Yesterday, Easter Sunday, I posted the first post on why Christ suffered and died: To Absorb the Wrath of God. So today is day #2 focusing on the greatest event in human history. (Keep in mind I’m “ordering” these for the sake of organization, not importance) Also Bri will be posting a four month Caleb update (so fast eh?!?!) tomorrow after his doc appt.

#2 - Christ Suffered and Died to Please His Heavenly Father

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief – Isaiah 53:10

Christ loved us and gave himself up for us,
a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. – Ephesians 5:2

Jesus did not wrestle his angry Father to the floor of heaven and
take the whip out of his hand. He did not force him to be merciful
to humanity. His death was not the begrudging consent of
God to be lenient to sinners. No, what Jesus did when he suffered
and died was the Father’s idea. It was a breathtaking strategy,
conceived even before creation, as God saw and planned the history
of the world. That is why the Bible speaks of God’s “purpose
and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began”
(2 Timothy 1:9).

Already in the Jewish Scriptures the plan was unfolding. The
prophet Isaiah foretold the sufferings of the Messiah, who was to
take the place of sinners. He said that the Christ would be “smitten
by God” in our place.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we
esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he
was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our
iniquities. . . . All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on
him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)

But what is most astonishing about this substitution of Christ
for sinners is that it was God’s idea. Christ did not intrude on
God’s plan to punish sinners. God planned for him to be there.
One Old Testament prophet says, “It was the will of the LORD to
crush him; he has put him to grief” (Isaiah 53:10).

This explains the paradox of the New Testament. On the one
hand, the suffering of Christ is an outpouring of God’s wrath
because of sin. But on the other hand, Christ’s suffering is a beautiful
act of submission and obedience to the will of the Father. So
Christ cried from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me?” (Matthew 27:46). And yet the Bible says that the suffering
of Christ was a fragrance to God. “Christ loved us and gave
himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”
(Ephesians 5:2).

Oh, that we might worship the terrible wonder of the love of
God! It is not sentimental. It is not simple. For our sake God did
the impossible: He poured out his wrath on his own Son—the one
whose submission made him infinitely unworthy to receive it. Yet
the Son’s very willingness to receive it was precious in God’s sight.
The wrath-bearer was infinitely loved.

The above is an excerpt from John Piper’s “The Passion of Jesus Christ” - Download the entire book free of charge here.

Happy Easter!  What an awesome day this has been.  A time to reflect upon the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a time spent with family and friends in celebration.  We had a fun time with Caleb, as he got the opportunity to spend some quality time with the Grandparents and the Great-Grandparents, as well as his uncle and aunt.

Reflecting upon today, we might ask what was the purpose of the death of Christ?

I thought it might be edifying to go through John Piper’s “The Passion of Jesus Christ” (50 Reasons Why He Came To Die) - one post per reason, one at a time.  Perhaps this 50 days might be a time to grow in understanding of the greatest event in human history - the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Why did he suffer and die?

Appropriatly, post #1 is on Easter Sunday:

#1 - Christ Suffered and Died to Absorb the Wrath of God

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a
curse for us—for it is written,

“Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” - Galatians 3:13

“God put [Christ] forward as a propitiation by his blood,
to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness,
because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” - Romans 3:25

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us
and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” - 1 John 4:10

If God were not just, there would be no demand for his Son to
suffer and die. And if God were not loving, there would be no willingness
for his Son to suffer and die. But God is both just and loving.
Therefore his love is willing to meet the demands of his justice.
God’s law demanded, “You shall love the LORD your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might”
(Deuteronomy 6:5). But we have all loved other things more.

This is what sin is—dishonoring God by preferring other things over
him, and acting on those preferences. Therefore, the Bible says,
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans
3:23). We glorify what we enjoy most. And it isn’t God.

Therefore sin is not small, because it is not against a small
Sovereign. The seriousness of an insult rises with the dignity of the
one insulted. The Creator of the universe is infinitely worthy of
respect and admiration and loyalty. Therefore, failure to love him
is not trivial—it is treason. It defames God and destroys human
happiness.

Since God is just, he does not sweep these crimes under the rug
of the universe. He feels a holy wrath against them. They deserve to
be punished, and he has made this clear: “For the wages of sin is
death” (Romans 6:23). “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).
There is a holy curse hanging over all sin. Not to punish would
be unjust. The demeaning of God would be endorsed. A lie would
reign at the core of reality. Therefore, God says, “Cursed be everyone
who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the
Law, and do them” (Galatians 3:10; Deuteronomy 27:26).

