Halftime

Today is my 41st birthday - HUZZAH! I do mean that, with all my heart - I'm not worried about age or feeling the least bit nervous about what's coming next. That having been said, one does begin to ponder one's mortality - and so one goes off looking for stuff to make that pondering a bit more fruitful.

According to the Social Security Administration's Life Expectancy Calculator, I have reached the halfway point of my life expectancy today. What follows is a brief imagining of my least favorite part of any college football game: the on-field interview with a coach going into the locker room at halftime.

Days of Thankfulness: Sports

Today was quite the day.  Beloved and I got up and drove into town without the girls thanks to a family friend volunteering to take them for a few hours.  Beloved had a class to teach at the gym, so I rode in with her and jogged about 1.5 miles to central campus at Iowa State, where I registered for and ran in the Lutheran Services in Iowa Blue Sky Day 5K.  Nice little 3.1 miler around campus, for a total of about 4.5 for the day.  Ran pretty quickly too, even though I overdressed and got very hot toward the end.  Then we came home and I got to spend a few hours doing my favorite thing this time of year:  watch college football.

I was a decent player in high school.  Could have played some small college ball if I'd chosen to do so, but I chose to attend the University of Nebraska, where I would not have measured up.  But I've always loved sports of all shapes and sizes.  Yes, we overemphasize sports in this country.  Yes, parents are far too willing to spend far too much and sacrifice far too many things for the sake of their kids' sports dreams.  Yes, I agree that we're obsessed with them to an unhealthy degree.  But for all that, there's a core that remains good.

What's good?  When moments like this happen:



I never had a Hail Mary moment work out for me as a player, but I remember good things about sports all the same.  Working together to achieve a common goal.  Pain.  Sweat.  Sacrifice.  Unity.  Adversity shared.  Losses acknowledged.  Victories cherished.  When we do sports right, it helps us grow as people.  Those boys in scarlet today will remember the time they bonded together, refused to quit fighting and accomplished the near-impossible.  Those boys in purple today will remember the time they worked together, gave everything they had, and lost it in a heartbeat.  BOTH experiences teach us life lessons.

There's an inscription on Memorial Stadium in Lincoln that Husker fans have cherished for years:

Not the victory but the action:

Not the goal but the game:

In the deed the glory.

Today I'm thankful for sports.  Whether it's the kind I play now, where I'm mainly measuring myself against my own goals and efforts, or the kind where someone keeps score, when we do it right sport is magnificent and wonderful and heartbreaking and terrible all at once, just like we are.

Sermon for the Feast of All Saints - "Winners and Losers"

Before reading this sermon, you should know I'm a Nebraska alum (though you probably already knew that) and the ELCA campus pastor at Iowa State, where this happened yesterday:

Preaching Texts

            When I was 9 years old, a football game made me cry.  I have a feeling there were some young Cyclone fans who felt the same way last night.  The 1984 Orange Bowl.  Nebraska was down 31-30, back in the days before overtime in college football.  They went for two and didn’t get it.  I went to bed and cried myself to sleep.

            That seemed to be the story for Nebraska fans in the 1980s and early 1990s.  It seemed like the Huskers were always one game away.  Oh, I don’t expect any sympathy from Iowa State students about struggling football teams – I’m telling this story to make a point, and the point is this:  we don’t commemorate losers, even the glorious ones.  As great as that game was yesterday, it won’t get celebrated nearly as much as last year’s slapstick in Lincoln, even though both teams played much, much better yesterday.  Why?  Because ISU won in Lincoln last year.  Winners get celebrated.  The 1983 Cornhuskers don’t get reunions, but the 1994 Cornhuskers do, because they won a national championship.  People will remember ISU beating Texas this year a lot longer than they’ll remember losing to Nebraska.  If you win, you get trophies, placques, and reunions.  Lose, even gloriously, you get a rueful shake of the head, but that’s about it.

            So, on the surface, it might appear that Jesus is just trying to even out the balance when he teaches in our reading from the gospel of Luke this morning.  We might think, “Oh, there goes Jesus:  he’s such a good one for making the losers feel good about themselves.”  Meanwhile, we’re either trying to find a way to avoid being lumped in with the poor, the hungry, the crybabies and the religious nutcases, or you’re trying to figure out if you’re poor, hungry, sad or crazy enough to be blessed without too much more inconvenience.  After all, when it comes to Jesus, up is down, left is right, rich is poor, poor is rich and humility is the best way to make a name for yourself in the kingdom of God, am I right?

            Back to football for a minute.  When I was growing up, people would complain about Nebraska never winning enough games.  You heard me right.  Tom Osborne once said, “My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season.”  When I would join the critics while I was growing up, my Mom would try to set me straight.  “You just wait,” she said, “someday we’ll know what it’s really like to have a terrible football team.”  I’m most proud of her for never once saying “I told you so” from 2002-2007.  But my point is this:  perspective has a tendency to get skewed no matter where we are in life.  When you’re up, you think you’re going to be up for the rest of your life.  When you’re down, you think that you’ll be down for the rest of your life.  Either way, you adjust your expectations accordingly and go on living the best that you know how to live.  At least, that’s what you do if you’re not a saint.

