Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Pots Playoff Bound

Playoffs!!! Playoffs!!! Yeah, you can talk to me about playoffs!

*1.CrockPot Kings9-2-0.818962L-2954
2.fightin falcons8-3-0.727932W-2412
3.Ferocious Felz7-4-0.636855L-1835
4.dark knights6-5-0.545807W-219
5.Safety Number 15-6-0.455776L-126
6.Pontius Pilots5-6-0.455706W-4613
7.AirForce14-7-0.364762W-154
8.Allstars Sprbwl1Chmp4-7-0.364706L-41036
9.Roanoke Raiders4-7-0.364581W-1318
10.Blue Henz3-8-0.273792L-7710
  • * = clinched playoff spot
  •  = Recent Smack Talk

Monday, November 17, 2008

Pots Punked By Pilots


82 to 58 would usually make for a very sad day in Potsville. 

But we’re actually cool with that. Why you ask? L.T. actually ran well against one of leagues best defenses in their home park. Next Sunday he’s home against the Colts who may be without Bob Sanders. 

Even though we’ve lost two in a row we’re still very much on track to make the playoffs.  And if we do make the playoffs I like our match ups especially in the title game. There I get Daring Drew against Detroit, Slash Staton against Da Raidaz, Smash Lynch against Denver, Jericho C against the Seahawks and of course L.T. who’ll face Tampa Bay. Granted T.B. has a good D, but A.P. ran up 85 on them yesterday so I’d have no problem starting Vizor man in the final. I picked up Owen Daniels who along with Slash also gets to add some misery to the Silver and Black on week 16. 

We just added Warren Dunn (a player I wanted to clue you in on for other reasons) since he takes over the run duties for Tampa against Detroit this week. 

And I’m even encouraged by our receiving corps. Jericho C should continue to be in the mix with what’s turning out to be a decent Jets squad. Stevie B got shut down Sunday but you have to think that teams will try and dbl, triple, quadruple and then pray to cover the Fitz and Q show. Stevie will get his. D Mase came off a separated shoulder and still gobbled up over 80 yards in N.Y. We even had a slight Santonio sighting and he may yet be able to do some damage down the line.  

Now if only Smash could put up a 30 spot tonight….

Go Pots
LL

Friday, November 14, 2008

Pots Post First Loss


What's happnen ya'll? I spent the week at our denomination's church planter assessment so I'm a bit behind. 

Well, all good things must come to an end and thus the CPKings are no longer undefeated. We dropped our first game last week when our receivers accounted for a grand total of 1 point. But the bigger news is the casting of the lots (can a reformed dude say roll of the dice?) late season trade we pulled off. Yeah it may come back to bite me but what's fantasy football without at least one risky trade. 

Here's how it went down. I offered Jericho C, Marshawn Lynch and Steve Slaton for the one and only L.T. The owner rejected that but countered with Derrick Mason (whose the # 1 receiving option on the Ravens) and L.T. for (gulp) Michael Turner and Megatron. My head said 'Lance, this is a bad idea', but my gut said 'go for it, I mean he is still L.T.' So I went for it and promptly lost my first game. L.T. couldn't get it going against the Chef's and Mason got hurt. 

But that's water under the bridge or dam or whatever. Here's the deal for this week. I still have Daring Drew. Jericho C already gave me a decent game and I picked up Owen Daniels from the waiver wire. I also have Steve Breaston with hopes he'll continue to get huge chunks of yards in Arizona's Wild, Wild, West offense. I'm going to start Santonio (getting real, real, real close to bust) Holmes based on his matchup against a leaky Bolts D. And though I might even lose the week on this one I'm starting Smash (about to walk off the cliff bust) Lynch in place of Flash Johnson. Basically I'm giving two cats I drafted with big expectations a chance to redeem themselves. Blow it and in the immortal words of Colonel Klink they will be 'court martialed, shot and sent to the Russian front!'

Why start L.T. against one of the best run D's in the league playing at home? Don't know, just got a hunch. 

I'll hit you back Monday to let you know what went down. 

Go Pots
LL

Friday, November 07, 2008

The Abortion Issue

The year is 1993 and Bill Clinton recently won the 1992 presidential election. Clinton posted about 5 million more votes than incumbent president George H.W. Bush and easily won the electoral collage vote. Perhaps even more important was the fact that President Clinton entered the White House with majorities in both houses of congress.

