Baseball on Oak Ridge Drive

The Cubs are playing in St. Louis right now. I'm thankful for the DVR, as I can watch it at my convenience. About the time the game started, there was a higher priority (hear that, Rose?). We had our grandsons over at the house. Nathan (the 5 year old) handles the bat a little better than Eli (3 years old).

Nathan had a bigger bat than Eli. You can see them both warming up here.

I taught Nathan how to choke up a bit on the bat, which gave him more bat control.

I think I must have pitched at least six innings! We had a great time. I found out that Nathan can run faster than I can, because "little boys can run faster than grown ups!"

Beat Redbirds Now!

The Cubbies are in St. Louis for a 3-game series starting tonight, but I won't be there. I'm glad that all the games will be televised in Joplin! We need to get serious, and sweep out that new ballpark!

A Cubbies blog I read occasionally talks about how Lou has de-Dustified the Cubs. They have played well, despite dropping the last 2 games against eh Cascabeles from Arizona. The Cubs' starting pitching is 2nd in the National League in ERA (and we have not seen any pitchers by the name of Prior or Wood!). Derrek Lee will be back for this series. A-Ram has played great baseball; A-Sor has played well; the Cajun Connection (The Riot and Fonte Not) has been fun to watch. Eamus Catuli!

Convención Nacional Cristiana in Dallas

Last week I attended the Convención Nacional Cristiana in Dallas, Texas. It is a national convention of Spanish-speaking churches affiliated with the Church of Christ/Christian Church, similar in purpose to the North American Christian Convention. I had previously attended the convention in 2005, when it was held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but was working behind the scenes at that convention with a group from College Hts. Church in Joplin, as an aid to the Spanish-speaking congregation that meets at Christview Christian Church in Tulsa, where my son was on staff.

This convention I had no organizational responsibilities. I was able to enjoy the convention, as well as to represent OCC. There was a Bible Bowl-like competition, as part of the youth program, and OCC awarded scholarships to the winners. A girl on the 1st-place team (from Dodge City, KS) wants to come to OCC, so that was pretty cool.

Overall, I was very impressed with the convention. The sermons that were preached in the adult sessions I was able to attend were excellent, and demonstrated both scholarship and the ability to "throw down" (as young preachers are wont to say). I migrated back and forth between the youth and the adult sessions. My son was leading worship in the youth sessions, which he did with the excellence I expect from him.

Next year's convention will be held in San Antonio, TX (July 22-24). The local president is Dámaso García, the minister at the Bellaire Christian Church in San Antonio. I first met him in 1992, when a group called RED (Redacción, Edición, Distribución) met together for the first time, to discuss the need for quality publication of Christian books in Spanish. Now, 15 years later, his son, Ismael, works with my son in the planning and execution of the youth sessions of this convention.

I was very impressed with the team from the hispanic congregation at Valley View Christian Church (which hosted the event). Under the leadership of their Spanish minister, David Gallegos, all who attended were well cared for.

Soli Deo Gloria.

I Passed My Comps!

I'm in the Dallas area now for the Convención Nacional Cristiana. The convention is being held at the Valley View Christian Church. I'm staying with family members about 20 minutes away in Allen, TX. When I got here, I checked my e-mail, and had a message from my advisor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It said, "Congratulations!"

I've got some paperwork to file now, but I guess I am officially a candidate from graduation for my Ph.D. I'll need to spend some time with him about the dissertation research questions next week before I go to Chile.

Cubs lost tonight, so maybe they'll pick it up tomorrow.

I'm going to bed. God's best to you all!

DGF

Go, Cubs, Go!

Since June 3, the Chicago Cubs are the hottest team in Major League Baseball. Tonight they had another come-from-behind win, beating the SF Giants 3-2. Midway through the game, the Cubs made an announcement of a trade that will help them out. They picked up catcher Jason Kendall from the Oakland A's, a lifetime .298 hitter, who is a good catcher, good hitter, and has good speed.

There is a sense on the north side of Chicago that this team could be a team of destiny.

Go, Cubs, Go! Eamus Catuli!

Jason Kendall's bio and stats are available here.

Light Blogging

I haven't blogged much recently. Tomorrow I take off for Dallas, to represent Ozark Christian College at the Convención Nacional Cristiana, a gathering of U.S. based Spanish-speaking congregations. I will be a judge for the preaching competition, where messages are to be bilingual. That ought to be fun! OCC will be awarding scholarships to winners of the preaching and Bible Bowl competitions.

We're overhauling our finances, and cut up our credit cards. We plan to move to a cash only basis (debit cards count as cash). We've been listening to some common sense finance counsel. As far as keeping a credit card back for emergency use, one piece of advice made me laugh out loud. Perhaps you've heard that some recommend that you put a credit card in the freezer (emergency use only). We heard one guy say that in addition to putting a credit card in the freezer, you should fill up a tin can with water, put the credit card in the can of water, and then freeze it. That way, it can't be defrosted in the microwave! LOL!

I don't mean to offend my friends who work in the banking industry, but recently I watched a PBS Frontline program titled The Secret History of the Credit Card. It won a 2004-2005 Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Journalism. You can watch it online by clicking on the link.

I will go to Chile from August 2-14. I will speak at a Pastors' Retreat in Villa Alemana, Chile August 3-5, and teach a course in Lautaro (Southern Chile) from August 8-12. I'll have just over 2 days to visit friends in Santiago.

The Cubbies are heating up. I'm hoping that the Milwaukee Brewers can feel them breathing down their necks. I still think God will want to reward faithful Cubs fans with a World Series title this year, to avoid the moniker of 100 years of futility!

Hope you have a good day!

