BLeach

Feelin' It

Three straight hours of football on Saturday.

Needless to say, today I'm feelin' it:)

Game Two

1st Inning: If the Tigers have proved anything this year it's that they won't give up.  I'm ready for them to bounce back big tonight.  And right on cue, Craig Monroe homers!  We've just got to get some guys on base for his World Series shots.  Sweet:)  Guillen just added one to it.  Loving the 2-0 lead.

2nd Inning: Jeff Weaver reminds me of the Tiger dark days:)  In those days he was our ace.  Now I'm not sure that he would even make our four man rotation.  He doesn't look real sharp tonight.  Glad we shipped him to New York. 

3rd Inning: Still trying to get used to seeing Pierce Brosnan replaced as James Bond on all these previews.  I can't imagine how people feel who still remember Sean Connery.  Speaking of previews, Prison Break finally comes back with a new episode tomorrow night.  I can't take these three week layoffs.

4th Inning: Back to the game...we just stranded 3 guys on base.  We had bases loaded with nobody out and wound up bringing nobody home.  Jeff Weaver can't possibly keep dodging all these bullets.

5th Inning: 20 scoreless innings for Kenny Rogers in the postseason.  It's funny how things change.  Last year when they played the All Star game in Detroit, the Tigers were losers and Kenny Rogers was a villain.  I remember Detroit fans booing him for choosing to pitch.  Now he's our hero:)  And just when it looked like we were going to strand yet another runner at third, Sean Casey comes through.  It's 3-0!

6th Inning: Oh man!  They just showed T-Bag from Prison Break sitting in the stands.  He's the bad guy on the show (even though they're all ex-cons:)  Just seeing this guy makes my skin crawl.  How did he get tickets?

7th Inning: Carlos Guillen is still lights out as he adds a single to his triple and double.  He just needs one homer to hit for the cycle.  Pudge grounds into a double play.  We're going to need to get his bat going.  Still 3-0.

8th Inning: I come from a lineage of ice cream lovers.  My dad taught me to appreciate special flavors.  But I've got to give it to Phil.  He has rocked my world with the Peanut Butter n' Chip from these guys!  Kenny Rogers might be done.  That's 23 consecutive scoreless innings.  Come on Kenny!

9th Inning: 3 more outs from Todd Jones and it's on to St. Louis with the series tied up.  I'm actually pulling for a game six back in Detroit since I've got a chance to score some tickets:)  Whoa...with two outs this is getting way too interesting.  Reminding myself that Jones hasn't blown a save with a three run lead all year. 

Whew...

Final Score: Tigers 3, Cardinals 1

G'nite

Game One

1st Inning: Why would Anthony Reyes choose those striped socks?  The Tigers are going to punish this guy.

2nd Inning: Justin Verlander must have decided to let Kenny Rogers get the shutouts.  Hopefully Scott Rolen enjoyed that solo home run.  He was 0 for 15 in his last World Series.  Anthony Reyes' socks are still making me dizzy.

3rd Inning: Ouch.  Pujols is a beast.

4th Inning: Why is there a guy in the front row wearing a Mets jersey?  I wonder if he paid $2,500.00 for that seat before the Mets lost game 7?  Hilarious:)  On a stronger note, Verlander strikes out the side.  Maybe I'll still be able to wear his jersey to preach in tomorrow.

5th Inning: Jim Leyland takes responsibility for the Pujols homerun during his mid-game interview.  That's good leadership.

6th Inning: Verlander's done:(  As for Anthony Reyes?  Come on.  This guy irons the bill of his cap.  Seriously, who does that?  Maybe I shouldn't have made fun of his socks.

7th Inning: God Bless America is the new 7th inning stretch.  40,000 plus baseball fans asking for God's blessing.  I wonder if God ever feels like He's getting mixed signals?

8th Inning: The Bourne Identity is on CBS.  Maybe we can sign Jason Bourne for game two.

9th Inning: Bottom of the ninth; we need some magic...Craig Monroe homers and sends Reyes to the dugout to iron his hat.  We need some more magic...Polanco and Ordonez are out.  We need some of that 5 runs with two outs kind of magic...an error by Scott Rolen.  You never know... now we know.  It's on to game 2.

I wonder if the guy in the Mets jersey enjoyed the game?

Final Score: Cardinals 7, Tigers 2

G'nite.

Please Help

My old friend from College, Michael Dubbels, is sincere yet misdirected.  He is posting on the World Series but doesn't really understand what he is saying.  Will you help me correct him while there is still time?  Will you help me save him from any further posts that would betray his bad baseball judgment to the whole blogosphere?  Will you take two minutes out of your day to protect him from getting his hopes up about a team that is destined to lose? 

