FIGHT ON!

USC- 44; Notre Dame 24.

With that (and a win next week.) USC should be heading to the National Championship game against Ohio State. Too bad they just can't play in the Rose Bowl on New Year's.

Ever since high school, I have come to appreciate college sports more and more. The venues are so excited that you can feel it through your TV set. The rivalries are even more intense. Year in, year out; it's always exciting.

Let's just say this is one of those fall Saturdays when I might regret not going to SC.

Photo: (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

My Psalm of Thanksgiving

I've decided that I am that untraditional Thanksgiving guy. I enjoyed this Thanksgiving in Santa Barbara with my family. We played some golf (group picture above), took a walk to the beach, and ate one of the best meals of my life, which--here it comes--invovled no turkey for me. I opted for prime rib, shrimp cocktails, and this chocolate/cream/strawberries cake that felt like an explosion of flavor with each bite. Then my parents, Billy, Cory, and I drove back to Santa Clarita, got into our jammies, and watched a movie. It was an awesome Thanksgiving.

I know I have so much for which to be thankful. Just thinking about what I got to do yesterday with my fam is reason for praise. Circumstantially, I am so blessed. I can agree with David when he says, "The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance." But as David shows in the rest of Psalm 16, true blessedness goes way beyond external circumstances.

In verse two he says to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you." Verse 5 says, "The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot." True blessedness comes only from the Lord. Circumstances change, and if your contentment/thankfulness is based on that, it's not very strong. But if the Lord is your portion, you can say with David, "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." That is why I'm thankful. I know the Lord, and I only get to look forward to joy in his presence forever.

It's been a great Thanksgiving Break. The weather, even in Santa Barbara, has become a little bit cooler. The holiday season is here.

Thoughts on Hebrews

I was on a blogging roll, but that came to a screeching halt over the weekend. I've been sick since Monday, so I've been using all my spare time for sleeping instead of blogging.

I'm back home now for Thanksgiving Break. The last couple days of school have been weird with everyone leaving. Even though this Break only involves two days of no classes, it seems like you're saying goodbye for Christmas Break. I'm really looking forward these couple days--hanging out with family and catching up on sleep and possibly even some homework.

One biblical text I've blogged about a lot here at Step Onto Liquid is Hebrews 11. This "Hall of Faith" fits in well with the theme of this blog. Recently I've read through the book of Hebrews in my personal devotions, and I've been excited to see how this great section of Scripture fits in with the rest of the book.

Possibly the most climactic passage in this book is the first two verses of chapter twelve:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

The first 10 chapters of Hebrews thoroughly explain the work and person of Christ. The opening verses establish that he is the exact imprint of God's nature and has purged our sins. Chapter 10 encourages the Hebrews to draw near to God with full assurance and to hold fast their hope that is built on the work of Christ. Chapter 11 gives so many examples of those who have lived lives of faith.

Understanding the context helped me to understand the message of Hebrews 12:1-2. Christ has perfectly purified me from my sins; I need to put my trust fully in his finished work. Chapter 11 has shown me the example of people who lived this faith out. I need to follow their example. I need to put aside sin and look at Christ. Then I need to run after him. I don't run because that effort will save me; Christ already has. I run because of what Christ has already done. He has paid my debt; he has freed me from the power of sin, enabling me to live a life of fiath. I also run for the joy that is set before me. Like Christ, running with endurance will only lead to joy. As I forsake sin, run after Christ, and look forward to the hope of eternity, I will find ultimate joy.

Read the book of Hebrews. It's awesome. Realize what Christ has done. Put your faith fully in his work. Run after him and live a life of faith. In short, step onto liquid.

It's Finally Friday!

It was a busy week. But it's over. And this is shaping up to be an exceptional weekend. Here's a couple reasons I'm excited:

Men's Retreat
Each year the men of The Master's College go away for a night to a church in Tehachapi, a small town in middle-of-nowhere California, for "24 Hours of Man." We always have a blast as we enjoy a short road trip and then play games that we have never played before and will never play again. This year a pastor from a local church is going to come bring the Word. It should be sweet.

