Time Travel Tuesday Wish List  


 S | 01.31.2010
Who is Jesus? A good teacher? A role model? A religious leader? Or something even greater? That's the question Graeme Goldsworthy (Prayer and the Knowledge of God, 12 & 46) tackles in this week's quote:   

Jesus did not come primarily to set an example. Following Jesus was not, for the disciples, solely a matter of trying to be like Him in His perfect humanity. It was first of all a matter of believing in Him as the unique fulfiller of the Old Testament prophecies of the Christ, the Savior who was to come to do for them what they were powerless to do for themselves.

If we could reduce the status of Jesus to that of good teacher of a new and enlightened ethical way, or if we could see Him as merely an example of sacrificial love, then we would have grounds for an optimistic assessment of our natural human condition. But if God had to become one of us to provide a new Man who performed on our behalf all the will of God for humans, and who died to pay the penalty for our rebellion, then the diagnosis is indeed serious.

 

Doctors do not perform a heart-lung transplant to treat the common cold, nor do they amputate a leg above the knee to treat an ingrown toenail! The gospel, rightly understood, reveals to us the destructive nature of our rebellion against God.



I hope that you are able to understand the Gospel and the reason why we need Jesus. He isn't a crutch for weak-minded fanatics--He is the Son of God and the only One who can intervene on behalf of sinners like you and me. The diagnosis is fatal, but the cure is forever!

And, as usual, I would greatly appreciate your prayers. First I am teaching the final week of our church-wide Sunday School series on The Family at 9:30am and then I am preaching a sermon titled Sin Can't Win: The Gospel According to Joseph during the morning worship service. Because the last week has been a bit more hectic (and sleep-deprived!) than usual, please pray that I will be awake and alert enough to communicate effectively and that even if I am not, the Spirit will still move in the hearts of God's people for His glory. Thanks!

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 T | 01.28.2010
What's that? You wanted to see some more pictures of Aaron and the family? No problem!


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 T | 01.26.2010
Aaron Samuel Powell

That's right! Aaron Samuel is here! Last Thursday (01/21), I met Tricia at the doctor's office for her 1:00pm appointment. We were scheduled to have another NST and see our doctor. The NST went fine, and the little guy's heart looked great. But when we talked to our doctor, she told us that she wanted to go ahead and induce Tricia, just to make sure that there weren't any problems. And after three weeks of multiple visits, tests, and extended stays, we agreed. What we didn't know was that she meant she wanted to induce Tricia that day! But she told us to go downstairs to Labor & Delivery and get things started!

After a quick trip to Triage while we waited for our doctor's office to get the information down to L&D (the lack of communication in our hospital if often astounding) we were finally ready to begin. They started Tricia on the Pitocin drip at 5:00pm Thursday afternoon. She was somewhere between 1-2cm at that time, and we thought we might have a baby before the night was through. Tricia was at 36 weeks and 6 days, so if he was born before midnight he would be premature, and after midnight he would be full-term. We needn't have worried!

It wasn't until midnight that the contractions started to get pretty painful for Tricia. She got an epidural (best invention ever) around 1:00am, and by 2:00am the nurse said she was at 6cm. By the way, let me just say that our nurses in L&D were wonderful at their jobs and really made Tricia and I feel completely at ease. Since Tricia's sister was with us, I decided to take a brief nap at 3:10am...only to be awoken at 3:30am to the news that Tricia was at 10cm and ready to go! She started pushing a little after 4:00am and at 4:23am, Aaron Samuel was born!

Hope you can sleep that well in a house with Ethan!He weighed 5lb 10oz (or more than a pound above his last ultrasound prediction) and was 18 inches long. He was having a little trouble breathing at first, making some grunting noises every so often, so after we held him for a bit, he was taken to the nursery and hooked up to a monitor. (Even outside the womb this kid can't get away from monitors!)

Thankfully, by noon on Friday his breathing had resolved itself without any additional oxygen and he was able to come back to the room with us. Our first nurse in recovery was excellent as well (and I think we had her when we were there with Ethan) and we settled in for a two-day stay.

