The Constant
Happy St. Patty's Day! How cool is it to be Irish for a day! If you had your green beer, raise a toast!
Having been to Ireland, I can imagine why it is so easy to celebrate the Irish. If you go to a pub in Ireland, especially in the country, you're not really a stranger... you're just strange ;-). The Irish are just (as I have observed) good people... hard working, humble, and love life. They have a lot of fire in them too.
The contrast between the events of today (if you've paid attention to the financial news) and the constancy of goodness, kindness, and brotherhood that we celebrate today is stark. If you haven't heard, Bear Stearns is being fire sold to JP Morgan Chase and sent ripple effects throughout the stock market today, to the point that President Bush and the Fed are moving at uncharacteristic speeds for government to ease fears and the possible aftermath of this news. I'm, like a lot of Americans, very concerned about where our economy is headed... especially with the possibility of seeing someone get elected who will most likely raise our taxes which won't help matters any.
And in sports news, the positioning for Indiana and A&M (on a lighter note) leave a lot to be desired, considering where we were BOTH playing back in January and February. A losing streak here and there... and what looked like a magical season is starting to look like an uphill battle. My Aggies, once ranked #8 in the country, are now a #9 seed facing BYU and potentially #1 seed UCLA in a second round matchup in Anaheim. With I.U. facing the Pigs (Arkansas) in the 1st round as an 8 seed (also ranked as high as #6 in the land) with a date with UNC (arguably the favorite to win the National Championship) in the second round if we can get past the Pigs, who are playing hot right now even if through the WEAK SEC. In both situations, a great season with championship aspirations now looks like an early exit :-(.
So much change... uncertainty seems like the norm in today's world.
Which brings me back to St. Patty's Day and what we "celebrate" today (I didn't have any green beer, if you were asking). St. Patrick is credited for a lot of things... including driving all of the snakes out of Ireland (not sure if this is true or not) but also with championing the Gospel in Ireland which brings more hope than driving the snakes out. What Ireland, especially today, represents is the light that God has given us, which is the hunger for Him and the desire to be known by others and ultimately by our Creator. That was just my epiphany... but maybe there's a little truth to that. And, despite crappy basketball seasons and a Bear market, the truth that God wants a relationship with us that is characterized by love and friendship... and that He truly takes care of all who hope in Him for eternity is a constant that can survive whatever the world -or- the officials throw at us.
Until later... Top of 'da mornin' to ya!
chris <><
Having been to Ireland, I can imagine why it is so easy to celebrate the Irish. If you go to a pub in Ireland, especially in the country, you're not really a stranger... you're just strange ;-). The Irish are just (as I have observed) good people... hard working, humble, and love life. They have a lot of fire in them too.
The contrast between the events of today (if you've paid attention to the financial news) and the constancy of goodness, kindness, and brotherhood that we celebrate today is stark. If you haven't heard, Bear Stearns is being fire sold to JP Morgan Chase and sent ripple effects throughout the stock market today, to the point that President Bush and the Fed are moving at uncharacteristic speeds for government to ease fears and the possible aftermath of this news. I'm, like a lot of Americans, very concerned about where our economy is headed... especially with the possibility of seeing someone get elected who will most likely raise our taxes which won't help matters any.
And in sports news, the positioning for Indiana and A&M (on a lighter note) leave a lot to be desired, considering where we were BOTH playing back in January and February. A losing streak here and there... and what looked like a magical season is starting to look like an uphill battle. My Aggies, once ranked #8 in the country, are now a #9 seed facing BYU and potentially #1 seed UCLA in a second round matchup in Anaheim. With I.U. facing the Pigs (Arkansas) in the 1st round as an 8 seed (also ranked as high as #6 in the land) with a date with UNC (arguably the favorite to win the National Championship) in the second round if we can get past the Pigs, who are playing hot right now even if through the WEAK SEC. In both situations, a great season with championship aspirations now looks like an early exit :-(.
So much change... uncertainty seems like the norm in today's world.
Which brings me back to St. Patty's Day and what we "celebrate" today (I didn't have any green beer, if you were asking). St. Patrick is credited for a lot of things... including driving all of the snakes out of Ireland (not sure if this is true or not) but also with championing the Gospel in Ireland which brings more hope than driving the snakes out. What Ireland, especially today, represents is the light that God has given us, which is the hunger for Him and the desire to be known by others and ultimately by our Creator. That was just my epiphany... but maybe there's a little truth to that. And, despite crappy basketball seasons and a Bear market, the truth that God wants a relationship with us that is characterized by love and friendship... and that He truly takes care of all who hope in Him for eternity is a constant that can survive whatever the world -or- the officials throw at us.
Until later... Top of 'da mornin' to ya!
chris <><
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