            Today we celebrate the Feast of All Saints.  Traditionally, today is the day we remember those who have died in the past year, and we’ll do just that later in our service.  But right now, I want to talk a bit more about living saints, and what it means to live as God’s saints now, in this life, and why I think Jesus is talking about sainthood when he teaches his disciples like he does in this morning’s Gospel text. 

            Let’s make sure we understand what it is we’re talking about when Jesus says “Blessed are you” and “Woe unto you.”  It’s easy to think that, because Jesus says “yours is the kingdom of God,” that he’s talking about salvation and damnation.  Jesus is telling the people listening to him how to live in this life, not how to get into the next.  This is not advice given for the best way to score points with God:  this is God himself defining reality for people who don’t have the ability to see it.  Jesus is the living hope of God revealing the truth to those who haven’t seen it yet:  what we see on the surface is not the reality God knows down to the core.  Poverty is not always marked by misery.  Wealth does not always guarantee unlimited happiness.  Hunger and sadness have their seasons, as do satisfaction and joy.  Most of all, we who believe in what God is up to in the world are called to trust in God no matter how much ridicule the world might heap upon us.  This is what Jesus is calling ALL of his followers to understand, rich and poor, hungry and fed, weeping and rejoicing, losers and winners alike.  THESE ARE ALL SAINTS:  it’s just that these are saints in all their different places in life, but still called to worship and serve the same living, loving God who welcomes them all.

            Don’t believe me?  Look at the last few verses of our reading today.  “I say to you that listen…”  Not “I say to you poor.”  Not “I say to you joyful.”  Not “I say to you who’ve gone and made somebody mad for my sake.”  “I say to you that listen…”  Wherever you are, whatever you’ve done, in whatever circumstances you may find yourself, here is how you follow me:  “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”  This is what it means to be one of God’s saints.  Jesus calls us to open our eyes, to see with perspective and understand that life is constantly changing.  If he’d been talking in political terms this past week, he might have said, “Blessed are you Democrats, for yours is the Senate Majority.  But woe to you Republicans, for you have received your reward.”  Six years ago he might have said the exact opposite.  Either way, Jesus would have said to BOTH parties:  “Love your enemies.  Reach across the aisle.  Don’t make that commercial and call your opponent names.  Do unto your opponent and you would have them do unto you.” 

            I’ve been haunted by a song this week.  

            If you look at the face of Johnny Cash in that video, you look at the face of a man who’s known both blessings and woes.  He was rich, and he was poor.  He laughed, and he wept.  Most importantly, Johnny Cash did some wonderful things for a lot of people, but he also did some terrible things to his family and friends over the years.  You see in this song a man who knows the core of his life, its depths and its heights.  I call Johnny Cash a saint, not because he’s dead, and not because he was a vision of perfection in life, but because you get the sense that he knew the whole story of human sinfulness and yet trusted in God to overcome the hurt he himself had caused to others and himself. 

            Paul says in our Ephesians text today, “I pray that…God may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation…so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know the hope to which God has called you, the riches of God’s glorious inheritance among the saints.”  This is the life of a saint: eyes wide open, with perspective and wisdom enough to see life in its totality.  This is the life of a saint:  understanding that circumstances are constantly changing.  This is the life of a saint:  to know that in these constantly changing circumstances, one thing that is guaranteed is that we will make mistakes in the midst of everything.  This is the life of a saint:  to know that in the midst of everything, whether it’s poverty or riches, hunger or fullness, sorrow or joy, God is bigger than our hopes and our fears and we are called to trust in God come what may. 

            Open your eyes, you saints of God.  Understand that wins and losses are part of what it is to be human.  Believe that God knows the depth of who you are and how you’ve struggled, and loves you with all your faults and virtues intact.  This is a day to celebrate, but not because you’re rich or poor, hungry or full, weeping or rejoicing.  This isn’t even a day to celebrate a Husker win or mourn a Cyclone loss!  This is a day to celebrate because the God the Father is your Creator, Jesus Christ is your Savior, the Holy Spirit is moving within you, and this company of saints is here to journey with you.  The life of a saint awaits you:  now is the first step, and may God bless all the ones that follow.  Amen.

Big Red Bullets: Nebraska vs. Colorado 2009

Well, again, the only stat that matters is the final score, right? Like Sam McKewon said, this game was a microcosm of the whole season: sweet, sour, sweet, sour, and ohjustgetitoverwith.

At the same time, if the scoreboard reads the same after next week's Big XII Championship Game, I'll be dancing in the streets. So, you've got that to look forward to if you live on Toronto Street in Ames...

Anyway, on with this week's Big Red Bullets.

• What more can anyone say about Ndamukong Suh? Another day dominating whoever lines up across from him, often taking on two or three blockers, and still creating havoc for the other team. For those of you who haven't played the game, that thing Suh does where he locks out one arm and just shoves the opposing lineman out of his way? Not everyone can do that, but most of the guys who can are earning lots of cabbage on Sunday afternoons.
  
• As much as I hate to say this about anyone, I'll be glad to see the last of Larry Asante. The guy's a very talented player who has improved immensely under the tutelage of this coaching staff. But I have had it with late hits, cheap shots and taunting from Mr. Asante. It's just not the way anyone should want to play the game, especially at a school that values sportsmanship and class as much as Nebraska does.
• Zac Lee had another good performance, IMO. No major mistakes and, more importantly, the offense seems more geared toward his skills this week. The only option call was the only mistake I saw; whatever was called, the line and backs went one way and Zac went another.
  