College Football
Two HUGE college football games tomorrow. First, #2 Michigan @ #1 Ohio State. These are the only two legit undefeated teams. The winner of this game will certainly get a spot in the nation title game (barring any major upsets), and some even suggest the loser might still have a title shot. It should be a great game. Go Michigan.

Tomorrow evening is the battle for the Pac-10--Cal @ USC. Lots of people feel like USC is vulnerable, but USC still has a shot at making the national championship game if they win out. Cal should be pretty ticked after losing to Arizona last week. Anyways, this is the biggest game in the Pac-10 this year, hands down.

That's why I'm excited about the weekend. Have a good one.

Pray

"Trust in God at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us."

Psalm 62: 8

I know that everyone knows what it feels like to have a full heart. Maybe it's full of worries about the future. Maybe it's full of concern for a friend. Maybe it's full of grief over tragedy that has occured. Maybe it's full of joy for what God has been doing in your life. Maybe it's full of longing for the return of Christ.

Whatever the case may be, this verse commands us to pour out our hearts to the Lord. Worried about the future? Pour your heart out to God. Concerned for a friend? Cast your cares upon the Lord, for he cares for you. Joyful for God's work in your life? Pour your praises out to the Lord. Whatever the situation may be, never underestimate the power of prayer.

Check out this blog by my sis on being thakful for prayer.

Getting to the Heart/Art of the Interview

One blogger I've been paying attention to recently is Andrew Sullivan, who blogs at the Daily Dish. He also oftens writes columns in Time Magazine, and he caught my attention because he is a conservative/homosexual/Catholic.

He recently wrote a book called The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It; How to Get It Back. I read a short article based on the book in Time and found very typicial postmodern reasoning. The basic gist: No one can have truth with a capital T; the key to peace in this modern world is sincere humility and religious doubt. That didn't give me much incentive to read the book.

While I monumentally disagree with that kind of religious philosophy, I do find much of Sullivan's political commentary interesting. He makes some pointed, accurate critiques of the religious right and conservatives in general.

About a month ago, Sullivan was on Larry King with John MacArthur. Read that transcript here.

A couple weeks ago, I came across an interview of Andrew Sullivan by Hugh Hewitt, a blogger/radio-host/author of the religious right. (Read my review of In, But Not Of here in the archives.) I was unimpressed with the interview. Both Hewitt and Sullivan seemed quite feisty. I did not think the interview was conducted well, and Hewitt did not have any convincing comebacks to Sullivan's answers.

Last Sunday night, Dr. Al Mohler, President of Southern Seminary in Kentucky, spoke at my church. While listening, I thought, "How could would it be if this guy got to interview Andrew Sullivan?" Later that night I checked Mohler's blog. Headline: "Interview with Andrew Sullivan." I found this interview to be a vast improvement.

Mohler asked questions and listened. He let Sullivan talk. And I think Sullivan made some good political points. But as the interview progressed, Mohler was able to engage Sullivan on a more serious, spiritual level. As Sullivan expound on his philosophy of spiritual doubt. And Mohler was able to give great answers to Sullivan. Here are the highlights:

"And I just want to be right up front and honest with you. Insofar as it is possible, given my own fallibility, I want to find what I believe in the text of Scripture. And you find that hopelessly wrong-headed, according to this book...(Interpretation) is a process, but I would argue it's a process that should lead from doubt into certainty, rather than from certainty into doubt."

After the interview, Mohler issued some great points on an interview like this:

"And I have to admit to you right up front, this is the most difficult kind of program to contemplate, to have someone like Andrew Sullivan on. Because when you have a guest, it really is an obligation to let him make the point he wants to make, even as you try to really focus on the issues that, as host, you think are most important."