DGF

A Thousand Splendid Suns

About three years ago, our friend Shirley Woolsey, who at that time was a missionary in Chile, told me about a book that she was certain I would enjoy reading. Khaled Hosseini, an Afghani wrote a book titled The Kite Runner. I kind of filed that away in my mind. Two years ago last month (June 2005), Rose, Kim & I were in Chile, and stayed with the Woolsey family for the last four days we were in the country. Craig Woolsey was reading the book at the time we were in their home. The next to the last night we were in Chile, I started reading the book in their living room, and read about 100 pages. I asked them if I could take the book with me, and promised to air mail it right back to them. They said, "no," so I had to find another way. I remember going to a Books-a-Million store in Joplin, and reading a couple chapters more. I then bought a used copy, probably on Amazon.com, and devoured it. Rose read it. It was a picture into life in Afghanistan. The author, Hosseini, had left his home country and migrated to the U.S. where he made a life for himself, when he was very young. The Kite Runner was based on the author's memory of Afghanistan. He had never returned. Lev Grossman writes for Time magazine, and notes the irony of an expatriate Afghani writing a book about an expatriate Afghani returning to Afghanistan (The Kite Runner) without returning to Afghanistan himself. It was Grossman's article about Hosseini that made me aware of his second book. You can read his article here. Hosseini returned to Afghanistan in 2003, and promptly wrote A Thousand Splendid Suns. When I was walking down an aisle at Sam's Club, I saw it waiting for me, so I bought a copy. Rose read this one first. I started it on my long bus trip from Chicago, and just finished it a few nights ago (after finishing comps).

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a look at the lives of Afghani women, especially contrasting the lives of two women, one older than the other, raised in completely different pre-Taliban contexts, who end up, because of the nation's particular tragedies, married to the same despotic man. The younger was viewed at first by the older as the rival wife, to be fought. A friendship, in reality, a kinship (mother-daughter; older sister-younger sister), was formed. Like Hosseini's earlier book, as a master storyteller, this account is riveting. It is not a pleasant read, but it is valuable.

I had a student who spent a long time in Kabul, working with an NGO. He recommended another book on Afghanistan, title The Book Seller of Kabul, by Asne Seierstad. Though written based on the experiences of a non-Afghani who spends significant time there, it also allows foreigners a view from the inside.

I recommend all three of these books. You might want to check them out.

δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις θεῷ

καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη

ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας.

Peace!

DGF

Freedom is Not Free was SermonSpice's #2!!!!!

Way to go, Greg! Image captured July 1 at 8:00 AM!

Greg's Video Now in 6th Place!

Yesterday when I posted about Greg's video, Freedom is Not Free, it was in 9th place on SermonSpice's top video list. Currently, it's in 6th place. I would think that churches that would consider downloading it for service tomorrow (Sunday before July 4) would have already done it, but he could still sell more later today. Good job, Greg!

Chicago Trip--Cultural Experience--Go, Cubs, Go!

In the middle of writing my comps, I took an excursion to Chicago. Back in April, David Conrad, an OCC student who is a huge Cubs fan, told me that he planned to go to Chicago for the Cubs/White Sox game on June 24. He asked me if I was interested, and I told him yes. He got the tickets. He was planning on driving, so I paid him for the tickets, and told him I was in.

As the summer turned out, I was in the middle of writing my comps, but my deadline was June 27, so I assumed I could get it done. I made arrangements to spend Saturday night with friends from high school in Joliet, IL. I also made arrangements to visit a Spanish-speaking church on the south side of Chicago, the Blue Island Church of Christ, where I spoke last Sunday morning. David Conrad was going to stay in Illinois a week, so I made plans to return to Joplin by myself. I was less than a thousand frequent flyer miles on American to merit a free trip from Chicago to Springfield, MO, so I got a Greyhound Bus Ticket for only $45 from Chicago to Joplin. That was my cultural experience!

I only remember taking an interurban bus in the United States one other time in my life. I graduated from high school in Joliet, IL in 1971. The following week our family moved to Jacksonville, IL. Just before moving to Joplin, MO to begin college, I took a bus from Jacksonville to Joliet. My friend David Schultz let me borrow a car to have a date with a girl I had dated a bit in high school. It was different, so I felt more than free to move on. Rose thought I was crazy to want to take this bus trip, especially since I got on the bus at 1 AM, and traveled all night and part of the day to get home. I was stoked for it, though. In Chile, I've traveled by bus many times. There are nice buses, and not-so-nice buses, but it's a common way to travel. I got to the Chicago Bus Terminal about 11:30 PM, for a bus leaving at 1:00 AM. I had a ticket for the 1:00 AM bus, but I found out that doesn't make any difference, as seats are first come-first served. So I got in line, and waited. A guy right behind me was supposed to have been on a bus leaving Chicago hours earlier, but it was full, and he had to wait. I needed to be on the bus I was scheduled on, because I needed to be back in Joplin on Monday, in order to spend Tuesday and Wednesday in the library writing my comps. The trip from Chicago to St. Louis was uneventful (only 1 stop, in Bloomington). I had to change buses in St. Louis, with a 3 hour layover. What did I do there? I made a quick rest room stop, and then I got in line. In the end, there was not a seat available problem. Nobody got bumped. They would have, but Greyhound put an additional bus for the portion of the trip from St. Louis to Springfield, MO, but, I didn't know they were going to do that, and the next scheduled bus was Monday evening, so . . . I waited in line. I got back to Joplin around 3:30 PM. I had parked my motor scooter inside College Press's warehouse area, so I had transportation home. It was a cultural experience I probably won't rush to repeat. I would rather fly, or drive, I suppose.

That brings us to the Cubs. They have won 17 of their last 25 games, to get back to .500 on the season. They have a firm grip now on 2nd place in the NL Central, have two series sweeps in a row. The game I saw was the 3rd game at U.S. Cellular against the White Sox. They won the game 3-0, which was enjoyable, to see the Cubs sweep the Sox at U.S. Cellular Field ( I had not seen the White Sox play since I was in high school.) Later in the week they swept the Colorado Rockies. Yesterday they began a 3 game series with the Milwaukee Brewers. They gave up 5 run to Milwaukee in the first inning, then started chipping away. Starting the bottom of the 9th down by 2 runs, they picked up 1 run via Derrek Lee's sacrifice fly, to make the 2nd out. That left one runner on and 2 outs when Aramis Ramírez came up to the plate. The wind was blowing in, but Aramis hit the first pitch into the left field stands for a walk-off Cubs home run. Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Cubs Win! You can hear Pat Hughes' home run call in mp3 format by clicking here.

This afternoon they're on FOX. Tomorrow afternoon on WGN. Go Cubs, go!

You Go, Greg!

While I have been busy writing comprehensive exams for my PhD program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (106 pages long!), my son has been making extra money for his family.