If we work together we can make a difference.

If you are willing to help my friend, click on this link right now and leave a comment in support of the Detroit Tigers. 

Hurry, there is no telling how much longer Mike has before the complete meltdown sets in:)

So Subtle

Secret sin is so subtle. 

I spent some time this morning meditating on David's sin story in 2 Samuel 11 and 12.  Ouch.  Sin hurts.  But first, sin lurks.  Then, like a lion quietly waiting to pounce, it sinks its teeth into the human spirit.  The degeneration to follow is so subtle. 

S is for the Slippery Slope.  David's story started with a glance.  That was it.  One innocent look.  Then a line is crossed in his mind.  There was no going back.  So a line was crossed with his body.  Now there was really no going back.  So David engraved his sin with the blood of an unusually loyal soldier.  I doubt he saw that one coming.

U is for Uriah Deserving Better.  Perhaps this is sin's unique effect on leaders.  Self-preservation led David to take advantage of the man who was fighting for him.  Uriah the servant-hero deserved to know that his king had his back.  Instead his leader was plotting behind it.

B is for the Blown Battle.  Joab made a tactical error ar Rabbah that ended with the death of David's men.  But David didn't care because he was so relieved that Uriah was dead.  Secret sin redirected David's passion into a misguided fight for personal survival rather than his kingdom-oriented fight to conquer the enemy.

T is for Truth Going Underground.  David spent the next several months living alie.  Nathan tried the indirect approach but not even his parallel story awakened the truth in David's soul.  It took the direct approach.  It took a finger to his face.  It seems to me that honesty, transparency, and authenticity are all casualties of secret sin.

L is for the Look on God's Face.  This one hurts.  This one really hurts.  Read the last verse of chapter 11.  God wasn't mad at David.  There wasn't a scowl on His face.  There was a frown.  God was displeased.  He felt the kind of disappointment that a father feels who has given everything to his son and would have given more (12.8). 

E is for Eventual Exposure.  What's done in secret will be broadcast by daylight (12.12).  Time has a way of accomplishing this.  Either we will expose the truth to the light ourselves or life and time will do the job for us. 

Then there's 2 Samuel 12.24.  I'm glad the Holy Spirit included this verse.  If any of the above thoughts hit a little close to home, read this verse. 

S-O-L-O-M-O-N is for God's Grace.  Not only was David's legacy extended, but even his relationship with Bathsheeba was redeemed.  God's grace overshadows all the subtleties of sin. 

Second Chances. 

Don't be afraid of honest assesment.  And take courage to start again.

Father Brad

Lately I've been frequenting the Country Oven in Berkley for my breakfast appointments.  I learned early on in church planting that by eating at some of the same places I could start building relationships with the employees.  These relationships are kind of taking on a life of their own.

Today I invited one of the waitresses to join Jon Shelton and I for prayer.  Before I could stop her she started confessing and knelt down beside the table.  I wasn't even wearing a white collar.

I'm glad these employees are becoming God-conscious.  Now if we can just get them through the fog of religion so they can see the face of Jesus:) 

Back From the Dead

My talk from this past weekend is up on our podcast.  If you haven't subscribed yet then today is your lucky day:)

Do it now!

Tigers Quote of the Day

The Tigers were a baby left in a blanket on a doorstep, thrilling with every coo and smile and crawl and wobble.  So the city was happy with a winning team, delighted with a contender, giddy with a playoff clinch, and downright dizzy with a win over the almighty Yankees, who will never ever know the wonder of an impossible pennant (Eric Addelson).

Love that last part:)

For One More Day

Let me just begin this post by mentioning that I have a thing for Mitch Albom.  I spent my high school years reading his column in the Free Press over breakfast.  It was the first one I looked for when I picked up the paper.  I read Fab Five right after it came off the press...back when Chris Webber's name didn't make Michigan sports fans cringe.  I loved Tuesdays With Morrie.  The Five People You Meet in Heaven was a step down in my opinion but still made me think.

When his newest novel came out I picked it up right away.  It's a moving story about family and the values that add up to a no regret exit from life. 

I read most of it in one sitting.  It took me awhile to get back up.  When I did I gave a shout out to my parents for giving their very best to me. 

Don't want to take that one for granted:)

One More Win

The game tonight was off the hook!  Freezing, but off the hook:)

Mucho gracias to Tony and Jamie Sebastian, two of my best friends from College, for throwing the tickets my way.

It was cool to see so many dads at the game with their boys.  Some of my best memories come from attending big games with my dad.

I can't believe I'm typing this but one more win and we're in...the World Series.