A Miscellaneous Monday

Word to the wise:

Don't stay up 'til 1am watching Law & Order then expect to wake up bright & perky the next morning. Ugh. I've already had the equivalent of 3 large cups of joe and I still feel like my eyes have just opened. Blasted Law & Order...why does it have to be so addictive? I can't stand it when the first 30 seconds of a show lasso you in and you can't help but watch the whole thing!!

OK Jim...time to shake it off. Let's clear our minds and focus on the day...there you go. F-O-C-U-S....

Congrats to the University of Missouri on the recent hiring of new basketball coach Mike Anderson. He was the former assistant here at Arkansas to Nolan Richardson when we won the Nat'l Championship in '94 and was most recently the head coach at UAB. They played a lot like the way Arkansas used to play (remember the 40 Minutes of Hell motto?) and he's promising to make Mizzou basketball a lot like that. There are a lot of Arkansas fans who are upset this morning we didn't hire MA when we had the chance but who's to say how he'd have done here? I think our current coach, Stan Heath, had finally turned the corner and will make Hog basketball a lot more competitive, much like it was 10 years ago.

Happy Birthday to Jennifer's step-mom, Tricia! She was married to Fred until his passing but still remains a vital part of all our lives and we love her dearly! We're so thankful she lives only an hour or so away from us and still gets to come over for all the kids' activites (ie: school musicals, church functions, birthdays, etc) Don't worry Tricia...we've got a pat of butter here waiting on you too! haha

Some of you may ask "what's with this butter on the nose thing"? Well, according to Fred, it's a way to butter up the birthday person for that day to help prepare them for the upcoming year. As you can see in yesterday's post, the butter tradition knows no limits nor boundaries. It is observed anytime, anyplace, anywhere...even on vacation. Tricia even did some legitimate research on this "tradition" and I think she said there is indeed a habit of this occurence in India or some place like that where it's observed between family members as a sign of affection.

No mention on whether or not that family is the Orville Reddenbacher family or not. (rimshot)

This cheap and pathetic humor comes to you as a bonus for reading this morning. You're welcome.

Spring is officially here. I love it when the snow and cold temps are moving out and the warmer temps are moving in! The snow is gone (not that we got much to begin with) and the birds are out singing and the sun is shining! Goodbye Frosty! See you next year! It's supposed to be in the lower 60's today but a cold front is expected to move in tonight for a few hours. Then, temps will climb up into the 70's for a good part of the week. I'm pumped about this because there's a lot of golf to be played, especially since my excursion on the course in Florida. I can feel some good rounds coming on!!

Jordan, Buster...you all ready to go play soon?

If you're visiting here today, thanks for stopping by. I hope God blesses you today in ways you never dreamed. I read Matthew 7:7 this morning and hope to keep it on the front of my mind, especially if I get discouraged today. Hopefully it'll help you too.

"Ask, and it shall be given to you."

So many times we try to bully our way through life, thinking if we can't make it on our own, we're somehow weak...incomplete...a failure. But that's not true at all. We're complete when we put our lives totally in His hands and allow Him to work through us. What better way to know your Heavenly Father is there with you than by calling to Him when you are down & discouraged? He's promised to never leave or forsake His own so take comfort in knowing this. He's the one who will stick by you closer than a brother and He's right there with you even as you read this.

Christian comedian Brad Stine said something incredibly relevant at this past summer's Promise Keepers rally here in Fayetteville. In essence, he said how he's heard critics of Christianity say how weak minded & dependant we all are and how we use Jesus as a crutch just to get us through life.

Well, yes...when you put it that way.

There's no way I can make it through my life on my own. There's no way I can depend on myself to make sure my life provides me the best it can offer. There's no way I can stand up again on my own after I've fallen for the 17th time.

But I can with Jesus beside me.

Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".

Here's hoping you have an incredible week ahead, walking, talking and depending on Him.