I'm sitting here breathless. My allergies flared up earlier today when I went out & mowed the lawn. I must have caught some flying debris in the eye because when I came in to clean up my eye was bloodshot and swollen. I quickly parted ways with my disposable contacts and took a shower, hoping to rid myself of any lingering pollen. It was unsuccessful.

So, my nose is running, my eyes are watering, and I can't get a full chest of air as my asthma is flaring up as well. It's no fun being me right now.

I'm going to go upstairs and take some more allergy medication which will likely knock me out for the night.

Hopefully the morning will bring better things.

This is the post I intended to write yesterday. I spent some time out on my deck in the coolness of the morning revisiting an ancient approach to reading Scripture called Lectio Divina. I had learned about this practice of contemplative & prayerful Scripture reading once practiced by monks centuries ago through a book called Read. Think. Pray. Live. by Tony Jones (reprinted by NavPress under the title Divine Intervention: Encountering God Through the Ancient Practice of Lectio Divina).

I picked up this little red book in 2003 while perusing the shelves in a book store. The title & back cover copy intrigued me. I took it home, read through it, practiced what it taught, and was blessed by a new (at least for me) way to approach God's Word - a way that had been practiced by Christians for over 1500 years, including people like St. Augustine, St. Francis & others. I liked it so much, in fact, that I picked up a few copies and used them in an experimental email Bible study I was doing with several of our youth (which didn't work too well - again, another story for another time).

The premise of Lectio Divina is fourfold:

1. lectio - "Reading"
2. meditatio - "Meditation"
3. oratio - "Prayer"
4. contemplatio - "Contemplation

While it is a small book, I'd do it injustice to try and synopsize the extent of each of these four 'steps' and call it good. I'd encourage you to pick up the book for yourself, or Google "Lectio Divina" for more info. Here's the gist of each step to help whet your appetite:

lectio: Find a space that lends itself to quiet and reflection. Pick a passage. The Psalms are a good place to begin. Try to steer clear of your favorite verses (at least for awhile). It is better to begin with passages that are more unfamiliar so that you won't approach them with a pre-conceived notion of what they already say. Read. Think. Pray. Live. author Tony Jones says, "Once you choose a passage, read the passage slowly and repeatedly. You might read it out loud a couple of times, then once or twice silently. You don't need to think about what the passage means just yet. The idea is to experience the passage."

meditatio: After you've read through the passage several times, move on to meditating on the words themselves. Sometimes a particular word or phrase will stand out to you. Jones calls this part "chewing on the Word... experience the flavor of God's Word." Shine a spotlight on the word(s) or phrase(s) that God draws your attention to. What do the words bring to mind? What does it feel like for you? This is the most difficult part for most people because we are not used to focusing our mind. It is easy, if we are not careful, to allow the thoughts/worries of our lives to crowd in. Resist this. As you get used to the practice of Lectio Divina it will become more natural & easier to focus.

oratio: This is the time of prayer, of conversation with God about what He is bringing to your attention from His Word. Jones notes that people might ask, "'God, why did you put this phrase in my heart today?' People sometimes get hung up on whether it was God who gave them this phrase — maybe it was just them picking something out. Honestly, it doesn't really matter what comes from us and what comes from God — God can use even our self-motivated choices. We work under the faith-filled assumption that God is at work." Ask yourself the question: "God, what do you want me to do with what you've given me today?"

contemplatio: This is the final stage. It is a time to be quiet & rest in God. To "simply be."


It was good for me to approach Scripture in this way - it was something different that I hadn't done in a long time. God used it! He spoke right into where I was at with some things in my life - encouraging me, and reminding me of Who He is.

It might seem strange, at first, do practice something like Lectio Divina. That's okay. It may not be for everyone. It certainly isn't the only way to approach His Word. It might, however, provide you with a spiritual re-charge, like me, that was much needed as you venture to break away from the familiarity of your normal routines.

I've been on this journey with God since I was in seventh grade - over 20 years ago. That's simply hard to comprehend for me. What makes it even harder is the fact that the longer I walk with Him, the more I feel like I'm just beginning to tap into Who He really is. It's the feeling you get when you're standing a distance away from something - as you begin to approach the object, the larger it gets, and the more you feel you're only catching a small glimpse of the whole. The object didn't change - your perspective of it just did.

One of my biggest struggles in those 20 years? Knowing how to approach the Bible.

