More NCAA and NBA

Okay, I missed 8 on round 1. That means I'm 24 and 8 in round one bracketology. Not bad. I remember picking them and thinking I need to pick an upset. So I picked Long Beach State over Tennessee. Tennessee was a number 5 seed and LB State was a 12 seed. Boy was I wrong on that one. The score was 12o something to 86 I think. It's doubtful Tennessee will get by Ohio State though. I also picked Texas A&M over Wisconsin. That was a mistake too, but if they played again, I'd still pick Texas A&M.

Tonight the Nuggets play the Phoenix Suns. We have a secret weapon now with Linus Klieza. I doubt it will help much since the Suns are playing so well, but you never know. Craig, if you're reading this, pay attention to Linus. While everyone double teams AI and Melo, Linus finds his way into the paint. And, he can score from outside the ring. He had 29 points against the Lakers the other night.

NCAA

I am pretty excited about the results yesterday. I got 16 out of 18 games right yesterday on my bracket. One of my losses was Duke. I had picked them to get by Virginian Commonwealth. Who would've thought? My only other loss was Gonzaga. I picked them to beat Indiana. Oh well. I don't think Indiana will go too far in this tournament.

Nancy must think I'm a little nuts. I call it bracketology. I could've put money on it at work, but I don't gamble. I just do it for the fun.

Saturdays

I've been meeting with some guys on Saturday mornings. John, Vernon, and Mike are good friends and the time is well spent. We've decided to read a book together called Leadership and self-deception. It's been a pretty good read so far. I will let you know what I think when I'm done.

Snow, Coyotes, and Basketball

The last bit of snow melted from our yard today. I got home from work and sure enough it was gone. I checked the temperature, it said 71, put on my shorts and tennis shoes and went for a fast 45 minute walk on the trail that goes up to the hogback. No knee problems today. I saw lots of prairie dogs and a couple of dead rabbits....coyotes have been dining near the house!

The Nuggets have won two straight games. The Phoenix game is coming up, so I don't know if this short streak will last. I picked my brackets for the NCAA tournament. I like Oregon and Mariland this year but I'm afraid Florida will take it all. That would be terrible.

Sin

I found a very nice quote from SK underlined in his Journals and Papers. Here it is: "That a person wants to sit and brood and stare at his sin and is unwilling to have faith that it is forgiven: is this also guilt in that it is a minimizing of what Christ has done?"

My Knee

Today We decided to go the YMCA after church to work out. On the way over we changed our minds because the weather was so nice (high 60's). We decided to go to Waterton Canyon instead and go for a walk up the canyon. When we arrived and walked about 100 yards up the canyon, it was covered with mud (over the asphalt road). There was no way we could get up the canyon without getting totally muddy. Where this mud came from is a mystery. Once again, we changed our minds and decided to go back home and walk around the neighborhood and get exercise there. Shortly after we left the house, I was admiring how one of our neighbors had chopped the ice away from the sidewalk behind his house. It was on the North side of his house and still in the shade, so there was lots of ice between the walk and his fence. The water was oozing out underneath the ice next to the sidewalk and freezing on the sidewalk, which only looked wet to me. I took a tumble, landed on my butt and twisted my knee. It's much better now. Below is a rendition of my tender knee

Prove God's Existence?

Many of you know, I was a philosophy major in college. One of my favorite philosophers was Blaise Pascal. He was really a French mathematician who did philosophy on the side. Here is a great quote from him about proving God's existence, or why he thinks it's a waste of time.

"Wherefore I shall not here undertake to prove by natural reasons either God's existence, or the Trinity, or the immortality of the soul, nor anything of the kind; not only because I cannot possibly feel competent to draw from nature arguments to convince the hardened atheist, but, further, because such knowledge without Jesus Christ is useless and sterile."

It's interesting that in Pascal's day, "reason" ruled the day. This day and age hundreds of years later, "reason" is not so important. Now you can believe anything you want, and no one cares if it's true. What matters now is, is it true for you? Or, does it make you feel good? Somehow I find it hard to believe that society is better off today than in Pascal's day. Just ask a Frenchman today what he believes.

