Are you ready for some (more) football?

Congratulations to Mr. Tom Brady for his MVP season in which he broke Manning’s season TD record! I was sure glad to see Mannings record go down. Since I moved to Indy almost 3 years ago I have had some fun debates over “who is the top QB in the NFL.” The argument for a long time was Manning has better regular season numbers but no ring. Brady has very good regular season numbers and amazing postseason numbers (3 championship rings). This year Brady looked like Manning in the regular season (4000+ yards and 50 TD’s). Manning put up great numbers as well...

Won’t it be strange if Manning plays great this year in the postseason and if Brady does not? It will be like years past but vice versa of course. Tom Brady is the still the guy I’d pick to lead my team in any big game. He is the 2nd coming of Joe Montana. If only he were a Bear!

My Chicago Bears ended the season beating up on G.B. and New Orleans with a 3rd string Q.B. , GO figure?!? 2008 may be another great season for the Bears if we can find a reliable QB (McNabb), stay healthy, and get a consistent running attack. That's alot to wish for i know.

Since my favorite team is out of the playoffs here are the teams I will be pulling for (or against):

For
1. Titans
2. Chargers
3. Patriots
4. Jacksonville

Neutral
5. Washington
6. Packers
7. Tampa
8. Seahawks

Against
9. Dallas
10. New York Giants
11. Indianapolis
12. Pittsburgh


My little brother is a huge Titans fan. They are an overachieving team with an amazing coach. I doubt they will get by San Diego. The Jags are one team that could beat both Indy and New England. I really like their coach.

Obviously I can’t stand the Mannings (especially Manning the older). The Steelers franchise is one of the best (if not the best), but I don’t like them at all. I do like coach Tomlin much more than Bill Cower.

If any of teams listed above (1-8) win the championship I’d be content. I can’t believe Chicago is not playing in the postseason this year? How things can change in a year… Well for those of you who are TRUE team fans or NFL fans in general enjoy the postseason!

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks 4 years of marriage for my wife and I. Time has really flown by fast for us. When I married Andrea I received from the Lord a double portion of Divine blessings. She is a Proverbs 31 type woman and thus deserves to be honored at the gates (and on the blog-o-sphere). In 4 years the Lord has seen fit to double our family (size) as well. It is a wonderful privilege and joy to note that my wife is every bit as good in her role as mother as she is in her role as my covenant companion. It is a bit intimidating being married to your best friend, hero, and lover but welcome to my world! “He who finds a wife, finds a good thing.” I’m praising God today for the daily companionship of my wife. She is my greatest earthly treasure!

Here are some lyrics to a song that brings tears to my eyes as I think about my Andrea (baby love).

“Walking Her Home" (Lyrics by Mark Schultz)

Looking back He sees it all

It was her first date the night he came to call

Her dad said son

Have her home on time

And promise me you’ll never leave her side

He took her to a show in town

And he was ten feet off the ground

(Chorus)

He was walking her home

And holding her hand

Oh the way she smiled it stole the breath right out of him

Down that old road

With the stars up above

He remembers where he was the night he fell in love

He was walking her home

Five more years and a waiting room

At half past one

And the doctor said come in and meet your son

His knees went weak

When he saw his wife

She was smiling as she said he’s got your eyes

And as she slept he held her tight

His mind went back to that first night.

Chorus

He walked her through the best days of her life

Sixty years together and he never left her side

A nursing home

At eighty-five

And the doctor said it could be her last night

And the nurse said "Oh, Should we tell him now"
"Or should he wait until the morning to find out?"

But when they checked her room that night

He was laying by her side

Oh he was walking her home

And holding her hand

Oh the way she smiled when he said this is not the end

And just for a while they were eighteen

And she was still more beautiful to him than anything

He was walking her home

He was walking her home

Looking back

He sees it all

It was her first date the night he came to call

December Reading

1 Peter 2:2 says we should be like newborn infants in our desire for the Word of God. One of the dangers in reading lots of good Christian books is that they can take us away from the Word of God instead of doing what they are intended to do, in bringing us closer to it (and Him). If we spend time reading a book about the Bible instead of the Bible itself on a consistent basis somethings not right.