But the love of God does not rest with the curse that hangs over
all sinful humanity. He is not content to show wrath, no matter how
holy it is. Therefore God sends his own Son to absorb his wrath and
bear the curse for all who trust him. “Christ redeemed us from the
curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13).
This is the meaning of the word “propitiation” in the text
quoted above (Romans 3:25). It refers to the removal of God’s
wrath by providing a substitute. The substitute is provided by God
himself. The substitute, Jesus Christ, does not just cancel the
wrath; he absorbs it and diverts it from us to himself. God’s wrath
is just, and it was spent, not withdrawn.

Let us not trifle with God or trivialize his love. We will never
stand in awe of being loved by God until we reckon with the seriousness
of our sin and the justice of his wrath against us. But
when, by grace, we waken to our unworthiness, then we may look
at the suffering and death of Christ and say, “In this is love, not
that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to
be the [wrath-absorbing] propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

The above is an excerpt from John Piper’s “The Passion of Jesus Christ” - Download the entire book free of charge here.

I haven’t posted in forever!  (So please indulge the girth of this post…it’s been sitting in my drafts for a while)

I’ve been talking to a lot of different people lately with different, opposing, or struggling views of God.  Those who have no belief, apathetic belief, conditional belief, confused belief, emotional belief, and the like.  I thought I might go through some of the tripping points that I’ve encountered from these conversations.  My hope would be the ability to explain a “true” Christian perspective on these tripping points, debunking some “modern Christianity” lies that may have proliferated minds due to social inconsistancy or confusion.

What is the Bible?  Is it unfair to use it to defend Christianity?

A problem some people have with Christianity is the arguement that God proves the Bible and the Bible proves God.  This seems (and is) circular in nature.  The Christian perspective is that the Bible is the true, inspired word of God.  It consists of 66 books, written by over 40 authors over a span of thousands of years.  Despite the differences in author situations, time periods, or cultural differences, these books are congruent and free of contradiction.  This does not mean the Bible is free of difficulties.  As a Christian who accepts the Bible as truth and as the book given to expound about God to mankind, it is the natural and appropriate response to use that accepted truth to explain God, because that is what the Bible “is.”

As a non believer you may choose to not accept the Bible as truth, but the Christian cannot make the same choice.  Historically speaking the Bible has more “proof” of it’s accuracy than any ancient work.  More manuscripts than any writings of Ceasar, Aristotle, Socrates, Homer, Plato (Combined).  Before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest Hebrew manuscripts of the Bible were Masoretic texts dating to 9th century. The biblical manuscripts found among the Dead Sea Scrolls push that date back to the 2nd century B.C.  Doubters hoped they would see proof that our translations have changed and withered over time.  Instead they found that the Bible’s accuracy has held up over time as the earlier copies were essentially identical despite the huge time gap.  I would never expect someone to believe in God entirely on proofs or historicity, but I mention these things becuase the real question for a non believer to answer is “Is what the Bible says true?” and not “Is the Bible accurately translated.”

Why believe the Bible over other texts?  (Book of Mormon, etc)

The Bible was written, as I said before, by over 40 different authors over thousands of years.   It contains poems, narratives, accounts, biographies, prophesies, songs, prayers, and all of it works together in one congruent narrative.  It contains hundreds of prophesies, hundreds of years apart by various authors that have been fulfilled.  Other works do not hold up to textual criticism the way the Bible does.  The Bible is not a collection of philosophies about what authors “claim” was real, but instead it is accounts of what “happened.”  I believe that if someone chooses to read the Bible the truth found in scripture is evident.  One of the saddest things to me is that people choose to live their entire lives with no consideration of God and the Bible.  The book is there, pick it up and read it for yourself!  ”IF” there really is a God, then you’ve taken a few moments on this earth to consider Him, to read what his followers claim is His inspired word.  Isn’t eternity worth some earthly consideration?  Christianity is not a sell, or a brainwashing, or a trick, even if some try to make it out to be.  It’s followers of Christ, whose life, death, and ressurection is recounted in the New Testament of The Bible.  If God does exist, then he exists whether or not you believe in him.  This is why I implore people to not live 75 years of distracted life and not spend at least some honest time considering the claims of Christ.  

What do hyppocrites prove about Christianity?