It didn’t take long to for him to take his new mandate for a test drive and if I remember right made a few moves that immediately angered those conservatives who opposed him. The first was the passage of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ bill concerning homosexuals in the military. The second was his failed attempt to pass health care reform.

Why do I mention this? I wanted to highlight how President Clinton took steps to address issues that important to different aspects of his base even though those issues angered and eventually galvanized those who opposed him. Health care reform was a major part of President Clinton’s 1993 State of the Union speech and in that speech he indicated a plan to send congress major legislation on health care in the spring of that year.

Fast forward to 2005. Here George W. Bush has be re-elected and also leads the party that controls both houses of congress. He too seeks to utilize his electoral mandate to address an issue important to his base even though it might arouse the anger of his opponents. That issue was the reform of social security and it was a major aspect of his 2005 State of the Union speech. And though President Bush was a pro-life president the issue of abortion wasn’t really mentioned in the speech. He did speak of building a culture of life, but connected it with his desire to ensure that embryos wouldn’t be created for experimentation or to be used to supply human body parts. While that is an important part of building a culture of life it is not the same as proposing a ban on abortion.

Now lets take a snapshot of this past election. I watched the Republican National Convention and paid particular attention to the Gov. Pailin’s and Senator McCain’s acceptance speeches. I watched all four debates and living in Pennsylvania couldn’t get away from the onslaught of political adds even if I tried real hard.

I bring this up to begin a dialogue regarding an issue that’s important to all of us. I (and I’m sure you also) received dozens of emails and read dozens of blog posts explaining why those who claim to believe in Christ should not vote for Senator Obama. My aim in this post however is not to revisit that argument. Instead I would like to give those who wondered why any believer could even consider voting for President-elect Obama knowing where he stood regarding abortion.

That’s where the examples cited above come into play and where I need your help. Many of us who did vote for President-elect Obama never got a clear idea of what Sen. McCain would do to outlaw the practice of abortion. Moreover I’ve always wondered why President Bush didn’t make outlawing abortion more of an issue during the first few months of his second term. For example in his 2005 State of the Union Speech President Bush declared his support for a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage. Yet, apart from declaring that embryos should not be created for experiments or body parts there wasn’t any kind of legislative proposal having to do with abortion. I’m not sure why this was the case and would like to have the thoughts of those of my brothers and sisters who consider abortion the most significant issue that determines their vote. I want to know what were your thoughts when a self-described pro-life president who just won re-election with a majority in both houses of congress decided to make social security his primary focus? Please understand, my questions aren’t meant to provoke an argument but to gain a better understanding. Did you expect President Bush to address abortion through legislation or by simply appointing conservative justices? Beyond that what would have been the path to have Roe v. Wade revisited?

I’m asking these questions because I think it would be helpful to explain to those who didn’t vote for Senator McCain the pathway toward overturning Roe v.Wade and then eventually outlawing abortion. For many who voted for President-elect Obama it wasn’t enough to point out that he was pro-choice. And though I did receive dozens of emails and read dozens of blog post I can’t recall reading any that spelled out what Senator McCain would do to outlaw abortion. Following that line of thought I wonder why Senator McCain didn’t make outlawing abortion a more prominent part of his campaign. It barely came up in his acceptance speech and didn’t seem to be mentioned all that much in his campaign speeches. And when it was brought up during the third debate I was somewhat surprised to hear him say that he thought the issue should be decided by the states. Were any of you likewise surprised especially in light of the fact that pro-life ballot measures were defeated in South Dakota and Colorado? Many of the emails I received and the blog posts I read claimed that President-elect Obama was the most liberal, pro-abortion candidate ever. Despite this I never saw a McCain ad that brought this up. Did he run any ads in other states with a pro-life theme?

Let me reiterate that it’s not my intention to provoke an argument nor make light of an extremely important issue. But this election caused me to wonder why Senator McCain said so little about an issue that has apparently moved many of my brothers and sisters to become single issue voters. Had Senator McCain won the election what would you have expected of him? I think I understand the importance of appointing supreme court justices so perhaps I need to know if a pro-life president would be expected to do anything further to outlaw abortion. Please understand that this is a different question than what would he do to limit and curtail abortions. And even if he had the opportunity to appoint justices could they be as conservative as he would have liked given the new composition of the Senate? I’m not accusing or even suggesting that President Bush or Senator McCain merely used the pro-life issue to secure the evangelical vote. I believe both men are sincerely committed to overturning Roe v. Wade. I just want to know if there was a clear legislative path toward overturning ‘Roe’, what that path was and when and where was it articulated by either President Bush in the two times he ran for office or Senator McCain during this last campaign.