Those of you that have children know that there is nothing like the feeling of holding a newborn child in your arms, and there's something even more profound about it when the baby is as tiny as Aaron was. Ethan was 8lb when he was born, and those 2-3lbs really make a difference at that age! (Aaron dropped to 5lb 7oz on Saturday, 5lb 2oz by Sunday, and was back up to 5lb 5oz on Monday.)

Mommy & AaronAlthough Aaron's breathing was finally stabilized, his body temperature wasn't. They had to take him on Sunday morning and put him under a warmer. That seemed to help, but the doctors like to make sure that things are going to be fine, so we were forced to leave Aaron at the hospital Sunday night (and as it turned out, Monday night as well) to keep an eye on his temp and his eating habits.

Aaron had been eating fairly well over the first couple of days, but he was much more interested in sleep! If you could get him up, he would eat, but he would often start slow and then be worn out after 20ml or so. When Tricia and I went up to visit him yesterday, we found out that he has been eating 40-50ml consistently for the last several feedings, and his body temperature looks goods. Everyone seemed very confident that Aaron would be able to come home on Tuesday, so that's what we are praying for.

Leaving a child in the hospital is beyond difficult. On the one hand, you know it's the best thing for him, and the last thing you want to do is bring him home and then have to rush him back in an emergency. We understand that, and certainly agree with any doctor who wants to put the safety and health of Aaron first. But logic doesn't always help when you get in the car and drive home without a baby, and it has been tough these last two days. Fortunately, we have Ethan to keep us busy!

We'll continue to keep everyone posted in the days ahead (through blogs, facebook, twitter, email, etc) and we sincerely appreciate all of your prayers for our family!

* * * * *

Speaking of family, my dad got to come home from the hospital last Thursday (at the same time we were heading to L&D). The thyroid was determined to be the culprit of his heart fluctuations an he's on a new batch of medication to try and regulate everything. Assuming the meds work, he won't need any surgery, so please keep praying that all will be well as he goes back for follow up visits in the weeks ahead. I know he didn't want to spend a week in the hospital, but I'm glad they were able to diagnose the problem and hopefully this treatment will be effective and keep his heart stable.

* * * * *

Sadly, it wasn't all good news last week. Abby, my parent's dog for the past 13 years, had to be put down last Friday. Abby hadn't been able to walk for most of last week, and the vet said it was a neurological disorder that would only get worse, eventually resulting in paralysis. Although it was an extremely difficult decision for my parents, they knew that Abby was only going to suffer and get worse, so they did the only thing they could do.

Abby (1996-2010)Abby was born in December 1996, and in the spring of 1997, someone brought her to the office where my dad worked to see if anyone could take her. My dad saw her in the hallway and I think it was an instant decision. I was already in college at the time, but Abby was the first pet we ever had.

The first time my dad tried to take her for a walk, she refused to go (as I imagine she thought she was being given away again) but she soon outgrew that and became my dad's constant companion on his walks.

Although it didn't end the way anyone expected, Abby had a good, long life. She was very much loved by my parents (perhaps even spoiled?) and was always happy to see everyone--except the mailman. She was very loyal to 'her people' and Ethan always had a good time watching her and petting her (gently!). It won't be the same without her, but Abby certainly provided everyone in the family with lots of affection and great memories...and she will be missed. 

Time Travel Tuesday #26

We'll wrap things up this week with a side-by-side comparison of the two boys!    

#26: Ethan (2008) & Aaron (2010)

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 T | 01.19.2010
Thanks again to everyone for your prayers. Tricia and I had the smoothest (and possibly fastest) doctor's appointment yet, and the little guy passed all his tests without any trouble. We go back Thursday for another NST and visit with our doctor...unless we go back before that to have a baby! (Tricia thinks labor is getting close!)

My dad remains in the hospital (the same one we go to for the baby, so we actually just walked over to his room after our appointment yesterday). He had another episode on Sunday night, and after 9 vials of blood (ouch!) the doctor thinks he might have a thyroid problem. Of course that means more tests to see if that is the case, so he will probably be in until Wednesday. Please pray that the doctors will find the cause and be able to treat it with medicine, and that my dad won't get too restless having to spend his days in a hospital bed.

