advent.

in the last couple of years, i've become a huge fan of the advent season. honestly, one of the reasons i've grown to appreciate it is because it makes this time more about christ and less about traditions and family and gifts and all those things that can make christmas a tough season for people missing someone they love. even aside from that aspect of it, i'm realizing that it's a really important time for all believers, and i wish we gave it more attention.

if you haven't already, i suggest you read rob bell's article on advent. i found it super encouraging, and i think you will too. it's a good word on hope and expectation, claiming, "the not yet will be worth it."

if you're looking for an advent guide, a daily reading to keep you focused during this season, buckner has created a really great one this year. check it out here.

finally, the hymn, "come thou long expected jesus," is one of my favorites during the advent season. if you need a good version of it, i'm a big fan of christy nockels' acappella version--duh--on chris tomlin's christmas album. i posted the lyrics last year, but i think they're worth posting again:

come thou long-expected jesus,

born to set thy people free;

from our fears and sins release us,

let us find our rest in thee.

israel's strength and consolation,

hope of all the earth thou art;

dear desire of every nation,

joy of every longing heart.

born thy people to deliver,

born a child and yet a king.

born to reign in us forever,

now thy gracious kingdom bring.

by thy own eternal spirit

rule in all our hearts alone;

by thine all-sufficient merit

raise us to thy glorious throne.

the best sports weekend ever.

it would be hard to overstate how great this weekend was as a sports fan. i don't hate fair-weather fans and band-wagoners, but their excitement pales in comparison to that of actual fans. perhaps to understand this post you should read my previous post about the texas rangers and baylor bears. and maybe read my brother's post on this topic while you're at it.

in short: i had three pretty high expectations going into the weekend for three of my favorite teams. if just one out of the three had actually happened, i would have been thrilled. but no... i got ALL THREE.

1. the texas rangers beat the yankees, clinching a trip to the world series for the first time ever in franchise history. UNBELIEVABLE. i've been cheering for the rangers for as long as i can remember, going to at least a few games each season. baseball was my dad's favorite sport to watch and the rangers were my dad's favorite team. they've never been awesome, but we've always been fans. and this is finally their time. it's such a great story. and you've gotta love josh hamilton. so get your claws, antlers, and ginger ale ready.... we're going to the WORLD SERIES!!!

2. the baylor bears beat kansas state, giving them six wins and making them bowl eligible for the first time in fifteen years. if that wasn't exciting enough, the new polls came out yesterday, and baylor is RANKED!! baylor university is ranked in the TOP 25 in the nation. in FOOTBALL. unfortunately, they've got a pretty tough schedule for the rest of the season, but surely a bowl game is awaiting them in the end. dad would be ecstatic. poor guy always wanted his kids to go to baylor. i guess truett counts, huh?

3. the auburn tigers beat lsu, making them the NUMBER ONE team in the country. beating lsu would've been great in and of itself, but ending up at the top of the BCS rankings for the first time in school history made it a pretty incredible win. also... CAM NEWTON. wow. talk about a heisman-hopeful performance. cam newton for husband... i mean, heisman. i wish i could explain my love for auburn (and especially auburn football), but i've decided it's impossible to understand unless experienced. dramatic, i know, but true. war eagle.

i still have to pinch myself when i think about the fact that these things actually happened. the rangers are going to the world series. the bears are bowl eligible. the tigers are number one in the country. let's go, rangers. sic 'em bears. war damn eagle.

shine.

the david crowder band recently released a music video for their song, "sms(shine)." it's a beautiful song and a fascinating video. enjoy!

lyrics:

send me a sign

a hint, a whisper

fill me with life

'cause i am listening

come break the quiet

breathe your awakening

bring me the light

'cause i am fading

surround me with the rush of angels' wings

shine your light so i can see you

pull me up, i need to be near you

hold me, i need to feel loved

can you overcome this heart that's overcome?

you sent a sign

the hint, o whisper

human, divine

everyone is listening

death laid low

quiet in the night is stirring

all around the rush of angels

o the wonder of the greatest love has come

shine your light so all can see it

lifted up, 'cause the whole world needs it

love has come, what joy to hear it

he has overcome, he has overcome

world series and a bowl game, please.

maybe it's because the rangers clinched the american league west for the first time since 1999...

or maybe it's because the baylor bears are actually playing decent football this year...

but for whatever reason, i've been missing my dad a lot recently.

he would be so proud of these two teams. he would love to watch the rangers play baseball in october. and he would love talking to all his baylor buddies about how the bears might actually go to a bowl game for the first time in over 15 years.

what would he think about josh hamilton and robert griffin III? what would he think about the fact that i go to baylor games as a baylor STUDENT? what would he think about iphones and the ability to get sports scores and updates from your phone? would he hate the bears' white helmets? would he love that the rangers are back to wearing red more like they used to?

anyway, all that to say, i find myself cheering extra hard for the rangers and the bears this year... world series and a bowl game, please.

thoughts from clive staples.

i'm continually thankful for c.s. lewis. i highly recommend this book: a year with c.s. lewis: daily readings from his classic works. lewis always seems to put my thoughts into words in a way that i could never articulate.

i wanted to underline every sentence from september 12th's reading, so i thought it might be a good idea to share it on here. hope it challenges and encourages you, too. enjoy.

Some writers use the word charity to describe not only Christian love between human beings, but also God's love for man and man's love for God. About the second of these two, people are often worried. They are told they ought to love God. They cannot find any such feeling in themselves. What are they to do? The answer is the same as before. Act as if you did. Do not sit trying to manufacture feelings. Ask yourself, 'If I were sure that I loved God, what would I do?' When you have found the answer, go and do it.

On the whole, God's love for us is a much safer subject to think about than our love for Him. Nobody can always have devout feelings: and even if we could, feelings are not what God principally cares about. Christian Love, either towards God or towards man, is an affair of the will. If we are trying to do His will we are obeying the commandment, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.' He will give us feelings of love if He pleases. We cannot create them for ourselves, and we must not demand them as a right. But the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not. It is not wearied by our sins, or our indifference; and, therefore, it is quite relentless in its determination that we shall be cured of those sins, at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to Him.

--from Mere Christianity

a deep, emotional feeling of love for God is something i find myself more often than not merely wishing for. though the chill bumps and fast heart beats come and go, i must continue to choose to love him. it certainly doesn't sound very romantic, but perhaps a covenantal, relational commitment is sometimes a little less picturesque than we might make it out to be. in my flesh, i absolutely cannot muster up a love for him on my own. praise god that he, at times, gives us those overwhelming feelings.

i'm thankful that he is faithful when i am faithless, that his love is relentless when mine is indifferent.