Finally, (or perhaps I should say for now) in light of the election what is the pathway toward ending abortion? If the political avenue is now closed what other avenues are there and what might be some of the more prudent ways to proceed? Before I close please forgive me if I’ve offended or hurt anyone by anything in this post because that certainly was not my intention. I do hope we can have a good and fruitful discussion about the wisest way to end abortion and genuinely protect the lives of all who are created in God’s image.

To Him Who Loves Us…

Pastor lance

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Kings Close Curtain on Falcons


I almost forgot. (you have to admit there’s a lot going on these days)

Anyhow remember how I said we needed to score points in bunches to win against my son’s team that featured Kurt Warner and All Day A.P. 

Well here’s the deal. With Daring Drew on a much deserved bye week I started Matt Schaub who had been on fire lately. All Mild Mannered Matt had to do was keep pace with Kurt Warner by throwing for about 250 yds and two TD’s. Doing that would be enough for me to keep up with a team that along with Kurt featured All Day A.P., Reggie Wayne, Santana Moss and top five TE Chris Cooley. 
And then it happened. Matt started badly with one INT and two lost fumbles before leaving the game with an injury. Instead of about 20 or so points Matt put up a grand total of 1. 
Things weren’t looking good for the Pots. We went into Sunday night losing by two points and still having to face Reggie Wayne (Sun nite), Santana Moss, Hines Ward, Chris Cooley and the Skins kicker (Mon nite). All we had was the Pittsburgh D. 

And that was all we needed. Pittsburgh resurrected the legend of the Steel Curtain, (if you’re not familiar with that it’s just a darn shame) shut down a good, disciplined Redskin offense and delivered 20 points to the Pots. 

We’re 9 and 0 and have another tough match up this week. Based on performance Chris ‘Flash’ Johnson is now our #2 back with Michael Turner my # 1. I’m even leaning toward starting Flash against Chitown this Sunday. 

Go Pots
LL

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Our Great Divide



Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. We are deeply divided over this election in particular and politics in general. I was hoping that this election season could propel us to strive to pursue unity even while acknowledged our differences. I had hoped that the world might see that despite our political convictions God’s people enjoyed a bond that went far deeper than our politics. I had hoped that we could show the culture that the unity of the Spirit was strong enough to run across the growing (and rapidly calcifying) political divide gripping this country. I had hoped that at the very least God’s people could demonstrate the virtue of peacemaking in a time when respecting those who differ from you appears to be the second casualty of each presidential election cycle.

I realize that many of issues weigh heavily on the minds and hearts of most of God’s people during this and any election season. And I think I understand why those committed to voting for Senator McCain believe that this is perhaps the most crucial election in our lifetime with respect to the issue of abortion. Along with that, I’m aware of why those committed to voting for Senator Obama believe it’s so important for him to win this election. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that either side has the ability to come to the table, speak forthrightly about their cares and concerns and leave with our desire for continued unity, fellowship and dialogue intact.

The election will take place today and shortly thereafter we will have a president-elect. One side will be positively elated while the other will experience a profound sense of deflation. However, I’m still hoping that the people of God can find a way to be a witness of God’s gospel and the kingdom of Jesus Christ to a country that regardless of who wins will be deeply, deeply divided.

How can we begin the dialogue? Allow me to lead with a couple of comparisons which I hope will provide some needed perspective. The first is aimed at those of my brothers and sisters who intend to vote for Senator Obama. My hope is to give some insight into why our brothers and sisters who intend to vote for Senator McCain have reacted so strongly against Senator Obama.

