My new blog.

MySpace is no longer my blog site.

I've moved.

http://arighteousness.blogspot.com/

I haven't posted a blog in like five months, so here's a list of random things:

1.  The time is overdue to mention my sister's blog:

Picture this: A bar in Colorado. One television. 25 people. Everybody – guys and gals – are dolled up in cowboy hats, jean jackets, etc. Except for three people at a small table: me and my parents. My parents are both wearing their Cleveland Indians baseball hats.

The Indians had to win last night in order to make it to the World Series. We drove an hour so we could see the game. (We're in a very remote part of Colorado). But Denver was also playing Pittsburg in football and the Rockies had already advanced safely to the World Series.

The men at the bar said, "Turn on the football game!"

My mom cried, "No! We drove an hour to watch the Indians!"

The bartender stood there with the remote in her hand, glancing nervously back and forth between the men and my parents.

The bartender left the baseball game on. I think she couldn't resist how cute my parents looked in their little outfits (I'll post pictures next week).

The Indians would make a double-play or score a run, and my mom would clap and cheer. All by herself. At least, that's how it started out. By the end of the night the entire place was rooting for the Indians on behalf of my mom, even as the team got further and further behind.

It was a great fun even though the Indians lost.

3.  The NFL season is almost halfway done and I feel like it's first getting started.  On that note, my fantasy teams are doing horribly.  Between two leagues I had theone of the top two strongest teams after the draft for each league.  I am safely in last place in one and in the middle in the other.

3.a.  Props to the Titan cheerleaders for embracing the Halloween Spirit.  And thanks to TMQ for letting everyone know about it.

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2007/1029/tmq_titans_cheer_300.jpg 

4.  Halloween is tomorrow and is my wife's favorite holiday.  I think we're carving a pumpkin and watching a movie.  I'll gladly take any suggestions on creative pumpkin designs (the one we have is huge) or good Halloween movies.  (FYI, she has refused to carve Chief Wahoo or watch the movie Halloween.)

5.  Count me as surprised that only a few TV shows have been cancelled in the fall season.  Last year shows were yanked far too quickly before the could develop and the networks' message to new shows was "hit the ground running or else."  This year, the networks seem more patient and it is paying off.  Perhaps this is due to serious consideration of viewer feedback on the Internet.  Perhaps they were bribed.  Each alternative is equally possible.

6.  One of the good things about the the development of the Internet and the gigantic increase of user-based sites such as mespace, youtube, and blogs is that long lost friends can reconnect.  I experienced this in a monumentally sad way today as I found Boothe Farley's blog (http://conorbootheandgirls.blogspot.com/).  Boothe recently lost her newborn second daughter to Edward's syndrome.  Her blog is very deep and very honest.  Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Let's play spot the discrepancy.  I gave you some help.

http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n5/grongd02/?action=view&current=predictions.jpg

The Indians are in the Playoffs.  It's been a dramatic season and the forecast from here on out looks somewhat promising.  I will say, however, I am very nervous about facing 3 of the four potential playoff teams:

Angels - I'd prefer to face them in the first round, but this would only be possible if the Tigers make the Wild Card over the Yankees (or even Red Sox).  On the other hand, the Angels have a tremndous bullpen and pitching staff.  The Indians could easily take them in a five game series (Sabathia and Carmona pitch four of the five games, very easy to win three), but if things fall their way they could take the crown.  THe Tribe has an ok record against them this year (like 6-10)

Red Sox - They have good left handed pitching, which is bad for the Tribe.  They are, however, starting to choke and feel their own pressure, so it may do well to face them in the first round, especially if they blew a one time 15 game or whatever lead over the yankees to end up as the wild card, then we could crush them and frankly, nothing would make me happier.  Indians have a bad recored agasint them this year (2-6).

Tigers - I am actually pulling for the Tigers to win the Wild Card over the Yankees.  I wonder if that sweep of the Tigers last week will come back to bite the Tribe in the ass.  Hindsight is totally 20/20, if we had maybe lost 1 or 2 to them, maybe they make it over the Yanks (and possibly the Tribe's early playoff exit).  But looking back, you should never think like that, play to win now, play to win later.  But man, if the Tigers make it and the Red sox win the division then three things will happen - The Yankees didn't make the playoffs (thank God), Indians probably face the Angels (also thank God), and would hopefully face a team in the ALCS that we owned all season.