• The offensive line also played well, though it was a bit worrisome to see so many corner blitzes getting through in the first half. Kudos to the big boys up front for blasting a long 4th quarter drive to seal the deal, especially given the defensive meltdown on the last drive.
• Niles Paul had a great game, and for the first time all season I wasn't cringing every time he carried the ball. The punt return for a touchdown was outstanding and another difference maker we desperately needed.
• Tyler Legate has quickly become my unsung Husker hero this year. Another week with no carries, no catches, just blasting defensive ends and linebackers to spring Roy Helu and Rex Burkhead.
• From what I saw of Baker Steinkuhler and Cameron Meredith, we aren't going to lose as much as one might think on the defensive line next year. Should be a strength of this team again.
• I'm really worried about the 2010 linebackers. If we don't get faster and tackle better real fast, that D line is not going to be able to drop off in production at all.
  
• I'm really glad Nebraska has Alex Henery to punt and placekick, and I'm also really glad Colorado had, um, whatever his name was.
  
• If this game was Nebraska's season in a microcosm, it could also have been Colorado's. Putting up 400 yards against this defense is a major accomplishment: blowing off your foot in the process just hurts that much more.
  
• This week's sign of hope for the future: after giving up an essentially meaningless touchdown, Bo was very. obviously. not. happy. Apparently, nothing, not even a last gasp scramble for a score, is meaningless - and that can only mean continued pursuit of excellence at NU. I'm very interested to see just how far that pursuit takes us in the next 12 months, starting with Saturday's game against Texas. A victory, however improbable, would be sweet. No, not just sweet: SCHWEEEEEEEEEET.
  

[click] Lookit that - outta bullets. See you next week.

Go Big Red!

Scott

Bullets from a Big Red Believer: NU-Kansas Review

A great win for the Cornhuskers tonight in Lawrence, Kansas, against a team that is one hell of a lot better than its record suggests. This game should have been for the Big 12 North - how it wasn't will be one of the ongoing mysteries of the season for me. A fun game to watch, except for the final 5 minutes or so if you're a Jayhawk fan.

This week's thoughts, presented in no particular order:

• Tackling continues to be mostly excellent, better than I've ever seen Nebraska tackle before. The few misses I saw tonight were mostly due to top-level athleticism on the part of Kansas, in my opinion.
  
• This week's unsung hero: Tyler Legate. Hell, let's give him last week's Unsung Hero award, too, since I didn't do it then. I saw at least three plays where he made the key block to bust Roy Helu, Jr. for a big run, including that 3rd down sideline squeaker on the second-to-last drive. Now, can someone explain to me how we're not giving this guy the ball at least once or twice per game? The kid deserves a carry or two just for being the stellar blocker he is, and I fail to see how completely eliminating an option from the playbook is a good thing.
  
• As I saw it, this was the best-called offensive gameplan since Virginia Tech. There were only one or two "WTF?" moments that I could remember. One that stood out was the option on 3rd and 12 early in the 4th quarter, but that could have been an audible.
• Not to play the "getting back to Nebraska football" card, but the drives where Nebraska looked best were also the drives where Nebraska most closely resembled the NU offense of the 1990s. In particular, I enjoyed seeing the play-action option pass that went big to Niles Paul. Reminded me of Brook Berringer running it against Colorado in '94 and hitting Eric Alford for that big touchdown catch.
  
• How about a thumbs-up for Zac Lee? I was never convinced he was the problem with the offense, and I was really glad to see him playing the entire game and playing well.
  
• The most likely explanation for Lee playing well was the stellar effort of the NU offensive line. I remember only two penalties on the interior five, and there were a lot of seams getting opened up for Helu in this game. Pass blocking was also excellent - I think we only gave up one sack. Kudos to Barney Cotton and the line for their best game since Virginia Tech.
  
• Our campus ministry runs a concession stand at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, so I spent most of the afternoon at the ISU-Colorado game. I caught about three or four minutes of the game while scarfing down a hot dog on my break. Seeing a game live and then coming home to watch a game on DVR, I was struck by how little of the action I could see on television. It would be nice if TV games kept the angles wider so we could watch plays develop a bit more - you don't always have to follow the ball, do you?
• Speaking of Colorado...well, no - let's just not.
  
• Marcel Jones' afro is a thing of beauty. Just sayin'.
• What a tough way for Todd Reesing to go out. This kid played his guts out every single game, and I'm sorry to see him go. I was especially sorry to see Larry Asante cheap shot him on a slide in the first half - it was one of the few ugly moments of the game
• Speaking of ugly and not-so-much, how good, hard-hitting, and clean was the competition in this game? Back to back games against quality, sportsmanlike opponents are a good thing, and I wish we'd see more of it in this conference. I'm looking at you, Missouri, Colorado and Kansas State.
  
• I love the effort Niles Paul gives on every play. I just wish he'd tuck the damn ball away, because the dog doesn't like it when I'm grabbing at the air to remind Paul to take care of the rock.
• Could someone explain to me how Kerry Meier does it? I get the feeling that he's STILL open on a crossing route.
  
• How wicked were the NU crackbacks on that wide handoff play? Niles Paul and Brandon Kinnie did some serious ear-holin' this afternoon.
  

