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One win to Omaha! Bulldogs vs. Tigers

06/09/2007 / Blake

Mississippi State Baseball has been an odd bird lately. Last year they started out undefeated deep into the season. Climbed all the way to #1 in the nation. Then dove. Like they ran out of gas and the propeller broke and they got filled with lead. They took a nose dive that kept them from even making the SEC Baseball Tournament.

Then they started the 2007 season without many people giving them much credit. Although there were expectations within their own clubhouse, the media picked them to finish LAST in the SEC West. But after a decent non-conference schedule/record the Bulldogs had climbed into the polls and had some good weekend showings against SEC competition. But even with finishing 2nd in the SEC West…it seemed that things were just not clicking. The last few weekend and the two-and-done showing in the SEC Tourney left a lot to question.

Everyone knew they wouldn’t host a regional. Would they even win a game in one? Ouch…they get to go to Florida State. A team with the best home field record in the country. Most figured State would beat Stetson and get beat by FSU. Thankfully none of the players thought so. State went 3-0 winning the regional. And some luck happened when the Dogs were able to host the Super Regional instead of having to travel to Clemson.

Again, most people outside of Mississippi thought that Clemson would have a victory first game w/ one of the top pitchers in the nation (he was just drafted #4 in the first round of the MLB Draft). But after some shaky first innings and a cramping pitcher, Miss State put it together and brought the Clemson Tigers to their knees with a 8-6 win.

Nothing is a given. There is still at least one and maybe two games to be played. But this group of Bulldogs has followed their own dreams despite what a lot of people outside of their dugout thought about their chances. Their ONE GAME AWAY from making it to the Mecca of college baseball….Omaha.

I wonder if Tony and Perry are keeping up?

[tags]Mississippi State, Clemson, CWS, Omaha, college baseball[/tags]

BigStuf07 Redux

06/08/2007 / Blake

Well, I’ve been back for 2 days now. And no posts. I’ve been catching up on life. We made it back Wednesday night and I went to be early for the first time in a week. Early being about 11. I was usually up to 1:30 or 3:00am at BigStuf…and wouldn’t trade it. But yesterday was catching up on receipts and budget stuff and some odds and ends at the office.

Today is a day just to be around. Went to the gym already. Now about to listen to MSU play Clemson in the Starkville Super Regional.

But…BigStuf. I will give a day by day redux over the next couple of days. But a few general observations:

Again, from my experiences there is not another camp around as good as BigStuf. They have the best organization, teaching, worship, and location to make a complete package.
The BigStuf interns are Godly college students that really make it happen. Whether it’s running tech, leading groups, managing the rec tournaments, or working in the store…they make it happen. And w/o them camp really just wouldn’t be possible.
Lanny Donoho‘s vision for camp is a good one
Brian Pirkle and Sheila Benton know how to organize and administrate. They are the backbone of BigStuf.
Barry stayed away…got cloudy a few times and saw a few drops. But no real showers, much less storms.
We carried 68 people and brought all of them back. There might have been a few I wanted to leave…just kidding.
The BigStuf Band was good as always.
I learned some new songs that are STUCK in my head. But it’s not a bad thing. More on them later.
I continue to be impressed w/ Jared Herd.
Louie Giglio‘s 2nd talk made me cry. Dude is a conduit for God. No doubt.
Our volleyball, basketball, and ultimate fris teams did well. Advanced far. But didn’t win it all. But it was the best showing we’d ever had.
Reggie Joiner has a very wise and strategic mind when it comes to ministry. His adult leader meetings were great.
Taking a charter bus is almost always the best way to go. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Most def.
Maurice is the best bus driver ever.

That’s a quick overview. Will try to go day by day w/ the next posts.

[tags]bigstuf, youth trip, panama city beach, xp3[/tags]

Less Than 12 Hours :: BigStuf

06/01/2007 / Blake

So I’m all packed. I think everything is in order. Tomorrow morning I’ll wake up to my cell phone and grab a shower while it’s still dark. I’ll drive to the church and get there in time to unlock and begin to set up a few tables in the gym. I won’t doubt it if a couple of people beat me there. I plan on getting there around six and six thirty is our meeting time.

But after that…it’s wide open. The bus should get there a little before 6:30. Hopefully we can get everyone checked in, forms figured out, and prayed over before 7am. If it doesn’t happen…no huge deal. We scheduled in some cushion time.

But the anticipation is growing. I talked to Matthew Creekmore last night. He grew up in my old youth group. Now he’s a BigStuf Intern. He’s been setting up the stage area and all the bells and whistles down there. He says it’s very impressive. Can’t wait to see it.

I’m just hoping Barry is nice to us while we’re down there.

Oh, and I hope to give you some video!

[tags]BigStuf, church camp, Louie Giglio, Jared Herd, Reggie Joiner, Panama City Beach, Barry[/tags]

Hotel, Hotel. You so fly!

06/01/2007 / Blake

This is one of the most hilarious videos I’ve seen in quite a while.

Done by some of the guys out at Saddleback.

BigStuf here we come!

