The Pain of Loss

1) If you're regular, Sunday Sevens is going away for now. I achieved a few goals. I got to use this blog more and I got be expressive in a way I don't get to (or want to) on social media. Now, as with so many things, it's become too much of a commitment-- pressure if you want to call it that, to blog weekly. And, I feel that my blogs are becoming forced and not inspired, creative or interesting. My hope is that I'll continue to blog as I see topics that are fitting. When football season returns, maybe I'll start ranking teams again...

2) Today, I want to write about loss and grief. Late Friday, I got the news that the Greatest, Muhammed Ali, died in Arizona. Who can you find that's as transcendent as Ali? Pele? Ali was great as a fighter but I admire his convictions. I didn't always agree with everything and I thought he was too boastful for my tastes, but he was a man who stood up for injustice. He was a humanitarian that graced many people's lives and inspired hope. The world will never have another Ali. 

I like this video, it's not all Ali, but he sort of stars in it.

https://youtu.be/V6xLYt265ZM

Yesterday, a church family lost their son, only 18 years old, in a car accident. The family is an active, core part of the church. I cannot imagine the grief that they have to endure, losing their oldest child, The siblings were at church today and I was able to hug them. I know loss, because losing mom was the hardest thing I had to endure. But I don't know how it is to lose a child. So much heartbreak.

And then I found out this morning that a former student of mine lost the baby she was carrying. I don't know exactly how far into the pregnancy she was, but it is a heartbreaker for her, her husband and their families.

This weekend just kept punching me in the gut. Despite that, it was a marvelous weekend. I got to take a guy around Pisgah on Friday afternoon, woke up early and met another friend for ride in Dupont Saturday morning, hung out with Rachel, Elena and Nora Saturday night, cleaned and read, was encouraged by Brian Land's teaching at church this morning and then encouraged again by the Baccalaureate service at North this afternoon. 

I live a blessed life. I hurt and ache for my friends. I mourn that we all lost Muhammed Ali. But I am thankful for all that I have been blessed with. And cling tight and appreciate all that you have. Don't take losing it for you to appreciate it.

S7s: May 1- Springing into May

1) Kaida turned 4 last week. She had a party in SC yesterday. My brother, Chhay, also just got back from 6 months of deployment so it was a double celebration. And got to see a lot of other kiddos. It was great family time.

2) Speaking of birthdays, god daughter Sydney turned 9. She's growing so fast but she still thinks I'm great so I'll take that for now.

3) Yesterday was the North Henderson High School prom. I drove back from SC, got home around 9:00, changed and caught the end of the prom. I'm glad I made it back. It was great to see all the students dressed up and there were a few that I was very happy to catch. My wrestlers looked sharp and my track team was gorgeous. Everyone seemed to be having fun.

4) My favorite quote of the last week occured when we were outside I noticed what turned out to be fertilizer on the track. Not knowing what it was yet, I asked aloud what was on my track. One of my girls replied, "Grass seasoning". Dunno, I thought it was hilarious.

5)  We went to a meet at Western Carolina this week. The boys took first out of 15 teams. The girls placed 11th. I love WCU's facilities and Coach Williamson and his staff are great to us. The best thing about the meet is that, as coaches, we don't have to work any events or time. That's very rare. It was nice just to watch my athletes jump and throw.

6) I was really amazed by today's sermon. Charles McGowan was the guest preacher and he spoke on Matthew 16:13-17. 

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

I have read the passage before, but read it all wrong. In verse 18, I always assumed it was Peter that was the rock the church would be built on. It turns out that it's actually Peter's answer in verse 16 that is the Rock: Jesus the Messiah is what the church will be built on. 

Also, verse 18, about the gates of Hades... I always assumed that Hades cannot overcome the church. McGowan says that the church is marching on Hades and the gates built to keep the church out cannot win. The church is based on the Messiah  and Jesus cannot be held back by mere walls. 