• Would it be a stretch to say you'll develop a pretty thick skin playing for this guy?
  
• Nice to see Mike McNeill get back into the offense tonight. I think we're going to see quite a lot of that zone read bootleg in coming weeks.
• In the end, I think what makes me most satisfied is knowing this was a total gut-check game, one we had to take away from Kansas, and we were able to do it. This team is growing up as the season goes on, something Callahan's teams never did, and it's going to continue to pay dividends down the line. Big 12 North on the line against the Mildcats next week - can't wait!

Keep the faith - Go Big Red!
Scott


This is just a cool damn picture of the NU drumline. "This reminds me of a..."

Nebraska 10, Oklahoma 3

Some postgame thoughts after a HUGE Nebraska win.

1. When did Bob Newhart become an NCAA referee? And could he be fired soon? Larry and Daryl and the other Daryl should go, too. That was some pretty incompetent officiating out there. Thankfully it seemed to be balanced incompetence that didn't favor either team.

2. Given the choice between watching Nebraska's offense and removing my own appendix with a spoon, I might just ask for a fifth of Jack Daniels and start digging.

3. Ndamukong Suh is a baaaaaaaaaaaad man.

4. One of the most promising developments from 2007 to today is this: Nebraska knows how to make open field tackles. Frankly, in 27 years of watching as much Cornhusker football as I can, I've never seen the Blackshirts tackle like they do today. It's a thing of beauty.

5. I think we can all agree that Matt O'Hanlon has now officially worked off that one blown coverage against Virginia Tech, can't we?

6. Philip Dillard isn't just out of Pelini's doghouse: he's burned it to the ground, kicked over its ashes, and urinated all over the thing. It's a good thing it's a metaphorical doghouse.

7. Considering how last Saturday night/Sunday morning went for the unfortunate cars that got in Mr. Suh's way, I'm thinking everyone parks in the driveway in Lincoln tonight. Or maybe on the lawn.

8. One nice thing about being forced to catch up to the game on DVR - blowing right through whatever crap the announcers are unloading during the fade-in after commercials. And avoiding halftime commentary entirely.

9. Nebraska won, Notre Dame lost. Doesn't get much better than that, does it?

10. Oh, wait, yes it does - God has finally abandoned the Hawkeyes, leaving them no avenue of escape from a loss they so richly deserve. Now, if God and I could just get on the same page about how nobody ever covers the spread anymore...

Big Red Not Backing Down

Saturday afternoon I watched the ugliest 45 minutes of football I think I've ever seen.

Granted, there have been games with far more ineptitude on both sides of the ball. I'm calling this one "ugly" because on the one side, the Iowa State Cyclones (remember, I'm a campus pastor at Iowa State University) were playing without their starting quarterback Austen Arnaud and conference-leading tailback Alexander Robinson, and on the other side, my beloved Nebraska Cornhuskers scored seven points and had eight turnovers.

That's right. The final score was Iowa State 9, Nebraska Turnovers 8, Nebraska 7.

It was surreal at the end. The Nebraska defense, led by all-world and soon-to-be-1st-pick-in-the-NFL-draft Ndamukong Suh (pictured here making Todd Reesing make wee-wee in his pants a little - I mean, seriously, who wouldn't make wee-wee when that bad man comes running full speed at you?), would stop the Cyclones, getting Nebraska the ball for what would surely be the game-winning touchdown. Sooner or later, SOMEONE was going to hang on to the ball, weren't they? But, no, it was not to be. Four turnovers inside the five yard line. Two in the damn end zone, for Christian Peter's sake. One from a wide receiver who simply lost the ball while trying to stay in bounds for what would have likely been the touchdown that wrapped up the game. If this game were a painting, it would be The Persistence of Turnovers by Salvador Dali, with the Nebraska offense melting all over the place.

But in the aftermath, I'm not nearly as bothered by this loss as I was by blowout losses to Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Kansas in 2007. Why? Because for all the bad luck and simple stupidity that's happened in the Nebraska program this year, our boys have been and continue to be a group of fighters, with more resiliency in their pinkies than they showed under the former coaching staff.

Let's be honest: massive recruiting de-commits and the usual exodus of players that comes with any regime change have left this team with scant margin for error, even though it's year two of the Bo Pelini era in Lincoln. Graduation took a heavy toll on this year's program. For all his many injuries, Lydon Murtha is an NFL-caliber tackle, and Matt Slauson is good enough to hang on at that level, too. Joe Ganz, Nate Swift and Todd Petersen would be hard to replace by any means, much less a struggling Zac Lee and a revolving door of inconsistent receivers. Jaivorio Burkes was penciled in as a starter before health problems kept him off the playing roster. Roy Helu, Jr. is a gamer, but something's just not right at the moment, and losing Quentin Castille hurts a lot more than we all thought it would.

Taking all of this into account, Nebraska is still just a few plays away from being 6-1. Think about it for a little bit. Finish out the game against Virginia Tech, and find someone, ANYONE who can hold on to the ball against Iowa State, and in this year of inconsistent performances by teams and individual stars, Nebraska is at the very least a top 15 team, if not top 10.

What gives me the most hope is the players themselves. You get the sense they are hanging in there together, even in these incredibly frustrating times. There isn't any public finger-pointing, and the word from Lincoln is "we are in this as a team." I'll take that and the fight in these boys six days a week and twice on Sunday, thank you very much.

