So who's in your Top 5?

So Facebook has this thing...I think it's with some application called living social or something like that, where you pick top 5 in whatever categories you want...I can't get enough of it!!! I've picked my favorite games, favorite artists, favorite sports teams, even 5 things to have when zombies attack! It's re-donk-u-lous!

You COULD also take the time to take on a serious topic and think about it or something...I dunno...I just know it's a good way to waste time...and I hadn't blogged in a while....

And Reilly, I forgive you for the book comment...to be honest, I don't think I heard it all when you told me on the phone, so I never begrudged you for anything! Now get up here and see me!

So Jimmy was in town...

One of the coolest moments. Jimmy Needham is just a funny guy. And his band is funny too. But the coolest moment came after lunch. We were all up in the hospitality room, Suz and I from CFR, Jimmy, Sarah Reeves, Joy Lippard, and Rush of Fools, as well as the crew. Apparently a member of the group leads a devo time after lunch, and today...was Jimmy's day. He peroused his bible for a little bit, and came up with this...

^{1 Peter 2:9-12
9}But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. ¹²Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

This passage, as well as several others point to a fact that seperates our faith from every other one out there. Our IDENTITY comes before any call to action. We are a chosen people, a holy nation. Once we were not His people, but now we are. We haved been saved...set free. Our faith is different because of this. Any other religion, you obey, you follow the rules, and then you are accepted. Ours is a faith where you are accepted first, not because of anything we have done, but because Jesus Christ has saved us.

And because of that, we obey. Obedience is natural to the one who has set us free. It actually is easy, it gives us joy to serve our heavenly father.

Boom.

Jimmy's so cool.

So that was quick...again...

Let's run down the timeline shall we?

Last Wednesday - UK loses to Notre Dame, effectively ending their season.

Thursday - Rumors run rampant about Billy G's departure, WHAS out of Louisville reports he is gone.

Friday - WHAS's report comes true, as Billy G is let go. The state of UK basketball turns its eyes on Billy Donovan, who has always been the man UK has wanted...no dice.

Sunday - UK officials meet with John Calipari after his Memphis team loses in the Sweet 16 to Missouri.

Monday - Calipari sleeps on offer from UK.

Tuesday - Calipari accepts offer to become the next coach at UK.

Today - Official press conference, and several April Fool's stories including Rick Pitino working the back channels to reclaim the job at UK, and send Calipari back to Memphis.

Now, I will always feel bummed that UK didn't give Billy G one more year, he had some good recruits coming in next year....BUT UK did make the best hire. Knocked this one out of the park. Best case scenario, all his Memphis recruits (3 of the top 6 in the country, and others) come to UK, and they become a top 10 team in the country with final four aspirations. Worst case scenario, it takes a couple of years, and UK gets back in the spotlight for a while. Really interested in how the recruiting wars will pan themselves out in the next couple of weeks.

Oh yeah, UK/UL rivalry finally shows some signs of life again...

Oh yeah, Jimmy Needham concert tomorrow!!! WOOT!!! Turns out I may not be doing security, but I will be doing equipment set up, getting on stage before the concert, eating lunch and dinner with the Jimmy and Rush of Fools, and hanging out backstage during/after the concert!! It's gonna be a full/awesome day!! Hopefully I'll have some pictures or something....

So the Day has Come...

11:45 - TOPS WIN!!! TOPS WIN!!!! Thought they were gonna lose it there for a bit, but they hold on to play Gonzaga Saturday. So that's cool. So I miss 5 on the first day, my worst start ever, but maybe I'll bounce back tomorrow. Me and Obama are tied. I just want to beat him, so that when me and Petey Pab make a run for the White House in 2020, I can put this on my credentials. Upsets I have for tomorrow...
#10 USC over #7 Boston College in the Midwest (not much of an upset, I know)
#12 Arizona over #5 Utah in the Midwest
#13 Portland State over #4 Xavier in the East
#11 Temple over #6 Arizona State (Christmas in March!!!)

So all in all, an awesome day, and I get to do it all over again tomorrow!!! Well at least till 3:00, then I gotta go to Owensboro for some conference for the station... I deem this live blog a fantastic success! G'Night!

8:31 - And there is officially miss #4, with Clemson going down swinging, oh Texas won too, that makes 5....wow, worst start ever.

8:11 - So I overthought this bracket. Last night, I said, "I don't like picking Michigan over Clemson, even if my gut is telling me to do so." So when I got up this morning, I switched the pick to Clemson. Now they trail by 6 with 3 to go. Now they can still win, and I hope they do, or I'm on my way to miss #5, cuz Minnesota is gettin housed by Texas.

7:23 - Direct quote from me on the air... "I love it, it's fantastic. Even though my bracket is falling to shambles around me, I still love it, and I hope you do too. But I hope you love the Evening Cafe, cuz that's what you're listening to right now on Christian Family Radio." ...wow, that's inspired.

7:14 - DJing at CFR...itchin' for some more games to watch...sigh...ESPN scoreboard will have to do for now...

