A Christmas message

Monday, December 25, 2006 12:01 a.m. EST

This editorial was written in 1949 by the late Vermont Royster and has been published annually since.

When Saul of Tarsus set out on his journey to Damascus the whole of the known world lay in bondage. There was one state, and it was Rome. There was one master for it all, and he was Tiberius Caesar.

Everywhere there was civil order, for the arm of the Roman law was long. Everywhere there was stability, in government and in society, for the centurions saw that it was so.

But everywhere there was something else, too. There was oppression--for those who were not the friends of Tiberius Caesar. There was the tax gatherer to take the grain from the fields and the flax from the spindle to feed the legions or to fill the hungry treasury from which divine Caesar gave largess to the people. There was the impressor to find recruits for the circuses. There were executioners to quiet those whom the Emperor proscribed. What was a man for but to serve Caesar?

There was the persecution of men who dared think differently, who heard strange voices or read strange manuscripts. There was enslavement of men whose tribes came not from Rome, disdain for those who did not have the familiar visage. And most of all, there was everywhere a contempt for human life. What, to the strong, was one man more or less in a crowded world?

Then, of a sudden, there was a light in the world, and a man from Galilee saying, Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's.

And the voice from Galilee, which would defy Caesar, offered a new Kingdom in which each man could walk upright and bow to none but his God. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. And he sent this gospel of the Kingdom of Man into the uttermost ends of the earth.

So the light came into the world and the men who lived in darkness were afraid, and they tried to lower a curtain so that man would still believe salvation lay with the leaders.

But it came to pass for a while in divers places that the truth did set man free, although the men of darkness were offended and they tried to put out the light. The voice said, Haste ye. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you, for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

Along the road to Damascus the light shone brightly. But afterward Paul of Tarsus, too, was sore afraid. He feared that other Caesars, other prophets, might one day persuade men that man was nothing save a servant unto them, that men might yield up their birthright from God for pottage and walk no more in freedom.

Then might it come to pass that darkness would settle again over the lands and there would be a burning of books and men would think only of what they should eat and what they should wear, and would give heed only to new Caesars and to false prophets. Then might it come to pass that men would not look upward to see even a winter's star in the East, and once more, there would be no light at all in the darkness.

And so Paul, the apostle of the Son of Man, spoke to his brethren, the Galatians, the words he would have us remember afterward in each of the years of his Lord:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Time takes time you know...

Random thoughts after a busy, work filled first weekend back:

• I think I could simply just watch people all day. I love just watching how people act in different situations, like Christmas shppoing time. I think I love people too much to be a misanthrope.
  
• I always knew I enjoyed the soundtrack to the movie Friday Night Lights, but now that I know the band that did it I am living in bliss. Explosions in the Sky has been a welcome addition to the Ipod and their songs like Your Hand in Mine are rapidly climbing up the Top 25 Most Played Playlist.
• There's no way I am not going to see Rocky Balboa this Wednesday night. The hounds of hellcouldnt keep me away from saying goodbye to the Italian Stallion the right way. And mark my words, I want to have this down before it comes out: I predict Rocky Balboa to be a HUGe hit. Number one at the box office and maybe close to 100 Mil.
• Its been two days away and I already miss my ACU bubble.
• Good win for the Cowboys yesterday, it was nice to see us stiffen up when the Falcons caqme out with everything they have. Props to TO too, although the spitting incident is ridiculous I found out today that the past few weeks he has been playing with a torn tendon in his finger, an injury that normally would require season ending surgery. Just thought that should be thrown in along with the constant negative press.
• I was pretty impressed with the creativity of U2's new music video for the song they stuck on their newest greatest hits album.#2 Tv Show you should be watching: South Park
  

Ill be the first to admit... I was ridiculously late jumping on the South PArk train, I always saw people going crazy for it and I decided I would try to be cool and be a contrarian who just didn't watch it. Boy was I an idiot. This semester South Park entered the pantheon for me... just a fantastic show I never tire of. I think my favorite part of South Park has to be that its a show that often actually has something important to say. It takes guts to take a stand the way this show does sometimes, as its easier to just make toliet humor with nothing behind it. And don't get me wrong, South Park has plenty of that. But the priceless moments are when SP digs a little deeper and gives us some arresting social commentary. And nothing is off limits, whether it be gay marriage, Wal-Mart, or even Mormons. So set the Tivo and start catching up on reruns. Right now.

Meeting up with an old friend

Coming home for the holidays means diffferent things for everyone. For some, it means seeing friends, or getting away from the stress of school and the social circus.
For me, however, it means one thing.
An attempt to restart my blog.
A tradition possibly as old as Kwanzaa, mason's annual restart of the blog is the surest sign the holidays are here. So look for a few posts a week from here on out, at least until the end of the holidays. I'm gonna try and keep it going during school, but with Sing Song and a daunting 18 hour schedule ahead... there are no guarantees.

