where he passed for over 400 yards. this does not happen often. he will be a free agent and will receive a big pay day wherever he goes. i am still not sure if it was cassel playing well or if it was the patriots system and team that helped him pull out an amazing season. but i guess we will find out next season when he will probably suit up for another team. unless...

3. the news of brady healing slowly are true. it is possible the patriots will keep him around to ensure they have a proven qb for next season. i think brady will be back next year and be the comeback player of the year. but i guess we will have to wait a while to see if that is true.

4. living in indianapolis is pretty good, unless you are a patriots fan. some give me a hard time but it is pretty easy to brush off. i have lived in new york as a red sox fan and never received the same treatment as i do here. colts fans feel threatened by us, thats okay they have right to feel threatened.

5. i hate to admit this but it looks like peyton manning will be the mvp this year. he individually led his team to finish with 9 straight wins. coach of they year will either go to smith (atlanta) or pirano (miami). they took both their teams from the basement to the playoffs. my hat is off to both of them even if miami squeezed in just in front of new england to be the afc east division winner.

6. it should prove to be a fun playoff year. with the drama of philly squeezing in with a win over dallas and multiple losses from other teams it would really be something to see the eagles and phillies win the championship in the same year. atlanta and baltimore are great stories getting in with rookie qb's. i love that dallas didnt get in. in brings me the same joy when i see the yankees spend as much money as they do and miss the playoffs. giants, cardinals, and tennesee are teams that could do something in the playoffs but i really do not think they are up to it. in past weeks they are all spiraling downward.


7. super bowl predictions this year are tough. there are no clear cut teams that stand out. from the nfc i think carolina is the front runner. they have played solidly all year long and their running game is unstoppable. as for the afc i believe it will be pittsburgh if big ben is able to recover from his concussion last week. i think carolina will win the super bowl.

what do you think?

Sunday, December 14, 2008

light

it seemed so long that i was in the cave. still dark, still damp. my eyes started to adjust to the dark but it was still dark in the cave. i started trying to make my way out of the cave by feeling the sides. but i had been searching the cave so long that i forgot how long it might take to see the light. it seemed like forever since i had the comfort of the flashlight.my eyes were starting to make out the rocks and the form of the caves. i knew i was becoming ever closer to the freedom i once enjoyed. eventually, with a little luck and a lot despair i saw a little ray of sunshine. it brought comfort and hope. i had almost forgotten how gratifying the light could be. i started moving faster.

israel had been stuck in darkness approximately 700 years without hope. they prophet isaiah saw past the despair and in chapter 61:1 said

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners."

i remember when i was in high school my family went somewhere and this funny little kid was running around. he would close his eyes and say "i am blind" seconds later he would open his eyes and say, "i can see, it is a miracle." we would laugh with him and he would say it again and again. it was quite entertaining. but for someone who is blind and all they have is darkness it has to be frustrating.

israel had a lot of time without the presence of God in their lives and i can not imagine the despair they felt. the search of trying to fill the emptiness but never being able to fulfill it in their lives must of made them feel hopeless.

john 1:1-9 captures for me the essence of the christmas story. i always enjoy the reading of luke 2 but i love how john captures the incarnation.

"In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
God sent a man, John the Baptist,
to tell about the light so that
everyone might believe because of his testimony.
John himself was not the light;
he was simply a witness to tell about the light.
The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone,
was coming into the world."

like the child said. it is truly a miracle to be able to see. i love the advent season. it gives us expectation and restores us with hope. we know the light and as each week we become closer to christmas we light the candle of hope, and peace, and joy and love. it only builds to the incarnation.