None the less, good Christian books can be very helpful in our pursuit of godliness...We should not throw the baby out with the bath water.

Here is the latest update of the stuff i am trying to read outside of Scripture... What have you guys been reading??? Did you ask for any good books for Christmas?

Books I am currently reading:
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Don Whitney)
Future Israel (Barry Horner)
The Exemplary Husband (Stuart Scott)
Shepherding a Child's Heart (Tedd Tripp)
Christian Living Beyond Belief (Cliff McManis)
The Message of the O.T. (by Mark Dever)
What Jesus Demands from the World (by John Piper)
Institutes of the Christian Religion, Vol. 1 (John Calvin) (Book 1, Ch 17)
Numerous Jude commentaries (for sermon preperation/various authors)

Books I’ve finished in the last year or so:
Pages from Church History (Stephen J. Nichols)
Assured by God: Living in the Fullness of God's Grace (various authors)
The Reformation (Stephen J. Nichols)
Spurgeon VS Hyper-Calvinism (Iain Murray)
A Scottish Christian Heritage (Iain Murray)
Meetings that Work (A Strauch)
The Truth War (By John MacArthur)
No Place for the Truth (by David F. Wells).
The Cross and Christian Ministry (D.A. Carson).
Women's Ministry in the Local Church (Ligon Duncan/Susan Hunt)
The Holiness of God (by R.C. Sproul)
Growing Up Christian (by Paul Graustein)
How America Lost Her Innocence (By Steve Gallagher)
From Pride to Humility (pamphlet by Dr. Stuart Scott)
Humility: True Greatness (by C.J. Mahaney)
Biblical Eldership (by A. Strauch)
Expository Preaching With Word Pictures (Jack Hughes)
The Reformed Pastor (by Richard Baxter)
Legacy of Sovereign Joy (by John Piper)
Whose Money Is It Anyways (By John MacArthur)
The Treasure Principle (by Randy Alcorn)
Baptist Life and Thought (By William Brackney)
By His Grace and For His Glory (Dr. Nettles) large sections
Knowing God (J.I. Packer) through ch 19
Way of the Master: Evangelism Training (Ray Comfort)
Evangelical Feminism & Biblical Truth (Wayne Grudem) large sections
Girl Talk (Carolyn Mahaney)
Various articles and commentaries on 1 Cor 11:2-16
Various articles and commentaries on 1 Tim 2:8-15
Various articles and commentaries on Titus 2

Books i recently purchased:
Future Israel (Barry Horner)
Preaching and Preachers (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Commentary on the New Testament Use of the O.T. (D.A. Carson)
Resurrection and Redemption: A Study in Paul's Soteriology (Richard Gaffin)
By Faith, Not by Sight: Paul and the Order of Salvation (Richard Gaffin)
The Future of Justification (John Piper)
Genesis: A Commentary (Bruce Waltke)
Chosen for Life: The Case for Divine Election (Sam Storms)
Believer's Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ (Tom Schreiner)

More pictures of Jude

Well we were hoping for a nice family picture for our Christmas cards but Evelyn and Jude decided they were not interested in pictures last night. :)

Our friend Chris posted these at
http://picasaweb.google.com/Chris.Laura.Micah/Kolstad?authkey=6V6eQW7X3ls


Merry Christmas,

Caleb

Should Christians go and see the Golden Compass?

Read one helpful Christian review here http://www.narnia3.com/mt/Blog/Archives/000149.html

What happened to the Bears this season?

What happened to the Bears this season?

1. Inconsistent Q.B. play has killed us.

I love Rex but Rex did not come through this season. Chicago has not had a good QB since Jim McMahon and a great QB since Sid Luckman.

