answers to yesterday's post

President Ford meeting with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (left) and White House Chief of Staff Dick Cheney, April 1975.

thanks for answering donna. sorry that you missed it. you can see rumsfeld still looks the same, with the exception of his hair color. i sure didn't recognize cheney, though.

who are these guys?

who can tell me who these men are?

hints:
one of them just resigned his post.
one just passed away yesterday.
one is still in office. (oops! the following is wrong!) even after being shot on a hunting trip. (it should read this) even after shooting his fellow hunter on hunting trip.

as they appear in the photo: President ??? meeting with his Secretary of Defense (left) and his chief of staff (right), April 1975. (click on the photo to enlarge it)

what a way to go ...

i am sure most of you know that i am a sports nut/freak/whatever. my favorite sport rolls around for the world to participate in every 4 years. no it is not the olympics, although the sport is an olympic sport.

my favorite sport is futbol. aka, soccer. this year the world cup was held in germany. the u.s. team was ranked high, and got slaughtered by their bracket ... again.

what made start this post was not to talk about how poorly the yanks played in germany, but to talk about a man who will sadly be remembered by what he did as his last act on the professionaly pitch. below is an excerpt from espn's page 2 article. it about a great man. a great soccer player. no matter what you think of france.

ZINEDINE ZIDANE
"Zizou" ranks among soccer's all-time greats. He led France to its only World Cup win in 1998, and was named FIFA World Player of the Year three times while starring as the sport's premier midfielder with Juventus and Real Madrid from 1996 until 2006.

That's what European fans and American soccerheads will remember him for. But most Americans will forever remember him as the guy who delivered that awesome head-butt in the 2006 World Cup final. The instant his head slammed into Marco Materazzi's chest, his status went from obscure European athlete to household name in the United States. He also helped changed the "wussy" image many people have of soccer -- and maybe even of French people in general.

And while that may seem wrong or unfair, it's actually great for the growth of soccer in the United States. In a World Cup that saw Team USA bounced in pool play, Zidane had casual American sports fans talking about soccer.

Think of the two most iconic soccer images in recent memory: Brandi Chastain showing her bra and Zidane head-butting Materazzi. Sex and violence -- two of America's greatest loves. Perhaps we need more of both in soccer if it is ever truly going to become a major sport here. I, for one, hope it does, and that we soon see Zidane participating in ribbon-butting ceremonies at new soccer stadiums all across our great land.
-- DJ Gallo

btw, dj i second you on the comment that i hope soccer does become a major sport here in the u.s. it really is a great sport ... just ask someone who plays. what a way to be remembered. i even talked to my wife about him. she saw me typing this, and i described him to her. she didn't know who i was talking about until i mentioned the head butting incident. what a way to be remembered by.

what do remember about this year? what are some things that happened this year that you remember? some about alabama football come to mind ...

a suprise guest last night

guess who we had stop by and talk to our youth group last night? he is the neighbor of one our members. still no clue?

this guy:
jake peavy. ace of the san diego padres.

he came and spoke to our youth, but i think i was the most excited one to see him. eventhough he set a franchise record 17 k's in one game against my braves.

he talked about the night he "got the call" to come up to the bigs. he had played in jackson, ms, and then the manager called him to his room and told him to pack his bags. 'mind you this was about midnight, and he was getting on a plane to fly to san dog to pitch against the new york yankees HAWK!! PUH!! (that's me clearing my throat and spitting out that wretched team's name)

not to mention he was pitching against future hall of famer roger "the rocket" clemens on his mlb debut.

he spoke about pitching to mike piazza and his first mlb strike out, which was derek jeter. he spoke about striking out barry "no i didn't take steroids" bonds. yeah right, and if i pumped weights for three months in the off season i would look like that, too.

it was neat to hear his experiences and how he shared that with our youth. he is not an eloquent speaker, but he is a real guy, and it was neat to hear him share those things.

have you ever met some one famous? how did you feel shaking their hand, and such?

did you know ...

i was surfing this morning and while i was at a new site by one of my favorite band's site i learned that one of my favorite songs by them was derived from psalm 104. i'm sure that you have heard it if you listen to power 88 here in the mobile area, or on another christian radio station. here is the inspiration that they used:

Psalm 104

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul.
O LORD my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2 He wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent

3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind.