It hasn't always felt like a struggle, mind you. When I was in high school, I spent time everyday in God's Word - reading, meditating, memorizing, journaling, & praying. It lasted for a year or so (those of you who know me well will know that 'ebb' period in the ebb & flow of my life with God).

When I was in college, I had a life-changing experience with God, a re-encounter and renewal, if you will, that launched me into a time of intense focus and devotion in my life. Once again I found myself craving time with Him. It was an intense period of 'washing' and renewal in my soul that helped set my feet back upon the path that I find myself today.

But that feels so long ago.

As I got older, got married, got kids (yeah, I know, bad grammar), got cynical, I found myself having a hard time approaching Scripture the way I once did. As I began to understand the importance of others in my journey, I unintentionally found myself neglecting that solitary time with Him. It wasn't pre-meditated or planned. Life was busy - busier than before, and the freshness of what God was teaching me in community pacified the curiosity and craving that used to drive me to the Bible.

But I missed it. And when I realized what was happening, and I wanted to go back, I found it hard to find my way. I would pick up the Bible and try and read it the way I used to, but I could never find the consistency and depth I used to experience.

It has gotten better, but I find myself looking for newness in how I approach His Word in my life. It's a spiritual evolution, of sorts, like other things in my life - that as life goes on, and my walk with Him grows, I yearn for more than the status quo or the past. I don't long for the 'days of old,' but, rather, for the days ahead because I know the Goodness that lies before me. I want to know more of Him, and for Him to find more of me usable for His purposes and His Kingdom.

I'm not sure how I ended up here. This isn't what I was planning on writing about this morning. I spent some time on my deck with a warm cup of coffee in the coolness of the morning. I revisited a new, yet ancient approach to His Word called Lectio Divina. It was good and refreshing. I guess that will have to be another post for another day.

I downloaded and installed the latest iPhone update from Apple last night after dinner. It did what was expected: it wiped all the custom applications I had previously installed. I wasn't surprised nor was I heart-broken. I liked playing around installing programs, custom ringtones, various wallpaper, etc. but the iPhone is rock solid all by itself without all the extras. That, and the fact that it's only a matter of time before the hackers figure out how to do it all over again. :-)

As I sit here looking at my newly restored iPhone (with the newest features) I smiled. How smart is Apple? Hmm... let's see. Some are upset that they dropped the price by $200 only two months after release. Apple responded by offering $100 store credits at their retail outlets. Not everyone will take advantage of the credits or will miss the redemption window. Those who redeem them will be doing so right back at Apple, and probably tagging on a few extra dollars to cover the difference between the credit and what they're purchasing. Score: Apple. And don't forget that the price drop will undoubtedly bring more iPhone purchasers through the lucrative holiday season.

Earlier this week Apple came out with news that forewarned those who had taken matters into their own hands and unlocked their iPhones to work with other carriers besides AT&T;. The message: proceed at your own risk; your experimentation may likely result in an inoperable phone. From the early reports it seems they lived up to their threats helpful advice.

So how does this help Apple (besides helping AT&T;'s worries lessen a little)? It solidifies their position as a trusted secure platform. It sends the signal to shareholders that iPhone will stand firm in it's exclusivity for at least the not-so-distant future.

Oh, yeah - almost forgot about the iTunes WiFi Store - the much heralded cornerstone of the newest iPhone update. Let's see, if Apple has sold over a million iPhones so far... and people, like me, are updating their phones & receiving the new iTunes-to-go software... and people, like me, are going to at least buy one song on this new gadget for a mere 99 cents to see how cool it is & how easy it works... that makes today's update worth at least $1 million dollars of new iTunes sales - in the next few days!

Yeah, Apple is smart.

UPDATE: Bought my first song via the new iTunes WiFi Store, and my first iTunes ringtone as well. It was "I Only Have Eyes for You" by The Flamingos (my default ringtone for when Andrea calls me). It was incredibly easy & really fast over the WiFi in our home. The ringtones creation process was simple as well: just click on the ringtone icon next to a song, use the tool to set start/end times (you can set fade in/out and the gap in-between loops, as well) and click buy. Now I have one custom ringtone on my phone! (Lost all the others with the upgrade)

I've just learned about an incredible site! It's called "The Common Craft Show" and it features short videos that help you learn common techie things very easily!

I watched a video explaining what a "Wiki" is and how it can help you, and then another video called "Social Bookmarking in Plain English." The videos are roughly 3-4 minutes long and I guarantee you will have a much better understanding of technology after watching these fun, short videos!