Yankees - The Yankees are the team no one wants to face right now.  By some miracle (or by Torre selling his soul to the devil), the Yankees pitching has fallen into place.  And thei lineup is getting healthy and can effing pound the ball.  Plus, the Indians are 0-6 against them this year.  And this is our most likely roudn 1 foe.  So we could potentially have our no.1 and no.2 starter (with a combined 2 post season starts (both with Sabathia) go against some bullshit that Roger Clemens will pull about being 90 and still shutting us down.  Plus they have Petitte and they're the Yankees and they do this kind of crap all the time.  If we lose to them in the ALDS, I will be so pissed.

In other sports news, sorry if you drafted LT, but it looks like I jinxed him by drafting him this year.  Oh well, such is life.

I used to hate Paul.  As in the apostle.  During the earlier period of my Christian experience and study, I found Paul to bee a scar on the face of the religion.  I would often argue that Paul had done more harm than good.  All too often, I would find myself shaking my head as yet anohter person made a life decision because they took one verse out of Paul's letters out of context and applied to to a completely different situation only to end up living out the opposite of Christ's commandments.

In my prievious opinion, it seemed to me that Paul was mainly concerned with establishing a set of rules and regulations that we, as Christians, were meant to follow.  That never quite settled with me, as I took the work of Christ on the Cross to set me free of all manner of obligation and performance centered thinking.  I was, more or less, a Gospel snob.  In some respects, I was a modern day Sadducee.*  Only the four Gospels meant anything to me, only the words of Jesus were of any value. 

And then one day, a funny thing happened; I actually read Paul.  Amazlingly enough, I formed my opinion on him without actually listening to anything he had to say.  As it turns out, the recurring theme in Paul's writing is that we ought to be only concerned with Christ.  The crux of his argument is that Christ, as whollyt human and divine, completed the work of God the Father on the Cross and that for anyone to suggest that there is an additional task that needs to be done is the most deeply offensive thing imagainable.  Hearing this as one who was primarily concerned with Jesus and nothing else had a profound effect.

Consequently, I began to read more and more of Paul, and I also read more and more of people who wrote about Paul.  There is a new (old?)movement in the academic community that is discussing the "new perspectives on Paul."  It has been going on for about the last 50 years.  All of the sudden, people have become very interested in diluting Paul's message, while at the same time, others have become primarily concerned with promoting their own additive to the Christian faith.

I'd say that at least nine or ten times over the past 20-30 years a new church leader has popped up and whatever diluted gospel he taught became the next big thing.  And the attitude towards those who didn't buy (literally and figurativley) into what this sage was selling was they were Christians who didn't understand "the true faith."  Simultaneously, other gurus have arisen who preach a "gospel different than this" for other religious traditions and are marketing their insights as the next new greatest thing.

Recently, I've heard a lot of buzz about "The Secret."  Newspaper articles, tv talk shows, websites, etc. all rave about how this is the "next new biggest thing."  Not daring to make the same mistake I made with Paul, I went to the bookstore and picked up the book and leafed through it.

My conclusion?  Old argument, updated book cover art.  I mean seriously.  Unless I completely missed the boat, the general claim of the Secret is "generate positive thoughts, ask the 'intelligence of the universe' for somethings and watcht he answer unfold 'as the universe does what you desire.'"  So the universe will do whatever I want?  I've heard someone selling that before, and to be honest, it's no secret.  It's a load of crap.

I used to give reasonable doubt to methods of thought like this.  I used to entertain them and attempt to connect them back to Christ.  I actually used to do this with everything except Paul.  In my mind, Paul was on his own, and everything else had a remnant of Christ hidden in it somewhere. 

Eventually, the contradiction living in my head presented itself.  Now I watch in humor and some mild horror as thousands (millions) flock to Joel Olsteen, the prayer of Jezebel, Rick Warren, Jerry Falwell, the 700 club, Christopher Hitchins, The Jesus Seminar, or whoever is pushing the "new perspective on ______."  These ideas espoused by these people are not new.  They are the exact same false gospels and dilutions of truth that Paul was writing about.

Galatians, Colossians, Ephesians, any of Paul's writing are warning against the method of thought that says to a person "look at what you can acheive if you only but embrace the right frame of mind."  In response, Paul uses probably the strongest language in the Bible: "If anyone comes to you and preaches another gospel, something different than this, let him be eternally condemned."  Whoa, Paul, be a little smoother, could you?  Let's not offend people.  On second thought, it should be that if the truth of the Gospel is at stake, being offensive should be the last thing on a Christian's mind.  I find myself searching to be as energized by this issue as Paul is.

