Pleasantly Surprised

Okay...I wrote the other day about how nice it was to have gone to a college with a losing football tradition. That way, we're never disappointed and we're pleasantly surprised when good things happen. I also predicted that Kent would lose to Iowa State (I believe I used the word "crushed").

I was wrong.

Kent actually beat Iowa State last night. Call me pleasantly surprised. Next week my alma mater comes here to Lexington to take on Kentucky. No predictions this time. We'll see what happens.

The Death Star Attack: Inside Job?

New evidence has come out about the destruction of the Death Star. Some are calling for an investigation based on the release of this new evidence. Click here to see their arguments. After viewing this, I don't believe the "Empire" was as strong as we were lead to believe. There were weak links all the way to the top. My confidence in Emperor Palpatine and Lord Vader have been shaken. I'm glad they're dead. Long live Emperor Jar Jar!!!

Joy!!!

Football season starts today. This is the best time of the year. Period. My beloved Kent State Golden Flashes (yes, that is our real name) take on Iowa State tonight. We will get crushed, but I don't care. Here's a stupid picture from last year's loss to Ohio State. We'll lose to them again. It's great to have a losing tradition. There's absolutely no stress involved, and you're pleasantly surprised when good things happen.

Darth Vader on the National Cathedral

I know, two posts in one day; but I had to post this. How cool is this church? I think Chewbacca would have been a better choice though. Click on the title for the linked article.

Book Review: The Dark River by John Twelve Hawks

Yeah, I'm a book reviewer now.

The Dark River by John Twelve Hawks (and yes, that's his real name) is the second book in the Fourth Realm trilogy (it sounds very confusing with all those numbers). The first book is The Traveler. I stumbled onto it by accident through a book club and loved it. It follows the adventures of a "traveler" called Gabriel and his brother Michael. Travelers have the ability to visit other dimensions, or "realms". The author cites other famous travelers like Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and a list of mystics and people from all walks of life and religions. You may not agree with the theology here, but it helps with the story.

When these travelers return from their other-worldly visits, they come back with secret knowledge and words of wisdom that go against life here in this realm. Over the years, a group has risen to dispose of these people and keep the world in order. These people are called the Brethren. They know everything and are very, very bad. Very bad.

There's also a group called Harlequins. They protect the Travelers at any cost, and therefore are very lonely, disturbed, heroic people. The lead of the novel is Maya. She is sworn to protect Gabriel and Michael, who have just discovered their powers.

The story is set up as a Matrix-type narrative: The world can be a better place, but the powers that be don't want it to change and will do anything to silence those who desire change. The difference here is that the changes aren't technological or biological as in the Matrix. The changes in The Traveler and
The Dark River are spiritual and psychological. While the driving force of the current realm is to buy more, the Travelers tell their followers to live simply and consume less. This is a dangerous message to a consumerist, post modern society. I found myself resonating with that message through both books.

Even though most may recognize the Matrix parallels, there are enough twists and turns in individual storylines to keep it very interesting. And the chapters from the other realm visits are very weird. Mr. Twelve Hawks (or is it just Hawks?) does a great job of letting the reader know that they are in a different place. They're both fun reads too.

Fantasy Football

Among the many accomplishments in my life, I list "fantasy football commissioner" as one of the most honorable things I've ever done. I've tried putting it on a resume or two, but decided against it. I don't think my future employers would "get it". So, last night was our league's 3rd annual inaugural draft night. What a blast. Your adrenaline is pumping with all the excitement and anticipation of who you will get in the draft. You're competing with 9 other teams to select the best team overall. Not that it matters much anyway. You'll probably end up dropping half your team by the 2nd week due to injury or just plain lameness.

I'm very pleased with my selections. I would like to thank Damon Gibbs for selecting Peyton Manning with the first pick overall, leaving me to gobble up Ladanian Tomlinson with the second pick. I also picked up Drew Brees (QB) and Marvin Harrison (WR). I've named my team the Spider Pigs in honor of the Simpsons, of course.

Youth Ministry Milestones

This fall marks my 10th year of youth ministry. I've been a volunteer at my church back in Kent, Ohio and with Youth for Christ here in Lexington, Kentucky. I will also be helping to re-launch the youth ministry at Apostles Anglican Church this fall.

During this time, I've seen my share of youth "bone-headedness" that an adult would expect to see. I've either seen or heard of kids peeing on buses (on the outside), stealing magnets off of cars, stealing and then returning floodlights from front lawns, kids getting pulled over for peeling out in full view of a patrol car, my own car being lovingly vandalized over and over again, and kids puking in walmart bags and handing them to me to dispose of.

The list could continue, but I halt at naming any more because none can compare to what transpired this past weekend. I now have a kid who has actually branded the word "yo" on someone's butt. Yes, branded. With a hot poker from the fireplace. The anonymous individual did say that he/she was prompted by the recipient of the brand to do so and did give them a bath towel to put in their mouth to drown out the screaming, and to keep all their teeth in place.

And yes, he/she did get in trouble due to the fact that: 1. They took pictures, of course; and 2. The parents found the pictures due to the fact he/she forgot to delete said pictures, of course. In this technologically savvy age we live in, it seems that we aren't as savvy while using these cool new devises, or at least we're not destroying the evidence like we should.

This is a new one for me. I didn't quite know how to react at first. I did congratulate him/her on their accomplishment. It took a lot of creativity to pull this off. Is this a setback? Far from it. I think there are far worse things these kids could be doing while they're bored over the summer. I will, however, be working with this child on their decision-making abilities this year.