Here's a sample video. The audio isn't as good as the other videos I watched, but since I featured Google Reader & talked about RSS earlier in the week, I thought it would be appropriate :-) ...

I'm a big Facebook fan. I've been known to dabble with MySpace, Squidoo, Mash, and others. My current 'social portfolio?' That would be Facebook, Pownce, Flickr, Shelfari & Twitter. The point? I like the idea of social networking. The problem is - I really don't like the dailyness of attempting to keep up with all of the plethora of options out there (a list that is ever-increasing each day).

The good part of social networking is that it helps connect you with people in your life (both past & present) and introduces you to new people as well. Sure, you're not likely to become best friends with any of your newly found Facebook Friends - but friends come in all shapes & sizes and I believe these surface social friendships have their place. I like learning more about the people in my life. I like connecting with old friends as well (I just found more college friends on Facebook this week - hi, Neil & Faith!).

On the other hand, Twitter is a good example of the problem I face. I have had a love/hate relationship with Twitter - an off/on friendship which spans the last year or so. When I first signed up for this 'let everyone know what you're doing' service I used it like crazy - sometimes posting multiple updates an hour, depending on my mood. The fact that I could link up my cell phone (to make mobile updates while I was out), and that Twitter would message me & let me know when I hadn't updated in awhile made this even easier.

The problem? With other sites I was attempting to keep up with I found that it was becoming too cumbersome to deal with - especially since many of the other sites were wanting me to do the very same thing. So I quit. Then I got a second wind a couple of months ago. Then I didn't keep up with posting my status updates. And here I sit again in a familiar place.

Why can't we all just get along?

Why can't I update my status on Twitter & have it automatically show up on Facebook? Why can't I post a blog entry (like this one) and have it show up on my MySpace profile? Why can't I post a set of photos on Flickr and have some of them show up on my Pownce page? After all, most of them have basically the same idea behind them. The problem is that they don't play very nicely together - each wanting you to come mainly to their site & not all the others (that's how they make there money).

The good news is that some are beginning to place nicer (in a very, very limited sort of way). The bad news is that this cross-posting bliss only works in a handful of situations & sites.

So I'm left with uplifting Facebook as the main island in my social networking world - venturing off on other excursions to Pownce or Flickr or the like only when the more rare occasion arises. Until someone figures out how to create a social networking graph that leverages on all the others.

"... It could be an iTunes killer..."

That's what the email said that I got yesterday morning from a friend. I've been around this stuff long enough that I can't tell you how many times I've heard that phrase. The last time? The heralded Microsoft Zune player. Where is it at today? Gasping for air - sitting on store shelves as prices continue to drop in an effort to sell inventory.

So, it was with trepidation that I clicked the link to Amazon's newest foray into the technology world - Amazon MP3. What I found surprised me.

Amazon is offering DRM-free, high-quality MP3s for a dime less than iTunes. DRM stands for digital rights management - the software that essentially 'locks' a downloaded song and forces you to only use it the way the store wants you to. What does this mean? It means that, unlike iTunes and many other online music stores, you can purchase the song, put it on your laptop and your kids' computers, put it on your wife's cell phone, burn a CD, play it on your son's PSP, your iPod, and your daughter's Zune - all with one purchase. (Disclaimer: I haven't checked the terms of service/usage rights; it's likely all these will be allowed - as long as you don't give the song to a buddy to play, or post the file on the Internet for free download.)

There aren't many online stores that will give you the freedom to do all these things with your own music (that you purchased). iTunes, for example, limits you to playing their normal 99 cent tracks, on up to 5 devices that you have authorized. You can burn them to CD, but forget about playing them on anything but your computer or iPod - they simply aren't compatible with other media players out there.

You can go to Wal-Mart's online music store, which is now also carrying DRM-free MP3s. They charge you more for them, though (approx. 94 cents), and still are pushing the majority of their music as DRM-ed WMA files (Windows Media format - doesn't work with iPod, and, ironically, Microsoft's own Zune).

Caveats? Honestly I don't see any. The only thing people might complain about is if they can't find a song they want, but it looks like Amazon has a good stockpile & that's only going to expand. MP3 isn't the favorite format for some people, so that might be another sticking point. There are certainly better compression formats out there, but MP3 is still the standard and most widely used and Amazon is encoding the media (or the record labels are) at a high bitrate (around 256kbps) - which is the compression rate iTunes is using on their premium 'iTunes Plus' $1.29 tracks (which are also DRM-free, although AC3 format).

