10 Things I Like

Simplistic enough, it almost sounds like a grade school essay. Which is okay, sometimes simplicity is a true blessing. In any case, this is an interlude to a more complex idea I am working on right now. See, somewhere in the weeks to come, I hope to blog out some responses to the recent bestseller, The Secret. It is an underestimation to state that I find the book without merit. But we will get to that in due time. So, to sweeten the pages (however few they are) of this blog, and avoid coming off like a Negative Nancy, I figured it would be nice to list 10 things I do like. Easy enough. So without further ado...

10. The Volkswagen Jetta

Really. No joke. Now, I know there are plenty of cars out there to fix my mind on.

Of course, there is the revived Charger or the super quick, incredibly sporty Shelby if you want speed. Luxury brings to mind a high price tag number from BMW, Mercedes, or Lexus. But I

always come back to the tried and true Volkswagen, Jetta. A rather unassuming vehicle, style wise, it champions a reliability that is genuinely unparalleled. Although a small auto, it is comfortable. Indeed, one of the assets of the Jetta's small size is how it is designed to work in conjunction with its superb handling. I add to the list superior gas mileage and stellar get up and go. That might make a true auto enthusiast laugh, but the car can move-- all without costing a fortune at the pump!

I speak to the merit of the vehicle as a three time Volkswagen owner. With minimal care, they last long past the 100k mile range and during that time, they take a fair amount of abuse. Having suffered through one fairly serious wreck, two trips through the garage door, and countless excursions over curbs, across sidewalks, through medians, and into parking blocks, it is little worse for the wear. A car owner has to love that.

So, if you are looking for the stability of a Hummer, the luxury of a Beemer, mixed with a little bit of speed, you aren't dreaming-- you're looking for a Jetta.

Heroes and Zeros

So it has been quite some time since I have updated this spot... call me uninspired, short on time, or stricken with a bad case of Writer's Block. It has been nearly a year.

So I have to wonder if playoff hockey is some kind of inspiration?

Let's call it a powerful motivator in this case.

To be sure, I am a Wing's fan. So if you watched the game or caught any hockey news today, you likely know where I am going with this.

What happened last night to Detroit's Tomas Holstrom in Ahaheim's Honda Center was a choreographed criminal act. If you'd like to review it just to make sure we are on the same page, you can check out the coverage on Versus-- http://www.versus.com/nhl/#, "Holmstrom leveled by..."

Keeping this in mind, I climb up on my soapbox.

Over nine years ago, I never watched hockey-- didn't care to. It was too violent, I felt. And this was usually the objection I offered up when dad asked if I wanted to watch a game with him. Nonetheless, I got hooked. (A little hockey humor... very little...) However, in passing through the living room one day, I saw a young Sergei Fedorov tear up ice to slip past both defensemen to score a beauty of a goal. Then he did the same thing two more times and I saw my first career NHL hat trick. He scored five goals that game and I fell in love with hockey. Anyhow, I learned that hockey didn't have to be about nasty hits and violence, that it really was a game of skill.

Three Stanley Cups later, I still believe that as I have seen reward for talent and teamwork and dedication to the game come full circle. It's a beautiful thing.

But nights like last night and players like Rob Niedermayer and Chris Pronger make me sick-- on a couple of different levels.

First, as a hockey fan, playoffs are about watching teams who are the best at what they do-- playing hockey. That does not mean injuring the other team's key players to neutralize their effectiveness so by default you are the better team. It means being great competitors and excellent sportsmen-- the best of the best. Certainly, Pronger and Niedermayer are the worst of the worst. Is your skill in hockey or cheap shots? It is hard to convince potential hockey spectators of the value of a sport marred by criminal acts. (And if you wonder whether or not this is really "criminal" ask yourself, "If this same thing happened at the mall or at a local park, would someone face criminal charges for it?")

Additionally, do we have to start placing viewer's ratings on hockey games? Many television shows get a "TV PG" rating for moderate violence. Maybe I shouldn't be letting my son watch? Niedermayer and Pronger, get a grip. You have kids watching you who love the sport. Many of them like my son also play the game. You are role models for these kids. To this extent, what is the future of hockey? A fine example to set, what a tradition to carry on. Moreover, what sound thinking parent would want to risk their child's well being for such a sport?

This is all to say that the NHL needs to put violence in hockey in check. It is my highest hope that a suspension for both Pronger and Niedemayer is forthcoming. Many are saying that Pronger's role in this is the one to be questioned. Looked like a cooperative effort to me. Looked like an planned intent to injure to me. Still, it looks like it didn't do the Ducks one bit of good.

Good.

By the way, I know hockey is a team sport. And I also know teams have their leaders. Homer has been essential to the Wings playoff victories. He is priceless in front of the net and is a quiet enforcer for shifts spent with Zetterberg and Datsyuk. His commitment to his team was visible in the thirteen stitches that accompanied him to the ice for the start of the third period. Looks like an MVP to me.

Okay. I'm off my soapbox now.

God is Bigger Than The BoogeyMan part 2.

As a child, the boogeyman takes on the form of more conventional monsters-- things with one hundred eyes and twice as many teeth, all the better to eat you with, all the while hiding under your bed just waiting for you to fall asleep. They make a kid afraid to go in the basement or sleep alone in their own bed at night. To be sure, our childhood "monsters" show the depth of our imagination.

Yet the imaginary takes on the form of the real as we "grow up." And that's kind of the opposite of what we would expect. As adults we tell children, "there's nothing to be afraid of," when it comes to monsters because they simply aren't real. Or are they? True enough, gone are the slimy scales and razor sharp teeth, problem is they get replaced with a more vicious enemy. One, unfortunately, that is all too real. So the pointy horns and red flesh and pitchfork is our waning childhood imagination at work, satan is still very real and very much at work, busier than ever. He shows up in different forms, right? Fears that you might fail financially, worries that your health is failing you, unforgiving toward someone that has wronged you, hatred for your fellow man, and rage over the fella that just cut you off in traffic. Those are our adulthood monsters.

As a kid, monsters keep us from going places we would otherwise go. They control us and keep us in a place of weakness, at the mercy of imaginary boogeymen. In one way or another, they hinder our freedom. And really, as adults, our monster-fears are no different. Still they keep us down and anchor us in a place God would not have us. He gives us the power to put an end to those things and live freely. He tells us, "look there's nothing to be afraid of." But still we hold on to those fears and in a way that's kind of like giving more credit to the father of those fears than to our Heavenly Father. Yikes. Is that really what we mean to do?

Isaiah 8:13,14 reads, "Do not fear anything except the Lord Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. If you fear Him, you need fear nothing else. He will keep you safe."

My prayer is that as you read this, you acknowledge those things you need to hand over to Him and begin to trust in Him fully for your care.

My Family

Well to get things kicked off, here's a photo of the Fam. This BlogSpot is named after a drawing my son Ian did called, "God Is Bigger Than The BoogeyMan." If I can figure out the basic operation of a scanner, I will try to get it posted. For now, let me ask, what or who is your BoogeyMan? Do you stand resolute against it, defended by your God who is bigger than anything the enemy could throw your way?