So whats this first post going to be about? Hmm, how about my magnificent obsession: The altar of television. I think I am going to start a 5 part series today... look for a new installment with every new post. I present to you 5 TV Shows Worth Your Time, and Why.


Today's choice
1. Friday Night Lights
Did you expect something different? If you have been around me for 30 minutes youve probably heard me ramble on about the greatness of this not quite true story of a small town Texas high school football team. I don't throw this around lightly, but this is quite simply my choice for the best show on tv. Really? you ask, but its not on HBO. Or Showtime. Or FX for heaven's sake. I know broadcast Tv has let us all down recently, but I swear if you give this show a chance your faith shall be rewarded. No other show on television wraps me up in its characters and makes me care about them so much.
One of the reasons I think I enjoy it so much is the dynamic of centering a show around high schoolers. Not often do we have prime time network dramas with the guts to center a show on teenagers who's biggest worry is who to take to the prom, but here it just works. The heartbreak of watching these kids act out what will probably end up being the best years of their lives turns out to be mesmerizing. And Kyle Chandler as the embattered coach turns in an Emmy worhty performance, as the coach we all wish we could have had.
I promise you, you will see yourself in the characters in this show. You will see those times you had undeserved expectations thrown on you. You will see the times you made a wrong decision and had to face the consequences at school. And then you'll see those times when we all had to grow up a little bit. NBC made the bold decision to order a full slate of episodes, even though the ratings have been less than stellar. I just hope the people reward them for this most wise decision.

Wow I'll get off my soapbox now... gotta save it up, ill be writing alot now.
I'll leave you with my youtube clip of the day:

Blame Canada, Robin Williams style:

Jonesing for Baseball

You would think that being in the midst of March Madness, I wouldn't have the need for any other sport in my life. It would seem as though with the NBA in full throttle and the tournament ratcheting up, I'd be perfectly content in my sport bubble. Not so. With the changing of the season out comes my true obsession... the greatest sport ever invented...
Baseball
And so the endless quest for a Texas Rangers World Series continues...Baseball gets me more excited about the start of its season than any other sport, by the end of Spring Training I am chomping at the bit to get the season started. And yes, as far as baseball goes I do consider myself a stat geek... a Moneyball guy thru and thru.
The Rangers are an interesting team this year, still pretty young but with an eclectic group of veterans thrown in that will either sink the ship or guide it into the playoffs. The pitching will be much improved, and I really like what I am seeing with new GM John Daniels. So far he does not seem to be intimidated or influnced by the baseball Naz... er... I mean Buck Showalter. HE is getting guys in here who get on base consistently, and get strikeouts. Two gold standards from the school of Moneyball.

Wresltemania 22 is this sunday... you can bet thats where I will be from 6-10 at night... enjoying the Super Bowl of fake sports.

The more and more I read deadspin.com, the more I am convinced I am on to something truly great. Ive gotten multiple friends hooked on it, I suggest you give it a shot of you havent already. Sports without the filter is a beautiful thing indeed.

Catch the Fever

Sorry it's been so long since my last post... don't know if anyone even reads this anyway. Well, lately, like all of America, I have been caught up in NCAA Tourney fever. I am officially in the George Mason bandwagon... its crowded on here but we are rolling along all the way to the Final Four. Its not possible for me to be enjoying their run any more than I am... and the thing is this team can't be overhyped because there was no hype to start with.
Here is a video from Deadspin with a video perfectly encapsulating the experience the George Mason fans had on Sunday.


Soul Force day has come and passed... and I gotta say... I am impressed with our school's performance, at least from my perpective. To be perfectly honest, I had my doubts as to whether we could pull it off knowing some of the people we have hear. But one student whom I talked with about this had an excellent point: Its very easy for us here in our bubble to judge people we dont agree with, but when we see these people face to face it becomes a whole different story. I will be the first to say that I love ACU to death, but one of the things that I wish I had in my college experience was a strong opposition to the political views I hold. When you have others who constantly oppose your views, your arguments grow stronger and more intelligent. But when you are in a place where everyone seems to agree with you, your views become more base and reactionary. In spite of all this, however... I'm really proud of everyone I saw today interacting with the Soul Force crew.

All that they told you to was get a little more for your little you

Had a great weekend at the Skidmore lake house, very relaxing. Caught up on sleep and ate great food, perfect way for me to get ready to face the final week before spring break.
Today I ordered two books in the mail for my trip next week, and I'm really excited about them.
Sunday Money is a writer's travelogue of a year he spent following the NASCAR circuit, while To Hate Like This Is To Be Happy Forever is an account of the Duke/Carolina basketball rivalry that absolutelt consumes that state. Its also about how hating something so much (Duke) can be cleansing in a way. I look forward to writing aobut the great things I read in these books coming up.

