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Anyone who was surprised by the outcome of the Clemson-Alabama game has not seen a Clemson game in 10 years.  This was predictable because

a:-it was a big game

b:-it was on ESPN

c:-Tommy Bowden is Clemson’s head coach

When your national title hopes(if they can be called that) are dashed before Sept. 1 then you have a problem.  To top it off, I think we made the cover of SI.  All you Bowden apologits go ahead and comment how it’s just one game, how he needs more times, how he’s still got Tommy West players, how our facilities are terrible, etc.  Oh, they’ll spank the Citadel this weekend and beat up on the weak ACC.  We may even make it to the Orange Bowl.  Did any of us imagine 9 years ago that we would still be waiting for our first BCS trip under Bowden in 2008?

1.  Here’s a site a check out to see what’s really going on in the news media.

2.  Here’s an interesting article I read about Planned Parenthood.  Every parent and youth pastor needs to read this and check out the video link in the article.  Caution-the videos are crude, but show what we are up against in helping kids develop a Christian world view.

3.  Am I the only person who thinks Sarah Palin is being asked more hard hitting questions than Barack Obama?  Now, it is not Senator Obama’s fault what kinds of questions are asked of him and about him.  However, I feel that his campaign and voters are worse off for him not facing tough questions.  Palin’s speech tonight will either be a home run or a strikeout depending on who you listen to tomorrow.  If she can’t deliver in the speech, voters will question even more if she can deliver as VP.

4.  NFL kickoff is Thursday night.  Thus begins my quest for Fantasy Immortality and winning all three leagues I’m in.

5.  Karen made some amazing salsa last night for the Daniel Fast.  I think she was hoping it would last longer, but I ate almost all of it.  I know I need to drink more water which will help me fell fuller and fresher.

6.  I do not like the new look of Facebook.  I feel like I have to look in two or three places to see anything.

7.  In John 2, how many wedding guests did it take to go through the 120-180 gallons of wine that Jesus made?

8.  Drake’s vocabulary now includes, “boston”, “thank you”, “no”(which means yes), and “nana.”

Have a great day!

1.  Would love to hear what people thought of Obama’s speech last Thursday.  It was truly an event to remember and he delivered the speech well.  He said many things that are said at every Democratic convention(just like McCain will do the same this week maybe).  It was a historic moment that many Wesleyans gave their blood, sweat, and tears towards during the Abolitionist movement.  Another moment Wesleyans paved the way for was…

2. The nomination of Gov. Sarah Heath Palin to be the VP for the Republican Party.  Wesleyans were on the front lines for women’s rights as well as the ending of slavery in America.  I like the pick of a Washington outsider.  It will be an interesting election.  About 33% of people I know are for Obama, 33% for McCain, and 33% not happy about either.  The McCain campaign camp needed energy and the Palin pick delivered.

3.  Think about this-how many historic news moments happened over the weekend.  Sadly, they all overshadowed each other.  By noon Friday, the Obama speech coverage was replaced with the Palin pick.  Then the Palin pick and the RNC were overshadowed by Hurricane Gustav.  It is great to see the lessons learned from Katrina have paid off.  This is how a natural disaster should be handled-with precision, class, adequate manpower, and back bone.  No reports of looting yet.

4.  I saw video of some protesters at the RNC in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Countless Americans have died since our nation’s birth to insure our right to free speech and protest.  Sad that many are using that right to promote Anarchy, random vandalism, and violence toward police while wearing masks.

5.  I finished my final two Fantasy Football drafts over the weekend.  I am very happy with all of my teams.  It also helped that most of the people I am playing with did not read the same ESPN articles that I did.  So, their strategy was a bit different from mine.  What’s great is I didn’t have to spend $8 on a magazine and I didn’t spend a crazy amount of hours studying up.  All of my teams were horrible last year, so here’s hoping my work does pay off.