His video, Freedom is Not Free, which he placed on SermonSpice.com prior to the Memorial Day weekend, has taken off. That video is now #9 on the most sold videos on the site for the month of June. You go, Greg!
SermonSpice.com is a commercial warehouse of short videos available for use in church settings. Lots of ministers use them as illustrations. Have you heard of the Evangelism Linebacker? That video is on SermonSpice.com. Greg label for his video production is FishXpressions, and if you want to see his other videos available on SermonSpice.com, you just have to click here.

Good job, Greg! I'm proud of you! Now I hope I get word from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that allows me to use PhD (candidate) behind my name. Not that I care much about personal prestige, but I've invested years of my life in this, and want to finish.

Not to us, O Lord, not to us

but to your name be the glory,

because of your love and faithfulness.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Ps 115:1). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

32 Years!

Today is our 32nd Wedding Anniversary. We took a trip to Brownsville, TX last week, kind of to celebrate the anniversary. I am in the middle of writing comprehensive exams for my PhD degree, so I have been consumed for hours and hours on that this week. I moved into a study room at the Missouri Southern State University Library. Tomorrow (Friday), the library closes at 5:00 PM, so I will quit earlier, and we will enjoy a meal out with Charissa (our oldest) and her husband, Steve.

Rose has been a faithful companion all these years. Without her, my life would be poor indeed. Thanks for hanging with me, Rosita! I'll enjoy our brunch a little later on. I'll be heading to the library before you get up. Here is a recent photo, taken Monday morning with our youngest grandson, Samuel Malachi!

I love you!

Your David

That's Why They Call Them Comprehensive

In a few short hours I will begin writing my PhD Comprehensive Exams. We arrived back home from our extended weekend trip to Brownsville, TX. I was anxious to catch a peek at the topics over which I need to write over the next week or so. My adviser was to e-mail them to me on the 18th. We arrived home after business hours on the 18th, so I thought I should have received them. They weren't there yet. I sent my adviser an e-mail before we were taken out to eat by our recently graduated daughter, Kim, who had been "home" doing her laundry.

When we returned from the Olive Garden, the comps had arrived. Comprehensive is an adequate word to describe them. Another word that comes to mind is brutal. Well, that's why I get to use a library to write them. I will hole myself up in a study room at Missouri Southern State Library over the next four days. Then I will take a hiatus on my writing schedule, catch a ride to Chicago with an OCC student, spend Saturday night with some old friends from high school, speak Sunday morning at the Blue Island (IL) Church of Christ (Spanish-speaking church), attend a ball game at U.S. Cellular Field between my beloved Cubbies and that despicable White Sox, visit the new camp of my beloved church camp Lake Region Christian Assembly in Crown Point, IN, before boarding a Greyhound Bus (I'm up for new cultural experiences) back to Joplin, MO. I'll arrive back home on Monday afternoon (June 25), and resume writing my comps on the 26th and 27th. I doubt that I'll be writing blog entries over the next week, unless I write something particularly well that I want to post here.

My adviser told me "Good luck." I hope I don't need it. I guess they are graded on a pass/fail basis. I intend to pass, but they are what they are called: comprehensive. If you read this, and remember to pray for me, I would be very appreciative.

DGF

Boca Chica Beach

Rose and I flew down to Harlingen, TX on Wednesday night (we actually arrived in Brownsville, sans luggage on Thursday). Today we went to Boca Chica beach. The famous beach near Brownsville is on South Padre Island. Boca Chica beach is the Texas Gulf Coast beach nearest to Mexico. It was pretty much an abandoned beach, with no commercialization. On the way back to Brownsville we passed a Border Patrol checkpoint.

I'm not a huge fan of the beach, but Nathan and Eli absolutely love going to the beach. It was fun to watch them.

Nathan (the oldest grandson) turned 5 years old on Tuesday. We will celebrate with a party for him tomorrow evening at a local Sonic restaurant that has a pretty neat play area. We will share with them on Sunday services. It will be interesting to see how the Spanish-speaking fellowship approaches Father's Day. Rose and I will return to Joplin on Monday, at which time I begin writing my doctoral comprehensive exams. In the second photo, you can see Greg & Emily with their three sons, Nathan, Eli, and Samuel.

Got a Book in the Mail Yesterday

A few years ago, I heard about this book, and actually checked it out of the Missouri Southern State University library, filing the concept away in my brain until I would need it. That time has come. I bought it on Amazon.com, from one of their associated vendors ($11, hopefully well spent). It is titled Complete Your Dissertation or Thesis in Two Semesters or Less. What I didn't realize was that I was getting the 3rd edition, just published in 2007! Not only that, but an endorsement on the back cover was written by a member of my dissertation committee!!! Here is the complete bibliographic data:

Ogden, Evelyn Hunt (2007). Complete Your Dissertation or Thesis in Two Semesters or Less. 3rd ed. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

When I first saw the title, I thought it was cute. The book does have some excellent commonsense suggestions and checklists. I will try to summarize the most important below.

What a dissertation is

I quote from Ogden (p. 4):

The dissertation is a scholarly work that represents one or more of the following types of research:

1. historical and philosophical
2. experimental
3. exploratory and descriptive

The subject chosen must be definite and of limited range, the method of investigation must be exactly formulated, the value of sources must be established, and the conclusion systematically supported.

She then describes in greater detail what the words limited, definite, and scholarly mean, and reminds the reader that he/she has already done umpteen or more papers of that nature. Then she drives home her point (pp. 4-5):

Make a list of the dissertations you have read in full (abstracts do not count). Think of the most impressive professors you have had for courses. What were their dissertation topics? Have you read their dissertations? List all the dissertations you have used as textbooks in courses. Are your lists short? As a matter of fact the odds are that the paper is blank. Why is it then, if dissertations are such a big deal, that even those of noted scholars have so little visibility? The answer lies in what a dissertation is and is not.

What a dissertation is not

Again, I quote Ogden (p. 5):

Remember that a dissertation is a demonstration of your ability to do a limited research study of the caliber that appears in journals in your field. You are not being asked to find the cure for cancer or write the great American epic.

What this means

I can do this. I will be writing my comprehensive exams the week of June 18-22. Assuming that I can pass them, I will hit the dissertation proposal hard, hopefully having the proposal approved during the rest of the summer months. Ogden's scheme calls for dissertation proposal by October 25, for a June graduation. I will be striving for a May 2008 graduation.

Now, the research design that I want to use is a bit more complicated. John Hunter, our research librarian, has procured several volumes for me via Inter-Library Loan, most important of which is the 768 page Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social and Behavioral Research, edited by Tashakkori and Teddlie (Sage Publications, 2003).