5:59 - Washington beats Miss St. That makes 3 misses out of 8 games. Crap. Worst start ever, and I got some question marks tonight too...

4:51 - 38-27 Washington leads at the half. Am I gonna miss 3 out of the opening 8? Would be the worst start for me, ever. Usually it takes the second day for me to fall apart.

4:24 - Vanardo is on the bench with 2 fouls with 10 minutes left in the 1st half. Not good for Miss. St.

4:12 - Aw man, a break in the action...winners so far...
UConn, Texas A&M, Perdue, Maryland, and Memphis in the West.
North Carolina and LSU in the South.

Minnesota/Texas should be a nice one, also VCU/UCLA, and of course...
WKU/ILLINOIS!! Gonna be awesome...

Also, why isn't Miss. St./Washington televised?

4:06 - Vazquez for Maryland is an ugly dude, but he's scored like 27 points in a win over Cal.

And now for ridicule... Eric Kuselias from ESPN was talking yesterday. Here's what he said...
"Everybody's picking Maryland to beat Cal...FOOL'S GOLD. Cal is a good team...wait, a great team. Take Cal, and thank me in the morning."

Thanks EK. Thank you for my second miss on the day. Actually both of my misses today have come from me changing my mind after listening to people on the radio. Just go with the gut man, just go with the gut.

4:01 - UNC wins over Radford 101-58, big shocker...

3:54 - Hey Cal, you're shooting 6/24 from the 3 point line, so what do you do now? Throw up a terribly forced 3 way behind the line and off balance with 5 minutes left. Great.

3:48 - I got a feeling that I'm gonna get to make fun of an ESPN talent in about 7:20 of game time.

3:37 - There, Mocs make some free throws for first points in 2nd half, almost 5 minutes in...

3:32 - Have the Mocs scored in the second half?

3:31 - Perdue holds on for a win...although they didn't look pretty, they could win another one before this tourney's done...

3:27 - Maybe not...

3:26 - Huge charge taken for Perdue, may have locked in the win for the Boilermakers.

3:02 - Don't look now, Northern Iowa's coming back...

3:00 - On a separate note, they cut Alexis Grace on Idol last night? That sucks. She was good, and Sarver was terrible in a genre he was supposed to shine in. Sarver shouldn't have made the top 13, let alone the top 10. Now he hits the road on the Idols tour, and Alexis stays home. Oh yeah, and Anoop is still around, he sucks too. Idol rant, out.

2:52 - Great set of games to start the day, but this second set doesn't have a whole lot...guess that's what happens when 2 #1 seeds play at the same time...

2:44 - 33-17 UConn, yeah, wheels officially off for UTC.

2:39 - Anybody want to score in the Maryland/Cal game? Anybody?

2:35 - Price and the Huskies draining 3 threes in a row to get a 13 point lead...we may have just seen the wheels come off for UTC...

2:26 - Yay for CBSsports.com...now I can watch any game my TV don't get on my computer...

2:23 - Now UConn/Chattanooga only game on...wish I could watch that Maryland/Cal game...

2:21 - Mocs playing tough, but I think UConn gets things going after this timeout, and start to leave em. Hopefully I'm wrong...

2:07 - MOCS SCORE FIRST!! Getting the steal and everything...wait...and they draw a foul on Thabeet. They're gonna have to get him out of the game.

2:05 - UConn/Chattanooga is the second game of this time period...Calhoun will not coach the Huskies today (health issues). Mocs making second trip ever to the dance. They last time, they lost to Wake Forest in the first round.

2:02 - Brotha betta be gettin' a second game, instead of both stations showing the Purdue/NIU matchup...

2:00 - Bowling Green Purples lose to Lexington Catholic 70-62 in OT, bummer...

1:57 - Reversed order of Blog entries...easier to read, easier to write... no scrolling...

1:47 - Trying to find out if Bowling Green pulled off the upset in the Sweet 16 today, they were up 5 with 3 to go, no website update on KHSAA's website...

1:44 - Dang, Purdue is clicking...good thing I picked them...and that WKU didn't draw them.

1:36 - So I'm looking on ESPN.com...at least 3 million brackets filled out on that website alone...dang...
Games in the next set...
#5 Purdue and #12 Northern Iowa (now)
#1 North Carolina and #16 Radford (1:50)
#7 Cal and #10 Maryland (1:55)
#1 UConn and #16 Chattanooga (2:00)

UNC is without Ty Lawson, he can probably sit out the whole first weekend and be ok...
I struggled with Maryland vs. Cal, but eventually went with Cal...
And I'm pulling for the Mocs, but they are a 16 seed for a reason...

1:33 - Texas A&M wins the third...and my first official miss...now to find Drew's markers...

1:31 - Memphis wins the second...millions of brackets breathe a sigh of relief....

1:28 - But he hits the second...LSU officially wins the first game of the tourney. So at least one SEC team will go through.

1:28 - LSU would miss a free throw...

1:27 - Butler sure ain't giving up...but it looks like LSU's got it. And Memphis isn't too far behind.

1:20 - I keep on forgetting what channel I'm on, so I accidentally switch over to People's Court or Barney and Friends...what an interesting dynamic at this time of day...