It was a great win for Iowa State on Saturday. They've struggled hard and come up short in some very winnable games this year, most notably against Kansas State and Kansas. I don't feel an ounce of conflict about congratulating Paul Rhoads and his team for playing well and getting the win - after all, the Cyclones are not Colorado or anything. As Coach Pelini said in a remarkably composed post-game presser, they made the plays and got the job done, and suggesting that Nebraska gave them the game takes away the credit they deserve for closing the deal. All the same, even with the good feeling I have about our boys in Scarlet and Cream, I'm sure ready for people to stop talking about what great losers Nebraska fans can be. We like being the classiest fans in college football - we'd just like to go back to the poster that used to hang in downtown bars in Lincoln. It had a picture of Tom Osborne in Memorial Stadium, with the words, "Welcome to Lincoln: You'll Never Lose In A Nicer Place."

Grace & peace,

Scott

Speaking of Things That Get Me Charged Up

It's football season. Need I say more? Well, probably one more thing.

GO.

BIG.

RED.

Umm, Dr. Tom? A Minute, Please?

Hi. You don't know me, but, like many Nebraskans, I've known who you are for as long as I can remember. My mom actually took one of your Ed Psych classes back in the '60s, when you were a PhD candidate who just happened to do a little coaching on the side. She says you were a good teacher then, and you've certainly become someone we respect and admire.

I understand there's a bit of a protest going on at the moment. Seems one of the big beer companies is rolling out a special promotional version in various 'school colors' this fall, and you're not a big fan of the promotion. They don't use anyone's logo, but they've reproduced the colors pretty closely, and anyone who can put 2 and 2 together is gonna figure it out, especially in Nebraska, where the only thing that ISN'T red is that portion of the farming community that swears by John Deere.

Here's the thing. I understand what you're trying to say. The university doesn't want to promote under-age drinking, or consumption of alcohol at Memorial Stadium. Neither do I. But the next time the university gets righteous about a beer company selling beer in special cans to commemorate the upcoming football season, pointing out that it's being done without university approval, you might want to check out your own 'official university store' to see what it is that YOU are selling that DOES have the University of Nebraska logo on it and DOES have university approval.

You see, I've got about eight different versions of the pint glass pictured above, all purchased at official University of Nebraska stores in Lincoln, and I can guarantee you that I can't remember the last time I put anything but good beer inside of them. And I'd venture a guess that quite a few of the pint glasses you're selling are being used in exactly the same way.

Just looking out for you, Dr. Tom. Give my best to Nancy.

Grace & peace,

Scott

A Healthy Friday Five

Sophia had the Friday Five at RevGals today:

I just got back from an 8 mile bike ride down the beach boardwalk near our home, and was struck with the number of people out enjoying physical activity. Runners, other cyclists, surfers, swimmers, dogwalkers, little kids on scooters.... It's easy to lose track of my physical self-care in the midst of flurried preparation for a final on-campus interview Monday for a college teaching position in the Midwest (prayers welcome!) and the family move that would accompany it. But each day that I do make time to walk or ride my bike it is such a stress reliever that it is well worth the time invested! So how about you and your beautiful temple of the Holy Spirit?

1. What was your favorite sport or outdoor activity as a child?
Football - could not get enough of it. So much that our parents bought us real shoulder pads for Christmas one year. Like many boys in Nebraska, I dreamed of growing up to play for Tom Osborne. Never quite made it, but I still love football, especially Nebraska football.

2. P.E. class--heaven or the other place?
A little of both. I was a mix of the klutz who fell over a lot and got teased and the strong kid, so some days were great and some were awful. I think it's terrible that schools are cutting P.E. - we need our kids to exercise and be active, now more than ever.

3. What is your favorite form of exercise now?
Running, running and running some more. I've run two marathons and several half-marathons/20Ks, and plan to do more. In fact, just yesterday I hung up a running rack in our basement - four pegs for my running medals and various other running paraphanelia, like my first running cap in all its sweat-stained glory. (see the picture above.)

4. Do you like to work out solo or with a partner?
Yes. Beloved and I are trying to find ways for the two of us to work out together more often. We're doing a spin class on Thursdays and I think I've finally convinced her to try running with me once in a while, once we get her some proper running shoes. And I love running with our students or friends from out of town when they visit. I like my solo runs a lot, but it's also very enjoyable to share that time with others occasionally.

5. Inside or outside?
Outside when available. Frankly, the only thing I don't like about our gym is the way they manage the moisture - it's pretty humid all over the place, and the men's showers just reek, though they are fairly new. But we don't have access to weights or machines anywhere else, so inside it has to be for that.

Bonus: Post a poem, scripture passage, quotation, song, etc. regarding the body or exercise.
"The miracle isn't that I finished - the miracle is that I had the courage to start."
John "The Penguin" Bingham

Cabin Fever Friday Five

Here in snow country we are settled in to what is a very long stretch of potentially boring days. The holidays are over. It is a very long time till we will get outside on a regular basis. The snow that seemed so beautiful at first is now dirty and the snow banks are piling up. Our vehicles are all the same shade of brownish grey, but if we go to the car wash our doors will freeze shut. People get grumpy. Of course, not everyone lives in a cold climate, but even in warmer places the days till springtime can get long. Help! Please give us five suggestions for combating cabin fever and staying cheerful in our monochromatic world?