Keep me in your prayers!

We Ain't Seen Nuthin' Yet!

For the past 8 weeks, we have been studying Revelation at our church. The Bible School classes and the Sermons are coordinated over the same material. The theme of the 8-week study was Living at Peace in a World Gone to Pieces. Our text today was Revelation 21-22, a view of heaven.

One is the worship songs we sang was the popular song I Can Only Imagine, by Bart Millard, and performed by Mercy Me:

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side

I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine

[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine

I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine

[Chorus]

I can only imagine [x2]

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever, forever worship you

As a linguaphile, I have often mused that the phrases I can only imagine and I can't imagine are identical in meaning. When contemplating the glory of eternity with God, either is appropriate.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Wittenmyer Said It Right!

Chicago Sun Times writer Wittenmyer has it right: Cubs Make a Lot of Dumb Plays!

A Pretty Nice Memorial Day Video

Somebody who shares my last name (he lives in Brownsville, TX and is the father of my 3 grandsons) produces short Christian videos. He recently produced a video for Memorial Day titled Freedom is Not Free. It's pretty good. You can preview it on SermonSpice.com by clicking here.

I'm proud of him; the video moved me to gratitude for those who paid a heavy price for our national freedom. However, I am more thankful to the One who made the ultimate sacrifice, not on Iwo Jima, but on the cross.

DGF

An Uplifting Look at the Problem of Gangs

Last night Rose and I watched a movie on DVD. Some of the language was crude, but probably appropriate to the genre of the movie. Freedom Writers was set in the Los Angeles, California area in 1994, just two years after the Rodney King/Reginald Denny incidents ignited racial tensions. Based on a true story, the movie recounts the true story of Erin Gruwell, an inexperienced teacher that tried (at first unsuccessfully) to connect with an English class composed of several racial groups, antagonistic toward each other, and toward Ms. Gruwell herself.

Gruwell faced incredible odds. She was denied needed resources for her students, shunned by other teachers. Once she began to understand the context in which her students lived, she found ways to connect with them. Little by little, she earned their trust. The freedom writers began to write journals of their life experiences. Room 203 became a refuge from the insanity of gang-related violence, where all were accepted, regardless of their ethnicity. I don't recommend movies lightly. A person who wants to avoid all expletives should probably avoid this one. However, if one can overlook the language, the story that is told is uplifting indeed.

Rarely have I ever watched a movie on DVD, and then proceeded to watch almost all the special features on the disk. Last night, however, we did. It was a story of hope, in a world where hope has died. There was no mention of Christ, or even of God (had there been, it likely would not have been true to the real story). As a human-interest story, however, I did not regret the time I had devoted to watching.

The movie was based upon the book The Freedom Writers Diary (1999).

Have a nice Memorial Day weekend!

DGF

My Baby Graduates from College

She set a record. She got a 4-year college degree in 4 years. Her father didn't do that. Her mother didn't do that. Her older sister didn't do that. Her older brother didn't do that. But Kimberly Ann Fish did! Congratulations! You go, girl!

The degree is called a Bachelor of Biblical Literature, and consists of 129 semester hours of credit. The major is Bible, though she had quite a few courses in missions along the way.

Next step of her journey? God knows. She will stay in Joplin for a while, and ultimately, would like to serve God on a mission field somewhere.

God bless you richly, Kim!

Love,

Dad

"Without Amnesty, but Without Animosity"

Yesterday, a bi-partisan group from the U.S. Senate, working with the White House (how often do you see that?), forged a deal for a bill on normalizing the twelve million or so illegal immigrants in our country. The Senate proposal differs substantially from a House bill. You can see the main points of difference in the two proposals, according to the Washington Post by clicking here.

We live in a time of sound bites, rather than substance. President Bush gave a pretty good one, which I have used as the title of this post: without amnesty, but without animosity. You can watch the President's comments by clicking here.

It is difficult to believe that for once I am on the same side of an issue as Ted Kennedy! The bill, which faces opposition in the House, particularly among conservatives, would beef up border security, and allow those who were on U.S. soil before January 1 of this year, the option to acquire a Z-Visa, requiring them to pay a $5,000 fine over an 8-year time frame. Heads of household would be required to return to their home country, to get a consular visa stamp, but would be guaranteed permission to return to the U.S.

I know many people who would be favored by this legislation. Most of them are hard-working people just trying to get ahead. True, they broke the law to get here, but this allows them the possibility of normalizing their situation. No longer would they need to live in constant fear of what could happen if they have a tail light burnt out.

Go ahead, call me a Hispanic Lover!

Next post, a tribute to my 22-year old, soon-to-be-a-college-graduate daughter.

DGF

Tornadoes and Political Posturing

I went to preach at Rose Hill, Kansas on Sunday. I was on the road towards Rose Hill by 6 AM. Saturday had been a busy day, and I went to bed early. I hadn't really watched much news on Saturday (either earlier in the day or in the evening). Wanting to catch up on the road, I listened to the audio of some of the national news broadcasts, and was saddened to hear of the devastating tornado that destroyed Greensburg, Kansas. I had stopped in Greensburg a couple times. Greensburg had a tourist attraction--the largest hand-dug well in the world. My retired colleague, Wilbur Fields, had told me about it.

The devastation in Greensburg is terrible. The death count is up to 12 now, I believe. May God give grace to the people of Greensburg, and to their families!

I was shocked last night to hear that the Governor of Kansas, Kathleen Sebelius, has politicized this event, getting in her barb at the President. Were it not for our presence in Iraq, the Kansas National Guard units would have everything under control. Ms. Sebelius, the tragedy in your state was huge. Shame on you for using this tragedy for political posturing!

Eamus Catuli!

The Cubbies are once again above .500! They have put together a pretty good campaign, moving from dead last in the NL Central to second place, behind the over-achieving Milwaukee Brewers.

They have:

• won 8 out of their last 9 games.
• won their first 5 games to start the month of May since 1937!
• finally won a 1-run ball game.

They are starting to hit the ball well:

• Derrek Lee is leading the Major Leagues with a batting average of .414.
• Alfonso Soriano is starting to heat up, now batting .303.
• Ryan Theriot (I love to call him "The Riot") is batting .313.