If anyone can make a dent in Apple's online music empire I think Amazon can. It's not going to happen overnight. May not even happen in the next year. But slowly they are going to be able to take back some market share a piece at a time. Others will follow suit. If the dent is big enough we might even (hold your breath) see iTunes price breaks!?

Okay, that might be going too far - but who knows. Amazon is doing it right. If they get labels on board & are able to meet demand with a large inventory of available tracks/albums, and if they can control the price point & keep it from ballooning after people begin using the service - they might just be on to something.

• Visit the Amazon MP3 Website

We've used Redbox several times & think it's great! $1 per movie - most of which are new releases - and you can drop the movie back off at any Redbox location. Since most McDonalds (at least around here) are partnered with Redbox & have machines at their restaurants, this means that a movie is as close as the local McDs.

I think this is a great concept, especially when it is coupled to the online & location possibilities. You can log into Redbox's website, search for locations near you, browse what movies are available in each machine, and even reserve a movie (to make sure no one rents it between the time you leave your house & the time you arrive at the machine). This is great for vacation, as well. We have some portable DVD players that we put in the van whenever we go on a long trip. With Redbox we can pick up a movie by stopping at most McDs on the road, let the kids watch it while we travel, & then return it to a McDs 2-3 hours down the road.

Go to the website & see for yourself. If you sign-up for their enewsletter they'll send you a free rental code to use. Here's another one I got in my inbox this morning:

Yesterday was National Punctuation Day and I missed it not sure how I did that Id say that Im usually pretty good about knowing what is what and who is who and what is coming up on my calendar This time though it must have simply snuck up on me Oh well Guess Ill just have to celebrate next year

Here’s an update on the news I talked about last week of the US Federal Prison system mass censoring religious works in prison libraries…

The New York Times ran a follow-up piece about the pressure they have been getting from political & religious leaders in regards to implementation of the approved works lists. Here’s the story: “Critics Right and Left Protest Book Removals” (as before, make sure you read it soon as the Times will make you pay after they archive it). Contrary to earlier reports, looks like The Purpose Driven Life isn’t on the list. The full lists have been leaked from someone inside the system & are available at the NY Times article above.

Andrea & I spend most of our Saturday working through cleaning out the garage. I know, sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't ? :-)

One of the good parts about it (besides the fact that I can walk into my garage this morning & feel good about the fact that it is clean & organized), is going through boxes from each of our pasts. We have boxes upon boxes upon boxes of letters, yearbooks, pictures, artifacts, awards, T-shirts held onto for sentimental reasons, and the like. We have enough of these mementos boxes that we probably could have been done with the garage around 7pm instead of what became 10pm by the time we were through!

It's always amazing to me to look back and see how God has changed me/us. Even in the last 12 years since graduating from college, I have changed so much. It is good to be reminded of the people God has placed in your path along the way, as well.

This is another reason I love Facebook so much, also. I've been able to connect with former students, friends from childhood & as well as college, and get to know people that we are walking alongside right now. Spurred on the nostalgia I was able to re-connect with several college classmates just yesterday! God is good!

In the course of my everyday routine, there are a number of web tools that I have come to rely on. Some are for personal use, others are helpful for my work at LifeWay, and several of them have become crucial in how I manage my day/time.

I thought it might be helpful to do a series of blog posts detailing some of my favorites. Maybe you'll find one or two that might be helpful to you as well!

Google Reader is my first spotlight web tool. Reader is one of the tools in Google's veritable tool shed. It is essentially an online RSS reader. What is RSS, exactly? RSS stands for "Real Simple Syndication." Think of it as a virtual newspaper that scours your favorite websites, grabs new stories & updates & delivers them to your screen in one easy-to-use interface.


[Google Reader Home Screen]

I have been using Reader for about a month and a half now. Honestly, I'm not sure how I ever handled keeping up with the various websites that I frequent without it! Even in that short time frame I'd have to place Reader in the "must have" category of tools I use frequently.

As you can see in the screen above, I follow about 15 sites on a daily basis using the tool. Some are Apple/Mac news sites. Many of them are blogs of friends/others that I like to keep up with. I even have several Google News searches that I'm subscribed to that help me in finding the latest news for the weekly Threads email I send out to about 3500 young adults & young adult leaders.