7) NFL Draft thoughts:

• Laremy Tunsil better be a game changer. If he flops, the Dolphins have wasted another first round pick, a la Dion Jordan. 
• I don't love the Dolphins draft. But not being splashy sometimes is good.
• Panthers took three defensive backs in a row. Josh who?
• I hope Jared Goff is more Aaron Rogers than Brady Quinn.
• I like Denver's pick of Paxton Lynch. 
• I also love that Denver got Adam Gotsis in the second round. Go Jackets!
• DJ White makes plays. I hope he makes the Chiefs roster. 

S7s: Apr 24- Purple Rain

1) Prince. Such an icon. We all jammed to "Purple Rain" and knew all the words to "When Doves Cry" and "Little Red Corvette". The man was such a talent. He wrote his own songs and played all the instruments on several albums when so many artists today are only performers-- all their songs are written for them. He was also an enigma, with a hidden faith and converting to Jehovah's Witness later in his life.

I watched his Super Bowl halftime show again and forgot what a great preformance that was. He jammed in the rain. First time it ever rained at a Super Bowl. He played live music when most acts in the Super Bowl are pre-recorded. He danced on a slippery stage. He played Foo Fighters and Bob Dylan because he could and he was secure enough to not just promote himself.

Here's a clip from NFL Networks recalling that performance. "Can you make it rain harder?"



I love this clip from the Chappelle show also. Apparently, Prince wrote a song about pancakes after this skit.

2) Eric Clapton was asked how if felt to be the greatest guitarist in the world. He replied, "I don't know, ask Prince."

3) Harriett Tubman to replace Jackson on the $20 bill. Great move. I still think we get away from just having people. Let's put Grand Canyon, Arches and El Capitan on our money. Denali and Crater Lake. Statue of Liberty or the Gateway Arch.

Regardless, moving Jackson is a good move. He was a bigot, bad to women and presided through bully tactics and appointing favorites. He was our first populist president, but he'll never be a hero in my books.

4) My favorite play in baseball is a triple play:

5) I got to share my testimony at Watershed this morning. It was special getting to tell the students where I came from and how God has been with me on the entire journey. They've known me for years, but few know the story of my family and how I arrived at who I am today.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

6) Can Golden State win if Curry is hurt? Hornets got their first playoff in in 14 years! 14 years!

7) Track team had two meets last week. We ran at the Falcon Invite on Wednesday and finished 4th out of 7 teams. Had some season bests. Yesterday was the huge Blue Ridge Classic at Reynolds. I'm happy we placed in the 4x200. We ran season bests in the 4x200 and 4x100 as well as the open 200. 

Mallard Creek and Parkland dominated. I watched Parkland's Mckinley McNeil run 54 seconds in the 400. Her mom was actually talking to me when I was was doing 4x200 splits. She was very nice, asking which team was mine so she could cheer. Not knowing her or her daughter at this time, I asked how her daughter was doing so far and she replied, "State indoor champion in the 400 and 3rd best time in the country right now". Yeah, she's doing alright. Sounds like mom and daughter both have good heads on their shoulders. 

S7s: 13 Mar

1) Watershed Youth High School Retreat was this weekend. The place was Carolina Point, a camp run by Young Life on the NC/SC border near Brevard. It's a beautiful site and still growing. We had the camp to ourselves and were blessed with great weather. The theme of the week was the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22. God clothes us in his garments and invites us to celebrate with him. It's good stuff. The kids were amazing and there were some changed hearts. I'm always fortunate to get to share in these opportunities and experiences.

2) NC Primary is Tuesday. I can't wait to vote. Not even decided which primary I'm voting in yet. It will be a last minute decision.

3) NCAA Basketball tournament is ready to roll. I have followed very little college basketball, but I'll still make a bracket. Right now, Let me study the bracket and get back to you on who I think will win.

4) Here's one reason why wrestling is so great-- Seth Curry would never give this interview:

5) More sports: what a huge loss for the NFL-- Marshawn Lynch, Peyton Manning and Calvin Johnson all retire in the same year. Megatron will always be my favorite, I got a lot of joy watching him play while he was at Georgia Tech:


6) Just when you thought you knew it all:
http://www.cnet.com/news/scientists-discover-a-potential-new-species-caspar-the-ghost-octopus/

7) Track season has begun. We had our first and second meets last week. The weather was great. Not brutal like March often is. The team is deeper that we were last year. We don't have the top tier talent, but we've got some strong performers. And I'm really impressed with some of our new kids. We placed 6th at Reynolds on Tuesday and were 3rd in a home meet on Thursday.