Rich Hill is 4-1 with an ERA of 1.73 and Ryan Dempster is perfect 7 of 7 in save opportunities, with an ERA of 2.12. Some others in the bullpen have had moments of mediocrity.

Let's keep it up, Cubbies! Eamus Catuli!

Beckwith Returns to Roman Catholic Church and Resigns from ETS

I haven't gone to many ETS (Evangelical Theological Society) meetings. The last one I attended was in 1999 in the Boston area. Generally I would run into my friends from College Press Publishing at such events. Generally, the College Press rep (in those days) was John Hunter, who now is working as Reference Librarian at OCC's Seth Wilson Library. John introduced me to a couple of evangelical guys who had written books published by College Press, namely Gary Habermas and Francis Beckwith.

Beckwith, until May 5, was the president of the Evangelical Theological Society. He resigned on May 5 because he has returned to full communion within the Roman Catholic Church. He gives his own account of this spiritual journey on a blog for which he wrote, called Right Reason. There are many comments under that post, from those who applaud his decision, and those who do not. He remains as a tenured professor at Baylor University in Waco, TX.

DGF

Happy Easter, Happy Birthday, Happy Re-Birthday

Happy Easter! The LORD has risen. The LORD has risen indeed! We had wonderful Resurrection Sunday services this weekend at College Heights Christian Church. There were no Bible School classes, and we added two additional services. We attended the service in the chapel (old auditorium) at 9:30. My boss, Mark Scott, preached a moving sermon on the them Beyond the Cross. His 3 points were these:
Beyond the Cross there is:

1. A Corpse
2. An Occupied Tomb (though not for long)
3. An Empty Tomb

Happy Birthday! Today my daughter-in-law, Emily, celebrates her birthday. Happy Birthday, Emily.

Happy Re-Birthday! When I realized that Easter Sunday would be April 8, I did some quick math, and realized that today is the 45th anniversary of my own baptism into Christ. Lots of things that I had 45 years ago, I no longer have, but I was pretty certain I could put my hands on my Baptismal Certificate. It is stored in a family Bible (King James Version) that the Clayton Christian Church of Deerfield, MO (where I preached during my undergraduate years) gave us as a wedding present. Check it out below, I was baptized on April 8, 1962 (if you click on the image it will open it up in a separate window at a larger size). The certificate was filled out by someone in the congregation that had nice penmanship. The signature (Fred Fish) is in my father's hand. Mom was over for lunch today, and remembered that when I was ready to follow Jesus' example in baptism, I asked Dad to make an appointment with me to talk about it.
May the Risen Christ smile on you!

DGF

Roger Powell, Jr.

I'm writing these words from the La Quinta Inn in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Rose and I left Joplin at about 1:30 PM on Good Friday, and drove to Little Rock. We watched the Arkansas RimRockers defeat the Sioux Falls Skyforce by a score of 123-120. We drove to watch Roger Powell Jr. (nicknamed The Rev) play. Roger scored 19 points and had 7 rebounds. You can get a box score of the game here. I had tried to get the phone number of his parents in Joliet, IL, to try to make contact with him before coming, hoping to get to meet him. I couldn't get a number for his parents, so I tried the next best thing. I called the Arkansas RimRockers, and explained that I had followed his career since high school, through the University of Illinois, at Rockford, IL in the CBA, briefly at the Utah Jazz, and now on the Arkansas RimRockers of the NBA D-League, and that I was driving from Missouri and would like to meet him face to face. The message was passed on to a David who is the PR guy for the players on the team. I had left my cell phone number, and about the time we were crossing the state line from Missouri to Arkansas, I got a call back from David. I was instructed once I got to the arena to ask for him, and he would try to arrange a meeting with Roger, possibly before the game, but if not, we could certainly speak with him after the game, as it is customary for the players to remain in the gym and sign autographs.

We got to Little Rock, checked into our motel and headed to the Alltel Arena. We bought tickets just before 6:00 PM (tip-off time was 7:00 PM), and the doors to the arena did not even open until 6:00. We got inside, found our seats, and located David. He said he would mention something to Roger. We saw the team on the court taking warmups, and David said something to Roger. He waved at us, and indicated that he would come over and talk to us in a bit. He came by, talked to us, and seemed to be genuinely moved that we would drive 4 hours to see him play. We talked about how I knew his father, playing ball with him in Joliet. He asked us if we would have some time after the game, maybe to catch a bite to eat.

After the game, there was an auction of the jerseys worn by the players, with the proceeds going to charity. The Arkansas RimRockers are an affiliate of the Miami Heat, and the Arkansas players wore Miami Heat uniforms. Powell wore number 25 (his normal number is 43). His jersey went for $260. We waited for him while he showered. He came out dressed very nicely. There were some people from his local church family in Little Rock that we met, and then we found a restaurant near our motel, and shared a meal. He was happy to share a meal with us, because normally he eats by himself. As a Christian, his conduct is different from team members. At the restaurant, he called his Mom and Dad, and I got to speak with them for a while.

Roger is licensed to preach, and has a ministry (Roger Powell Jr. Ministries). The D-League season will end within the next week, and Roger will go back home, and begin his ministry work. During the summer, he'll likely be invited to Summer Camps for some NBA teams, and feels confident that he can make it to the Senior League. He has the talent, the work ethic, and Christian character that today's young people need as a role model. I hope he makes it. He promised me tickets when he does make it. I have his cell phone number and his personal e-mail. Roger, I'm going to take you up on it!

He has garnered the attention of basketball experts. He is leading the NBA D-League in scoring (points per game); he will be awarded the NBA D-League Sportsmanship Award for the 2006-2007 season at their final home game. The most appealing thing about him, though, is his genuine Christian character, and desire to serve God. He's a hard working basketball player, who puts on his hard hat, picks up his lunch box, and shows up to play. But above all, he's committed to Jesus Christ, and signs Philippians 4:13 every time he signs an autograph.

Roger Powell, may God bless you richly!

It's Been Too Long

Two of my readers (is that 67% of them?) have been clamoring (that's an overstatement) for me to write again. I've been very busy lately, and haven't had time. The trip to Chile (I promise to write a post about that) was great, but I came back very tired. I think it took 2 weeks to recover.

Baseball season started, and the Cubs have broken my heart already. I hope it will get better. My Cardinal friends heart is more broken, as they have yet to win a game!