Christians who live hyppocritical lives (say one thing, live or do another) show that people are fallable and choose to follow their own desires while bearing the name of Christianity.  The same way I can claim to be a mathmatician and yet insist that 2+2=10.  It makes me a horrible mathmatician but that doesn’t make math “false” - it makes me “false.”  Truth is truth regardless of those who claim to follow and fail at it.  Those who bomb abortion clinics in the name of God abandon the real truth of Scripture and Christianity.  Those who hold hate messages for homosexual people make the same error.  These people do not truly follow Christ, they simply destroy His name on behalf of their self-driven causes.  They’re terrible testimonies to Christ, but they do not prove or disprove truth.

Christians and tolerance

Christians are sometimes labeled intolerant because they claim that some things are right and some things are wrong.  This is based upon absolute truth.  I believe that some things are always true.  (And so do you!).  Even if you believe that everything is relative, you’ve already made an absolute claim that all things are relative. Honestly, I’m okay being labeled intolerant as long as people can understand what that really means.  For instance a hot-button issue is homosexuality in today’s culture.  God’s word makes clear the damage of sexual perversion, promiscuity, debauchery.  Heterosexual or homosexual people lost in sexual perversion sin against God, because God designed sexuality within the framework of heterosexual marriage.  Homosexuality is a sin the same way a heterosexual sexual sin is, the same way jealousy or lust or lying or idolotry are.  Sin is a rebellion against God.  Sin seperates us from God, and God designed us to have fellowship with Him and not to to live in any type of sin.  He wants us to have felowship through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.  As a Christian I am intolerant of all sin, not just “hotbutton sin” that rises and falls in society.  I accept God’s word as truth, and his word contains precepts for living that we should follow. Not simply because God says so (though that is enough) but with the knowledge that such precepts are meant for better living here on earth because God knows what’s best for us.  It doesn’t take a genius to see the damaging “real-life” consequences of sexual perversion (adultury, disease, divorce, depression) or lying (broken relationships/trust) or theft (consequences of breaking the law, jealousy, envy).

I actually have a few other ones I wanted to get into, but this post is long enough.  I realize that people have different and opposing viewpoints, but hopefully this helped at least in a small way to build an understanding of true Christianity vs. your perceptions or mis-conceptions.  I guess I will close simply with the personal testimony that a relationship with the living God is the best thing you could pour yourselves into.  All the money, posessions, or temporary pleasures of this world end up fleeting and empty, and ultimately left behind in death.  Christ, through his sacrifice on the cross, redeemed mankind and accounted for the sin we all know we are guilty of (lying, stealing, lust, selfishness, jealousy, greed, etc..).   Before your life is over, consider giving it to him.  He gave his up for you.  

Want to browse the Bible online?  http://www.biblegateway.com

Comments, questions, confusion?  Feel free to post a comment…

Once upon a time, in a city far far away (from the cold) there lived a team that no one thought could or would amount to anything. Often doubted, always mocked, and forever in our hearts as let-downs, this redbird was destined for failure. Until the whole stinking world turned upside down. THE CARDINALS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!

What an amazing, incredible game! We had an amazing time tailgating and then watching this incredible match up in our home stadium in Glendale. We got picked up by my buddy Robert and his Dad, who came into town from Utah to see the game. My friend Andrew and my Uncle Steve also came with us. We headed down early and ended up meeting up with some more friends, Jason and his wife, Bryant, and some others. The place was a madhouse. I traveled to Green Bay and saw a game in Lambeu and dreamed that ONE DAY, SOMEDAY the Cardinals might have a fraction of the excitement and fan base that they have in the frozen tundra. That day was today. The place was absolutely filled with fans and it was like a giant party with 60,000 of your lifelong friends.

The game was a roller coaster ride of emotions. We had the most incredible first half, up 24-6 and ready to shock the world. Incredibly, and appropriately for the playoffs, the Eagles stormed back and took at 25-24 lead. It was up to Kurt Warner and the Cardinals to rally and they did with an amazing game-ending drive to score. The place erupted into a mix of jumping/screaming/crying/disbelief as we watched confetti fall down upon the players and the NFC Championship trophy hoisted. UNREAL. For a man who has lived 24 years in this state, and been around for every single game this team has played since they moved here, it was surreal and amazing. I had a dream the night before that we would win 33-13…and I was wrong. The final score was 32-25, but we did win and now we’re in the Super Bowl! So all you family and friends better root on the BIG RED in two weeks!!! Go Cards!!!!!!

PS…more pictures to come, as Robert got some of us in our seats from across the stadium, and we also took a little family picture with the little guy before we headed out.  Special thanks to my parents for watching him all day long!