Okay, here are my thoughts.
1. The best way to avoid cabin fever? GET OUT OF THE CABIN. I go running outside as often as possible, unless it's really freaking cold or I'm really freaking sick. Last night I got out for a nice five-miler in tights, shorts and two t-shirts; the exercise keeps me warm. So, get out for a walk or a run - you'll be better for it!

2. This year I'll be basking in the glow of a Cornhusker Gator Bowl victory over Clemson, the perfect finishing touch to a 9-4 season and, hopefully, the first of many more successful seasons. Thanks to the wonder of our DVR, I've got several classic Nebraska games to watch as well - which will help me survive the longest season of the year (off-season, not winter!)

3. I bake bread. Lots of bread, especially when it's Friday and I'm stuck on sermon prep. This one, unfortunately, has gone by the wayside this year due to moving/a new campus ministry/dealing with a toddler and an infant. But I still try to find time for baking when I can: it's homey, you can eat what you make, and NOTHING smells better than a mix of freshly-brewed coffee and freshly-baked bread.

4. Speaking of coffee, winter is a time to catch up on reading. Find a good book and a comfy chair at your local coffeehouse, and while away an afternoon. That's just a whole day of awesome right there.

5. Campus Ministry. Seriously, my call is invigorating, so I spend the winter looking at ways to challenge and encourage our student community. Sometimes I can incorporate many of the items listed above. Sunday morning we'll be baking communion bread; we have a book group; tomorrow we might be having a Lutheran Center group run. They don't go in much for the Nebraska football here at Iowa State, though. :-)

Well, there you have it. Oh, and I forgot sledding. LOTS of fun. :-)

Putting the "Student" Back In "Student-Athlete"

Hold on to your seats, those of you who've known me for a while: I'm about to praise someone from Florida State University. :-)

Heard two bits of interesting news yesterday. Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh (pictured above) and Florida State's Myron Rolle (pictured below) have both chosen to return to delay entering the NFL draft for academic reasons.

Suh, a projected late-first/early-second round defensive lineman, came on like a BEAST at the end of the year, but every story about his decision to stay for his senior season mentions his family's dedication to academics and their desire that he leave Lincoln with a degree in hand. Rolle, also projected to be a first- or second-round pick, has elected to pursue the Rhodes Scholarship he was awarded earlier this year rather than enter the draft immediately.

Sure, both of these men will probably make millions in the NFL eventually, but it's refreshing and, I'll be honest, personally pleasing to think that there are still players in major college football who believe so strongly in pursuing academic accomplishments. Makes a guy who works on campus feel a bit better about things, to be honest. So, to the two of you and all the other athletes who are staying put in order to finish degree programs or do something remarkable without a football in hand, from all of us who want you to do well academically AND athletically, let me just say this: thanks.

Going For Two, After Twenty-Five Years

Well, so much for not posting for a while. I think the break I needed was from the almost-two-year-old who would rather hit my arms while I'm trying to type! :-)

Today is the 25th Anniversary of one of the foundational moments of my childhood. The voice in my head says, "Twenty-five years?" Yep. Twenty-five years ago tonight, the Cornhuskers went for two. The 1984 Orange Bowl, #1 and undefeated Nebraska played #5 Miami in their home stadium for the national championship game. That 1983 Nebraska team had the best offense in college football that year, possibly the greatest ever assembled (until this year's Oklahoma team, that is). They beat Minnesota 84-13. They crushed nearly every team they played, and I was nine years old and wanted to be Turner Gill when I grew up. (I still want to be Turner Gill when I grow up, but for vastly different reasons now.) But with 42 seconds left, Nebraska scored to make it 31-30. A tie probably would have given Nebraska the national championship, but Tom Osborne went for two, and the rest is history.

Here is a YouTube clip of that fateful series of plays at the end of the game. And here is a nice article in USA Today about the game.

What I remember is feeling great sadness that we didn't get the job done, but even greater pride that we took the honorable route and went for the win. Back then, there was no overtime in college ball, so it was a do-or-die choice, either way; you take the tie and the national championship, but also the knowledge that you took the easy way out, or you go for it all and risk losing everything. In all the years since, with Husker greatness in the '90s, Huskers betraying the Nebraska Way with criminal behavior, and of course the downfall of the dynasty in this decade, we've always pointed to this game as emblematic of all that is great about Nebraska Cornhuskers Athletics, all that we aspire to be and become.

Today, the Cornhuskers play Clemson in the Gator Bowl, and I get to watch it in Chicago with a bunch of Lutheran students from Clemson and their campus pastor, who is a good friend. It's going to be a real treat, and I hope they show the '84 Orange Bowl highlights as part of the broadcast, because it'll give me a chance

The Power of a Photograph

As far as sports pictures go, this is a good one. It was taken last Saturday night, when the Nebraska women's volleyball team was celebrating a remarkable comeback victory over the University of Washington in the NCAA Regional Final match. Nebraska had been down two sets to none before winning sets three and four to tie the match. Then, down 9-3 in the fifth set, the Huskers rolled off eight straight points to take an 11-9 lead. Finally, senior star Jordan Larson served an ace to win the set 15-13 and the match. NCAA volleyball is all rally scoring these days, making a comeback from 9-3 next to impossible. But there I sat, after midnight, glued to the internet broadcast of the match and celebrating with some bulletin board fans - after all, we Cornhuskers love our volleyball team almost as much as our football team, and unlike the football team, the volleyball team has not relinquished its status among the nation's elite over the past ten years.