As usual, I'll keep everyone posted with any updates. In the meantime, let's go back to our regularly scheduled blog, already in progress... 

Time Travel Tuesday #25

That's me chilling on my Grandma Jackie's back steps as a youngster. I think the overalls were a sign that someday I would drive a big truck while my car was in the shop (and my insurance company called yesterday to say that the repairs were going to take a few more days than thought, so Ethan gets to keep on truckin' for a while!):   

#25: Mark (late 1970s)

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 M | 01.18.2010

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for my dad. He's still in the hospital, and the doctors aren't sure what caused his heart to accelerate the way it did, but they are running tests and trying medicine to keep him regulated. Hopefully he will get to come home tomorrow, assuming there are no more occurrences.

Also, please pray for Tricia and I. We have a doctor's appointment scheduled for this afternoon and last time we went for one of these they kept us overnight! Pray that the baby is doing well and that we will either get to come home quickly or come home with baby brother!

And of course Monday means it's time for the weekly sports update!
 
 
 

 TEAMS WINS LOSSES
 
All of my teams are done, but the NFL playoffs are down to the final four, and I'm pulling for the Colts to run the table and win Super Bowl XLIV (that's 44 to you and me, kids). They will have to take care of the visiting New York Jets first, who feature one of the best defenses in the league, so that's no easy task. Whoever wins the AFC crown will face the winner of Minnesota at New Orleans in Miami. That means there are only three football games left in the 2009 season, folks! (Unless you count the Pro Bowl, but no one does.)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-13) Season Completed 
Louisville Cardinals (4-8) Season Completed
PRP Panthers (3-8) Season Completed


H
ere are the final overall 2009 standings for football:

  WINS LOSSES
 
 
 TEAMS WINS LOSSES

The Louisville Cardinals reversed last week's 2-0 record and went 0-2 this week. First, they were up on visiting #4 Villanova by 17 in the first half last Monday, but decided not to play much defense on Scottie Reynolds (36 pts, 30 in the second half) and the Wildcats surged back for a 92-84 win in Freedom Hall. Then, on Saturday, they were up by six at #20 Pittsburgh with under a minute to go, only to choke it away on the free throw line. Pitt was able to force overtime and ran away with a 82-77 win. Granted, both of these teams are in the top 20, but if the Cards can't win these close games in the Big East, they'll find themselves on the outside of the NCAA tourney in March. They need quality conference wins to ensure a spot at the dance.
Games This Week: @ Seton Hall (1/21), Cincinnati (1/24)


The PRP Panthers beat Bullitt East 55-54 on a last-second shot at the Louisville Invitational Tournament last Wednesday. Their reward? A game on Friday with #1 Ballard, who rolled the Panthers 75-54. It looks like PRP has a decent squad, but they are not an upper-level team in the state, and may not be able to pull away in the Sixth Region either. But there are still a lot of games left, so the jury's out, so to speak.
Games This Week: @ Southern (1/19), @ Doss (1/22)

H
ere are the current overall 2009-2010 standings for basketball:

  WINS LOSSES
 
 
 TEAMS WINS LOSSES

The New York Mets' outfielder Carlos Beltran had a scope on his knee last week and will miss up to 12 weeks. Beltran missed over two months last season with a knee injury and hopefully this will remedy the issue. Trouble is, the team reportedly found out about the surgery after he had it and had asked him to get another opinon. (Beltran and his agent Scott Boras deny those claims.) Now the team is trying to figure out if there was a violation of his contract, and will also have to handle the PR on this mess. Isn't this a lovely way to head into spring training? Season Begins April 5 vs. Marlins

Louisville Cardinals Season Begins in February
PRP Panthers Season Begins in March

Here are the current overall 2010 standings for baseball:

  WINS LOSSES


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 S | 01.17.2010
Before we get to anything else, I would like to ask everyone to pray for my dad. He went to the hospital last night with an extremely rapid heart rate, and although they have ruled out a heart attack, he is being monitored/tested to see what might be the cause. This isn't the first time he's had an episode of high heart rates, so I'm glad he's getting things checked out and I hope the doctors can figure out how to solve the problem. I'll keep everyone updated, and thank you for your prayers.