(Oh and isn’t my wife extremely cute in Cardinal red?)

I was talking with Bri this morning about how it seems that since the new guy came along, it’s been so much harder to focus on the disciplines of our faith right now, like spending time in God’s word as well as prayer.  We’ve had the floods of praise and giving glory to God for all the amazing miracles that have happened along this journey, but the overwhelming time-crunch that is having a newborn has rattled my disciplines quite a bit.  It kind of reminded me of a truth I’ve always known and try to remind those that are trying to live for God.  Discipline is not opportunistic.  When we say in our heads things like “when I get a chance” or “when the right time comes up” then more often then not our disciplines fall by the wayside.  This is true in life, and even more true in the spiritual realm.  Our adversary will constantly try to flood us with justifications, busy-ness, fatigue, discouragement, distraction and the like.  Discipline lives up to it’s definition.  It takes some to have some.  It’s easy to believe the lie that “well in a few weeks Caleb will be a little older so then it’ll be easier.”  I’ve talked to enough parents and am enough of a realist to know that there will always be challenges that bend our normal plans and life.  I hope to be disciplined within the joys and storms and set a good example for my son one day.

Once upon a time, Andrew Michael Holloway was born.  The year was 1984.  The olympics were about to be hosted by Los Angeles, Ronald Reagan was in the white house, and no one had heard of iPods.  Soon little Andrew would grow up, playing football with his father.  He’d dress up as a football player for Halloween, small nerdy head in a gigantic helmet.  It was around this time that the Arizona Cardinals arrived in Phoenix.  Football was here.

Oh how swiftly the joy of a football franchise crumbled into the misery of being a Cardinals fan.  Year after year, season after season, game after game, the pathetic red birds took the field long enough to flap their broken wins and collapse into the basement of the NFL.  And year after year young Andrew would get his poor hopes up only to cry little cardinal tears of sadness by season’s end.  Mocked by his peers, he perseveared in hopes that one day his team would learn to fly.  ”Someday,” he said.

The late 80’s and 90’s came and went without more than a chirp.  He’d watch teams like the Cowboys, Packers, and Steelers win championships with the support of their loyal fanbase, as the Cardinals continued to bring new meaning to ineptitude.

There were famous late-game collapses, injuries, controversy, and ultimately 4-12 seasons.  There were embarassing losses on national television and the mockery of the nation.  But little Andrew, who was now not as little, would not soon give up.  He’d continue to wear his Cardinal red with pride, hope and dillusional dreams of grandure.  And then, by some great and wonderful stroke of Kurt Warners pen - the time had finally come.

The Arizona cardinals are the 2008 NFC West Division Champions.  Their first division championship since 1975.  Yes, I said 1975.  They haven’t won a division since I was negative 9 years old.  So if you are asking yourself why a man can get so excited about a football team, just remember that he’s lived his whole life in the closet that is Arizona Cardinals fandom.  He’s proud of his red birds!

Here’s a link to a selection of books, all available for free online, and part of the DesiringGod.org ministry of John Piper. Pretty neat they’re all available at no charge as long as you read them on the computer…

Free Online Books

Just a quick update on the heart issues.   Got back from St. Joe’s Hospital today and everything is the “same” as far as the irregularity.  We had hoped that maybe it was gone after yesterday’s exam, but it is at least the “same” which is benign and not being treated. They just said we have to return after birth for followups with Caleb.  Thanks for all the prayers.

For those of you who have yet to put in your guess as to what day our little Baby will come, don’t forget to join the baby pool!  You get to guess the day, the time, the weight and length as well.  We’re going to send whoever wins a little something for fun, so get your guess in now!

I wanted to share a poem that talks about sin, specifically talking about falling over and over again in the same area of struggle.  How such a war and battle is like a tide coming in and out.  One minute you’re convinced you’ve made progress and get lost in pride and the next moment you’re back out at see grasping for air and crying out to God to save you.

Tide

I flow forever as the tide,
Ebbing ever then denied.
I find no gain on crystal sand,
No climbing forth to conquer land.

No hope of rising forth in storm,
For moments pass and heavens warm.
They greet me with their softest gaze,
And toss me back to dark malaise.

How I long to break this beating,
The heavy drum that stands repeating,
That beat by beat reminds within,
Of every touch of nature’s sin.

What a wretched man am I!
Reflection burns my wretched eyes.
I’m torn and tossed about like stories,
Seeds of truth give way to mourning.