05/30/2007 / Blake

So now we’re at 3 or 4 days away from going to BigStuf….depending on how you’re counting. But we’re leaving on Saturday. This will be the TENTH summer in a row that I’ve taken a group down. That in and of itself should tell you how highly I think of this organization.

Our worship will be led by the BigStuf Band and Jared Herd and Louie Giglio will be doing the speaking. Jared is not known far and wide, but he knows how to bring it. I’ve been able to hear him a couple of times already at BigStuf and have never been disappointed. And this guy named Giglio…well let’s just say that he really knows how to bring it too.

From my experience, BigStuf is probably one of the, if not THE, best camp I’ve ever carried kids too. It provides the best combination of worship, teaching, and fun. The crew that puts this all together is very professional and wows me every time I’m there. Never been disappointed.

I used to want to keep it a secret because I didn’t want the summer to get to crowded. That was back when I fist started coming and they had only four weeks of camp in the summer. I could fax in my registration in April and pretty much get the week I wanted.

Now the have TEN weeks of camp and registration starts in OCTOBER! And things are mostly full by January! It’s grown. But it’s grown because it’s a quality camp experience and God’s blessed them for following after Him.

So…please pray for us while we’re gone. I’m going to try to do some updates while we’re away!

Time for a new camera…

05/26/2007 / Blake

When I was really young, my dad went to work in South Dakota for a year. So he bought a camera while he was away to take pictures of all the pretty landscapes up there (ha ha!) But when he came back I wore that big Canon SLR around my neck as if it were my favorite necklace. I took lots of photos. And wasn’t it great that you had to buy film and pay to have it developed back then?

Later on in middle school he got me a little Canon point and shoot. I used it a lot. Wore it out. But when I was in high school I decided I wanted to step up w/ the big boys. So the summer after my sophomore year in high school I mowed yards and pulled weeds for a lawn care service. I saved most all of my money and bought myself a camera just as school started. Had to use my grandmother’s credit card for it and everything!

I started taking pictures for the school yearbook and the local newspaper. I did almost all of my schools sporting events. And I loved doing it. Even got to learn darkroom techniques. I became known as the “Picture Man.” I’d take photos on Friday nights at football games, then develop them first part of the week. And then I’d bring them to school and watch people ohh and ahh over them. Made me feel good. I knew that was my creation from start to finish.

But life moved on. I used it a little more while working in Amory. But everything w/ newspapers was moving Digital and I didn’t have that. But now I want back in the game!

We just bought Continue reading

LOST Finale

05/26/2007 / Blake

So…this totally flipped everything upside down, didn’t it? I mean, after Season One and Season Two…you didn’t have all the answers, but you knew where things were pointed. At this point, we don’t know where and the world this is headed. And probably not ever going to be the same again.

It wasn’t just questions that this finale raised, but overall direction of the entire series. And although these are strong words, I might have to say that Wednesday night’s two hours of LOST was quite possibly the best two hours of television I’ve ever seen.

That said, here are some questions I’m wanting answers to:

Who was in the coffin?
Is Christian Sheppard still alive?
Is Patchy really dead this time?
Who is Naomi working with?
Is Kate pregnant?
Who all left the island?
Why did Jack say to Kate “I can’t keep lying.”? What is he lying about?
Why is Locke so stupid?
Is Charlie really dead?
And where can I get one of those Golden Passes to use on the airlines?

As great as LOST was the other night, the eight month wait is going to seem like a few years. Just plain…wow.

Just upgraded

05/25/2007 / Blake

I just upgraded to WordPress 2.2.

I think that’s supposed to make me post more often and some really, really interesting things.

Like Phil Collins said, “I can feel it coming in the air tonight.”

Easy Like A Sunday Morning

05/20/2007 / Blake

Today was another busy Sunday…and we’re halfway there.

This morning was Baccalaureate Sunday. That means that I get to preach in “big church”. It happens like once a year. So this morning I spoke on “The Revealed Will of God”. So often it seems like we try to ask God what we should do about this or that. Who should we marry or where to go to school or what sort of job….but we overlook the things that He’s pretty obvious about in the Bible. It tells us a few places “This here is God’s will…” or “This is what God wants and expects of us…”

Here were a few things I mentioned: He wants us to have fellowship w/ Him. He wants us to be filled w/ Him instead of worldly things. He wants us to honor Him w/ our bodies. And he wants us to be willing to suffer (as He suffered.) Also to be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all things…

I think it went well…and I think that I, of all people, need to take those words to heart.

Friday’s Feast #144

05/18/2007 / Blake

Feast Number One Forty Four

Appetizer
List 3 emotions you experienced this week.
Shock, happiness, confusion

Soup
Name a car you’d love to have.
The Volkswagen Passat
Salad
Describe your typical morning routine.
Get up, get the girls some breakfast and eat with them, get a shower and then dress. Then go to work.

Main Course
Have you ever emailed someone famous? If so, who, and what did you say to them? Did they reply?
Not sure what famous means…but probably not.

Dessert
Do you listen to podcasts? If so, which ones?
Heck yes. The Village Church, Relevant Magazine, Simply Youth Ministry, Mars Hill Bible Church, The Official LOST Podcast, Jay and Jack, Kidd Kraddick In The Morning, Coffee Break Spanish.