He also shows genuine Christian love in the way he conducted his interview:

"...I pray for Andrew Sullivan. And I told him that, and I don't mean that condescendingly, I mean that as genuinely as a Christian I know to say. I pray for him. I'm not so concerned about winning an argument. That's one of the reasons why I didn't want to interrupt too often. I wanted to have a respectful conversation."

Mohler is a stud. Through being respectful and unconcerned with winning the argument, he was able to get to the heart of the issue. And he showed us the art of an interview.

New blog...

My friend Tommy started a blog. Check it out.

And my friend Steve returned to the blogosphere.

Every Year is Election Year

Last year, Dr. Simons spoke in chapel pretty much about blogging. One blog he recommended was The Federal Review. They've already started putting up interesting polling analysis for the 2008 presidential election. You might say it's too early. McCain and Gulianni would disagree with you; they're already gearing up for the campaign. Look for the post called "And They're Off...".

MacArthur Speaks on Haggard

I attend Grace Community Church each Sunday and enjoy the weekly teaching of John MacArthur, but I think that he brings his best to chapel at The Master's College.

Today he talked to us about the Ted Haggard scandal. The main thrust of his message was an exhortation to the students for integrity.

Here are the quotes that capsulize what he said:

"You only get one chance at a life of integrity."

"If I can't win the battle in my heart, I can't win it anywhere."

Here were some of his key points:

-False spiritual standards cannot restrain the flesh. If you are just trying to motivate yourself through emotion or sheer will-power, you are destined to fail. True spiritual change must have something real behind it.

-Sin on a habitual level is not isolated to one category. While one sin, like sexual immorality, may dominate others, the sin will never stay contained to one area.

-Self-deception is terrible. The key to being a good hypocrite is deceiving yourself. And you'd be amazed at how good we are at this.

I think this Haggard scandal should be exhortation to all Christians to show integrity and purity. We should rise up and be men of God in the church of God. And there must be something real behind these lifestyles. Integrity must spring from a new heart that has been changed, a heart that truly believes that God is the most desirable thing in the world. I know we say that a lot, but do we really believe it on the practical level of personl integrity and purity?

The Center?

The cover story on the next TIME magazine is about the midterm elections pointing to a desire for politics to return to the center of the spectrum.

I don't think the center is what we got.

Check out this article where one "centrist" (cough...cough...) Democratic leader endorsed another for House Majority Leader. Soon-to-be Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi endorsed Rep. John Murtha as the next House Majority leader. Murtha wants to bring home the troops from Iraq. Sounds very centrist to me...

Thankfully Murtha will probably lose to Rep. Steny Hoyer.

So Let's Talk Some More Politics

What Happened?

So the tide did come in on Tuesday. The Democrats easily (and predictably) took the House, and they will also take over the Senate by one seat. They picked up quite a few gubernatorial seats, as well.

I spent my election night at the headquarters of the Peter Foy for Ventura County Supervisor campaign. I quickly realized that the House was lost. I tried to hold onto the idea of the Republicans keeping the Senate but eventually gave up hope on that, too, seeing the Webb was going to edge out Allen in Virginia.

The biggest disappointment of the night for me was the state of California. I know what you're saying...shouldn't I know by now that things in California will not go my way? Let me explain...no there is too much, let me sum up. Everybody knew Ahhhnold was going to win re-election. Also, the Republicans had some good candidates (like Tom McClintock) down ticket. I was hoping some of these guys (especially Tom) would win. Early returns gave me hope when they showed McClintock, Strickland, and McPherson ahead of their competition. But as the night went on, reality set in, and just about all of the down-ticket Republicans lost. I guess I should just be happy that we do have a Republican Governator.

As for the Foy campaign, that race is still too close to call. Foy trails by about 300 votes, but thousands of absentee votes remain to be counted. That kind of a race makes for a long election night of pushing "refresh."

Note: After an update today, Foy now only trails by 21 votes with many ballots still to be counted.

