Pending a rested mind

Big month for Professional Sports

2010-04-10T15:49:00.005-05:00

I have to say there is alot happening in the Sports world this month. First the most publicized is Tiger Woods return to golf at the Masters. I have not watched any of it myself, but I have followed the scores online. Tiger seems to be playing very well. I cannot say that I put too much thought into it prior to the tournament, but it does not surprise me that he is doing so well. He is simply one of the best golfers ever and probably will be better than before everything that recently transpired in his personal life. I say good for Tiger Woods for taking responsibility for his personal issues and working to save his marriage. There are many that have or would have just given up on their marriage and that being without the social status that he has and the money that he has. I hope Tiger continues to play good golf and win tournaments but more importantly I hope he knows Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. I believe he is Buddhist; however, I am not certain. I also hope that he is able to work his marriage out and live a life devoted to his wife and family. The example set would be greater than the failure revealed.

Next off baseball started. I have to say my passion for baseball fizzled after I finished playing in High School. I can usually tell you who is leading the pennant race and which teams are in the playoffs, but I do not generally watch many games. I have not watched any games this year either, but the Rangers seem to be off to a good start. Maybe Nolan Ryan at the helm, and the Rangers playing strong this season will reinvigorate my passion for the game of baseball. I enjoy all sports to some degree and have always considered myself an enthusiast when it comes to sports, but baseball might just be my favorite sport I ever played.

The Stars hockey season or at least their home games have come to an end. I got to go the Stars game last Tuesday on their next to last home game, but I wish I had been there for Thursday's game. It was fan appreciation night and the Stars paid tribute to Mike Modano. This could very well be his last season in hockey. He has truly been the best hockey player I have seen play since they came to Dallas in the 90's. I remember getting to see one of my first games at the Reunion Arena. I did not realize a hockey game could be so much fun until then. Mike Modano is a Hall of Famer and has given the Stars many years of solid leadership and outstanding scoring. Although the Stars are not going to the playoffs, Thursday was no exception to Modano's excellent play. From what I read, he assisted on a 3rd period goal that sent the game to overtime. He then scored in a shootout to help the Stars win their last home game. Congratulations Mike Modano. Even if you choose to not retire, you are truly one of the best the game and professional sports have ever seen.

Edit: If you have already read this post I had to come back and quickly add the exciting end to one of the most unpredictable March Madness tournaments I have ever witnessed. A classic championship where little mid major Butler took Duke for all the had and came up 2 points short. One thing that is interesting about Duke's championship team is that they really did not have a superstar. They were just a great team. I will be honest with you I cannot even name a player on their team (maybe that is what championship teams are all about).

Well, I guess that wraps it up for my blog today. I hope yall are having a great weekend and enjoying some good sports whether participating or just watching on TV. God bless you.

Cell phones

2010-03-29T23:44:00.005-05:00

So what cell phone do you have? Do you like it? Do you want a new one? I currently have an HTC Fuze. It is actually my 3rd phone by HTC (www.htc.com), and if I had my choice I would have 10 others. I really enjoy reading about the new phones and the technology that they are putting into them. I know... pretty nerdy. If I had my choice, I would get a new cell phone every couple of months. Obviously, they are too expensive though if the providers aren't subsidizing the cost of them and for some reason they do not like to do that more than once every couple of years. Here are some of the phones that I wanted or still want.

1. Touch Pro 2 - actually the phone that replaced my phone about 5 months after I bought mine : ( It has a much larger screen and is very sweet.
http://www.htc.com/us/products/tilt-2-att?view=1-1&sort=0

2. HD2 - This phone was just released in the states as a T-Mobile exclusive. This is probably the number 1 phone I want right now. It has an amazing 4.3 inch capacitive screen. A 1Ghz processor. 1GB ROM and 576MB of RAM. This is by far the sweetest phone available right now.
http://www.htc.com/us/products/t-mobile-hd2#tech-specs

3. HTC EVO - Very similar to the HD2 and will be the first 4G phone when released this Summer.
http://now.sprint.com/evo/?ECID=vanity:evo

4. The next gen iPhone. I would imagine Apple will come out with some very nice enhancements since the 3GS was a marginal improvement over the 3G without any changes to the cosmetics.
http://www.apple.com/iphone/?cid=OAS-US-DOMAINS-iphone.com

5. The Nexus One. I have heard things about this phone although the marketing and sales is not the norm and therefore it hasn't done that great. However, it looks really nice and I would enjoy trying out the Android OS.
http://www.google.com/phone