Moving on, in retrospect, I shouldn't be too confused as to how these new gurus appeal to people.  They have been appealing to people for millenia.  Making ourselves out to be better and bigger than we are and making God out to be smaller than God is.  That's what the Secret is.  And as it turns out, it's not too much of a secret at all.  People have been proclaiming that for centuries.  "The power lies within you." 

Here's a fun test.  Take whatever new fad is trendy at the moment and boil it down to one sentence.  If the subject of that sentence isn't Jesus Christ and the predicate does not mention his divinity, his death, and his ressurrection, then it probably is a form of paganism. 

That gives me an idea, I am going to keep a running tab on Joel Osteen.  I will keep count on how many times he mentions different ideas during his "sermons."  I'll give you the final tally in a few weeks.

Michael Wilbon wrote an article in this mornings Washington Post about Cleveland sports:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/05/AR2007060502661.html

It would appear that the Cavs are now given the choice of either turning things around for that city or becoming just another notch in the old suffering belt. 

I blogged in early May regarding how tings appeared to be turning around for Cleveland, but in actuality, this all could be just a big setup for one of the most crushing years in it history.  The optimist and the realist in me are battling it out.  Of all Cleveland teams, I care for the Cavs the least, but I depsarately want them to win.  The reaction of the fans from a championship that has given birth to the next super star (LeBron James) would be infectious.  Indians tickets would sell out again, hence giving the already hot Indians more steam rolling into the fall.

The optimistic anticipation would build and build for the Browns and Brady Quinn will be embraced with open arms.  One thing people aren't realizing right now:  yes, everyone hates Bill Belicheck.  I hate the Pats and all that, and he was a terrible coach in Cleveland.  However, his failings in Cleveland (in his own words) have helped him be successful today.  As a result, he had two of the most sought after assistants for head coaching jobs: Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennell.  Brady Quinn went to Notre Dame, and was groomed meticulously under Weis.  And who drafted Quinn on draft day?  None other than the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Romeo Crennell.

Things might be turning around in Cleveland.  First up is the Cavs starting tomorrow.  Let's hope for the best.

14.  Poe, Cameron (Nicholas Cage) - Con Air.  Badass moments - his prison work out.  When he gets shot in the arm and doesn't flinch.  His mullet.

13.  Master Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.  Badass moments - every martial arts scene he is in in the movie.  A great example of meekness.

12.  Hallenbeck, Joe (Bruce Willis) - The Last Boy Scout.  Badass moments - "You have a light?  Touch me again, and I'll kill ya."  And then he does.

11.  Doc Holliday - Tombstone (Val Kilmer).  "I'm your Huckleberry."

10.  Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) - The Last Samurai.  I can't think of a particular scene, but's he's pretty stout.

9.  Munny, William (Clint Eastwood) - Unforgiven.  It's a tough call between this and The Outlaw Josie Wales.  But the last 20 minutes of Unforgiven is pretty freaking sweet.

8.  Balboa, Rocky/Rambo, John (Sylvester Stallone) - Rocky I through IV, First Blood, Rambo II, Rambo III.  Between the working out, the torture, the hiding in the mud, the killing of everybody with made from scratch weapons, the sound defeat of Ivan Drago and Clubber Lang,  to the ridiculous plot of Rambo III that involved some Russian general in Vietnam, this one dimensional character is pretty hardcore.

7.  King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) - 300.  WHY WON'T IT STAAAAAAAAAARTA???  .

6.  Maximus (Russell Crowe) - Gladiator.  "My name is Maximus Desimus Meridius.  Commander of the armies of the North.  General of the Felix Legions.  Loyal servant to the true emporer, Marcus Aurelius.  Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."

5.  Bond, James (Bond) (Daniel Craig) - Casino Royale.  "So sorry, that last hand . . . nearly killed me."

4.  Kane, Will (Gary Cooper) - High Noon.  Badass moments - Right before and right after the big showdown with Frank Miller.  When he give the town the big "F*** you," by throwing down his badge.

3.  Bourne, Jason (Matt Damon) - The Bourne Identity / The Bourne Supremacy.  A quote from 40-year Old Virgin sums this up: "I sorta though Damon was a Streisand, but he is rocking the S**T out of this." 