And instead of the usual Sunday quote this week, I've decided to catch everyone up on the two major events in my family from the last seven days:

The Car
Tuesday afternoon I decided to run an errand before I picked Ethan up. As I was merging onto the Watterson the lane from the on-ramp was about to end so I turned my head to see if anything was in the next lane over. When I looked back to the road ahead, all I saw were brake lights--from the car in front of me and the van in the next lane over. I locked up the brakes but there wasn't enough room to stop before I hit the back end of the car. As you can see from the picture, there was quite a bit of damage to the front of the Focus. Surprisingly, though, neither headlight broke. The other car was able to drive away, and I could actually get the Focus stared again, but it was leaking something and I didn't want to risk stalling out on the way to the shop, so I called a tow truck.

Fortunately, Tricia and Ethan were not with me, and neither I nor the driver of the other car were hurt. (Although I am a bit miffed that the air bags in the Focus didn't deploy as a result of the front-end collision. I don't think I needed them, but isn't that the reason that air bags are installed in the first place?) The body shop and insurance company got together and decided (thankfully) that the car is repairable, and should be back on the road in about a week.

Of course, I still need a way to get around while the car is being repaired, so I had my insurance company set me up with a rental. Turns out all that the rental place had on hand was a truck. Not just any truck, mind you, but a brand new (only 52 miles on it) Chevy Silverado, which is roughly the size of Vermont. I am not a 'truck guy' by any stretch of the imagination, and most of the time I feel like it's driving me, but Ethan absolutely loves it. I mean loves it. He wants to play in it, and when we go in he wants to go back out and play some more. I already feel bad for how disappointed he's going to be when I return it and get the tiny car back. Check it out:



The Baby
As most of you know, Tricia is going in to the doctor's office twice a week for NSTs (Non-Stress Tests, where they monitor the baby's heart for 20 minutes or so) and once a week for BPPs (Bio-Physical Profiles, where they use an ultrasound to check the baby's heart, amniotic fluid levels, and blood flow through the umbilical cord). Last Friday, she had an NST scheduled right after school, so she drove over for what we thought would be a routine test. Instead, the NST showed some decelerations in the heart rate, and they decided to admit her overnight.

So Friday night was spent in the hospital with Tricia hooked up to the fetal monitors from about 5:30pm until around 11:00am on Saturday. Needless to say, she didn't get much sleep. I fared a bit better, but the fold-out chair wasn't quite the same as the memory foam mattress topper we have at home. The good news is that the baby's heart looked fine the entire time, and the doctor's saw nothing that worried them at all.

Around 11:00 on Saturday we had an ultrasound (which was #7 for this baby) and the little guy went 8-for-8 and scored a 100% on his BPP. Since everything looked fine, we were sent home and told to keep our appointments for next week, which means another NST & BPP on Monday and another NST and doctor's visit on Thursday.

Tricia and I are both glad that the baby is okay, but he is still measuring small in his abdomen (about four weeks behind schedule) and we are just a bit frustrated with our doctors. Okay, we are actually a lot frustrated with them. Since there are eight doctors in the OB/GYN practice we use, we rotate between whoever is available when our appointments are scheduled. But eight doctors means eight opinions, and we often get different--if not flat-out contradictory--information and diagnosis.

For example, one doctor told us that the baby's small growth was a reason to be concerned. She said that if Tricia had been at 37 weeks instead of 34 (what she was on the day the growth issue was first noted) we would be having a baby that day. On a separate visit, another doctor told us that growth wasn't really an issue, and as long as the NST & BPP tests were good, there was no reason to have a baby before 39-40 weeks. On yet another visit, that same doctor said that we need to keep a close eye on the baby's growth. What?! I could go on, but I think you get the point. We're confused and don't feel like there is any consistency among our doctors, so we don't know how much we should be worried, if at all. It really just makes us both want to have the baby here so we can know exactly what to do to take care of him.