My old Dell died, so we tried to pair two new computers to time and score. It didn't work perfectly. We had a system that was fine, but my project before April 7 is to make sure that our computers are communicating. Hosting meets is an ordeal, but we have great facilities and the right equipment. It's just a matter of having all the pieces in place (technology, volunteers, weather).

Sunday 7s: Oct 18

1) Just left a congregational meeting at the church. Our pastor is resigning. Everyone is heartbroken. Some are angry. Dave Desforge has taught me so much about the Gospel. He's one of the reasons I love Grace and keep coming back. It will be strange not have him giving the sermon, but I am reminded that Jesus is bigger than one man. Or one church.

2) Jesus + nothing.

3) This experience has made me contemplative. I understand the inability to manage people and the constant risk of burnout. I wonder if or how long my heart can continue to pursue this passion (teaching) with the energy, commitment and love that I need to for my students and co-workers. It's tough to admit that you might be in over your head. I often feel that way.

4) Today's sermon was by my good friend Brian Land. He spoke on Hebrews 12:1-3, which is one of my favorite passages.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

• Jesus runs with us. It's an endurance race and we're not alone.
• I love that not only does he "author" our faith, he also is the "perfecter:
• I made it into the sermon today. Me, Reese Witherspoon, Liam Neeson & Robert De Niro, King Leonidas and Neo (the Matrix) all make their way into the sermon. Obviously, I was the star...
• Brian used my bike journeys to illustrate the endurance aspect of the race that must be endured. Also, he said that if he were to ride the Great Divide, he has a reference that he can trust-- a wealth of knowledge. Jesus provides that for all our races.
• Talked to two friends who recently moved. They both commented on how much stuff they have and they are trying to lighten the load. Ironically, that's one of the messages in the sermon: we carry heavy burdens that make our race harder. Reese Witherspoon in "Wild" had too much stuff and she couldn't hike the Pacific Coast Trail. Robert De Niro's character in "The Mission"-- he literally carried his burdens and was trapped by them until they were cast into the river. Both my friends are at a point where they are realizing that the stuff the accumulate to make their lives more comfortable only burden them and weigh them down. But getting rid of stuff and lightening the load is difficult. In one friend's words, "It takes radical heart change."

5) Went to Columbia yesterday. We had a party for my older brother, Chhay, who is being deployed to the Middle East for 6 months with the Air National Guard. His brother in law, La, who is the only person I know with a hibachi grill on his porch, cooked up dinner. We played with the kids, ate and celebrated a great brother, dad and husband who will be missed while deployed. 

6) Rode Spencer Branch Trail today. It was the last run down Spencer as we know it. Tomorrow, they are closing it and the new re-route will be the only way down from Spencer Gap. The old trail was technical, with lots of roots, rocks and decent drops off water bars. I'm not a great technical rider, but I love to ride this trail and have no shame in walking when necessary. It will be greatly missed. I hope the new one is as fun and challenging.

7) Another crazy week in College Football. Michigan-Michigan St was nuts! Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech look bad. Ole Miss lost to Memphis. 

• Overrated in this week's Poll: Florida St (9), Houston (21)-- I know they are undefeated, but I still haven't seen a Top 10 performance from the Noles. Houston is beneficiaries of a soft schedule (though they did beat Louisville).
• Under rated: Oklahoma (17)-- they are better than Iowa and Florida in my opinion and that throttling of K-State was impressive. The Texas lost, while not pretty, might be an anomaly. North Carolina (NR)-- shows the lack of respect the ACC gets. And the ACC deserves no respect, even though Clemson is really good and UNC isn't bad.
• Top 7: 1) Utah 2) Baylor 3) Ohio St 4) LSU 5) TCU 6) Clemson 7) Michigan St.