Clicking on one of the subscriptions in the left column brings up the following screen:


[Subscription Category Listing]

Reader allows you to group similar subscriptions together to allow faster reading. In the screen above I have my "Apple" category of subscriptions (which encompasses about 5 Apple news sites). In one quick glance I can see new stories/updates that have been made on any of these sites since the last time I opened Google Reader.

Clicking on a particular news headline brings up the following screen:


[Individual Headline Preview]

Depending on how the RSS feed for the particular site is set-up, you'll either be presented with a short excerpt of post, or the complete post (including images, as in this case). You can either read through it within Google Reader, or you can click the headline again to be taken to that site to read it in its natural environment.

Adding subscriptions is very easy - simply click the "Add subscription" link, cut/paste the URL of the site you want to follow & voila! You're good to go!

Like I said before, Google Reader has become almost an online TiVo - allowing me to browse through exactly what I want to follow on my favorite sites - all without leaving the Reader interface (unless I want to).

Want to learn more or sign-up for a free Google Reader account? Head over to the home page for Google Reader today! Happy surfing!

I've been spending an above-average amount of time today watching TV as I recuperate from my dentist visit. Finished The 4400 season and also had a chance to catch a preview of some of the new shows premiering on NBC this fall - all thanks to good 'ole TiVo!

Last year TiVo & Amazon partnered up to bring movie/TV online rentals to TiVos. They're offering free downloads of the pilot episodes of the new NBC series, so I thought I'd check some of them out. Here's my take on three of these shows...

Chuck
Mondays on NBC @ 8/7c pm, Begins Sept 24

Synopsis: Chuck Bartowski is an average computer geek until he accidentally downloads files upon files of government secrets into his brain. He has now been scouted by the CIA to lead a double life of Buy-More clerk, and CIA agent.


This one looked fun on the commercials so I thought I'd give it a try. I was a bit disappointed. It was laugh out-loud funny at times, and the 'secret agent forced to have to partner with the dim-witted, yet charming, computer geek' was an interesting premise. The problem is that the show seems like it is trying too hard to invent a new sort of sitcom/scifi/action genre - and it fails because of it. It feels too over-the-top and simply unbelievable. Maybe it's the geek in me, but the idea that Chuck effectively downloads all of this top secret information subconsciously via a series of image flashes on a computer screen brought on by opening an email from a college roommate he hasn't talked to in years seems a bit far stretched. :-) It's worth giving one shot, just don't have too high of expectations.


Bionic Woman
Wednesdays on NBC @ 9/8c pm, Begins Sept 26

Synopsis: Jaime Sommers is a normal, hard-working woman caring for her younger sister and managing a love relationship. Her life is complicated further after she is involved in a horrendous car accident, leaving her with injuries so severe, she can only be saved using bionic body parts with amazing abilities beyond Jaime's control.

This is the one that I was most looking forward to. I can still remember the original series from the 70s and I'm a sucker for stories about super-heroes. I'd have to say I wasn't disappointed, either. This one was shot really well, and does a good job of making something sci-fi-ish seem believable, at least visually. This one reminded me a lot of the 'ended-too-soon' Birds of Prey series from a few years ago. I think I'll have to set-up a TiVo season pass for this one & see how well they continue it over the next few months. Hopefully it won't suffer the same fate as Birds of Prey in the end.


Journeyman
Mondays on NBC @ 10/9c pm, Begins Sept 24

Synopsis: Chuck Bartowski is an average computer geek until he accidentally downloads files upon files of government secrets into his brain. He has now been scouted by the CIA to lead a double life of Buy-More clerk, and CIA agent.

As much as I liked Bionic Woman, I think this is my favorite of the three. Very intriguing storyline. The way he weaves in & out of different times, and the connection of the various relationships through these travels makes the storyline one that you want to follow. Much like Lost, this one will have both a story that takes place within each episode (revolving around how his travels are linked during that show) and the overarching storylines of the different relationships within his life & how his travels through time affect these relationships. Another TiVo Season Pass.

I had to have two teeth extracted today. Nothing that was an emergency, but just something my dentist has been wanting me to do.

When I was younger I had the joy of getting two teeth removed that weren't coming in correctly. I had braces for years and they helped to close the gap left from their absence so people wouldn't stare when I smiled. The one downside is that I had (until today) two more teeth on top than I did on bottom. These two extras were the source of my dentist's concern and he advised me that I would be glad later in life if I went ahead & had them removed now.