I personally am I Window Mobile fan. The platform gets knocked quite a bit, but it is very customizable and has plenty of apps (contrary to the belief that the iPhone has all the great apps). I have used Melanie's iPhone several times and although it has great features and apps that are very useful and well made, it would just get boring to me after a while. I like to change how my phone looks and modify things that the iPhone does not let you do unless you jailbreak it. I would be interested in the Android platform, but it is almost too open for me. I like the idea of widgets but many of the Android type themes on Windows Mobile bore me after a while. I think that Windows 7 will probably bring Microsoft back into the game as one of the more consumer friendly phones to buy. I am not sure though that with the restrictions they are putting on it that I will want one of them more than a very nice Windows Mobile 6.5 phone. They are almost taking an Apple-esque approach. I bet it will do well with alot of people though since it should be easy to use, integrate nicely with Facebook and other social media, and also be something new. That seems to be the winning formula in "Smartphones" these days.

Spring is here

2010-03-27T17:55:00.003-05:00

Wow, so a new year has come and we are already in Spring. Guess it is time for some spring cleaning. I do not have any cleaning per say but instead want to try to blog more often. It is funny how people who have blogs and don't blog always blog about wanting to blog more often : ) I will try not to do that too much in this blog. I did revamp my blog a bit the other day with a new look. I got an email saying blogger was offering more default templates and I checked them out. This one caught my eye so I am going to use it for a while. I hope you enjoy it.

Spring started in a different fashion this year with snow fall covering the ground here in Texas. That was something else. I think it would have been even more awesome had we not had record snowfall earlier in the year. I really love it when it snows. Some of my most memorable childhood times were playing in the snow. We even played some hockey on the streets when they were covered with ice. I didn't get to play much this year since I was not feeling the greatest when we had the biggest snowfall. I did get out with Melanie and Brice though and take some pictures. It was absolutely beautiful. Snow covering everything makes me think of purity. Just how the blood of Jesus has washed us clean and white as snow. That is an awesome thought to know that we are cleansed by His blood and made pure again. Easter is just a week away. It is definitely a time to reflect on the sacrifice that was made by our Savior. If you happen to read this blog, and do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Please comment on my blog and I will gladly pray with you and share with you how you can accept Him as your Lord and Savior. Have a great weekend!

A minute to reflect

2009-10-09T15:58:00.003-05:00

I have some time this afternoon so I thought I would go ahead and do another blog. I just wanted to take a minute to reflect on how much God has blessed me. I think too often I take for granted the things He has blessed me with and believe it is important to just reflect on these things.

First and foremost my salvation is the best gift He has given me. One day I will be in Heaven with my Father and Savior for eternity. Although I am not ready to die and I do not fully grasp exactly what Heaven will be like. I know that it will be perfect because He is perfect.

Next, I am very grateful for my family. Beginning with my wife, Melanie. We are growing every day and learning more and more about having a relationship with one another. It is definitely a challenge at times, but if marriage was easy the divorce rate would be much lower. Although it is challenging, it is also very rewarding. Melanie is a wonderful wife and mother. She does so much for me and Brice. Of course, Brice is amazing and near perfect. He makes Melanie and I smile and laugh more than I think we ever thought he could. He is such a genius (seriously). He continually picks up on things and learns more and more. Then of course, my parents. They are always there for us and doing things for us. They are tons of fun to hang out with and always willing to share their time. They also cook really good ; ) The rest of my side of the family is amazing as well. We do not get to hang out with them as much as I like, but when we do it is always fun. My in laws (or as my mom would say in loves) are awesome too. They really accepted me from the beginning as their own and treat me very well. I am blessed to have such nice and loving in loves. I only wish we lived closer to one another so we could all hang out more often. Finally, there is my church family. Our church is small so we really are like a family. Everyone is very serving and gives so much to the church. I couldn't be blessed with a more serving and loving church family.

Finally, my job. Sort of the reason I even have this opportunity to blog right now. I was blessed with a day off today by my supervisor. I truly work for the best supervisor anyone can ask for. I have had some rough experiences with supervisors in the past. However, I believe God provided this job and blessed me with the opportunity to work for such an awesome company and an amazing supervisor. He has taught me so much in programming and truly cares about my success. As much as he strives to excel, he takes the time to make sure I excel too. That is a very important quality in a supervisor in my opinion.

There is so much more I am grateful for. I am in good health and my family is as well. I have been blessed with a nice comfortable house. Two vehicles that work (most of the time : ) ). Plenty of electronic gadgets (I am for sure a tech nerd). And so much more. Praise God for His provisions. I pray that God has blessed you as much as He has blessed me.