In the meantime, here are some awesome 3-D pictures from yesterday's ultrasound:

 

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 T | 01.12.2010
Time Travel Tuesday #24
Here's one of Tricia when she was very little! From looking through her baby photos, I can tell that her mom really liked dressing her in yellow. As Tricia and I get set to welcome our newest baby in the next few weeks (days?) I wonder if he'll look anything like this picture of his mommy (minus the dress, of course):  

#24: Tricia (1979)

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 M | 01.11.2010

Can YOU spot the penalty in this picture? Before I even get to my teams, let me just say that even though I have no official training as an NFL referee, I think what we see in the picture on the right qualifies as a facemask.

Missing a call is one thing, but missing this call which directly (via a fumble return for a touchdown) led to Arizona winning the game in overtime, is ridiculous. The defender's hand was clearly on the quarterback's facemask for several seconds as he latched on and pulled him to the ground. Of course it's harder to see in real-time, full-speed action--but I could see it immediately as it happened. As Arizona ran it in I actually thought "that's coming back" because of the blatant facemask...but no flag was thrown.

I'm not a Packer or Cardinal fan, so the outcome of the game didn't really fire me up one way or the other. It's just odd that in a league where you can get 15 yards for sneezing in the general direction of a quarterback, it seemed odd to have a no-call with a playoff game on the line.

And now on with the weekly sports update!
 
 
 
 

 TEAMS WINS LOSSES
 
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced they would keep new head coach Raheem Morris in place for next year. (Unlike Seattle, who fired Jim Mora after one season and will replace him with Pete Carroll from USC. Not sure about that move...) Also, last week I incorrectly reported that Tampa would have the #4 pick in April's draft, when they really have the #3 pick by virtue of their record. More thoughts on that as the draft approaches. (3-13) Season Completed 

Louisville Cardinals (4-8) Season Completed

And it turns out that the PRP Panthers actually played an extra game this year, falling to Ryle by a score of 52-22 in the 6A playoffs back in November. I stumbled across this information while looking for the Ridge's basketball scores, and honestly had no idea that you could play a postseason game with a 3-7 record. Well, make that 3-8. (3-8) Season Completed

H
ere are the final overall 2009 standings for football:

  WINS LOSSES



 TEAMS WINS LOSSES

The Louisville Cardinals were able to go 2-0 this week, notching two more wins to bring their Big East record to 3-0. With plenty of conference powerhouses yet to play, it's important for the Cards to win these games and get as many Big East victories as possible. Samuels is playing better at the post, but he's the only real inside threat they have, and any foul trouble for him means the team is "3-pointer or nothing" on offense.

Case in point: after jumping out to a 14-0 start against Providence, Louisville starting shooting threes (and missing) and trailed at halftime. Then they went back to Samuels in the second half and cruised to a 92-70 win. A similar thing happened in the St. John's game, as Louisville finally pulled ahead in the second half by virtue of the inside game (which then opened up some perimeter shots) for a 75-68 final. The question is: can they keep it going? Games This Week: #6 Villanova (1/11), @ Pittsburgh (1/16)

The PRP Panthers have played a few more games than I realized last week, since I didn't count the Las Vegas Prep Classic they played in over Christmas break. They went 4-1 in that tournament, but were unable to fend off Holy Cross last week, falling 52-35. (The game against Tates Creek was postponed due to Jefferson County schools being cancelled for snow on Friday.) They also lost to Beech Southern (TN) 73-33 on Saturday at a game played in Lexington for the Dunkin Donuts National Shootout. The Panthers are poised to play in the LIT (Louisville Invitational Tournament) during this week, and hopefully they can get back to their winning ways! Games This Week: (LIT) Bullitt East (1/12)

H
ere are the current overall 2009-2010 standings for basketball:

  WINS LOSSES





 TEAMS WINS LOSSES

New York Mets Season Begins in April
Louisville Cardinals Season Begins in February
PRP Panthers Season Begins in March

Here are the current overall 2010 standings for baseball:

  WINS LOSSES


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 S | 01.10.2010
The word 'repent' carries the idea of a change of heart. It's not just feeling bad because of sin's consequences, it's seeing sin for what it is: falling short of God's glory. And with that recognition firmly impressed upon our hearts, we find a genuine desire to walk away from sin, refusing to participate in something that dishonors God and caused Christ to suffer.

