I’ve been busy this week and haven’t posted anything. Haven’t actually had time to think about what to post. But, I have been reading a few things here and there.

Blogs

First is a post on Shaun Groves blog that I found a day or two ago, called Show Me The Happy. It references the recent Time magazine article titled “Does God Want You To Be Rich?” The article, as he explains, is (at least in part) about the “prosperity gospel” which is very common among televangelists. He even includes a picture of smilin’ Joel Osteen. Groves goes a little farther, asking questions about how Christians and churches view things in general. While some of us may recoil in disgust at the “prosperity gospel”, other things we do or participate in may really be no different, or at least they’re not too far apart. Check out his post.

Jason Bybee writes about confederate flags, racism, and how we view and value others. It’s a good post worth checking out. See his recent post titled A ring, a bumper sticker and Gary.

Music

In music news, I see that Todd Agnew is releasing a Christmas disc soon. You just haven’t made it yet in Christian music if you haven’t released a Christmas disc. There are so many out there, and so few that are really good. Most seem to have a song or two that stand out, but usually the disc as a whole is not much to get excited about. However, I’m expecting more from Agnew. His first two albums I’ve enjoyed a lot and he doesn’t seem to fit the mold your typical CCM artist. Evidently, he spent six months praying and studying the Christmas story, and has now produced not just a Christmas album, but a musical of sorts. He has included other fellow artists on the disc, and I look forward to hearing it. I hope I’m not disappointed, but based on his work so far, I don’t think I will be.

One other note, after having mentioned several times the newest Iron Maiden album. I was, of course, very much into heavy metal in high school and college, and still like a fair amount of it today. Maiden has always been my favorite, but one of my favorites that came out of the CCM machine was a Kentucky-based band called Bride. They were at their peak in the early-/mid-90’s and their 1992 disc Snakes in the Playground is one of my favorite hard rock/metal albums of all time. So, all that to say that they are releasing a new disc soon. It’s supposed to be “back to their roots”, which will be a good thing. Their stuff of late (since late 90’s) has not been nearly as good as what they did earlier. They may just have run their course, but I’ll have to check this out to see if it’s worth having. They put out some great stuff in the 90’s, so I’d love to hear something that compares to that.

And by the way, the new Maiden is outstanding. Best since 1988.

Sports

When it comes to college basketball, I’m ACC all the way. Nothing else compares, in my opinion. Duke, Carolina, Wake, State, etc. That’s where it’s at, baby. I love college basketball above all other sports of any kind or level. And as I recently mentioned, I can’t wait for November when college basketball resumes play. In the meantime, I watch college football. And, regardless of how many football schools they’ve added, they’ll never be my first choice for college football. In the South, nothing compares to SEC football. So, I’m very much looking forward to two matchups this weekend.

Florida goes to Tennessee, and I anticipate a good game. ESPN says the lower ranked team has won four of the last five. That would be Tennessee this year. They looked great at home against Cal, then had a scare (also at home) against Air Force last week. I’m not sure how good they are yet, but I think this one goes down to the end, and, I hate to say it, but I think Tennessee pulls it out at home.

The other big game is LSU at Auburn. I’ve seen both teams play, and they both looked really good. However, they were both playing against really bad teams, so it’s hard to really know yet. I think most are picking Auburn to win the conference, so this game is huge since both teams will probably finish 1-2 in the West. It’s even bigger for LSU, though, because they have a tougher schedule ahead. They’ll have to travel to both Florda and Tennessee, while Auburn’s toughest road game will be at Alabama - and let’s face it, that’s not been too tough of a game for them for some time now. Seems most people I’ve heard pick this game are going with Auburn at home. Perhaps LSU will keep in mind the cheap call that went against them over there two years ago. I’m going to pick LSU in another one that goes the distance.

In other football news, I didn’t realize that first team punter at Northern Colorado was such a coveted position. I stand corrected. And, I’m not surprised in the least to read this story.

Okay, that’s all I’ve got.