Imagine it’s 1964 and you and your family are African-Americans living in the deep south. You’ve lived through multiple decades of Jim Crow with all of its enforced segregation, pain, stress and powerlessness. (you can read Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from a Birmingham Jail to get a better idea of what it was like living in the South at that time) After decades of struggle the Civil Rights Movement finally caps a protracted season of advocacy culminating in the passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964. This is also a presidential election year. From your perspective one candidate (Lyndon B. Johnson) puts his as well as his parties political future on the line by working for the passage of this legislation. The candidate from the other party (Senator Barry Goldwater) votes against the bill. In your mind and the minds of most of those you know a vote for Senator Goldwater is a vote to continue your existence as a second class citizen. With that in mind you simply cannot fathom why anyone from your family, community and church would ever entertain voting for him. Others bring up the fact that the country faces many other important issues (the Vietnam War, economy, Cold War among them) and that these issues should be weighed equally alongside the Civil Rights issue. For you however civil rights is the issue. And it’s this issue that makes you a single issue supporter of President Johnson even if you disagree with him regarding the economy and the war. For you the alternative is simply not acceptable period.

Before we go on it’s important to remember the point of this comparison. The aim of this post isn’t to detail the dynamics involving the Democratic and Republican parties, why African-Americans for the most part sided with Democrats in subsequent elections and why LBJ was right in saying that he lost the South for a generation. My hope is to get my brothers and sisters who intend to vote for Senator Obama to understand how those voting for Senator McCain might feel about this election and why they can’t bring themselves to vote for Senator Obama.

The next comparison is directed toward my brothers and sisters who intend to vote for Senator McCain. My hope is to give some insight into how our brothers and sisters who intend to vote for Senator Obama feel about him and this election.

Imagine it’s 1980 and you’re among a growing group of evangelicals who believe that now is the time to play a more active role in the political life of this country. For the past several years you’ve sense that the country is going in the wrong direction and that furthermore those in government just don’t seem to consider the concerns of people like you. There are several issues that matter to you and though you voted with the party in 76 you didn’t do so with a great deal of hope or enthusiasm. But now your excited by the candidacy of Gov. Ronald Reagan. Reagan gave an electrifying speech at the 76 convention leaving you and many of your fellow conservatives wishing that he’d been the parties nominee instead of Gerald Ford whom some considered to be a more moderate Republican.

From your perspective Ronald Reagan embodies exactly what you want in a president. Gov. Reagan is the one candidate who gives you real hope that this country can get back on track and move forward out of the malaise it’s been in for the last eight or so years. And words just can’t describe the connection Gov. Reagan has with you and your fellow evangelicals. To put it succinctly Gov. Ronald Reagan is perhaps as close to a dream candidate as you and those who attend church with you could imagine. Not only do you intend to vote for him, but along with many of your friends eagerly volunteer for his campaign. Gov. Ronald Reagan embodies all your hopes for what a president should be and could possibly do once he becomes the leader of this country. While you mean no disrespect to President Carter you simply cannot imagine why anyone would consider casting a vote for him.

Please remember that this is not a comparison between President Ronald Reagan and Senator Barack Obama. My aim is to highlight the similar feelings each man generated among their most fervent supporters. I hope in this way to get those of my brothers and sisters who intend to vote for Senator McCain to at least understand how some of their brothers and sisters feel about Senator Obama.

The aim of this long post is not to tell why you should vote for one candidate or another. My prayer is that we can begin the dialogue that will eventually lead to bridging our very real divide. We have spent this election cycle blogging, commenting and email at each other. My inbox and observations of those blogs tell me that the vast majority of them were intended to persuade or encourage believers to vote one way or another. Well now is the time to step away from the blogs and emails and actually talk to and not at each other.

I pray that you take the time to cast your vote today. But I’d also like you to consider doing something else. Consider contacting a friend whom you know did not vote as you did and make an appointment to have a leisurely Friday night dinner or Saturday afternoon lunch. Take that time to speak to him or her about their choice, what motivated it and why it was so important to them. And then with patience and humility explain why you voted in the opposite direction. Following that discuss some ways in which those believers who voted for Senator McCain and those believers who voted for Senator Obama can begin working together on all of the issues important to us.

Finally, commit to praying for whomever will serve this country as president for the next four years. Beyond that however pray for the Body of Christ that we will serve our Lord by remembering that our main mission is the promotion of His gospel and the extension of His kingdom. Pray that our Lord will heal the divide within us and that together we will show our culture the value of belonging to a more lasting kingdom than the country of America. And pray this as if our witness might depend on it because it very well might.

In the end brothers and sisters it does matter who wins this election. But our continued witness to this country may matter more. Because if we, the people of God cannot love each other through this election than no matter who wins, we’ve already lost.

To Him Who Loves Us
Pastor Lance