So I went through the rather painless procedure (thank God for anesthesia) - although it was a bit surreal of an experience. Now I'm sitting here watching Dora with Emerie making sure I keep up with my pain medicine dosages.

This is probably going to be interesting to a small fraction of people, but anyone involved with graphic or web design might be interested in this new technology. Demonstrates how to resize images without affecting the content within the image. In terms of film/DVD, it would be likened to being able to offer a full screen version of a widescreen movie (albeit with images, not motion in this case) without having to pick where the 4x3 window is going to fall in any given scene. All content in an image can be maintained even while resizing by determining what portions of an image of least important & subtly ‘carving’ them away.

Okay, so I’m already past my blogging quota for the day. This is too cool to pass by, though. A friend of mine posted this on Facebook.

Posted this blog post on the Threads website today...

That’s the subject line of an email I received this morning in my Inbox. It was from a group trying to rally support against library censorship efforts in our federal prison system. Beyond the political action of the email, the topic is one that is intriguing at best and potentially disturbing at worst.

Beginning last spring the Bureau of Prisons began systematically telling chaplains to remove books & resources which didn’t make a pre-approved list. The list was compiled with the help of religious experts, according to the Bureau, and the move was designed to help curb violence and religious extremism brewing in the prison system.

Here are two articles explaining the move...

• “Prisons Purging Books on Faith from Libraries” (NY Times - hurry as the Times makes archived articles available to paid subscribers only)
• “2 New York Prisoners Sue to Get Their Banned Religious Books Back” (International Herald Tribune)

Most confusing deletion to me… The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. This is violent material???

What’s your take on this? After reading the above articles I find the practice a little disturbing - but I’ll reserve final judgment until I know a little more & get to see the actual lists.

BTW: If you want to take action against this practice, you can through the Sojourners website or by emailing Director Harley Lappin via the Congress.org website

I’ve talked here about my morning routine before. What used to consist of eating a bowl of cereal, drinking a cup of coffee & sitting in front of the TV watching my TiVo-ed Sportscenter from the night before has evolved into catching the latest highlights via ESPN’s broadband video online. Nearly as good a quality of video coupled with selectable video clips means I get about the same coverage (at least in the things I’m really interested in) as before in a fraction of the time. That extra time gives me space to be able to check email & occasionally post a quick blog entry like this when something is on my mind.

But what about when there is specific coverage I’m looking for that ESPN doesn’t bring me? It doesn’t seem possible, but the fact is that ESPN doesn’t cover everything sports-related well. A prime example of this is the OU coverage by the network. Regardless of what anyone says, it’s hard to get away from feeling like there is an anti-Big 12 bias when it comes to sports coverage by ESPN. USC could be playing Podunk University and it will receive crazy coverage. Unless OU is playing a team like Miami you would be hard pressed to find much, if anything, about the Sooners game.

One of the stipulations of moving from Oklahoma to Tennessee nearly three years ago was that I felt a requirement had to be adding the college football package to DirecTV so I could still watch the Sooners play every weekend (like I enjoyed living in Edmond, and even southeast Kansas for that matter). This doesn’t guarantee that we get to see them play every game, although with OU being ranked so highly year after year it helps fill in the gaps from games not covered on TV nearly completely.

The one exception seems to be that they (not even sure who they are who make these decisions) pick one game - usually against a no-name school - and make it a full-fledged Pay-Per-View event. They did it last year with MTSU (Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, about 30 minutes southeast of Nashville). Of course with MTSU being in our backyard we could have paid to see the game here - for a mere $40-50 (no thanks). This year’s no-view game? The Utah State game from last weekend.

So, I get online at the beginning of the week, desperately searching for some kind of highlights to watch (after all, OU is #3 in the country) and my ESPN daily routine fails me. So what is a longing Sooner fan left to do when the Sports Super-Channel doesn’t bring the coverage? Hit YouTube, of course :-)

The clips below were just what I needed. The great thing is that while ESPN had no video coverage of the game (apart from a 10 second “OU kicked their opponents tail again” segment), YouTube offers a plethora of choices from fans like me (albeit ones who live where they actually broadcast all the games) have diligently spliced up the game film in order to offer me a bite-size version chock full of highlights.

If you’re not a Sooners fan, I’m sure you’ve already quit reading some time ago :-) For anyone else who is interested, here are some highlights of the Utah State game, as well as the 2007 intro video for the team…

Visit TheEdigers.com to see the videos...

