We are in!
After a long hard qualifying road, the US Men's Soccer team has qualified for the World Cup in South Africa. Check out the highlights from their game clinching victory on the road in Honduras where no visiting team has won in World Cup qualifying history.
Alessia Lou Ferrulli
Well now that there is a name, the realization is setting in that soon I will be a father. It's kind of crazy how fast this process has gone. As a matter of fact, it feels like it was just yesterday that Danielle told me the news and now suddenly we are in our third trimester and I can't wait for her to get here.
However, now all the worries of being a dad are starting to set in. I keep joking with friends that if I can "keep her off the pole" my parenting will be a success. But the reality is that there is so much more to parenting than that. Will her heart beat for the things of God? Will He be the most important thing in her life? Will her life build upon God's legacy of grace, hope and love? These are the type questions that cause me to loose sleep at night wishing I knew the answer, but alas it's unknown. As a result, more than ever I find myself in prayer asking for God to be developing in her His eyes, hands, feet, mouth, ears and heart.
20Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 (ESV)
Spirit-Empowered Life
For years I have been telling myself that the Spirit of God only has a place in the charismatic movement. I would flip through channels, land on TBN and watch Benny Hinn perform one miracle after another because he was “empowered by the spirit.” It is about all I can do not to roll my eyes. It’s not that I don’t think the Spirit is real or plays an important part in people’s lives, it just hasn’t been my experience – or at least in the manner I have grown accustomed to on TV. So how do I come to experience the Spirit in a real sense? Catherine of Genoa writes, “When God finds a soul that rests in him and is not easily moved, he operates within it in his own manner. That soul allows God to do great things within it. He gives to such as soul the key to the treasure he has prepared for it so that it might enjoy them. And to this same soul he gives the joy of his presence which entirely absorbs such a soul” (Foster 214). Perhaps the key to a spirit-empowered life is resting in the presence of God. So how are you currently resting in God?
The Skinny…
We are back from our vacation, and we had an absolutely wonderful time. We spent four days in Seattle, and got to visit with my family up there and we brought the weather with us. We couldn't believe we ended up with four days of sunshine in the middle of the winter. We also went to watch the Cardinals play the Seahawks and much to my satisfaction, the Cardinals won the game. After doing all the things tourist do in Seattle, we headed to Coeur d'Alene Idaho for five days. Once there, we stayed in the most incredible cabin we had ever seen. The place was amazing, three stories right on the lake in a secluded location - B E A utiful. While in Idaho we did some hiking, saw some bald eagles and hung out with friends and did a lot of reading (Thanks to Stephanie Meyer). All in all it was an amazing vacation, and you can check out the pictures of the trip here.
Vice Presidential Booing
Well at least Philadelphia sports fans are an equal opportunity offender. At Sunday night's Giants vs. Eagles game, the fans let out a large boo when Vice President Elect Joe Biden was shown on the jumbotron sitting in the owners box. If you remember Philly fans gave Sarah Palin a similar treatment a few weeks ago when she dropped the puck for the Flyers. They also booed home town star Kobe Bryant at an all star game in Philadelphia a few years back. So who in the world do Philly sports fans actually like?
Turns out probably no one. Eagles fans also infamously threw snowballs at Santa Claus during a December 1968 game. How in the world did this city get the name, "City of brotherly love?" Maybe it should be renamed the "City of brotherly hate," or probably better the "City of we boo anybody, anytime, anyplace, anywhere."