The Threatening Gospel

I stumbled across this great quote earlier in the week. Nelson Mandela used part of it in his inaugural address, though it was originally by Marianne Williams:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

Then, today I read this from Tim Keller's The Reason for God. He was talking to a woman at his church who explained why she was threatened by the Gospel message of Grace:

If I was saved by my good works then there would be a limit to what God could ask of me or put me through. I would be like a taxpayer with "rights"-- I would have done my duty and now I would deserve a certain quality of life. But if I am a sinner saved by sheer grace-- then there's nothing that he cannot ask of me.

We are immensely powerful and God can ask us to do anything. No wonder the Gospel is so frightening-- it's simply much more comfortable be inadequate.

Wondrous Love

"Agape is insanity to reason."

This strange love of the Father, to send his son to love us, though we're sinful, prideful and selfish, makes no sense.

None.

Yet, it's my hope...

Jesus and Colbert and Grace

Stephen Colbert and the Gospel:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Jesus Is a Liberal Democrat
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog</a> March to Keep Fear Alive

Some Colbertisms:
"Jesus said we only have to love those who deserve it."
I'm glad that grace doesn't work like that. I sure don't deserve it. Somehow, I'm a recipient of it.


"If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we've got to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are or we've got to acknowledge that he commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy, without condition, and then admit that we just don't want to do it."
True grace is given to those who need it, but do not necessarily deserve it. Colbert gets it and that's what he's saying in this satire.

Christ came because we could not save ourselves. In Mark 2:17, Jesus says, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

It seems as if many are saying that we'll give you help, we'll give you a doctor, when you feel better. That's not the gift of the Gospel. That's not Grace. Grace is summed up in Romans 5:8-- "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Grace is not at all about anything I've done. When I truly believe that, then I'll be able to love in the way that Christ loved: unconditional, sacrificial and with nothing in return.

30 Years

Last weekend, I made the drive with my brother and nieces (detoured because of the I-40 rockslide) to Knoxville to visit my family's "sponsors". Lloyd and Patricia Smith brought my family to the United States from Cambodia back in 1979. I've always loved them and been thankful for their role in our lives, but now that I am an adult I have a new appreciation for them.

Mr. Smith was a dairy farmer in Maryville, Tennessee. In addition to cows, he and Mrs. Smith were also raising 4 children. In the middle of their lives-- trying to operate a farm and raise a family-- they took a social and financial risk on a refugee family whom they had never met, which they had no idea how to communicate and who were oblivious to the customs and traditions of this new country that would become our home.

Recently, I have been trying to wrap my mind around what sort of leap of faith it required to be willing to welcome total strangers into your comfort zone. Not just welcome them for a weekend or long vacation, but for the rest of your life. And it was not just one or two people, but an entire family that included a teenager, two younger children and a cranky infant (and that's not including my little brother who was on the way). The Smiths were not wealthy people, but what they had an abundance of was love and faith.

This family, with lots of love and patience, taught us about corn, how to speak English, to feed cows, how to drive and took us to church. They sold out to us; providing us with every opportunity to be successful in our new land. Not once have they ever asked for anything in return. I have seen lots of grace in my life, few so great as the grace that was shown to my family some 30 years ago.

Observations and Reflections

School has started. Great first week. I think I am going to have great classes (again!). Here's how I know I've been teaching for a very long time:

I have my 4th Diaz sibling (there's like 9 of them).
I have my 4th Vera sibling (out of 4).
I have my 3rd (and last) Harris brother.
I am also teaching another Anders, Campbell, Dalton, Kampfen, Maciejewski, Sims, and Yoo.

And dear Jessica is taking my class for the 3rd time. She also took it at least once, maybe twice, with other World History teachers.

North football is 2-0 for the first time since 2003. Volleyball is 5-0. Soccer is 4-1, I think. Catie Byrd won the Invite Race at the WNC Cross Country Carnival, with a time of 20:41.06 on a course that's tough to run fast on (though 3 girls did break 19:10 in the Championship Race and 3 boys went under 16:00).

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"We should be ministers of righteousness, ministers of hope,
ministers of something other than condemnation."

Josiah Bancroft, from his sermon this morning at Grace.
Sermon topic: relationships.

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So I'm at church this morning, just doing my thing and I look down and see:




Does the above picture mean:

A) Heang needs to separate his Salomons.
B) Heang has too many Salomons.
C) Heang should wake up earlier so he does not have to rush to church.
D) Heang is quite the trendsetter.

