The Atlanta Falcons can toot their new Horn

The Atlanta Falcons have signed Joe Horn to help stabilize their receiving corp.  Now please understand, I have watched Joe Horn his entire career.  He made a splash as a young receiver with the Kansas City Chiefs and his speed was blistering.  As he began to mature as a receiver he peaked at just the right time, his best season as a Chief came right before he became an unrestricted free agent and was signed to a healthy contract by the New Orleans Saints.  As he began to age Horn proved he could still be successful.  His route running became more sharp in order to compensate for the taming of speed that comes with each year.  He learned how to take the big hit when making catches over the middle.  In fact he became one of the best go to receivers in the league, being thrown to on 3rd and 4th down more than anyone else in the NFC.  Then the Saints release him.  Heartbreak City.  I know his skills aren’t what they used to be, but they are more than average.  More importantly, is how Horn stood by the city of New Orleans through everything that has happened in the recent past.  When there was talk of ownership moving out of New Orleans, Horn made a public plea to stay and be a source of income and revitalization for the community.  He became the public face of the Saints.  When Drew Brees and Reggie Bush came to the Big Easy this past year, it was Joe Horn that did a great service by involving them in the community and giving them the reputation there that they now have.  Atlanta picked up a more than average receiver, the Saints lost a more important part of their team than I think they realize.

God is Awesome!

I’ve mentioned on this blog several times that I get the opportunity to meet with 5 young men every thursday morning for a time of discipleship.  Now let me explain something, these guys are VERY different.  Among this group of guys are representatives of several different interests and personality types;  athletes, runners (sorry Aaron, but I couldn’t resist making a distinction between the two), Rabid sports fans, musicians, scholars, introverts, extroverts, public speakers, quiet contemplators, and just about every other combination you can imagine.  In the lives of just 5 young men, I get the opportunity to see the great uniqueness that God has birthed into His creation.  Here’s the cool part…they genuinely want to become more like Christ.  God has created each one with different interests and skills, yet their common desire is to be more like the same person…Christ.  As we talked about struggles and prayer requests this morning, they showed a genuine concern for one another, even when they didn’t agree.  And believe me, they don’t always agree, but they care more about the other person than they do about the source of the disagreement.  If that isn’t a model of how we “the church” should act, I don’t know what is.  I thank God that He has given me the opportunity to be a part of their lives…God is Awesome!

Saluki Heartbreak

Yesterday the Southern Illiois Saluki Men’s Basketball team let a golden opportunity slip through their fingers.  With the possibility of achieving a top ten ranking and a potential 2 or 3 seed in the NCAA tourney, they were beaten convincingly by Creighton in the final game of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis.  This will undoubtably drop them several slots in the AP poll and will also likely mean a 4 or 5 seed at best in the Big Dance.  The truth is, they would have done the MVC a greater service if they had lost their semifinal game instead of the final.  A semifinal loss would have almost guaranteed the MVC a extra at large bid, but as it stands it looks like we’re only gonna get 2 teams in this year.  A loss from every angle possible.