Thought of the day: Enjoy the crap out of these lazy days in college where you don't do anything for an entire afternoon, and don;t feel bad about them. After college, they disappear. Dont spend them feeling like your wasting time... cause you only get to waste time for not very long.

Mine is yours and yours is mine, there is no divide

Seems like a slow Thrusday, but theres plenty to write about.
Hilarious post today on Deadspin about terrifying mascots. Check it

Im hoping to get Baseball Prospectus in my hands before the weekend, so I can be a total shut in for like a week. Its the bible for baseball geeks, and I am gettin giddy just thinking about it.

Huge game for the Little Mavs tonight, maybe the game of the season. Kid of ridiculous to sya that about a game in March, but the way them and the Spurs are playing it sure looks that way. Maybe one or two games will separate them when the season is over.

What a night

Well... the boys from overseas put on quite a performance last night. I attended the Coldplay concert at the AAC last night, and it was quite an experience.
I'll admit, I came into the show ready to proclaim Coldplay overrated, because I do believe that. I feel like a lot of their act is manufactured emotion, they can't really grab ahold of me like U2 can and make me believe everything they are saying. But wouldn't you know, I got swept up in their show last night and they had me hooked the entire way. Well done. Chris Martin has evidedntly been studying tapes of Bono and Mick Jagger, because he moves around on stage like a seasoned pro. He had the audience in the plam of his hand last night. Its pretty obvious that Coldplay wants nothing more than to be the next U2, and every song from their new cd it seems like was crafted for the big arena sound. And I suppose if you are picking a band to emulate, theres no one better than the boys from Dublin. I loved that they only were on for 90 minutes, as this meant the entire show was super tight and not a moment was wasted. The tempo was good, songs were perfectly spaced out, and they couldn't have ended it better. Here's the setlist, as far as I can remember. (Not in exactly the correct order)

Square One
Politik
Yellow
Speed of Sound
X & Y
God Put a SMile Upon Your Face
The Scientist
Trouble
White Shadows
Kingdom Come
Ring of Fire
Don't Panic
Talk
Encore:
Swallowed in the Sea
In My Place
Fix You

I am going to have pictures posted on here probably tomorrow. Gotta go study for a big test right now though.

Quick Hits

Its a slow Saturday in DFW, and I couldn't be happier about it. I forgot how much I like being home with the fam for short stretches of time. Doing nothing on a friday is stangely exhilarating.

So, I really want to sneak a camera into the Coldplay concert. Allow me to revbeal the master plan I have concocted so far:
I will bring my camera, with old batteries in it. When security tells me that I can't have it inside, I will ask them if I can just give them the batteries and take the camera in. If they oblige, I will have snuck it in along with a spare set of batteries either hidden in my wallet, pants, or a girls purse. Lets see if this works. Worse comes to worse I will just take the camera back to the car.
Wish me luck.

Whaa... Whats that?!!!

Thats...thats Mason Orr's music!!

After an incredibly long hiatus... the blog returns! (Hope everyone enjoys the JR reference above.)

Sooooo much has happened since I last wrote in this, which was back before school started again.
To make a long story short, school began, so did Sing Song, and once again Gamma Sigma Phi took home the gold. Its becomming a winter Abilene tradition right up there with terrible February weather.

Things are rolling along quite nicely in the Key City, classes arent too bad this year.
Sunday is the big day of the Coldplay concert, I am going to try and get a bunch of pictures and have them up on the blog, along with a full review. Get excited.

So what better way to kick off the blog than with attempting to descibe the force that has taken over mine and my friends lives over the past 2 months:

The wonderful world of professional wrestling.

One of the mainstays of my childhood entertainment schedule (out of the eyes of my parents, of course) was tuning into the WWF. Why, all of a sudden, have we become so enamored with it again? Partly it is the Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 PS2 game, to be sure. But my main theory is that pro wrestling is to guys as soap operas are to girls. Both are escapism entertainemnt, where for a few hours we get rrasported to a world of larger than life characters , where there is always a fine line between good and evil. We like this world where if someone has wronged you, you setttle it in the squared circle.
And please don't remind us that its fake... we are aware. But just because the outcome is predetermined doesnt mean the action is any less real. The outcome of every movie in theaters is predetermined. It may be alittle like watching car crashes, but watching these galdiators putting their bodies on the line can sometimes be awe inspiring. I dare you to watch one of the great matches from the WWF archives and not be impressed with the athletic and storytelling ability of those men.

As Andy Kaufmann puts it. "There ain't no drama like wrestling."