But keep in mind that repentance is a work fueled by the Spirit within. No one--Christian or not--has the power to deny sin in and of themselves. Instead, we must throw ourselves on God's mercy, trusting that He will provide the strength and conviction to turn from sin. It's with this idea in mind that Thomas Waston (The Doctrine of Repentance, various pages) makes the following statements in this week's quote:   

We should hate sin infinitely more than ever we loved it.

He who is not resolved to be an enemy of sin is conquered by it.

You can no more conceal your sin than you can defend it.

Be as speedy in your repentance as you would have God speedy in His mercies.


Some helpful thoughts from Watson (who I highly recommend reading). As sin attempts to take root in your life, how will you respond? Do not ignore it hoping it will go away. Do not feed it hoping it will ever be satisfied. And do not entertain it, for you will soon find that is not so easy to control as you had thought. Instead, reject sin and repent by the mercy of God.  

                                                        * * * * *

Baby Update: After a five-hour (yes, five!) doctor's appointment on Thursday, the end result was that the baby is doing fine. We have to go back twice again this week for fetal monitoring and to check the baby's growth. As long as the baby is not distressed and is growing, they will let him continue towards the full term, but any sign otherwise and baby will be here!

I really appreciate everyone who has been praying for our family, and I continue to ask that you do so. And, just like last week, you can find more information, including the baby's name (sort of), on Tricia's blog.

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 T | 01.05.2010
Time Travel Tuesday #23
As a new year begins, we go back to the beginning for me with some very early baby pictures! I'm calling these '1977' since I seem to be standing up in the one on the left, and I doubt I was doing that at four months. The person holding me in the other picture is my paternal grandmother, Grandma Jackie (everyone called her Jackie even though her name was Sadie Bell...but I'm not sure why!):  

#23: Mark & Grandma Jackie (1977)

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 M | 01.04.2010

The weekly football update has now become the weekly sports update!

  W L
 
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wrapped up the 2009 season with a 20-10 loss to the visiting Atlanta Falcons. That caps off the worst season for the Bucs since 1991, when they were also 3-13. With the loss, Tampa also secured the #4 pick in this spring's NFL draft--one I hope they can use wisely. The season was obviously a disappointment, but nearly every veteran was cut, the coaching staff had major changes, and a rookie QB was asked to shoulder the load. I don't think the Bucs will be quite back to playoff potential next year, but they should be much more competitive week in and week out. Season Completed 

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 2009 FOOTBALL
DATE OPPONENT W/L SCORE RECORD
09.13 Dallas Cowboys L 21-34 0-1
09.20 @ Buffalo Bills L 20-33 0-2
09.27 New York Giants L 0-24 0-3
10.04 @ Washington Redskins L 13-16 0-4
10.11 @ Philadelphia Eagles L 14-33 0-5
10.18 Carolina Panthers L 21-28 0-6
10.25 New England Patriots (UK) L 7-35 0-7
11.01 BYE     0-7
11.08 Green Bay Packers W 38-28 1-7
11.15 @ Miami Dolphins L 23-25 1-8
11.22 New Orleans Saints L 7-38 1-9
11.29 @ Atlanta Falcons L 17-20 1-10
12.06 @ Carolina Panthers L 6-16 1-11
12.13 New York Jets L 3-26 1-12
12.20 @ Seattle Seahawks W 24-7 2-12
12.27 @ New Orleans Saints W 20-17/OT 3-12
01.03 Atlanta Falcons L 10-20 3-13


Louisville Cardinals (4-8) Season Completed
PRP Panthers (3-7) Season Completed


H
ere are the final overall 2009 standings for football:

  W L



  W L

The Louisville Cardinals are the only college basketball team I really follow these days and I don't watch pro hoops (sorry, NBA) so they get added to the mix--fresh off a 71-62 loss at Kentucky. Although I must say that the Cards made quite a game of it in the second half, even gaining a one-point lead with 10:00 minutes to go. Both teams played sloppy ball, but UK remains too explosive and talented for many teams to compete with, even when they are outrebounded and have too many turnovers.