6.  Our church started the Daniel Fast yesterday for 21 days.  I saw a couple from church trying to buy foods from our list at the store.  Had a neat conversation with them and saw that most of our packets were gone from the church.  I trust that God will take this group of people who are seeking his face and reading his word and use us to change our community.  Sadly, I drank enough Mt. Dew over the weekend to last me two months.

I find it odd that there’s not more news about the war in Iraq.  When things were going poorly, the mainstream media couldn’t get enough of it.  Now that a deal has been reached for all combat troops to be out by 2011 and no troops in Iraqi cities by next summer, you hardly hear a peep about it on the news.  I think there is one big reason for this.

1.  This deal signals that we have won the war.  The fighting may not be over, but the outcome is clear.  Countries don’t sign deals like this if the major objectives have not been met.  The surge worked and those who gave their lives and health(physical and emotional scars that will never fully heal) did not do so in vain.  I’m not just talking about US troops either.  The Iraqi’s have suffered through Saddam’s regime and now a brutal war.  If you are a politician that has been critical of the war since the start, how do you respond to this?  If you ran to end the war and bring the troops home then what do you run on now?  Though you may disagree with the reasons we went to war and how it was initially handled, shouldn’t you celebrate that now, in fact, it’s “Mission Accomplished?”  When the next president takes office, the wheels will already be in motion to bring all the troops home.  Now, I believe that the war ending and the troops coming home is fantastic news.  Some networks don’t even think it’s news.  I’m interested to see how much Obama mentions it in his speech Thursday night because so far the war hasn’t been discussed much at the DNC.

Just once, I want to hear a convention speech with details instead of cliches.  I want someone to say, we will pay for Universal Health Care by raising taxes on everyone making over X amount of dollars and by cutting spending in these areas.  During the primaries, Ron Paul was always very specific in what he would do and although I rarely agreed with him I appreciated his honesty and passion.  Now, we hear that the candidates have energy plans to invest in alternative fuels and decrease our dependence on foreign oil.  Ok, but how are you planning to do that?  The big knock against drilling now is that we won’t see results for ten years.  By that logic, all cancer and AIDS research should be ended because a cure hasn’t been found yet.  Or, we shouldn’t try to pay off the national debt because we won’t see results for 10 years.  I have signed the drill here drill now petition, I know that alone is not going to be enough, but like both candidates, I don’t have a clear, concise plan either.

Finally, Michelle Obama told the inspiring story of how her father overcame MS and gave his children a better life.  At no point in the story did she mention the government programs that bailed him out, made decisions for him, and got him out of bed an hour early everyday so he could dress himself.  To me, what her father did is not just the American dream, but everyone’s dream:  To have the strength to overcome our obstacles and take care of those around us.  Her and Barack both overcame a lot to reach the place where they are at.  Whether they know it or not, they’re the poster children for conservatism.  Look what people can do when they work hard and set their minds to something.  They didn’t need the government coddling them along the way.  They just needed a chance.  Too many times, big government is more of a stumbling block than a stepping stone.  Of course, if the church were truly doing it’s job, the government could do it’s job instead of trying to do ours.  More on that tomorrow.

I don’t know if you heard about this story.  Now here is part two.  I agree with Dustin’s thoughts on the situation.

Drudge is where I get all my news info.  Great for during the political conventions which no one seems to be watching.

Finally, have you ever wondered,”What happened to the guy that wrote Basic Instinct?”  Here’s the amazing answer.

The girls go today for their first meeting with their teacher.  One at 1:15 and the other at 1:30.  I haven’t gotten emotional yet.  I’m sure that will come tomorrow when they go a full day.  Then they are off Wednesday and Thursday before returning Friday.  Then, Monday is Labor Day so we won’t really get into full swing until next Tuesday.  For the next 17 years our schedule will revolve around the school calendar.  I will be 50 when Drake graduates.  No more overnight trips on a whim or staying an extra day at grandma’s.  It’s spelling, math, science and history from now on.  Well, at least my kids will be the best in their class at playing 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon.