First Laundry, then loans, now this?!?

Trustees send students to tourney free

(Davidson College press release) No loans. No laundry. No cost to attend the “Sweet 16.” At Davidson College students have just learned that they’ll be able to watch their Wildcats play 3rd-seed Wisconsin in person in Detroit Friday night for free - thanks to the college trustees.

Davidson’s Board of Trustees announced Wednesday afternoon that its members are contributing money to cover costs for any student who wants to attend the “Sweet 16″ matchup. The new gift will cover the cost of tickets for Friday night’s Session 1 Davidson-Wisconsin game, as well as tickets for Sunday’s Session 2 contest; bus transportation between Davidson and Detroit (11 hours each way); and two nights of lodging at a Detroit area hotel.

The total cost of the endeavor is not yet known; it will depend on how many students sign up for the trip.

“Given the extraordinary nature of the success of the men¹s basketball team,” President Tom Ross ‘72 said in an e-mail message to the college community. “Davidson’s Trustees have graciously offered to pay the expenses of those students who are able to attend the game in Detroit on Friday night. We know that at Davidson, academics come first,” Ross continued, noting that Friday’s classes at Davidson would go on as planned. “Students, please consider going to the game ONLY if this is, academically, the right decision for you.”

History of the Wildcat

To answer Andrew's question:

"On November 10, 1917, a small cohort of 22 football players travled to Atlanta to represent Davidson College against one of the most formidable teams in the South--Auburn. Auburn's Plainsmen had massacred their first four opponents, outscoring them by a staggering margin of 141-6" (reminds me of Deuces Wild our Sophmore year)

"Not Surprisingly, Auburn dominated the game on the turf, outgaining the 'Red and Black' with 240 yards to Davidson's 91 yards. Astoundingly, Davidson pulled together an amazing offensive attack and defeated one of the most powerful teams in the South that day with absolute finesse and scrappiness, 21-7.

That scrapiness captured the awe and respect of Atlanta sportswriters, who wrote of the "Wild cats" from Davidson College, whose small stature and ferocious style proved overwhelming for the Auburn camp.

Apparently, the Davidsonian picked up on the nickname and it has been so ever since, replacing such milder refercnes as "Red and Black," "Davidson Presbyterians" and "Davidson Preachers."



I'll be here all week folks. Ask away.

PTI and Curry

Sweetness

God has a funny sense of humor.

With 4 minutes left in the game, Davidson ties it up. Unfortunately, Davidson has to make this incredible run on my first Easter weekend as a minister. So with our evening worship service starting in 3 minutes, Curry hits a three pointer to have Davidson go ahead. And I have to go start preaching.

As I look out into our dwindled congregation (probably 1/3 are from Davidson and the other 2/3 are UNC grads so they are at home enjoying the game), I realize that my wife is not there yet--the pastor's wife is in the car listening to the game!
Anyway,

Bible Quiz

There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you Find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a Gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus; there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. GOD Bless You!

I will post the answer tonight as a pdf...took me a while, but they are all in there. And no apocrypha.

One more sentence-created by yours truly--could have brought the total to 32 books.

*It is sad that Steve no longer grasps alms giving, but would he want to give up his banjo? nah!

stupid things:

Stupid things that seem to really bother me.
I was driving home and playing around on my cell phone. I never noticed all the features that this little device has...call waiting, speed dialing, and the like.

Then I found this neat feature, stored only 5 menus deep. It will call 9-1-1 for you. All you have to do is go through 5 different menu selections so that i can dial 3 numbers for you. Seriously, who at Sony thought, "Hey, let's store Emergency Numbers way at the back of all the user menus, that will be a very useful function."

Here is the simple process you must follow...

...and what does 112 call?

I should have known...

This past Wednesday I was invited to the spiritual life fair of a local college that is three blocks from the church. The Residence Life office had set up a giant tent in the school's main quad.