This team in itself is a great story. But an even better one can be found by clicking on the photo. Cindy Lange-Kubick, who wrote for the Daily Nebraskan when we were both undergrads at UN-Lincoln, reminds us that there was a time when a photograph like this wouldn't be possible. It's worth your time.

Tonight, if you're not busy, you might want to take a gander at the four teams competing in the volleyball final four in Omaha this weekend. I, of course, will be rooting for my Huskers, but all four reached the pinnacle of the sport, and deserve recognition. Forget the BCS and all the hype surrounding it - here's a sport where champions are decided on the court, as it should be, and these student-athletes are very much worthy of the title.

Postgame Note: Oh, so very close. Four points away from an upset worthy of the '80 U.S. Hockey team. Penn State is an incredible team; they hadn't lost a set all year, hadn't lost a match since September 2007, but our Cornhuskers nearly took 'em. We ultimately lost, after coming back from two sets down. Without a doubt, that was the finest volleyball match I've ever seen, and I haven't been this proud to be a Cornhusker since the Fiesta Bowl after the 1995 football season. Way to go, ladies - you did us all proud.

Today, We're All Bulls Fans

Turner Gill was one of the greatest quarterbacks of the Tom Osborne era at the University of Nebraska. Some of my earliest memories of Cornhusker football come from watching Turner Gill, Mike Rozier and Irving Fryar dazzle the country with their speed, power and athleticism. As I grew up, Turner Gill never really left the hearts and minds of Cornhusker fans, and when he returned to the staff at Nebraska, we all knew it was just a matter of time before Coach Gill became HEAD Coach Gill.

That didn't happen, and it might never happen. This post is not about those circumstances.

Last night, the University of Buffalo Bulls, led by head coach Turner Gill, defeated Ball State University in the Mid-America Conference Championship Game, 42-24. Ball State was undefeated before last night, ranked #13 in the country. Buffalo was 8-5, not ranked, just beginning to climb into the ranks of respectability. Matt chewed some numbers over at his place detailing the magnitude of what has been accomplished at Buffalo in the past two years.

All I will say is this: the victory won on Ford Field by the Buffalo Bulls could not have been won by a better coach, a more deserving man. Here's to you, Coach Gill, from the Husker Nation, who are proudly proclaiming an additional allegiance today: today, we're all Bulls fans, too. Congratulations, and well done, Coach Gill!

The Big Game

It's that time again:



When I was a kid, this game was the biggest game of the year. Every year. Nothing was better than beating Oklahoma.

Nothing was worse than losing to Oklahoma. Again. In the fourth quarter. When we'd had them beat all day long.

I don't remember the game where Johnny Rodgers "tore 'em loose from their shoes;" I wasn't even a glimmer in my folks' eyes then. But it is an enduring moment from this titanic struggle between these two programs.

Oklahoma-Nebraska has always been, for me, the epitome of college football. I grew up in the 1980s, when it seemed like every OU-NU matchup had national title implications. Osborne - Switzer - Taylor - Bosworth - Rozier - Dupree - Mumford - Holieway - Gill: these are the legends that made this game the greatest rivalry in college football. Many of these rivalries are marked by intense dislike: not so Nebraska and Oklahoma. It's always been a respectful, honorable rivalry. We were both too good for too long for it to descend into hatred, and the dignity of the folks involved made it even more respectful.

Today? Not so much. Thanks to the powers-that-be in college football, who've brought us wondrous gifts like the Bowl Championship Series, where everyone makes money talking about who should be playing for the national title instead of devising a system where two teams actually settle the question on the field, Nebraska and Oklahoma now play a two-on, two-off schedule. But today, we play Oklahoma, and as I've watched several NU-OU matchups this week (God bless ESPN Classic and our new DVR), I've gotten that old feeling again. It's great to be back here, among the giants of my youth.

Keep the faith.

Go Big Red!

Postgame note

Dear Oklahoma,

The 73-21 and 63-7 wins in 1996 and 1997? We're sorry. Can you please stop hammering us for them now?

Sincerely,

Nebraska

:-(

Friday Five: Positive Potpourri

Will Smama has the Friday Five from RevGals this week:

Greetings friends! It's been awhile since I've contributed to the posts here at
the revgalblogpals website, but I agreed to step into the Fifth Friday of the
Month Friday Five slot.

So here I be.

As I zip around the
webring it is quite clear that we are getting BUSY. "Tis the season" when clergy
and laypeople alike walk the highwire from Fall programming to Christmas
carrying their balancing pole with family/rest on the one side and turkey
shelters/advent wreaths on the other.

And so I offer this Friday Five
with 5 quick hit questions... and a bonus:

1) Your work day is done and the brain is fried, what do you do?

Stay at the office and do some posting on the Husker bulletin boards at the Lincoln Journal-Star website. Because, let's face it, with two girls under the age of two at home, there ain't no rest at home until at least one of them is asleep.

2) Your work week is done and the brain is fried (for some Friday, others Sunday afternoon), what do you do?