We have been in pre-enrollment, which is always a busy time. Also, it is Easter Week. I will teach tomorrow morning, dismissing my OT class just a few minutes early to go to the chapel for our All Campus Good Friday service.

When that is over, Rose and I will go to Little Rock, Arkansas. That's right. I used Hotwire to get a room at the La Quinta Inn in North Little Rock for tomorrow night. Roger Powell (University of Illinois, 2005) plays for the Arkansas RimRockers, who have just two remaining home games (Friday and Saturday night). We'll be there at the Friday night game. They play at Alltel Arena in North Little Rock. I called the team today, and there will be plenty of tickets available.

Roger was just named the winner of the 2006-2007 Jason Collier NBA Development League Sportsmanship Award. I played basketball with his father back in the 1960s. His father was a 4-year starter at Illinois State (top 25 team for a while), while I was relegated to intramurals :). Roger Powell Jr. was called Rev at the University of Illinois. He is a licensed preacher in his church. I am trying to find a way to make contact with him so that we can actually meet him, and talk to him.

I promise I will write a serious piece about my teaching trip to Chile before too much longer.

May the blessings of the risen Christ be with you!

DGF

On the Road (I Mean, In the Air) Again

I'm writing these words from the Kansas City Int'l Airport. I took the 6:00 AM flight from Joplin (more like the 6:35 AM flight), and am waiting the next flight. From here I will go to Dallas, then to Miami, and finally on to Santiago, CHILE. By the time I arrive there, I will have been traveling about 24 hours. I will preach Sunday morning at the Libertad church (I hope I don't put myself to sleep). I will have the remainder of Sunday (nap time, I imagine), and Monday & Tuesday to visit as many friends as I can. On Wednesday, I will fly to Temuco, then travel about an hour north to Lautaro, where I will teach an intensive course in Principles of (Bible) Interpretation.

My colleague, Larry Pechawer, will start teaching a course on Psalms at the Santiago Institute this morning. I will look forward to seeing him there. I think he will be teaching mainly at night, so maybe I can show him around Santiago during the daytime.

I'm thankful that the Kansas City airport decided to provide free wi-fi. I have already responded to a student blog, and now am working on this entry. The trip from Joplin to Kansas City was pleasant, despite the small plane. John Mouton (from CIY) was on the same flight, ready to meet up with a group of Ozark students already in Kansas City. They will be going to New York City to work with a new church plant this week. I tried to check my baggage from Joplin all the way to Santiago. The Joplin-Kansas city portion was on US Airways Express/Mesa Air Group/operated by Air Midwest. Their routing paperwork only had enough spots for 3 destinations. I told them that if it would be easier, they could check it to Kansas City, and I would pick it up and re-check it. That wasn't a problem. Here you can see a photo of the plane from Joplin. The pickup truck was off-loading the luggage. From the time the pickup truck left the side of the plane until the time my bags rolled off the carousel was only about 2 minutes. I didn't have any trouble identifying my two bags. They were the only two that were sent to U.S. Airways Baggage Claim (all the other bags on my flight were connecting to other U.S. Airways destinations). I got my bags, took the red bus to Terminal C, checked them in at American, had a bite of breakfast, and decided to post this.

Hope that you all are well. I'll be back in Joplin (Lord willing) on Tuesday the 20th in the afternoon, after another marathon trip.

See you later!

DGF

On Combining '60's Pop Culture and New Testament Greek

One of the joys of my life is the privilege of teaching New Testament Greek. My Greek class is kind of like a small discipleship group. After class this morning, one of the students asked me what the Greek word for believer was. I had never thought much about it. We don't have a Greek vocabulary word for that. I thought about it a while, and responded that it must be the participle formed from the verb: ὁ πιστεύων (literally "the one who believes").

My daughter, Kimberly, has John 3:16 in the Greek memorized. Though in an earlier post I diagrammed John 3:16 in the Greek, I must confess that I don't have it memorized in Greek. In order to test my theory, I went to John 3:16 in the Greek, and found this:

οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλʼ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.

Thus, I confirmed my suspicion. The present participle of πιστεύω is used 115 times in the New Testament in that manner.

Where does the '60's Pop Culture come into the equation? Well, the student, armed with the Greek rendering of "believer" made up a Greek sentence:

ἔβλεψα δὲ τὸ προσωπὸν αὐτῆς, νῦν εἰμὶ ὁ πιστεύων.

You may remember the lyrics like this:

And I saw her face, now I'm a believer.

Hope you all have a great day!

DGF

Honor to Whom Honor is Due

I've just come back to my office from College Hts. Christian Church, and decided to write some thoughts about what I saw there. I will write about two separate events that took place in the building simultaneously. I would like to give honor to two people, that showed me what a life of service is all about.

MOPS program. I have never been tempted to volunteer as a MOPS babysitter, and after seeing what I did this morning, I may be less inclined to do such a strange thing. My wife, Rose, though, works in the afternoons, which has freed up her time in the morning. Twice a month, she works with the MOPS program our church sponsors. Since our daughter-in-law, Emily, is in town, I knew that our grandsons were going to be at the MOPS program today. I canceled a class late this morning, to attend the second event of this post. I was told to arrive early, and swing by where Rose would be watching the MOPS kids, so I could see our two grandsons (we have a 3rd one, but he is a 3-month old baby, so he wasn't there). I made it on time, found the room where the kids were. It seemed like there were forty-leven (that's a huge number!) of kids there, and only 2 volunteers. There was a cacophony of toddlers screaming and crying (because they missed their mothers) as well as a malodorous aroma rising from the breeches of several of the toddlers. The other volunteer was a retired man, so guess who got the job of changing the diapers? Rose looked at me, with one of those "I'm so glad you're here" looks, and told me to take off my suit coat and help. My grandsons were behaving. If one of them had been crying bloody murder, I could have handled it better, but to bring comfort to a toddler who is screaming for no apparent reason? I felt very ill-equipped. The one who was screaming the loudest was a boy named Cory--I don't know his last name. I picked him up and sat down on a rocking chair and tried to console him. I would much rather parse Greek participles. After a while, a toy musical instrument seemed to settle him down. Rose was working away at what seemed to be a conveyor belt process of changing dirty diapers. I take my hat off to her, as that labor of love probably provides some mothers of pre-schoolers some much needed relief from their toddlers. It kind of makes me proud to have such a servant as a spouse.