What Does All This Mean?

It wasn't the economy, stupid.

If you look at the big picture, the American economy is doing well by any measurable standard. The DOW is at an all-time high; unemployment is at all all-time low.

This election was about the war, stupid.

Many of the newly elected Democratic candidates ran on anti-Bush, anti-war platforms. Couple that with numerous ethical scandals from Jack Abramoff to Mark Foley amongst the Republicans and you end up with a party that nobody wants to vote for. I would say that this election signified more of a "No" to Republicans than a "Yes" to Democrats. I'm probably somewhat biased, but I think that's a pretty fair assessment.

Overall, I'd say this was an overwhelmingly negative election. The campaigns were very negative, and the voters were very negative--the clearly kicked out the party in power.

Another interesting event of the election was the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld the day after. Many are complaining about this being poor timing, and they've got to have somewhat of a point. Maybe it would have helped if he had resigned sooner...I certainly don't think it would have hurt. Rummy had to be one of the most umpopular guys in America over the past few months, whether you're a Republican or a Democrat.

What's Next?

Politics will be different for the next two years. The Democrats have taken over Congress. It will be very interesting to see what they do with their new found power. Certainly, they will seek to influence unpopular foreign policy. How they will treat a booming economy will be a different, yet interesting question. I don't think they'll be that cooperative with President Bush. I won't be suprised if not too much actually gets done over the next couple years.

All of this will set up a pretty interesting campaign for the White House in '08. Apparently you'll be able to get McCain yardsigns and buttons pretty soon. There are a lot of things I like about McCain; sometimes I find myself wishing he had won in 2000. But part of me thinks his opportunity came and went with that election. Now he is eight years older (would be the second oldest President ever if elected), and he has been a part of the establishment for long enough to lose some of his "Maverick" status. I'm really hoping for a candidate that I can get excited about, but none of the Republican names that are being tossed around right now really seem to fit that bill. I think I would be more excited right now about '08 prospects right now if I was a Democrat.

But let's face it, a lot can happen between now and '08. We'll see how the Democrats use their power. We'll see how the Republicans work in the minority. We'll see if the Bush administration does anything besides live up to the phrase "lame duck." And the campaigns should be fun to watch in two years. Why do I say that? Two words: Dean Scream.

YEAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!!

This Week's iTunes Dowloads

"O-o-h Child" by The Five Stairsteps

I was driving home the other day while listening to some classic K-Earth 101. As a was sitting in a little bit of traffic, I remembered listening to K-Earth this summer while being stuck in traffic on the way to LAX. This song had come on, and I remember the drive being more enjoyable after that. Anyways, after this random memory, the next song that came on was "O-o-h Child" by The Five Stairsteps. It was a sign; I downloaded the song that night.

"Grace Unmeasured" by Sovereign Grace Ministries

This is my favorite new song that our TMC Chapel Band has done this year. The melody is beautiful and climaxes in a sweet echo part in the chorus. Grace is the theme of the song, and the lyrics journey from grace calling us out before our birth all the way to grace leading us to Heaven. And because of God's sovereign, unmeasured grace, the praise all belongs to him. Check this song out; sing it in your church/Bible Study.

Restores the Soul

One of my favorite books as a kid was "Wacky Wednesday" by Dr. Suess. It's a fun story about a day where everything seems to be out of the ordinary.

Today was that day.

It all started when I woke up this morning. Waking up was wierd because I was not waking up in my bed in Hotchkiss. I am spending a couple nights at home, so I can take care of our families lovable pooch while my parents are at Disneyland. Not only did I wake up in a different place than normal, I also woke up not before my alarm clock went off--that never happens.

After going through an altogether different routine for getting ready for school that made me feel like I was back in high school, I started driving to school. The drive usually takes 15-20 minutes, but today it took 40. By the time I was walking into my Old Testament class 20 minutes late, my day was already wacked out.