1:18 - Looks like I'm gonna miss my first game, with BYU trailing 15 with 4:30 to go, but I'm ahead of Obama, cuz it looks like he'll miss 2. Memphis and LSU look to gain control...

12:57 - The only Sonic commercials that are funny are the ones with the original dudes...oh yeah and CS North Ridge up 1.

12:54 - Found different wireless network, hopefully this one works out...

12:45 - Stupid internet problems...

12:41 - Just realized I've got 2 CBS stations together, easy switching between the two. Yay.

12:39 - Anybody else see those Taco Bell commercials of the dude smuggling nachos to the game? Anybody else think he just stole the display for the nachos? Anybody wondering why Taco Bell would have a display of nachos? Or why anybody would steal them? Anybody?

12:37 - Hey LSU, way to give up a 13 point lead, go SEC.

12:28 - Finally, I get home. Turns out I had training for pledge drive with the station next week, so I had to go to that, we didn't get out till 12, then I grabbed some dollar lunch, and high-tailed it home for the second half of the first games. Here's what's currently going...
#8 LSU 35, #9 Butler 29 (This is the game I'm watching)
#2 Memphis 34, #15 Cal St. North Ridge 31
#9 Texas A&M 42, BYU 30

So I'm in danger of missing my first game, with BYU losing. A couple of quick notes...

-All my times are central, cuz that's where I live

-When I refer to my bracket, I am referring to my main bracket on ESPN.com, it's called my "Bracket of Integrity" as I have like 10 brackets out there.

And I really hope Memphis loses, it would destroy my bracket, cuz I have them in the final four, but I love the upsets, especially to Memphis, who never plays anybody. Here we go!!!!

So I Kinda Got a Job...

Now it don't start till May, and it definitely isn't a career move, but it will keep me out of the poor house for a bit. Unless something else comes up (and I'll keep looking for something else to come up), I'll be working at Beech Bend Park here in Bowling Green. It's an amusement park, and honestly, I've never been. I went to their job fair this weekend, and after a quick interview, they basically hired me on the spot. It could be a great deal of fun, especially if they do what they told me, and cross train me to work in several areas. Yay for not going broke!!!!

Also, no one is calling in to win a Rush of Fools CD and the chance to play musical chairs for some tickets to Rush of Fools/Jimmy Needham, so that's kinda sad..

Also, NCAA play-in game is a final...Morehead State moves on to take on Louisville. I've decided I'm going to do a live blog on the first day of the tournament. I had a friend who was part of a live blog for the Oscars one year, and this is kinda like my Oscars. Plus, I got nothing else to do. So Thursday, be sure to check back often, as I'll be postin all day!! The Mayhem during the Madness!!!

So that was quick....

Drew Rosenhaus said last week that there were PLENTY of teams that would want TO after he was cut by the Cowboys. So the news comes that TO is visiting Buffalo. The Bills? Really? And then...

HE SIGNS?!?!?!? With the Bills?!?!!?? Really?!?!?!!?! One year, 6.5 mil.

So, when TO was on the market, here was the checklist for a team to be successful with TO...

A QB who has a strong arm and leadership.

A Coach who can handle TO's locker room antics.

The need for a wide receiver.

Let's go through this checklist with the Bills, shall we?

Need for a wide receiver? Check, they got Lee Evans, he's quick, but not a #1.

A QB with a strong arm and leadership? JP Losman? Trent Edwards? Hmmm, no check.

A coach who can handle TO's locker room antics? Dick Jauron? Defense maybe. Plus it's not like he's kept the locker room in check. Marshawn Lynch is in some legal trouble as well. Hmmm, no check.

HE IS GONNA TEAR BUFFALO A NEW ONE!!

So I've been looking for advice...

I am terrible at consistency when it comes to studying, but when I had a little meltdown back in '08, freaking out about my future and stuff, one of my pastors at Hillvue, pastor Jeff Reynolds, hooked me up with a DVD study by Andy Stanley, called "Discovering God's Will." I did the first one almost right away, because the topic excited me.




I just did the second one today. And again, I learn something new. Funny how that works, you study God's word, and you learn something new. Anywhos...

Today's study dealt with how we look at God when we turn to Him. See, most of us want to know what God wants to do with us before we sign on. We want all the details first. That's just how we are, it's how we've been taught with everything else. We don't take a job without asking certain questions, we have to have details. But God don't work like that a lot, we gotta show our faith by signing on to His plan, even if we don't know what's going on.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

See, we gotta say, "God, my answer is yes, now where should I go?" Because too many times, we just take God's plan and take it like advice from a friend, consider an option, then make the decision yourself. Lean on our own understanding. God doesn't give his plan for consideration...He shows us His will expecting OBEDIENCE. That's been my problem. Ultimately, I've believed the decision has come down to me, and what I want to do. It's time to realize that I'm broken, my way sucks, and His way is awesome. It's time to stop taking advice from God, and take direction from Him.

I'm sure I'll talk more about this study, it's worth looking into. Hopefully it won't be over a month before I open it again.