Jon Lantz Funeral. The reason I canceled my class was to attend the funeral of Jon Lantz. You can read his obituary here or here. You can read what area journalists have written about him here, or here, or here. I first heard about Jon shortly after coming to Joplin, that the head football coach of the state university
in town was not only a member of the church, but was a Bible school teacher. I enjoyed knowing him. After he left his coaching position, he worked for Ozark Christian College for three years as the director of student development. His wife, Charlene, started working part-time in our bookstore at that time, a position she has held until the present. Recently, he has worked in the administration of North Eastern Oklahoma A & M (in Miami, OK), where he made an indelible impression as a man of character. He has graduated into the presence of God Himself. The inspired words of the Apostle Paul can truly be his:

⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Tim. 4:7-8)

So long, dear brother. See you again some day in glory!

Giveaway of the Day

My esteemed colleague, Terry Chaney, introduced me to Giveaway of the Day, a site that gives software away, one package each day of the month. These are full programs that can be registered for free, provided that they are downloaded and installed/activated during the day that they are offered. I have downloaded several of their programs over the past couple months. Today's offering has a registration fee of $119, and is a Mind-mapping program, for creating charts & diagrams.

It looks pretty nice. You might give it a try:

Skiing is Easier than Snowboarding . . . When You're Past 50!

It wasn't Colorado, and the snow wasn't really even white, but we skied on Friday, at Snow Creek Ski Resort near Weston, MO, just north of the Kansas City airport. My daughter Charissa and I went there last year, and Greg planned to go skiing on his vacation trip back to Missouri. On Thursday and Friday (last week and this week) adults ski for child prices. Griff covered my OT History class for me (thanks, Griff!), so I could do this family thing.

The five of us, Rose, I, Charissa, Greg, and Kimberly started this ski trip thing together probably about 19 years ago. We did it again on Friday, not in the majestic Andes mountains, not on any mountain, on artificial snow, but it was still fun. Snow Creek allows one exchange on rental equipment, from skis to snowboards, or vice versa, so late in the afternoon, we switched our skis for snowboards (that is, all except Rose). Somehow, Greg and Kim made it up the chair lift. Charissa and I were more sane, and ventured up a rope pull lift, not making it very far up, but stayed safer. Charissa and I were struggling, and a woman gave us some advice, but seemed astonished that we had never been on one before, nor had taken a class. God takes care of fools and children, they say. Our snowboard experience only lasted a short time, but we expended quite a bit of energy. Skiing is safe, I think, compared to snowboarding. I'm told that a snowboarder can become a good snowboarder in a shorter time than a skier can become a good skier. If I were younger, I might give it a try. For now, I like the skis. I can make them do what I want them to do!

DGF

Roger Powell Jr. Named Performer of the Week (Feb. 12) in the NBA D-League

I try to check the Arkansas RimRockers website, especially after a game night, and he has done very well there. He leads the team in scoring most games, in rebounds as well other games. His 46 point game on February 2 is the best single-game scoring performance of the NBA D-League this season. Congratulations, Roger!

NBA D-League News:

Roger Powell of the Arkansas RimRockers is the D-League Performer of the Week for February 12, 2007.

Powell thrice led the RimRockers in scoring as they compiled a 2-1 record last week. In the first game of the week, he recorded his second double-double of the season with 26 points and 14 rebounds in Tuesday's loss to Austin. Over the weekend he sparked a two-game sweep of Fort Worth, posting 22 points, five rebounds and five assists on Friday and in Sunday's win scoring 33 points and grabbing six rebounds.

For the week, Powell averaged 27.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and shot .545 (30-of-55) from the field. Since joining the RimRockers on January 19th, he has averaged 24.9 points and 7.5 rebounds in eight games while posting the best single-game scoring performance in the D-League this season when he scored 46 points on February 2nd against Fort Worth.

Powell, a 6-6 forward from Illinois, was acquired after being waived by the Utah Jazz on Jan. 4th, where he appeared in three games.

Honorable Mention:
Randy Livingston, Idaho
BJ Elder, Austin
Dijon Thompson, Albuquerque
Elton Brown, Colorado

The Great Latin American Hope

In things spiritual, I echo the words of the hymn writer Edward Mote: "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness."

In things temporal, however, especially regarding baseball, my hope springs eternal (every spring that is, though for many years is had waned during the dog days of summer) for the Chicago Cubs to become (to quote Rob Dibble), "World Champions of the World."

On a Cubs message board, I found this cool photo of the Cubs' Great Latin American Hope, Alfonso Soriano:

Surprise! Kerry Wood Starts Spring Training with Injury!

All is well with the Cubbies! The pitchers and catchers have reported to Spring Training, and Kerry Wood is injured. Here is the AP version (as reported on Sports Illustrated's website):

MESA, Ariz. (AP) -- Oft-injured Kerry Wood is out again -- this time because of a flub in a hot tub.

The Chicago Cubs pitcher is not expected to throw off the mound for a few days after he slipped this week getting out of a hot tub at home. Wood landed on his stomach and chest.

"It was just a little spill," Wood said Thursday. "I didn't think anything of it. Nothing's wrong. It's just going to be a few extra days. My arm feels great. My body feels good."

Wood said he probably would not have thrown off the mound until Friday had he not gotten hurt. He participated in most drills on Thursday when pitchers and catchers worked out for the first time.

Bothered by an injured right shoulder the past three seasons, Wood is being converted to a reliever after being limited to four starts last year.

All players report on Monday. Eamus Catuli!

Bruce Metzger Dies

Bruce Metzger, who was perhaps the most widely renowned textual critic of the New Testament, passed away yesterday at the age of 93. Here is the AP obituary:

PRINCETON, New Jersey: Bruce Manning Metzger, professor emeritus at Princeton Theological Seminary and an authority on Greek manuscripts of the Bible, has died. He was 93.

Metzger died Tuesday of natural causes, according to The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home in Princeton.

At the time of his death, he was the George L. Collord Professor Emeritus of New Testament Language and Literature at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Metzger earned a bachelor's degree from Lebanon Valley College in 1935, a bachelor of theology degree from Princeton Seminary in 1938 and a doctorate in classics from Princeton University in 1942. He became an ordained minister with the Presbyterian Church in 1939.