I remember that everyday I get a little bit closer to you

So I had a day to think over the game yesterday, and I really don't want to back up on my statements, I still thinkit was the greatest football game I have ever seen personally.

Vince, if you have any sense in your head, you will come out this year. That is, as long as you don't want to head to the NFL Purgatory known as New Orleans/San Antonio/Los Angeles (?) Saints.
On BaD Radio today, they had the discussion as to whether Bush or VY would be your first pick if all things were equal and you had to begin a franchise. Its an interesting debate, and they eventually came to the conclusion that the safest pick might even be Leinart. It all depends on if you think VY can become the first truly succesful running quarterback in the NFL. Sure, there have been guys like Randall Cunningham, Kordell Stewart, Vick and McNabb, but after 4 years of taking hits it seems as though the running part of the equation is always left behind. Eventually someone is gonna be able to do it, someone is going to lead a team to the Super Bowl while running more than he passes. But is a team willing to gamble its future on it?

Playoff Picks:
Redskins
Panthers
Patriots
Bengals

Clearing out the thoughts in my head before ski trip:

• I'd be sooo wary of drafting Lendale White, after learning that he likes to un-stress by hanging out with Snoop Dogg. Ouch.
• I heard George Lucas was on the sidelines for some USC games this year. Can't imagine a more awkward conversation than him and just about any USC player. Especially Frostee Rucker.
• Pitchers and catchers can't report soon enough.
• My favorite CD right now: Separation Sunday, by The Hold Steady. A pretty love it or hate it band, complete with a lead singer (Craig Finn) who doesn't really sing as much as he growls and snarls. He's lucky he has an amazing band backing him up. But probably the most Catholic record I've ever heard. Its a concept album about a girl with a Catholic upbringing who gets caught up in drugs and terrible "friends". Listen to how she eventually finds redemption and God again, and I think you'll listen to one of the best, most moving albums of the year.
• I'm about to start The Education of a Coach, by David Halberstam. It goes inside the mind of the greatest coach in football right now, Bill Bellicheck. Very timely.

Might not post again before I leave for ski trip, have a great week.

We can be heroes, just for one day

Wow. Wow. Wow.

I'm really not a person for knee-jerk reactions, honestly. I like to keep things in the context of history.
But that game last night was the single greatest football game I have ever seen.
And Vince Young's performance was the single greatest athletic display of dominance by a player I have ever seen.
On my deathbed, I think I will still hold up this game as the best I have ever seen.
Never before have the stakes been higher, the teams better, the hype bigger, and the game greater. 4 quarters of incredible plays and constant swings of momentum. For about 4 hours last night, I was completely captivated by the amazing performances I saw. I was shaking during that last drive by Texas. Literally.
What was amazing to me was the fact that I told everyone in the room I was watching the game with that if Texas could get one stop, Vicne was going to lead them to victory. With him, there's no doubt in your mind that he's going to get it done. I've never felt that way about an athlete before, just an utter confidence that no matter what, he would find a way to win. I grew up watching Jordan in his prime, and while I appreciated his greatness, I always found myself rooting for the underdog he was facing in the NBA Finals. So Vince is the first player I've watched like that who I've rooted for. And you kind of get drunk on the experience, wanting to see them continue to amaze you.

Note to NFL teams in the draft next year: pass on Vince Young at your own risk.

The night was made even sweeter by the fact that I had all my best friends there with me, watching it at my house. It was crazy because I have never been with a group of friends so captivated by a game before. Most of the time, when we all get together to watch a game its mroe of a social event for about half the people there. But last night, every single person was completely engrossed in the game. A zen-like experience. I hope everyone cherishes getting to watch that game, its not often we experiece true greatness.

By the way, I loved seeing ESPN U's programming schedule for today (Hat tip to Bob Sturm's blog):

2005 Heisman Trophy Presentation presented by Capital One New York, NY, USA 6:00 am to 7:00 am

College FootballUSC vs Oregon Eugene, OR, USA 7:00 am to 10:00 am

College FootballUSC vs Arizona State Tempe, AZ, USA 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

College FootballUCLA vs USC Los Angeles, CA, USA 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Rose Bowl presented by CitiCollege FootballTexas vs USC Pasadena, CA, USA 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm

I wonder who they were planning on winning that game. Hook em'. Gong show.

Fun fact: last night on ESPN, the team of college football experts decided that the 2005 USC team would stop Nazi Germany's assault on Poland. They said it might be a close game, but USC's offense would prevail.

You can probably guess form that statement above that I will be rooting for Texas. Actually my number one reason for this is to shove it in the face of Skip Bayless. Read his most recent column and you will understand. But honestly I think all the media loving USC has been getting has to ge in their heads. But it all comes down to Vince. As he goes, as do the Horns.

42-35, Texas.