Fridays I try to get home and go for a walk or something similar with Kris & the girls. Sundays, if I'm lucky, I get two hours to read through the Sunday paper. I'm not a napper, so Kris takes my preacher's nap for me and I read the paper, IF the girls are both asleep. Hasn't happened much lately.

3) Like most of us, I often keep myself busy even while programs are on the tv. I stop to watch The Office and 30 Rock on Thursday nights. Do you have 'stop everything' tv programming or books or events or projects that are totally 'for you' moments?

Anytime my beloved Cornhuskers are on TV. Anyone who knows me knows better than to interrupt anything Cornhusker. Beyond that, we love our new DVR because we can just wait until we've got time to catch anything else. I do like to read, also, but lately that's been a struggle since I'm getting home after 10:30 several nights a week and that doesn't lead to quality reading. I also love to do yard work, but again, with our girls it's sometimes impossible to do what I'd like to do.

4) When was the last time you laughed, really laughed? What was so funny?

Last night, at Theology on Tap, when I asked D why he keeps coming back to our faith community, and he immediately answered, "Guilt." :-)

5) What is a fairly common item that some people are willing to go cheap on, but you are not.

Beer and/or coffee. Life is far too short to drink cheap versions of either one. Also, shoes. I've paid over $100 for each of the last three pairs of 'work' shoes I've bought (black & brown Dr. Marten's boots and a pair of Born dress boots), but they are all at least four years old and showing no signs of wearing out.

Bonus: It's become trite but is also true that we often benefit the most when we give. Go ahead, toot your own horn. When was the last time you gave until it felt good?

This is going to sound a bit weird, but I've been doing much better at pastoral care since I moved to this new call, and it feels good. Pastoral care is NOT something I do well; I've always been far more of the "preach and teach" pastor, and I've learned to be honest about that so that folks understand who I am and why some things they might expect from a pastor are difficult for me. But a few of our students have come to me for 'counseling,' and I've found myself able to do it, and do it well, I think. Not that I'm going to be looking for a chaplain's call anytime soon - I'd no more ask people to let me do that than I would ask them to let me remove their appendix. But it feels good to know that something I've always considered a weakness is improving, even if it'll never be my strong suit. So, no, it's not "giving until it feels good," per se, but I think it fits the spirit of the question. Besides, it's my blog, right? :-)

Proud Of My Boys In Red

Nebraska 31
Texas Tech 37

So, why am I pretty happy?

From 52-17 last week vs. Missouri to coming within a play or two of defeating the #7 ranked team in the country? Yeah, I'm pretty happy.

Not "rip my clothes off and go running through the streets naked" happy (which has to be a relief for the neighbors), but "my boys are showing progress" happy.

I've said more than once that the new Husker regime under Bo Pelini reminds me of Oklahoma in the first year under Bob Stoops. Considering the success Oklahoma has had in this decade, that's not a bad place to be.

Being a Husker fan means understanding that the game is more than just the score. True, there are no "moral victories," and Coach Pelini doesn't even like to consider the idea. But to improve, to struggle, to refuse to lay down, to give 100% from kickoff to the final play, that is what it means to play for Nebraska - and my boys left it all out on the field today. They lived out the Husker creed: "Not the victory, but the action. Not the goal, but the game. In the deed, the glory."

Huskers vs. Iowa State next week. In Ames. Gonna take me one game off from our Campus Ministry concession stand and watch this one in person. Should be fun.

Keep the faith.
Go Big Red!

A Fall Equinox Not-So-Friday Five

Last Friday was a pretty frantic day, with an overnight retreat and the requisite prep work added to a normally busy Friday schedule of final Sunday prep and meetings. So I neglected the Friday Five, much to my regret because it deals with the coming of autumn, my absolute favorite season. So, I'm playing today - the day before the next Friday Five play. Hey, it's my blog, right?

From Songbird, then - last week's Friday Five:

It's that time of year, at least north of the equator. The windows are still open, but the darned furnace comes on early in the morning. My husband went out for a walk after an early supper and came home in full darkness.
And yes, where we live, leaves are beginning to turn.
As this vivid season begins, tell us five favorite things about fall:

1) A fragrance
Harvest and leaves, a combination I always find intoxicating. The smell of corn and beans drying and drawing toward the reaping and leaves falling off trees. There is no way I could ever describe the combination eloquently enough, but I know it when I smell it and I savor that short time when it is all around me.

2) A color

Will this do?


3) An item of clothing
My sweatshirts. Being a naturally warm-blooded guy, I don't usually wear sweatshirts until autumn is in full swing; but when it does come, I love throwing on a good fleece as a warm, comfy insulator against crisp morning air.

4) An activity
Well, for any good Nebraska boy, autumn means football, and of course the football season is dear to my heart. But running this time of year might just be my favorite. The smells and colors are incredible here in the American Midwest from now until the trees are bare in late October. The three years I spent running in the Twin Cities (including the Chain of Lakes, pictured below) and four years running around Barrett Lake in Barrett, MN were wonderful.


5) A special day


Again, not specifically an autumn memory, but marching from Westbrook Music Building to Memorial Stadium in 1992 for my first game as a member of the Cornhusker Marching Band was pretty special. If this were a picture of the 1992 band, I'd have been in the front row, second from the left. Good times. :-)