Metzger began his teaching career at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1938, where he stayed in the New Testament department for 46 years. During his time at the seminary, Metzger developed 25 courses on the English and Greek texts of books in the New Testament.

In 1986, Metzger was elected to the American Philosophical Society in the class devoted to the Humanities. In 1994, he was awarded the F.C. Burkitt Medal by the British Academy for his contributions to biblical studies.


Metzger would be most widely recognized by OCC students (especially students of Greek) for his book The Text of the New Testament, Oxford University Press, 1968, and for his Lexical Aids for Students of New Testament Greek, and his A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament.

I have written earlier about Metzger's disciple, Bart Ehrman, who walked away from a conservative view of Scripture, I would think much to the dismay of Dr. Metzger himself. Ehrman's book, Misquoting Jesus claims to be earth-shattering, and new, but does not really present anything really new. I studied the essential characteristics of New Testament Textual Criticism as a freshman in college thirty six years ago. Our text was by J. Harold Greenlee, Introduction to New Testament Textual Criticism. When I began reading Ehrman's book several months ago, I was distressed by what I interpreted as theological arrogance. It seems to me that he totally ignores conservative evangelical scholars with academic pedigrees at least as prestigious as his, as though they and their arguments don't even exist! I will likely finish Ehrman's book, but am distressed that many might read it, and conclude that there is no basis on which to put faith in the Biblical text, when there is much reason to do so. Ben Witherington, Daniel Wallace, and others have written reviews of Ehrman's book, and have done a much better job than I could do. I offer links to their reviews.

On a happier note, I found a a quiz on another site. It is called the Ultimate Bible Quiz. If you know much about the Bible, you ought to be able to score 100%!

You know the Bible 100%!

 

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

Shawn Sealy Ordination

This morning I traveled to Park Grove Christian Church near Lowry City, MO to participate in the ordination service of Shawn Sealy. I rode with Mark Scott, my boss (OCC's Academic Dean). Shawn introduced us as professors who had made an imprint on his life. In 2001, when I went to Barbados to teach a short course, Shawn and his fiancée were students of mine. Shawn came to study at Ozark in 2004, graduating last May. At OCC, I had him in Old Testament History and in Greek I. He was an excellent student, and is an excellent preacher.


Mark Scott gave the traditional charge, and I spoke about Leadership Across Cultures. There was also an ordination/commissioning service for three elders from the church. I preached a 3 or 4 day revival meeting at that church in 2002. I think in the time after that, the congregation went through quite a bit of turmoil. A member there told me that when Shawn first went there to preach (nearly 2 years ago) that the church was very sick, and that he had brought healing.


Shawn will be married to Anastasia Charles on July 14 in Florida. Anastasia came to the U.S. to do a master's degree in education, and is currently teaching in Florida. Unfortunately, she was not able to be present at the ordination today. The people at Lowry City obviously love Shawn very much, and he serves them diligently. Seeing former students do well in ministry is extremely satisfying.

God's best to you, Shawn! Serve Him well!

Miscellaneous Stuff

The last two days I conducted a Seminar in Educational Technology. This year I had three students in the seminar, all very capable upperclassmen. Two of them will graduate. One of them has kept the scorebook for OCC Ambassador basketball games for several years, and other than being an insufferable Kansas Jayhawks fan, is a really nice guy. That seminar class will keep a blog for the next couple months.

After the seminar was over, I watched the visiting Grace University (Omaha, NE) lose to OCC's women, and humiliate OCC's men on the basketball floor. Wait a minute, maybe what occurred to our men's team should be called auto-humiliation. I actually ran the shot clock for the men's game, so that my colleague, Monte Shoemake, could sit in the stands an watch his son's Senior Night (sic) with his wife. About the same time, the visiting Kansas Jayhawks were humiliating the Missouri Tiggers (intentional misspelling), cf. Andrew's post on the above-mentioned blog.


Roger Powell continues to do well with the Arkansas Rimrockers. He has played 7 games for the team, starting 5 of them, and in 5 of the 7 games he has played in, has either led the team in scoring, led the team in rebounds, or both. Go Roger!

Nice Game, Rog!

The headlines say, "Powell Explodes for 46!" Last night, the Arkansas RimRockers got a Win down in Ft. Worth, TX. Last year's CBA Rookie of the Year is getting a chance to play again, after being waived by the Utah Jazz.

Here is a link to the boxscore.

Remember to give glory to God, Roger!

Roger Powell Jr. Resurfaces in Arkansas

I have written earlier about Roger Powell making the Utah Jazz roster. Later, when he was cut, I lamented about what I was going to do with my Utah Jazz T-shirt. Now I know where Roger ended up.

I got this information from a true Illinois fan. Last weekend I was in Greencastle, IN, representing Ozark Christian College at a Missions Conference. Ed Nichols, long-time friend, former missionary to Africa, and representative of ACM International was also present. On Saturday afternoon, while I was participating in a scavenger hunt around Greencastle, IN titled The Amazing Race (my team came in 6th, out of 6 teams!), Ed Nichols hid in the church office with a radio so he could listen to the Illinois-Purdue game (Purdue slaughtered the Illini). Finding a kindred spirit, I talked to Ed about how happy I had been that Roger made the opening season roster of the Jazz, but that I was saddened by his release. I told him that I had not been able to find any information about what happened to him. Ed provided the information that he was playing in the NBA's Developmental League. He could not tell me which team, but that he had heard that he was playing in that league.

I made a trip to the website (linked above), and found out that Roger is now a member of the Arkansas RimRockers. A visit to the transaction page says the RimRockers acquired Roger on January 19. So far he has played in only three games (they play tomorrow night), but is averaging 16.7 ppg.

As an aside, the RimRockers play in North Little Rock, AR. I considered going to the Illinois game vs. Arkansas on December 4, 2004. OCC basketball player, Marcus Moeller was there, watching his friend, Steven Hill, play. I had been in Little Rock the week before, as my brother-in-law, Mike Gage, underwent surgery on a brain stem tumor. On that trip, as I drove past the Alltel Arena (where the RimRockers play their home games), I saw the promo for the then-upcoming game with the Fighting Illini. I chose not to make the trip. Illinois won 72-60. Roger led the Illini in both scoring and rebounding, with 19 points, 11 rebounds. Steven Hill (who played for College Hts. Christian School in Jr. High) scored 1 point, had 4 rebounds and 6 blocks.