Hello Church Family and Friends,
Thank you so much for your cards, gifts, food, and generous welcome to our family. Ella Grace is absolutely wonderful, beautiful, and all around superb. I hope to have some new pictures of her posted soon, and maybe a video as well. (Let's be honest, Lucy will have to do that part in as much as I know nothing about technology). I appreciate your patience with me lately; it has been difficult getting back into the swing of things, but things are going more smoothly everyday.
The text for Sunday is one you should all be quite familiar with...it is the "Greatest Commandment" question posed to Jesus by the Pharisees. Jesus answers the Pharisees' question by saying the greatest commands are, "to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. All the other commandments and prophets hang on these."
These commandments are the very core principles of Christianity...so much of our faith is informed not simply by right doctrine, but right relationships with God and humanity. Perhaps we have made faith too hard, focusing on things that are inconsequential in light of these precepts that Jesus deems as the most important commandments in the scriptures. Have you ever fallen into that trap where you miss the forest for the trees?
It is time for us as a people of God to get back to the basics...to love God and love our neighbor, for if you have ever tried to follow those teachings, then you know how difficult it is to be Jesus' disciple.
Sports Corner:
Picks 9-5
I have had a pretty good run, but now is when football really starts to become difficult to predict. We are in the heart of the season, and this is where the cream rises to the top.
GA Tech was humbled last week by lowly Virginia. Everyone was shocked by this loss. Tech begins a trying run beginning this week. They face "The U" at Miami at 3:30 in a nationally televised game. Which Tech team will show up? The dominant team of the first 6 weeks, or the mediocre team of last Saturday? Now you UGA fans may not want to hear this, but I believe Paul Johnson is a good coach. I believe you see Tech come out with a fire and frenzy they did not have last week. While they were somewhat exposed by a poor run defense, they will beat Miami by 6.
GA Southern played very well last week in routing Furman, and I believe the same holds true this week. They play Presbyterian College, and I believe the Eagles will simply overwhelm "The Blue Hose." GA Southern wins big, 21+.
UGA is off this week but they were given a fit in a close victory by Vanderbilt last week. James Franklin has those Commodores on the rise. Let me say this about the extracurricular activities after the game between the coaches--I appreciate sticking up for your players, but you have to rise above the fray. The headlines should be about the game, not the post game skirmish between 40 year old men.
The Falcons play the upstart Lions on the Road at Ford Field in Detroit this week. Detroit has only lost one game (last week), and they are led by UGA standout Matthew Stafford and GA Tech All-American Calvin "Megatron" Johnson. The Falcons have to be able to run the football, and I think they can. The question, however, is if those Falcons can stop the vaunted passing attack of the Lions. This score could get ugly, but I believe the Falcons win in an upset this week by 3.
Thanks for reading and as always, may God bless you and keep you.
Josh
Thank you so much for your cards, gifts, food, and generous welcome to our family. Ella Grace is absolutely wonderful, beautiful, and all around superb. I hope to have some new pictures of her posted soon, and maybe a video as well. (Let's be honest, Lucy will have to do that part in as much as I know nothing about technology). I appreciate your patience with me lately; it has been difficult getting back into the swing of things, but things are going more smoothly everyday.
The text for Sunday is one you should all be quite familiar with...it is the "Greatest Commandment" question posed to Jesus by the Pharisees. Jesus answers the Pharisees' question by saying the greatest commands are, "to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. All the other commandments and prophets hang on these."
These commandments are the very core principles of Christianity...so much of our faith is informed not simply by right doctrine, but right relationships with God and humanity. Perhaps we have made faith too hard, focusing on things that are inconsequential in light of these precepts that Jesus deems as the most important commandments in the scriptures. Have you ever fallen into that trap where you miss the forest for the trees?
It is time for us as a people of God to get back to the basics...to love God and love our neighbor, for if you have ever tried to follow those teachings, then you know how difficult it is to be Jesus' disciple.
Sports Corner:
Picks 9-5
I have had a pretty good run, but now is when football really starts to become difficult to predict. We are in the heart of the season, and this is where the cream rises to the top.
GA Tech was humbled last week by lowly Virginia. Everyone was shocked by this loss. Tech begins a trying run beginning this week. They face "The U" at Miami at 3:30 in a nationally televised game. Which Tech team will show up? The dominant team of the first 6 weeks, or the mediocre team of last Saturday? Now you UGA fans may not want to hear this, but I believe Paul Johnson is a good coach. I believe you see Tech come out with a fire and frenzy they did not have last week. While they were somewhat exposed by a poor run defense, they will beat Miami by 6.
GA Southern played very well last week in routing Furman, and I believe the same holds true this week. They play Presbyterian College, and I believe the Eagles will simply overwhelm "The Blue Hose." GA Southern wins big, 21+.
UGA is off this week but they were given a fit in a close victory by Vanderbilt last week. James Franklin has those Commodores on the rise. Let me say this about the extracurricular activities after the game between the coaches--I appreciate sticking up for your players, but you have to rise above the fray. The headlines should be about the game, not the post game skirmish between 40 year old men.
The Falcons play the upstart Lions on the Road at Ford Field in Detroit this week. Detroit has only lost one game (last week), and they are led by UGA standout Matthew Stafford and GA Tech All-American Calvin "Megatron" Johnson. The Falcons have to be able to run the football, and I think they can. The question, however, is if those Falcons can stop the vaunted passing attack of the Lions. This score could get ugly, but I believe the Falcons win in an upset this week by 3.
Thanks for reading and as always, may God bless you and keep you.
Josh
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