Have a great week, friends. Be sure to check your feet before you head out the door...

Orphans and Ambassadors

Last week, Grace's Watershed Youth did work at the Presbyterian Home for Children. Many of the kids there are orphans-- children without parents waiting for adoption. Remember the musical Annie? Annie just wanted to be adopted. In fact, that was the hope of all the children in the orphanage.

The fact is that we are all orphans. We are looking for a home. Like Annie, we wait hopefully that our parents will come back and adopt us. The truth, however, is that we are already adopted. God is kinda like Daddy Warbucks. But he not only promises to adopt us, he promises us the inheritance of his kingdom. I imagine that if Bill Gates promised me a small inheritance of his fortune, I would immediately jump at it. And how much more valuable is the kingdom of heaven?

I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you. - John 14:17

In his great mercy he has given us new birth... and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-- kept in heaven for you.
- I Peter 1:3-5

---------------------------------------
One career I always thought I would like to be is an ambassador for the State Department. Being able to represent my country in foreign nations would be really neat. It is a very important job, which is why ambassadors are usually the pick of the litter in the State Department.

Josiah Bancroft stated in a sermon a few weeks ago that an ambassador does not have the freedom to say whatever he or she wants. An ambassador represents a higher power. The ambassador of the United States in Russia is only priviledged to state on behalf of the United States, not for himself.

In the same way, we are ambassadors. Our message is not our own. We represent something bigger and more important than us. If we fail to communicate that message, then we fail as ambassadors.

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
-II Corinthians 5:20

Ambassador Apartments- 5th Ave, Hendersonville, NC

13 Pennies

I spent the last week with the Grace Youth on our local mission trip. For various reasons, the summer mission trip right in our backyard. We might not have traveled to Dalton, Georgia, New Orleans or Houston, but we might have made a larger impact on the kids who participated.

Go to my flickr page for photos of the trip.

We had many projects including Manna Food Bank, Asheville Greenworks, the local Women's Mission, the homeless Veterans shelter and a retirement home. Every morning, we started at the Presbyterian Home For Children. It takes in children who do not have parents or, because of circumstances, cannot stay with their parents. The PHFC attempts to give hope to children who otherwise would not have much hope.

In 1904, when Perry Smith, who was orphaned at 12 and grew to be a Presybterian minister, was given charge to start an ministry for orphans in Western North Carolina, the issue was raising enough money to begin and sustain the ministry. Hazel Johnson, just a child, came forward from the back of the room and asked if what she had was enough to get them started. It was 13 pennies. With that humble gift, the elders were committed to building the orphanage and the Presbyterian Home for Children gets its start.

It's never about how much you give, it's about the heart of your gifts. Whether it is tithing to your church, Christmas presents or your beloved's birthday, the love that accompanies the gift should and will be more valuable than the gift, no matter what it may be.

^{Mark 12:41-44
41}Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴²But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,worth only a fraction of a penny.

⁴³Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

My Chains are Gone

This was a message I sent last year to our FCA officers, with some recent additions:

Easter got me thinking today. Over the last few years, God has revealed big themes to me as far as my faith. A few years ago it was the idea of brokenness, that I will not allow God to use me until I am broken in spirit. Then came "redemptive suffering" or suffering for the sake of others. Recently, I've been learning more and more about freedom. We talk about it all the time, especially in the context of war and terrorism and oppression. But what does freedom in my faith mean?

Read Romans. Romans is a book about freedom. It's about Freedom from sin through grace but also freedom from the law through grace. If we choose to obey the law we are slaves to righteousness. If we choose to sin, we are slaves to our sin (Romans 6:15-18). Either way we are slaves; we are not free "So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin" (Romans 7:25). Through Christ we are free. The law, whether it is God's, man's or sin's, cannot save or condemn us. In freedom is redemption, peace and joy.

"For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14)

Easter is an empty tomb. All of the cosmos, in it's mighy, vast and infinite time and space, converge in this singular moment in history, in an ordinary and empty tomb.