Wow, it has been a while

2009-10-09T00:59:00.003-05:00

So it has been quite a while since I have blogged. I think I am going to try to pick it back up and do a little better this time. Maybe I can work on blogging once a week or maybe twice a week. I am impressed how some are able to blog everyday.

Today I think I will blog my opinion on social networking. I have to say I was not really big on it at all. I never had a myspace and just recently created a facebook account. To be honest with you, I think it is a great tool. You are able to connect with so many people that you knew and know. It allows you to see what is going on with people that you would otherwise not even hear from except maybe at High School reunions. What is really awesome is that it really gives you an insight into people's lives and different situations they are going through. This of course, is great because you can see exactly what things people need prayer for in their life. A good friend of mine posted something earlier on Facebook just asking everyone to share with what God is doing in their lives. I thought that was an awesome post. What better way to be encouraged than to read about how God is moving in other people's lives. You would be surprised that if everyone shared how similar our situations are. The enemy wants us to believe that we are the only ones going through the things we are going through so we feel sorry for ourselves and wallow in our misery. However, it is very likely that someone is going through the same things you are and possibly even someone you know. This can give you the opportunity to see that you can weather the storm so that you will have a testimony that will benefit others. Look for God in the situation you are in instead of always looking for God to take you out of the situation. He is always with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. God is good all the time. Continue to look for opportunities to bless others. Thank you to those who have shared with me and given me encouragement in my times of need. Thank you for sharing things in your life that might make you vulnerable so that I can be encouraged. Have a great night.

2009-05-17T15:38:00.001-05:00

Thought I would give blogging by text a go. Lets see if this works.

Golf season is here

2009-04-10T10:14:00.004-05:00

It is has been quite some time since I have done any blogging. I figured I post something to anyone that is interested in reading. Yesterday I was able to get out and enjoy one of my favorite past times. I went golfing with my Dad and my good buddy. None of us scored our best by far, but we had a great time. There were moments of amazing golf, i.e. 2 birdies and a par on the same whole. Then there were other moments of not so great golf, i.e. I have already forgotten the scores since they were so bad but I am sure something like triple bogey or even quadruple bogey could be mentioned.

Sometimes our walk with Christ can be similar to the game of golf. We have moments of brilliance where things are just going great in all areas, but there are also times where things are not so great. In golf, if you have a bad hole or a stretch of bad holes it can easily get you down and if you do not have the right mindset it can effect your entire game. If you allow yourself to be negative and get discouraged about these few holes you might quickly find that a bad whole or two ends up being a bad nine or even entire round. However, if you forget about the bad whole as quickly as it ends and have a positive attitude about the next hole you most likely be able to improve your situation. You might not necessarily score well on the very next whole, but mainting this outlook will increase your chances of improving your score. Life often has a few bad holes here and there. Alot of times these things are caused by something that we do not have much if any control of. What we can control though is our attitude about our current situation. If we keep a positive attitude and trust God during these times of struggle, once the things that are beyond our control start to improve our situation will likely improve as well. However, if we get all upset and allow these difficult situations to affect our life more than they should then when things could be getting better we will most likely be caught up in our own attitude that a few "bad holes" will turn into a bad round. The next time life presents you with some adversity be optmistic about your situation. God is in control. Know that whatever you are walking through is only for a season. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Trusting in him and maintaining a positive attitude will help limit the "bad holes" in life. Let God bless you this Resurrection weekend. Happy Good Friday and Happy Easter.

PS3

2009-01-04T01:32:00.005-06:00

I was blessed to be able to combine gift cards with some of my own money and buy a PS3 this year. I have to say my initial thoughts are that I am very impressed. The PS3 has some amazing capabilities unlike any other system I have owned.
My first gaming console was the original nintendo which I got for Christmas some 20+ years ago. I have to say that it was from then that I new I liked to game. My game of choice back then was probably Mario Bros; however, I had many other favorites including Tecmo Bowl (no offense 10 yard fight, Tecmo Bowl was ahead of its time). I later got a Sega Genesis which gave me my first experience at online gaming using a device that connected over dial. Later came the Nintendo 64, then the PS1, PS2, and now PS3. As you can see I am a Sony person over the comparable Microsoft Xbox. I personally told my mom that I would like the PS2 or the Xbox, and she chose the PS2. I have to say I am very happy with her decision 7 years ago. The PS2 was and is a great system. I have some where around 21 games for it. Most of which are NCAA football, Madden, Tiger Woods golf, and Bond game. Oh and of course Gran Turismo. I imagine my future purchases for the PS3 will closely resemble the PS2 game collection.