As far as the Cards go, I expected this game to be a loss (unlike the Western Carolina and Charlotte games at home earlier this year). Without dominant post players, it could be a long season of Big East competition, but they're 1-0 in the Big East right now, so we'll see how things pan out after two more conference games this week. Games This Week: @ Providence (1/6), St. John's (1/9)

The PRP Panthers are off to a strong start, and just finished a holiday tournament where they went 2-1. I haven't been able to keep up with high school basketball very much, so I'm not sure if the Panthers are expected to make any noise in their region, but the action will heat up with three games in the next week. Games This Week: @ Holy Cross (1/5), Western (1/7), @ Tates Creek (1/8)

H
ere are the current overall 2009-2010 standings for basketball:

  W L





  W L

The New York Mets signed outfielder Jason Bay to a multi-year deal last week--which means he should hit the DL in the next few days! Last season, the Mets had over 20 players on the disabled list at one point or another. Let's hope they're using the off-season to recover and can make a pennant run in 2010! Season Begins in April

 

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 S | 01.03.2010
Happy New Year! I trust that 2010 has gotten off to a good start for everyone, and I hope that it is a year that draws each of us closer to the Lord Jesus Christ.

What do you not do on Sundays? Do you avoid cleaning the house or cutting the grass? Do you intentionally put off grocery shopping or laundry because it's on a Sunday? There is a long-standing tradition (especially among those of us who are Southern Baptists) that Sunday is a 'day of rest' and therefore should not be filled with work and chores. While that can be a good idea, it might miss the actual point, as Albert Mohler (Words from the Fire, 90) explains in this week's quote:   

All that we do in worship, from the preaching of the Word to the singing of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, to the mutual edification of the body, to the fellowship that we enjoy in the observance of the Lord’s Table that proclaims His life, His death, and His resurrection until He comes—all of this Lord’s Day observance focuses on the positive content of the Lord’s Day, and the positive expectation that God’s people will yearn for this day. The main issue is what we are to do, rather than what we are not to do on the Lord’s Day.


So while there isn't anything wrong with resting on Sunday, the main emphasis of Sundays aren't on the things we avoid, but on what we actually do. Sundays are celebrated as the Lord's Day (though they all belong to Him equally) because of Christ's resurrection. The things we do as we gather with fellow believers on Sundays have much more significance than any of the things we do not do. That's something we should practice, starting today!

                                                        * * * * *

Most of you know that Tricia and I are expecting a baby boy in the next several weeks. We had a doctor's appointment on New Year's Eve, and it turns out that the baby is only measuring in the 8th percentile for growth. This concerned the doctors, so they are going to have us come in for fetal heart monitoring twice a week and an ultrasound once a week to keep a close eye on his progress. If the baby shows any signs of distress, they will go ahead and induce Tricia--so although his due date is February 12, we could very easily have a January baby.

We ask that you please keep the little guy in your prayers, and if you are interested in knowing more about our doctor's visit last week, you can read a more detailed account on Tricia's blog. In the meantime, here are some ultrasound pictures to enjoy!



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A B O U T    M E
> My name is Mark and I was born in 1976.
> I am married to my beautiful wife and best friend, Tricia.
> We have an 20-month old son named Ethan.
> We have another son due in February 2010.
> Tricia also has a blog. Hers is better than mine.
> I'm Associate Pastor at Parkwood Baptist in Louisville, KY. 

> all content is (c) 2003-2010 se7enty6ix.com
 
 
JAN 2010 click each title below for review
click here for
review index

David Liss / A Conspiracy of Paper John Piper (editor) / Stand
Kenneth B. Wingate / A Father's Gift Lanier Burns / The Nearness of God
Jonathan Edwards / Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God  

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