Stand! Weak legs, your time has come!
I beg you rise and help me run!
And yet this turbid mud gives way,
It sends me back to dreary sway.

Abba! Hear my staggered breath!
This tide has brought your servant death.
Somehow my heart forgets the land,
Preferring still this bitter strand.

My trusted legs forever feeble,
My heart adrift and lost in evil,
I beg you God with all that’s left,
Bring forth your mercy in these depths.

Restore in me a glorious love,
That from this strand may rise above.
And set me down upon your shore,
To rest in thee, forevermore.

We had both the follow-up ultrasound and the fetal echocardiogram today.

The first was the follow-up. Everything was basically the same - the arrhythmia was still there, amniotic fluids looked good and we even got to see him practice breathing. What’s better is that he’s now officially head-down and in the correct position for a natural birth.

Our second appointment was a visit to the Heart Center at St. Joe’s Hospital to get a fetal echo and visit with a pediatric cardiologist.  It was a long appointment…we were there for almost 3 hours, but it was also a good appointment because the doctor was an expert in all this craziness.

The final conclusion from him was that Caleb has a “benign heart irregularity” or arrhythmia.  I wish I could remember the specifics, but it had to do with electricity going through the wrong ventricle or something.  Essentially his verdict was that Bri does not need medicine, that these are fairly common and only mentioned that about 10% of babies with this condition end up with a “high heart rate” so they will be following up with us in 2 weeks.  We also now have twice-a-week appointments with the standard perinatologist, to verify blood flow, fluid levels and overall health.  Phew.  Long day full of long words and long drives.

If you’d like to know how you can specifically pray for us, please pray that we may not be anxious but have peace in God’s plan for our little guy.  Pray that God will be glorified within any of these physical hardships and that we may have opportunities to testify of his glorious grace, no matter the outcome of all of this.

We love our little guy so much and know that God has a plan for him that is beyond our hazy vision.  Thanks to all of you who have been praying and thinking about us.

Check out the video above for a look inside the book, Job: Poetry by John Piper.  Check out the website here

Their summary/preview:

Job lost everything: his wealth, his health, and his ten children. All swept away in one satanic storm. Reduced to a heap of flesh, ashes, and tears—rebuked by friends and jeered by strangers—righteous Job wrestled over the purpose and presence of God in the midst of unbearable pain.

With moving illustrations by Christopher Koelle, John Piper unfolds the story of Job in beautiful, compassionate poetry and revels in God’s sovereign and surprisingly joyful purposes in allowing exquisite suffering in the lives of his saints. An uplifting book, especially for those experiencing great suffering and loss.

Anyone have any good movie suggestions?  Bri and I muddled around Blockbuster for about 30 minutes with absolutely no desire to see anything we could find.  We finally stumbled on “Shattered Glass” which was actually pretty good…but 30 minutes…come on.

Any good movies that you’ve seen lately?  Anything people might not know of?  Any movies you want to say are really good just so we rent them and then waste our night and hold you personally accountable?

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. - CS Lewis

I have been telling Bri that I was going to post a blog about friendship for a few weeks, but finally got around to doing it.  For some reason friendship has been at the forefront of my mind of late, really the past year or so.  As I’ve grown up and grown older, the dynamics of my friendships have changed.  Marriage, jobs, impending parenthood, etc can do that.  Ultimately the adjustment comes as priorities are altered with our “growing up” or evolution as individuals.  

Lewis once wrote “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You, too? Thought I was the only one,” and ultimately he is right.  Friendships are built most often around common passions, common interests, and common goals.  He likens the different between friends and lovers with their differing postures.  Lovers facing each other, eyes are on each others, while friends are side by side and focused on some common goal.  

It’s hard to preserve friendships as priorities change, despite how much all parties involve would love to, despite how much they wish things could stay the same forever or revert to some time when both parties prioritized things the same and the friendship was as strong as ever.  I’ve struggled with these difficulties as my own life has changed over the years.  It’s hard to adjust, to make everyone happy.  

Yet there needs to remain the Christian perspective that we must remember even though the “everyday” situations and perspectives change with marriages, moving, jobs, etc.  As believers in Christ, God has always had a purpose for our fellowship and our brotherhood that is beyond a mere friendship or common bond.  Christians are united through Jesus Christ.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer gives some perspective on our Christian brotherhood and fellowship that I found insightful, here is an excerpt from Life Together:  

“…God has put (the) Word into the mouth of others in order that it may be communicated to us.  When one person is struck by the Word, he speaks it to others.  God has willed that we should seek and find his living Word in the witness of a brother, in the mouth of a man.  Therefore, the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him.  He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged….He needs his brother as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation.  He needs his brother solely because of Jesus Christ.  The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother’s is sure.