2.  Creasy, John? (Denzel!!! OOOO DENZEL!!!) - Man on Fire.  Badass moments - "Forgiveness is between them and God. It's my job to arrange the meeting."  Pretty much every second from when he gets out of the hospital.

1.  McClane, John (Bruce Willis) - Die Hard.  Badass moments - Yippee Kay Yay, M*****f*****.  The whole bare feet, broken glass thing.  Plus, every guy who watches this movie secretly thinks to themself: "That is EXACTLY what I would do in that situation."

Myspace, you have done a great service to the people of the world.  Because of you, I am able to help all sorts of people with their problems.  Take Star, for example.  Here is Star's message to me:

"HEY! nice MS page.. just came across it so I'm saying hi.. I'm Par!s :) I just moved so I'm tryin to meet some new friends! My contact info is below so add me on your messenger!!

M~S~N = babysexy18@gmail.com

A~I~M = bebechixa (I prefer M~S~N as my A~I~M freezes and goes all screwy sometimes!

Hope to chat with ya soon!

PS - I also need help on doing myspace codes and stuff if u know how to do that,,, its sooo confusing.. im blonde lol **hugnkissez** Par!s:)"

Poor Star (or Par!s).  She just moved and is so lonely.  Thanks to Myspace, I can show her around the city!  Oh, and I can help her with her MySpace codes, because it's really hard to cut and paste and click.  Blondes really are dumb.

Next we have Happy.  Happy has a problem too:

Hey there i was just looking at peoples profiles on myspace because im moving in 3 weeks with my best friend. Anyway i wont know many people and i see you live near where we are moving. Anyway i liked your profile and thought you might want to hang out sometime so if your interested hit me up sometime on aim. My aim is Bluegalsun283 . Hope to hear from you soon babe.

Poor Happy has a problem too because she will be moving here soon and doesn't know anybody.  Maybe I should introduce her to Starpar!s.

Tereez has a problem too:

HEY! nice MS page.. just came across it so I'm saying hi.. I'm Par!s :) I just moved so I'm tryin to meet some new friends! My contact info is below so add me on your messenger!!

M~S~N = cushylova@gmail.com

A~I~M = bebechixa (I prefer M~S~N as my A~I~M freezes and goes all screwy sometimes!

Hope to chat with ya soon!

PS - I also need help on doing myspace codes and stuff if u know how to do that,,, its sooo confusing.. im blonde lol **hugnkissez** Par!s

Hmm, that sounds familiar.

Another girl named Princess who has the exact same picture as Tereez e-mailed me this as well:

HEY! nice MS page.. just came across it so I'm saying hi.. I'm Par!s :) I just moved so I'm tryin to meet some new friends! My contact info is below so add me on your messenger!!

M~S~N = cushylova@gmail.com

A~I~M = bebechixa (I prefer M~S~N as my A~I~M freezes and goes all screwy sometimes!

Hope to chat with ya soon!

PS - I also need help on doing myspace codes and stuff if u know how to do that,,, its sooo confusing.. im blonde lol **hugnkissez** Par!s

Another girl named Happy sent me this:

whats up hun...cool MS page.. just came across ur page so saying hi.. my M*S*N is swervylegza@gmail.com and my A*I*M is soodamnsexi feel free to add me..just trying to meet some new friends (I just moved so...) . hit me up on M*S*N or A*I*M ... talk soon if you're interested kisses P*aris :)

i mean, can't these people find each other through Myspace and then they can all meet friends and learn their way around the city?  I'm a busy man, I can't help all these girls named Par!s and P*aris. 

 . . .

Oh shoot, I went to go respond to all these cries for help, but their accounts no longer exist.

Boo hoo hoo.

Eh. Better be good tonight.  I'm still waiting for the game-changing epsiode.

Btw, if anybody knows of a good website where I can get a free PSP or ringtones or naked pics of you on MySpace so you can get back at your boyfriend for cheating on you, please feel free to leave them in my comments or send a friend request.  Sorry for all the ones I've deleted so far, I promise it won't happen again.

Tomorrow better give some freaking answers on Lost.  All along the producers have said "they're not dead, they're not dead."

They also said "everything on the island can be explained with Science."

In some cases, you can have too much foreplay.  You have to give the audience some sense of progression, otherwise they get sick of the twists and turns. 

And the big explanation better be more impressive than Alias.  Hmm, a DaVinci like prophet makes all these mysterious devices, and all that really matters is that people become zombies?  Good job, J.J. Abrams.  /golfclap.