So enough about the history of my gaming consoles, all of which I still own. The PS3 as I mentioned before is impressive to say the least. I spent almost 2 hours the first night on the system before even putting in a game. In fact, I didn't put the game in until the next day. The system can serve as a media hub for all your pictures, music, and videos. It has wireless built in so that you can easily stream this media from existing computers on your network. It has a fairly nice browser built in so you can surf the web. You can also go to the Sony store and download game demos, movies, tv series, and more. They also have a feature called Sony Home, which is like a virtual world where you can interact with other PS3 owners and challenge them to games. It is still in beta, but it looks very clean and is promising. I would say I have alot to do with the PS3 still before I see what all it is capable of. Also, I can only imagine the system getting better as game developers utilize its computing power including the ability to put out 1080p pictures (which as far as I know is the top right now). Here are some more of the features I like:
1. It can connect to the PSP to stream the same music, pictures, and video to your PSP anywhere you have a wireless connection.
2. The controllers are very solid and completely wireless. This means no more tangling up wires, being restricted to a certain area, or wireless running from the console to wherever you choose to sit.
3. It plays Blu-Ray discs (the new technology for high definition movies).
4. It also can play DVD's.
5. It can even dual boot to Linux if you are interested in doing so (I personally have never been big on Linux and will leave the computing to my computers).

So, I am very happy to have gotten a PS3 and hope to utilize it for every penny that I paid for it. If you are wanting to do some gaming, let me know. Also, if you own a PS3 and have some input on some good games or even other things that a PS3 can do let me know as well.

Texas Longhorns National Championship

2008-12-16T23:29:00.002-06:00

So, now that football is for the most part over one has NFL playoffs, NBA season, NHL season, and college basketball. I am looking forward to a good Texas Longhorn basketball season. They have started out pretty strong with a solid win over UCLA. Their only loss was to a good Notre Dame team, which I would have liked to see them beat so they could have played North Carolina. I guess they will get their chance against them later.

So, keep an eye out for the Longhorns if you enjoy college basketball. Abrams is already having an awesome year, and the team will only get better.

Til next time.

Update on BCS

2008-12-07T16:06:00.002-06:00

Ok, so now the games have been played and most media is saying that it will surely be Florida versus Oklahoma. However, the coaches poll did not put Florida convincingly ahead of Texas. This means there is still a chance that we could see a Texas-OU rematch. Please Harris poll voters and computer polls, make it happen.

Another scenario

2008-12-06T13:00:00.002-06:00

This blog will be significantly shorter than the last. So, I have another scenario that would probably be my favorite, however I find it to be less likely to happen. This scenario would have OU beating Missouri preferably in a close game, as to not hurt the view of Texas' win over Missouri earlier in the year. Then Florida beating Alabama by a slim margin, but in an absolute sloppy game. It would have to be something so sloppy, that voters would look at both Florida and Alabama and say there is no way either of these two teams are the best team in the country. Since I am really going out on a limb on this one, let's go ahead and say that UCLA beat USC too so that there is no chance of USC getting into the National Title game under the idea that a team that does not win their conference should not play for the National Championship. And finally the result of this scenario, Texas versus Oklahoma in a rematch of all rematches for the National Title. I am sorry Florida and Alabama fans, but honestly with everything that went on with OU jumping Texas in BCS standings the last week of the season and Texas beating OU this year in Dallas. There simply would not be a more hyped Championship game. The debate would be settled where it should have been settled... on the field.

Go Texas!

Do you hear what I hear?

2008-12-06T12:39:00.002-06:00

BCS should stand for Best Complicated System. So without further ado, let me try to explain. First off the system is comprised of three elements. Two elements are human polls, and the third element is I believe six computer ranking systems. They are all equally weighted, i.e. 1/3 of the total BCS ranking. The computer rankings have the highest and lowest ranking dropped out. Through this complicated system each year the "supposed" two best teams are determined and play each other for the National Title. If everything was determined on a piece of paper, many would tell you that this year will be Oklahoma and Florida playing for the title. However, if it were that simple, they wouldn't play the games. So, let me give you my rendition on how things are going to shake out. Tonight, Oklahoma is going to lose to Missouri. That's right, you heard it hear first. Last week they were embarrassed by a Kansas team that went from good, to not even ranked through the second half of the season. Last year, they were embarrassed by Oklahoma in the Big XII championship and knocked out of consideration for the National Title game. Today, they will play with nothing to lose. Missouri is was a preseason favorite, and some would say this has been a disappointing season with such high expectations starting the year ranked high. I have heard the announcers talk about how Oklahoma's offense is rolling. They can't be stopped. Tonight, I think they beat theirselves. Watch for the weather, and Bradford's ability to handle the ball with his broken hand. Sounds like turnovers to me.