Oklahoma 54 - Utah State 3

Oklahoma 2007 Intro Video

Found this in front of me while picking up some lunch in the Cafe today…

It's Monday morning. I'm in the process of waking up, still. My eldest son came in about half an hour ago complaining of an aching stomach. True to form, he came straight to me & woke me up to help.

Sidenote... when Andrea was pregnant with Micah (he & Josiah are two years apart in age), we trained Josiah that if he woke up in the middle of the night and needed help to wake dad up instead of mom. If Andrea woke up she would have a terrible time going back to sleep. All the kids have learned this and to this day come & wake me up first :-)

Anyhow, it was a blessing in this case as I had forgotten to set my alarm. So, I got up, had my breakfast, drank my coffee, caught up on the latest SportsCenter news/videos, & checked my email. I'm ready to get going.

Last week was a busy week. Lots of things packed into the span of 5 days time. Saturday I was highly unproductive - sat around most of the day finishing a book I was reading. Yesterday was a community day - had lunch with friends & watched the Titans vs Colts game and then had community group in our home last night.

Today is a good day. I have rarely dreaded Mondays (except, perhaps, when they come right after a vacation or other time off). My blood is usually pumping, raring to jump into the thick of work & get things done. Mondays tend to be highly productive days for this very reason. I get a lot done - especially in the mornings. It seems like the 'typical Monday' doesn't hit me until about 2pm on Monday afternoon when I finally wear down (or the adrenaline wears off).

Tuesdays are another story altogether... :-)

Calling all Chick-fil-A fans...

Chick-fil-A is doing an online promotion. They've set-up a special website & are giving away coupons good for a free chicken sandwich & Coke to the first 1,000,000 registrants. You can claim your own at the following website...

• FreeChickenAndCoke.com

Gotta’ love ESPN!

We’ve needed this for months!

Felt good to be back in the swing of things yesterday. Andrea arrived back in Nashville around 3pm from her 24-hour jaunt to Kansas for Amber's wedding. We picked her up and ran a few errands before returning home. And then began the 2007 version of the 'Ediger Saturday OU Tradition!' We cooked a quick supper & then set up TV trays and sat down to watch the OU-Miami game from earlier in the day (God bless TiVo).

This is our normal Saturday routine. Once we found out roughly three years ago that we would be moving to Nashville from Oklahoma, I told Andrea the one must-have addition for the new move was the ESPN GamePlan DirecTV package so we could continue to watch OU games each weekend. The plan doesn't cover every OU game, but because they are highly ranked every year the networks/cable usually picks up almost all of the others.

We had a great time, BTW, watching Miami get clobbered by OU :-) Definitely exorcised a few old demons from those 80s conflicts between the two schools (when the only team OU couldn't beat for a three year period was Miami). Good times! 51-13... glad we hung half a hundred on them!

I've finished uploading 90 photos from our vacation to our Flickr account. To see them, click the link below...

• Vacation 2007 - Myrtle Beach, SC

Well, we arrived back last night late after a full day of driving and a wonderful week in the mountains & on the beach. I think that even with all of the anticipation surrounding our vacation each year I am always blown away by how much I love the time away/together!

We started by spending a couple of days at Ridgecrest in North Carolina. It is a conference center nestled in the mountains that LifeWay owns. We get a minister's discount (I think the LifeWay employee discount is the same) which means we get to stay there for $34 a night! Incredible! We hiked around the hills, took some pictures of a lake, played miniature golf, and then hung out playing games/watching football as we attempted to keep up with the OU vs North Texas game/score on my laptop.

Sunday through Wednesday we spent in Myrtle Beach, SC. It is amazing being at the ocean/on the beach! Again, this was such an amazing experience - even with knowing full well what to expect (we basically did the same vacation a year ago). We spend a couple of days literally on the beach (all day long) - swimming, collecting sea shells - even seeing a few sharks swimming near a fishing pier!

Yesterday was the long drive home. We were glad to sleep in our own bed - although we didn't get much sleep. Andrea flew out this morning to go to a friend's wedding in Kansas (congrats, Amber!). So - it's dinner & a movie & then everyone in bed early tonight after a day of trying to catch up on voicemails, emails, odds & ends for work. Oh, and catching some TiVo-ed OU action from last weekend after the kids are in bed :-)

Taking in one more day at the beach before heading home tomorrow.

Boomer Sooner!

The 2007 National Title Run begins today!