One Good Reason To Live In Denver

Here is one good reason to live in Denver. Most of the snow we've had has melted, except on the North side of buildings and homes.

Denver, CO

• Local forecast
• Hourly
• Ten-day
• Maps
• Averages

Current Conditions (as of 1:55 PM)	Today's forecast		°F | °C
Mostly Cloudy 61°F Feels like: 61°F Barometer: 29.9 in Dewpoint: 21° Humidity: 20% Visibility: NA Wind: 5 mph SSE Sunrise: 6:21 AM Sunset: 6:00 PM Observed at Aurora, Buckley Air Force Base Airport. All times shown are local to Denver.	Today		Hi: 61° Lo: 30°
	PM Clouds
	6 PM		51°
	Cloudy
	9 PM		43°
	Cloudy
	Midnight		38°
	Cloudy

United Airlines

Describing this will be difficult but hang in there with me. The stewardess asked me if I wanted another cup of water. I said, "yes, please." She rolled her eyes and said, "okaaaay." The look on her face was so indifferent and made me feel like I put her out. She rolled her eyes about this and looked away with a frown on her face. This has to be more difficult than being nice. But SHE ASKED ME!! She asked me if I wanted another cup of water. I responded politely. Yet, she was put out. This is a common theme with this stupid airline. I can't tell you how many of their employees exhibit this kind of behavior. Do they screen for toxic people when they hire? I've had enough of them. One more flight and I'm back to Alaska Airlines. At least the people on Alaska are nice.

Seth Andrew

That's his name! Yes, it's true. Noelle called me today and told me it's a boy. And, they named him Seth Andrew. I am so completely honored by this you can't imagine how I feel. After I got the news I prayed for the youngster. I know God will honor my prayer.

Weight of Wings

I talked with my daughter today. She has a new website called Weight of Wings. You should check it out. Of course the big deal with her right now is the new baby on the way. Oh, did I forget to say it was a big deal with me? Yes, it is. I'm going to be a Grandfather (technically I am already).

One of my favorite things is visiting REI. I got a dividend check from them the other day and Nancy and I decided to spend it there. I had no idea; clearly half our time was spent in the children's area. It's a big deal.

Amazing Grace

Normally I don't like going to the movies. I've made some poor choices in the past and why repeat the mistakes? I would rather read a book. Nancy compelled me to go see Amazing Grace today. I was amazed. It was an excellent movie. I read the reviews before going and of course, they were negative. Too much political discussion, not enough action (what did they want to show, people dying and suffering in slave ships? I think we get it), and of course the movie was an evangelical Christian advertisement. Sorry, but I didn't see it that way at all. I saw an historical representation of William Wilberforce. I would recommend the movie to anyone.

Right before the movie started our friends Keith and Clare Dawson and family walked into the theatre and sat right next to us. That doesn't happen often in Denver. Somehow, it made the movie better. They are very special people.

Peace Like a River

I finished Leif Enger's book, Peace Like a River a couple of weeks ago. I am inclined to move it to my list of favorite reads. Without a doubt it's one of the best books I've ever read and ranks right up there with the Hobbit. Although completely different from the Hobbit, I would recommend it to anyone.

You can use my link to order it on Amazon.

Propelled by the Sensational?

Ravi Zacharias in his book Jesus Among Other Gods, quotes Elizabet Barrett Browning. Here is the poem. I think it's called Propelled by the Sensational:

Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

Zacharias says this reminds him of Moses and the burning bush. He says, "God's inexhaustible presence graced those occasions with brilliant and awesome splendor. How inconceivable was the loss for the people when the signs became the ends in themselves and the One signified the means. The special effects became the attraction, and the central figure was obscured. The world of humanity has lived with such blindness, and the mistake has been repeated in virtually every life."

This reminds me of my backpacking trips into the wilderness. I get to play in God's back yard and explore his gardens, and every bush and tree is afire with God. My prayer is that I won't be blind to how and when he works in my life and the life of my family and friends.