I don't watch much SEC football, but I have followed the National Title race closely with Texas being in the picture since beating Oklahoma in October. I know that both Alabama and Florida have good records and handled in their in state rivals last weekend with ease. However, I do not think either of them are the best team in college football. I believe Alabama will come out strong defensively and slow Florida's offense down. However, I think Tim Tebow will take over and play like the Heisman candidate that he is. I look for Nick Saban's team to come up short in the scoring category and lost by a couple of touchdowns.

So now we make a full circle back to the BCS. Oklahoma obviously relents the #1 seed in the computer polls most likely to Florida. Texas with the bye, probably stays at number #2. Now we have the human polls. This is where things get confusing. An article I read recently, said that one voter did not even know that Penn State had lost a game this season. However, I think with this being championship week, most voters will be watching the games. They will probably move Florida ahead of Alabama after watching them beat Alabama. I also think that alot of them, after seeing a Missouri team that got handled Texas, beat Oklahoma will put Texas in the #2 spot. After that it is really hard to say. I believe ballots will be mixed after the number two spots, with something voting for USC and some leaving either Alabama or Oklahoma in the top 3. There you have it. #1 Florida vs #2 Texas in the Orange Bowl for the National Championship.

Go Missouri beat OU!

Congratulations to Texas Tech

2008-11-01T23:16:00.023-05:00

I guess you could say I put my foot in my mouth. Instead of giving reasons why Texas could have won the game or why they did not, I would like to tell you why I think Texas Tech won this game.

1. The offensive and defensive linemen of Texas Tech controlled the game for 3 1/2 quarters.

That is the main reason why I think Tech was able to win this game. Other notable was Crabtree making the catch at the end and getting in the endzone even when Texas had two players there to at least make the tackle. There is still alot of football to be played. I would be surprised to see two teams finish undefeated out of the top conferences. Texas just needs to win the rest of their games, and I believe they will win the Big XII and find themselves back in the top 2. Goodnight.

Upset in Lubbock... I don't think so

2008-11-01T18:44:00.009-05:00

Tonight we will see that an 8-0 Texas team is alot better than 8-0 Texas Tech team. Here are some reasons why I think Texas will win.
1. Muschamp is an awesome defensive coordinator and will have something for Mike Leach's offense.
2. Orakpo will prove to be too fast for Ryan Reed. Who cares if he benches presses more than 600 lbs?
3. Graham Harrell (sp?) is a great qb, but is has been putting up top numbers for the past three years and they have still lost.
4. Colt on the otherhand is considerably better than he was last year win Texas beat Texas Tech. I think he will continue to show his leadership skills and lead Texas to a 4th straight win against a top 11 team.
5. Texas has proven they are a top team over the last three weeks. Tech's only win against a ranked team was last week against Kansas. Although impressive, it is not as impressive as Texas' last three wins.

I am sure there are several more reasons why, but these are a few of the notables. I will check back after the game. Enjoy!

Life without Power

2008-10-22T00:32:00.003-05:00

Today I had the humbling experience of going without power for several hours. I will spare you the details of the why's and what for's to really hit on what I want to share. Some of you might know that I work from home. So, without electricity and I cannot do my work at all. What a bummer (seriously). Furthermore, the food in the refrigerator stands the chance of spoiling if enough time passes without power. You cannot watch tv. The a/c doesn't work. My cell phone battery died and usually I would not be able to charge it. However, Melanie's laptop was well powered and I was able to use the USB cable to connect my phone and charge it. The ice and water dispenser on the refrigerator doesn't work. Obviously you cannot turn on the lights or any other electrical device (again keyword: obviously).

I was very irritated to say the least. The situation was avoidable, yet my neglect made it happen. To help with my irritation, the window for it to be reconnected was 15 hours. 15 hours are you kidding me? That is actually what I told one of the customer service reps.

No power = No fun. Or it is No power = No function.

