Everything Must Change

i bought this book, because i buy most brian mclaren books. i am always hoping that his thoughts and ideas will challenge me or help give me words to explain my thoughts and emotions that have evoked doing ministry over the years and bring clarity to my mission and purpose as a follower of christ. i know many people dislike brian and that is ok and it seems ok with him. it seems he has chosen to spend his time going forward than trying to defend himself to everyone who seems to be against him. i am glad to say that for some people that i meet that do have issues with him most are pretty open to dialogue about the ideas he brings up. others love to throw simple comments instead of sitting down over coffee and sharing a difference of opinion but being able to keep a great christian friendship, but that is ok also.

this book, "everything must change" has caught me of guard though. it truly has gotten myself thinking about the societal structures in our world and my place in building them up or my place in bringing them down. he makes a comment that

"for some of we are happy going through life knowing as little as possible about economics, politics and ecology. As long as we pay our credit card bill, avoid going to jail, and enjoy a cold drink, we'd rather not deal with the complexities of the societal machinary around us."

he nailed me! this was a perfect description of me for so many years, but over the last few years i have taken small steps into the waters of some of these areas. i think i have taken small steps because i am afraid of the changes that i would need to make to fully take the plunge. ecspecially, when my thinking and ideas run smack dab into the way i like to live my life some times. i think i also have walked slower, because i have issues with how people perceive me. i must admit that i like people to like me. lol. and since as i tread into the waters on these issues, many of the people that "liked me" seem to not like me. because i seem to land on the opposite side of them and than they would like to just get in arguments with me and call me names. but as i read this book and have dialogues with others on the topic i am truly challenged to walk forward and not care what people think. i already have no desire to defend myself to people who are not willing to share a true friendship first and than talk. i just do not have time or the energy for that anyway . i have two boys and barely have enough energy to be a single dad and very little energy to wait for that right girl to land my way. haha.

i do not post much, but maybe this book will push me over here a little more. but i am on facebook! so you can visit me there! lol if i do post again on this it will be about "framing stories". a little more confusion from j-lou. peace.

bad sports week ... but there is some light shining through!

i think the title of the post sums of the week... here is all the bad things that took place

• usc looses to the 41 point underdog team in nocal. congrats and much love to john liotti and all of east paloalto who were dancing in the streets after the game. i hope no cars were blown up in the celebration.
  
• the yankees loose to the indians.... i am know an indian fan.
  
• i loose to samdog by one point in fantasy football.
  

here is the light shining through the clouds:

• the care bears looooooooose to notre dame. read my post awhile back and i joked that this would occur, but never thought those stinkin care bears would ruin the chance to see notre dame go 2-10. but it is always nice to see ucla loose.
  
• kade's soccer team destroyed another opponent. kade even scored a goal and the team still has not been scored on all season long. i am a great recreational activity coach.
  
• the basketball season is opening soon and the bulls did not trade for kobe. so i am still a bulls fan. lol.
  
• mark sanchez will start for the trojans this week and the john david booty era maybe over. it will be fun to see if mark's potential and hype will live up to anything.
  
• ucla (the cuddly care bears) are still unranked

i think that wraps up the sports week. so hope you have a splendid sports weekend and we will see you soon. peace.

evan loves the tunnel after the game!

he does not play much in the game but he loves to run through the tunnel at the end of the game.

j-lou updates

hey i just thought i would give u a few updates....

• kade still has his mohawk and his teacher and school love it! yeah for public schools... booh private schools who do not let kids express themselves! :)
  
• pray for evan... he is really having a tough time with school. he is back at his old school that he seemed to like. pray that he will adjust to the fact that he needs to go to school.
  
• soccer is on! i am not a big soccer fan, but i enjoy coaching kades team. these kids are focused and are running other teams off the field. evan's team is a lot of but evan not too interested, which i am fine with. he may be more like me and have no interest in playing soccer.
  

that is all for now... oh yeah i was at the usc game and they are looking good. i am hoping for a usc show down in new orleans at the sugar bowl so i can meet up with whoever to watch the game and call it katrina relief. i think www.tigersgo.org will help me not have to get a hotel.

a GREAT sports weekend... trojans win, care bears and domers loose!

well, i must say so far it has been a great sports weekend that just need a few things to happen on sunday night to cap it off.... the yankees to beat the red sox and the chargers to beat bela"cheat" and the patriots. but here are some photos of the good things that have happen so far...

i would like the nation to meet stafon johnson. i do not think cornhusker fan needs an introduction after he ran through their defense for 144 yards.

ben olson and the CARE BEARS could not quite handle 0-2 utah. i think a 44 - 6 blow out from the utes is credited to dropping the care bears from 11th in the polls straight out of the top 25. oh yeah, i know u beat usc last year just in case you all want to remind me. we would appreciate you playing less like crap though care bears coming up to our game so you help make the pac 10 look better.

if it is not great enough to see the care bears flame out. i am speechless after the golden domers loose the 0fer bowl to michigan and land 0-4. i can not wait to see you 0-7 next month. oh, but u do play those care bears in a few weeks, so you just may be able to snag a victory. lol. i wander how many loses it will take to fire weis compared to ty wilingham.

the mohawk is back

if you did not read my blog a year ago... you would not have been aware of kade's first mohawk experience that his school cut short by telling him he must cut it off. well he is at a new school and the mohawk is back and has lasted two days at school and our first soccer game.

SEPT 1 IS COMING

i am so excited that football season is on its way. i like baseball, but football is great and the trojans are locked and loaded and ready to go. i have my tickets for the first game, but am waiting for my soccer schedule with my two little rugrats to see what other games i can go to. the trojans have a huge target on their backs, as a preseason #1 and most are saying they can only beat themselves. so care bears enjoy your win last year and i hope you have recovered from your beat down by florida state in your little bowl game. we cannot wait to play you in december.