For me, it was a two hour confirmation of what I have been trying to say regarding young adult ministry. The "old" model of ministry is to set up a tent, send out email, mail and post signs telling students that area churches would be available to talk about their programs...

Can you guess how many students came into the tent? One. And he went straight for the popcorn machine in the corner and left.

After an hour and half of sitting in the tent and chatting with other pastors, I went into Young Life mode and started to walk the quad going up to the different groups and briefly chatting up our new worship service.

Of course, there were snide comments, dismisive huffs by the college kids, and statements like "I am tired of hearing about the church..." to which I totally understand and agree.

It made me reflect on even the cool, trendy start up churches that talk about being about faith and not religion, being a movement and not an institution...that these students are wiser than most give them credit. They can see through the marketing language and are seeing that even these trendy places are perhaps even more overbearing in their presentations.

may I have this dance?

Go Cats!




Davidson is dancing the Charleston all the way to the Big Dance

it's time...

Tonight is the first Crossroads service. This service is a retweeking of our church's endeavor to reach out into the upotwn community through contemporary worship.

While it is not the only reason God has called me to this community, it certainily is a dominant portion of my call. Many prayers, tears, fears, excitement, sweat, and creative energy have been poured into this service by myself and members of our church.

As I nervously sit in my office praying and preparing for tonight, I am strangely reminded of how I felt before the Chicago Marathon. On Friday before the race, I was freaked out by every twinge and ache in my body that I would not complete what I had so diligently prepared for months. On Friday night, I slept pitifully as the reality of running 26.2 miles sunk in. On Saturday morning, I choked down coffee, a banana and a bagel because I knew I needed energy and strength. And right before the starting gun went off, I was crammed in with my wife, father-in-law around 39,997 of our "closest" friends, terrified that I would not be able to keep up with them and make a critical mistake that would leave me out of the race. But I also knew that there is nothing more that I could do now but trust in the process.

Likewise, for the past week I have neverously run through every detail of the service (what if the band is "too loud," what if no one shows up--what if too many show up, what if my shirt draws attention away from God and onto me?). Also, the reality of preaching as an ordained ministry to a congregation has begun to sink in. And as I try to choke down a lunch that will sustain me, I realize that there is nothing more "to do" but to trust that God has brought us to this point and that he will carry this service forward.

Someone asked me what my hope was for tonight, and I felt stupid when I could not give her a response. Do I hope 120 people show up? Do I hope those few Young Adults I have met in the community who are disillusioned by church may stumble in? Do I hope that the service is embraced by the church as something "different" but "different in a good way?" I don't know, but I do know that my true hope is that God is glorified through this venture and that all things are done with Him at the center.

So begins my marathon as a preacher.

Devotional: A View From Above

A View from Above:

This past Sunday, I was returning from a trip and flew directly over Atlanta—where I grew up. I was mesmerized as I sat staring out the window because I could easily identify the world I grew up in. I spotted the Georgia Dome, Lenox Mall, Buckhead, and even my old neighborhood.

What amazed me was the perspective 25,000 feet provided me. I felt distant and cold from the world that I knew so well; the vantage point was radically different. Rather than being on the streets, dodging traffic and living life in the city, I flew far above it. While it remained somewhat recognizable, it lacked any real connection for me.

During the same flight, I read an article by Dr. Stephen Hayner who says, “The picture of God from one end of the Bible to the other is that God is on a mission. God is involved. God is passionate. God reaches out. God never gives up.”

It struck me that we often picture God to be hovering above at 25,000 feet watching our every move, but with a disconnected interest. In reality, however, God is on a passionate mission to be involved in our lives.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” He is pursuing us so that we may recognize how intimately close He is to us.

Where have we been able to see God actively pursuing us this week?

From what vantage point do you feel God is viewing your life right now—one that is cold and distant or one that is intimately engaged in your daily life?

Top 25: Davidson

For the first time since 1970, the Wildcats are in the top 25.
Looking strong as they head into the conference tournament this weekend.
Stephen Curry is 5th in the country in PPG at 25.3.