Life without God is like a house without electricity. God is the power that supplies the source to our appliances. He gives us everything we need and even the desires of our heart according to his plan and purposes. Without God, most things don't work. You might have some functionality but not your fullest potential. The fun factor might seem to be one that eludes this analogy. However, what fun you do have without God will repay you 10 times over with misery that the fun will be soon forgotten.

Give God the time He deserves. Pay Him what is due. You do not want to be without His power!

iPhone? Are you kidding me?

2008-10-21T23:01:00.000-05:00

Ok, so the iPhone is now the single largest money maker for "Apple Inc.". Wow. Who would have thought it? So Apple computers has rebranded to Apple Inc, and the iPhone, although the accounting is a bit strange, generated more than 30% of their revenue last quarter.

I don't have an iPhone. Sure, I would like to have one. But when they were 400+, I just couldn't justify it. I ended up buying an AT&T Tilt for $199 not long before Apple released their newest version for the same price. So what is it about the iPhone that makes it soo good? Curb appeal eh? Everybody has one so I am getting one too.

If people everywhere can get that excited about a phone that is simply another phone with a cooler interface and nice pretty touch screen, why is it that we have such a hard time getting them excited about the God we serve. People are hungry to fit in. People desire to be a part of something. We have such an open door to witness and share about God's greatness, but somehow timidity, fear, pride, selfishness, and many other things get in our way.

So here is the thought that kick started this blog

2008-10-21T02:00:00.000-05:00

Earlier for whatever reason I was thinking about the Cowboy's struggles and there recent acquisition of Roy Williams. I being a Longhorn fan, believe this to be a good trade and look forward to seeing Roy Williams contribute to the Cowboy's offense. Unfortunately, I don't think this is a solution to their problems. This also led me to think about the Jason Kidd trade that Dallas made at the end of last season. It is funny how I began to think that we all to often make similar "mistakes" in our lives. So now you are probably thinking what is he talking about. First before I continue, let me side step for a minute. I had these thoughts earlier, and then ended up on Josh Briscoe's blog. He had a post that made some comparison between Jerry Jones' love for his team to God's love for us. An interesting post including the Roy William's trade, the Cowboy's, and God. However, quite different than what I am about to write about. But still similar in that we can find God speaking to us even in our interests/hobbies if we choose to do so.

So, back to the question "What is he talking about?". Rewind for a minute, last year the Dallas Cowboys finish the regular season at 13-3 tied for the best NFC record. However, they lost their first playoff game. They had lost their first playoff game the year before on a mishandled snap. So what does Dallas (Jerry Jones) do? He goes and signs Adam Jones of the Tennessee Titans. He pumps alot of money into the team and hopes to have a Championship team. He wants the team to get back to where they were at the end of last regular season. They start the season off looking strong. Then they nearly lose to the Bengals and have been struggling since then. So what now? Jerry Jones goes and gets Roy Williams to add to the already talented receiver group. Guess what? Even if Roy William's catches more touchdown passes than T.O. (doubtful), it won't help the defense.

How bout the Mavericks? Dallas loses what seems to be their Championship. Then they follow with the best NBA record the next season only to lose in the playoffs to Golden State. So last season they are doing ok in a very competitive Western Conference, instead of staying with a promising future point guard in Devin Harris, they make the "big" trade to get Jason Kidd. Guess what, they left the playoffs early again.

Ok, enough already... what is the point. The point is, I believe that in our walk with Christ on this Earth we are often too impatient. We have tasted what it is like to walk in victory, so in times of trouble we want a "quickfix" to get us back to that place of victory. Instead of weathering the storm where we are and allowing ourselves to grow and mature in God, we try to figure out something quick and easy that will "fix" our situation and help us. Ultimately, we end up finding out that where we are is exactly where we need to be. Sometimes we might even see that our "quick fix" prolongs where we are and causes us to endure what was there to begin with.

Maybe Jason Kidd will lead the Mavs to the Finals and help them win the championship as he did the Redeem Team in China. Maybe Roy Williams will shine in Dallas as he did in Texas and provide the Cowboys with the offensive spark that will produce more points than the defense allows. Maybe not? Maybe Devin Harris will be a premier guard in the league and could have gotten Dallas to the finals a few years down the road with the right co-pilots. Maybe the future draft picks that Dallas traded away had a franchise defensive player, a solid defensive back, or a hidden talented running back similar to some of the greats like Terrell Davis. At least Roy Williams is young and will be in the league for a while, but I wonder how good those three draft picks will end up being.

In a time where everybody is always trying to get somewhere and get there fast, even our food is advertised as instant, slow down. Be patient. Weather the storm and grow in God. When we are weak, He is made strong.