2. Way too many injuries to key players.

I don't even want to start a list here because it makes my stomach turn. I know the Colt's have managed to win despite some key injuries...They have not had as many key injuries but the Colt's have been impressive this season despite those set backs. The Bears on the other hand have not...

3. A poor running attack for a run first team.

Cedric Benson has not been very good (he is out for the season of course). Thomas Jones was the team captain and a better running back (he's in NY because he and Benson did not get along). We were good when we had those guys carrying the ball 20 times (each) a game. Benson was a #4 pick bust.

4. Rex and Brian need guys who can catch the ball. The Bears lead the league in drops. Enough said!

5. The ball has clearly not bounced Chicago's way this season (bad luck/providence).

6. The NFC North got alot better this season. Green Bay is actually very good. The Vikings hit the jack pot with A Peterson. The Lions have been so bad for so long they have top 10 picks at every position (and they still are not great).

7. Not enough off season upgrades. We thought this team with most our returners would return to the Super Bowl. Why 31 teams did not go after Randy Moss is indeed a mystery?

Phil Johnson on God's Truth

Check out Phil Johnson's great post on the Emerging Church at Pyromaniacs (one of my favorite Bible blogs)

Here is a comment he made in his comments section...

Indeed. Patton is advocating a kind of self-doubt (really self-examination—2 Corinthians 13:5). I'm decrying the kind of doubt that is set against God's revealed truth. The first commenter under Patton's post does a pretty fair job of pointing out the necessary distinction. Given that simple distinction, I can wholeheartedly affirm what Michael Patton said in his post today, while standing by what I wrote.The difficulty comes when that necessary distinction is rubbed out by those who buy into postmodernism's anti-epistemology. They conflate self-doubt with doubt toward God's Word by insisting that "epistemic humility" requires us to believe we can't really ever know for sure what the Bible means. So we can't hold any truth with settled conviction, even if it's something the Bible plainly says—because at the end of the day, we can't really trust our own interpretation of the Bible.That's the position Drew is advocating.

It's also what underlies McLaren's trademark skepticism toward truth and certainty. And the reason Drew shouldn't be surprised to find McLaren channeling his very thoughts before Drew himself has even given expression to them is that practically everything in our culture tells us we ought to think that way. And apparently Drew and McLaren don't distrust the trends of the culture as much as they distrust the Bible. Drew and his famous mentor (and hordes of post-evangelicals along with them) have basically joined the greater portion of Western postmodern society in an act of collective epistemological suicide. While talking a lot about "engaging" the culture, they have actually been pressed into postmodern culture's mold. And that mold is a perfect coffin.

Would you vote for a Mormon President?

Mitt Romney made a broad appeal to voters in his speech on faith and politics Thursday, pledging to serve no one religion if he is elected, while at the same time stressing the importance of religious liberty and defending his right to worship as a Mormon.

Romney made the speech in an attempt to answer skepticism about his religion. But he only made brief specific references to Mormonism, underscoring instead what he called the "common creed of moral convictions” shared by Americans and the value of the nation's "symphony of faith."

“Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom,” Romney said. “Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.”

As John F. Kennedy did 47 years ago in a speech answering questions about his Catholic faith, Romney insisted that his religion would not dictate his duties in office if elected president. Romney referenced Kennedy in his opening lines.

"I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith ... I will put no doctrine of any church above the plain duties of the office and the sovereign authority of the law," Romney said. " If I am fortunate enough to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest ... A president must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States.”

For full story go to http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,315486,00.html

NFL

I am glad Rex is back with Chicago since Griese was no upgrade and has no future with the team... Rex has had 3 solid games in a row. The playoffs are probably not going to happen this year for Chicago but as i mentioned before does it really matter? Can anyone really beat New England in the playoffs?

Power Rankings
1. New England
drop off

2. Indy
drop off

3. Dallas
4. Green Bay
5. Pittsburgh