4 He makes winds his messengers,
flames of fire his servants.

5 He set the earth on its foundations;
it can never be moved.

6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.

7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

8 they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys,
to the place you assigned for them.

9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.

10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.

11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 The birds of the air nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.

13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.

14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for man to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth:

15 wine that gladdens the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine,
and bread that sustains his heart.

16 The trees of the LORD are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

17 There the birds make their nests;
the stork has its home in the pine trees.

18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
the crags are a refuge for the coneys.

19 The moon marks off the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.

20 You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

21 The lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.

22 The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their dens.

23 Then man goes out to his work,
to his labor until evening.

24 How many are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.

25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.

26 There the ships go to and fro,
and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

27 These all look to you
to give them their food at the proper time.

28 When you give it to them,
they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.

29 When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.

30 When you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works-

32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the LORD.

35 But may sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Praise the LORD.

here is video that someone made with the song in the background:



here are the words to the song:

How Great Is Our God

VERSE(1)
The splendor of the King,
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice,
All the earth rejoice
He wraps himself in light,
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at his voice,
And trembles at his voice

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

VERSE(2):
Age to age he stands
And time is in His Hands
Beginning and the End,
Beginning and the End
The Godhead, Three in one
Father, Spirit, Son
The Lion and the Lamb,
The Lion and the Lamb

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

CHORUS(2)
Name above all names
Worthy of our praise
My heart will sing how great
Is our God
(x2)

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

Then sings my soul,
my savior,God to Thee
How great Thy art
How great Thy art
(x2)

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

have you ever heard this song before? do you like it? what do you think of chris tomlim? i have written some posts in the past featuring him, so you know i like him. did you know that the is coming in concert on march 14th? do you have your tickets yet? I'M GOING TO BE GOING!!

breaking news!

at least to me it is ... well ... not really news, but i have never really read/heard it so concisely put.

well enough blathering, here it is:

"In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; in all things, love."

i read this on another blog. it just hit me as this is what we need to think of when we talk to others that have a different opinion than we do. there is another neat saying about opinions that i heard in the navy, but i will not share what it was verbatim. here it is cleaned up a bit:

"opinions are like armpits. everyone has them and they all stink."

what do you think of the line i read in that article?

the story about another song

here is a short article to a song that i'm sure you have had to have heard sometime in the past, or maybe even this year, around this time of year. i'm also not too proud to say that it has caused a tear or two ... oh who am i kidding! this song has made me cry about how sweet it is. i also think of the gift that i was given, in the form of my daughter, and the first time i held her.

here are the lyrics.

its that time of year, isn't it?

a lot of blogs that i read have their lists of their favorite christmas songs, and i just wanted to share two of my faves ... or maybe one more for good measure. ok, so three songs:

Christmastime
Michael W. Smith

Chorus:

Ring Christmas bells
Ring them loud with the message bringing
Peace on the earth
Tidings of good cheer
Come carolers
Come and join with the angels singing
Joy to the world
Christmastime is here again

Children gather around and listen
You'll hear the sound
Of angels filling the sky
Telling everyone
Christmas time is here

Chorus

Loved ones close to our hearts
and strangers in lands afar
Together share in the joy
Emmanuel
He has come to dwell
With one voice
Let the world rejoice

Welcome To Our World
Chris Rice

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You’ve been promised, we’ve been waiting
Welcome Holy Child
Welcome Holy Child

Hope that you don’t mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long-awaited Holy Stranger
Make yourself at home
Please make yourself at home

Bring your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking Heaven’s silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around you
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world

Clumsy Fly Music (ASCAP)

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Refrain

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

Refrain

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.

Refrain

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Refrain

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

Refrain

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

Refrain

O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.

Refrain

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Refrain

let me know what some of your favorites are in the comments section.