And that also clarifieds the goal of all Christian community: they meet one another as bringers of the message of salvation.  As such, God permits them to meet together and gives them community.  Their fellowship is founded solely upon Jesus Christ…the community of Christians springs solely from the Biblical and Reformation message of the justification of man through grace alone; this alone is the basis of the longing of Christians for one another.”

It is through God’s mercy that we’ve learned to be merciful to each other, God’s forgiveness that we learn to forgive, God’s kindness that teaches us how to be kind, his faithfulness that guides us in our efforts to be faithful to our friends and brothers.  

Friendships change and evolve, people get new priorities or move away, but the bond of fellowship found within Jesus Christ is not reliant upon the needs of a common friendship.  

Some verses on friendship/fellowship:  1 Thess 4:9, Romans 15:7, Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, John 15:12-15, Prov 17:17, Rom 12:15, Philippians 2:3

Well we just got back from a crazy but fun 24 hour trip to San Diego to see my little brother Ryan and his fiance Amanda get married on the beach.  Pictures of the ceremony are posted below! The ceremony was awesome, it was just a wonderful time for Ryan and Amanda and the family there.  We had a perfect day on the beach and a really great ceremony and we’re so happy for them. If the slideshow is messing up, just click refresh and that should fix it.

The wedding was monday night and monday morning Bri and I were basically not going to be able to come.  I had been sick the day before, and woke up not feeling so great monday, and certainly not good enough to drive 6 hours etc.  Bri had been a little under the weather too.  But at the last minute I changed my mind and decided to give it a go because heck, your brother only gets married once and I can be sick in a car as well as I can be sick at home I suppose.

So we headed out on our journey at about 8 AM monday morning after dropping little Toby off at “PetsHotel”.  I decided to take the truck, thinking to myself “the truck is less likely to blow a tire because Bri’s tires are older”

I was sadly mistaken.  About 100 miles or more after we left, Bri and I started hearing a curious and saddening sound.  Our back tire had blown…in the middle of no where (or so we figured).  I managed to pull over without any terrible crash.  Tire was shredded.  We would have grabbed a picture but we weren’t in a picture taking mood I suppose.  We both admitted we’re not photojournalistic enough to want to capture all of our hardships.  Hehe.

So the next step was to fix this tire.  I managed to get the spare off the underside, only to discover that we had no jack.  Apparently the first owner of the truck jacked the jack.  Or else we simply couldn’t find it.  Either way, we were now stuck at mile marker 72 with no jack and somehow no one seemed to want to pull over and help.  We took out our trusty iPhones and punched in a tire repair place…and AMAZINGLY there was a tire place only 2 miles from where we were!  Gave them a call and they came out in about a half hour, helped us put on the spare, and we drove back to their shop, which is a nice way of saying it.  It was much more of a tin shack in the middle of the Sahera.  They had a used tire they could put on for us, and we were back on the road.  Whole thing only cost $60.  We were praising God all the way out too because there was about 900 other places that would have been terrible to break down.  The guy said the next closest tire place after them was about 35 miles…and after that who knows.

After that we endured some crazy wild wind, and nearly ran out of gas but we made it!  The ceremony was great and I was really glad we were able to go.  Here are a few more pictures of the trip including a sign to “Dateland” which is where the tire place was.  We are now back safe and I’m in the midst of “prepping” for my procedure today…not so fun.

Couple brief comments about tonight’s debate:

• I was happy that it played out more (slightly) like an actual debate, albiet hilarious to watch them shoot back and forth, beg for more time, get denied, then sneak their rebuttal into the next question when it wasn’t even relevant
• I still have a hard time putting their responses through the “stump speach” filter…it’s not very fun to watch generic republican A battle generic democrat B but I’m trying…
• I was impressed with both candidates tonight and a little depressed with both.  McCain seemed more controlled and had some very quality responses, but had plenty of poor ones that were little more than some rhetoric and repetition.  Obama is always well spoken but seemed to lack depth and never really convinced me of his capabilities, although he had some inspiring reponses.  
• I look forward to seeing all the crazy SNL skits that shall arise from this one, as they’ve been twice as fun and nearly as informative as many of these.  
• Hopefully we can see more true “debate” filled debates as they lock up in the future.