Cross = Forgiveness

Tomb = Freedom

On Friday, we celebrated the forgiveness, the Passion, that Jesus had for us. We rejoice in the suffering that he endured; He became the Lamb that was slain (Isaiah 53).

Today, we celebrate the resurrection and the freedom that came in that empty tomb. No chains, no stone, no tomb can hold us. Not even our sins, death or the judgement of man. Sin cannot enslave us, the law cannot hold us captive. The tomb is empty, we are free.

Amazing Grace, I've been set free
My God, My Savior, has ransomed me
And like a flood, his mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing Grace

Happy Easter

Sunday Observations - Mar 1

- Technically, it's Monday morning. No worries, there's about 5 inches of snow outside and school has already been called for tomorrow.

- Track season has begun. It was wet on Monday. 60s Wednesday and Thursday. Rain Friday. Snow tonight means no practice tomorrow. And we run our first meet this coming Thursday. Good news is that there are almost 30 girls out for track this year after barely having 10 last year.

- Random Historical Trivia: We are studying the Romans in my classes. So you know, Caesar's Salad is not Italian and not named after Julius or any of the Caesars of Rome. It's actually Mexican, invented at a whim by some guy named Cesar who thought it would be a good idea to throw romaine, fish and raw eggs together into a salad. When it caught on and moved north, Cesar's Salad became Caesar's Salad.

- This weekend, I went with the Grace High Schoolers to Camp Willow Run for the second winter retreat with Atlee and Hope churches from Virginia. The title of the retreat was Unleash[ed]. It was pretty dang stinking awesome.



- God is bigger than me. God is big enough. Why can't I understand that?

Crush of the Week:
I have only known Pete Bowell (below left, acting a skit) for only one year. I've only met him twice and both times were at Willow Run Winter Retreat. But I appreciate him a so much because he is honest and he is real. He is the Youth Minister at Hope Church in Richmond, VA. Pete shares from experience and shares from his heart. And he loves students. He has spent an entire career ministering to students.
He and Brian Land and Mike Abbamonte team up to make this winter retreat happen. Brian loves Pete too. I love Brian. Thus I must love Pete.

Sunday Observations - Feb 15

- My last week was consumed with the Regional Wrestling Tournament at North Henderson. We ran a pretty good tournament and debuted our new mat lamp. The Knight finished tied for 4th and qualified 4 wrestlers to the 1A-2A State Tournament in Winston-Salem. Here are some links:

WLOS Video
Hendersonville News Video
Hendersonville News Article 1
Hendersonville News Article 2
Citizen-Times Article

- Here's a great picture from the tournament that the Citizen-Times took.

Wrestlers are warriors, but they often display some of the greatest class. Seth Stewart from Owen was the heavy favorite, losing only once this season to an out of state wrestler. Brevard's Trey Hemphill is a good wrestler, who barely placed at the conference tournament but fought his way into the finals at the Regionals. Stewart took the early lead and almost had Hemphill pinned before Trey miraculously turned Stewart onto his back and pinned him. The two shared this long embrace after shaking hands. Classy. Nice.

- And it shows how cool our mat looks under the lights.

- If you want to know how busy I have been: These are the times I LEFT the school this week:
Monday- 7:00PM; Tuesday (we were hanging the mat lamp) - 11:00PM; Wednesday (seeding meeting) - 9:00PM; Thursday (pre-tournament) -10:00PM; Friday (Regionals- Day 1) - 11:00PM; Saturday (Regionals- Day 2) - 11:30PM.

- Yesterday was the 150th anniversary of the State of Oregon. Hooray for the Beaver State.

- I went snowtubing with the Grace Youth today. It looked like this:

Crush of the Week:
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue arrived in the mail sometime this week. I haven't even looked at it. Seriously. It's still sitting on the kitchen table among some unopened mail and unread issues of Time, Sports Illustrated, Bike and a few catalogues. This week's crush my favorite SI Swimsuit model, Stacey Williams. Stacey was featured in Sports Illustrated from 1991-1998.

See Scott Blog

Scott Stewart, the teaching pastor at our church plant, Grace Foothills, has a blog going. Good stuff, read if you get the chance:

http://thestewartblog.wordpress.com/