After class was chapel. While I usually sit in the left-side bleachers with my fellow Hotchkiss men, those bleachers were not out this morning due to technical difficulties. So I got to see my first chapel from the floor. After chapel got out late, I decided it was most certainly naptime. My roommate set his alarm to go off and wake us both up in time for class, but more technical difficulties made this fail to happen. Luckily, I woke up three minutes after the alarm was supposed to start sounding. Again, that never happens.

After grabbing my books I took off for class and stopped by the cafeteria to grab lunch. When I got to class, I realized I had no fork. Luckily I had randomly picked up two carrots with my salad, which I then used as my utensils to meet my salad.

Today just didn't seem to be right. These oddities were only icing on the moldy cake of what seemed to be a really bad day. By the time I returned home, I was tired and discouraged.

But then I opened my Bible. Psalm 19 says, "The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul." I experienced this as I opened my Bible to Proverbs and began to read about the pleasantness of wisdom and the multitude of ways God blessed those who seek him. My perspective on my day was changed as God's Word directed my gaze toward him. My circumstances didn't chang--I was still tired and had a mountain of homework--but my attitude sure did. My soul was refreshed and restored by God's Word.

That's pretty cool.

See you at the polls tomorrow (or I guess now it would technically be today.)
Good night.

Where'd All the Good People Go?

Did you know that political campaign signs have a distinct smell? I do. This Saturday I went out to walk one more time for the local campaign I worked for this summer. When I walked in the office, I was bombarded with a familiar scent. I quickly recognized the smell of the first three weeks of my summer on the campaign trail.

Are you tired of negative, uninformative, vicious political attack ads? Apparently America cannot get enough of them because attack campaigning has been an even bigger trend this election season, adding to the overall negativity of the campaign.

Does opponent bashing work? It would surely seem that they must because of their popularity. But are they essential? I think not. I think that if more politicians stepped out with more positive campaigning that voters would respond in like fashion. One reason many campaigns resort to negative campaiging, I believe, is that they are not even convinced by their own candidate. Therefore, instead of trying to convince voters that their candidate is the one for the job, campaigns try to convince you that the other guy is ineffective, unethical, a jerk, and an all-around lousy guy.

The campaign I worked for this summer strove to remain on the positive sides. While the other candidates smeared each other, we simply advertised our candidate as the right man for the job. Voters did respond as our candidate defeated both of the others in the primary.

Maybe I'm still politically naive, but maybe we just need better candidates and then we'll have so better campaign ads.

Tomorrow the die is cast. It seems like Republicans have gained some momentum, but they are definitely still trailing. Hold on to your hats and glasses, folks, 'cause this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness.

Pay Attention

The tide might change on Tuesday. And it might roll in like a tsunami.

This Tuesday, America will go to the polls for the midterm elections. The main national emphasis of this election is on Congress. Every house seat is up for election, as well as one-third of the Senate. Republicans have basically owned the majority on the Hill since 1994 (a couple years in the Senate excepted.) However, the Democrats are threatening to take back one or both Houses this time around.

Republicans have not been very popular lately. Of course, the main unpopular Republican is President Bush. While he may not be up for election, he certainly has a huge impact on the election. The war in Iraq, which is most commonly linked to Bush, is largely unpopular. Republicans also have suffered from ethical scandals over the past couple years. Therefore, many Democrats are viewing this as the opportune moment to regain a majority in Congress and position themselves for an even better run in 2008.

Also, California's statewide elections are next Tuesday. This includes the gubernatorial race as well as a U.S. Senate race. Both of these elections are fairly foregone conclusions. The bigger issue is all the races down ticket, such as Lieutenant Governor, State Controller, Attorney General, etc. Some of these races are close, which is suprising for such a Democratic leaning state.

Pay attention to the events of the next few days; they will be pretty important for American Politics. I'm hoping to be blogging it up through the midterms, so I'll be seeing you.