the final dress rehearsal

today is the final preseason game for the pittsburgh steelers as they put a bow on their efforts to prepare for the 2013-2014 football season. if you care about preseason records, then you'll be disappointed in the steelers 0-3 record so far. but the astute fan looks far deeper than the record of preseason games, since these games are about far more than the final score. they are about assessing talent, honing skills, brushing the rust off the veterans, and giving some valuable experience to the kids. with that in mind, it has been an up and down kind of preseason for the steelers. i'm excited to see who sets themselves apart tonight, and who will be on this team when the steelers season starts in a couple of weeks.

i was able to attend training camp in latrobe this summer with my brother-in-law and my middle son, and we had a great time watching the team practice. it was great to be there with a tremendous steelers nation crowd, to engage in some friendly banter with ryan clark about socks, and to see the offense score on an intense 2-minute drill with a ben roethlisberger pass to an outstretched isaac redman (one of my favorite players) in the back of the end zone. here are some pics from the experience...

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i'm giving away the swamp

so this is a collage called swamp. i made it in february of last year. it is currently framed in a homemade, hand-painted frame. it is paper collage on a book binding panel. it is 7" x 10". and i am giving it away. i've been wanting to have a blog giveaway for some time, and the time has finally arrived. here's how it works. all you need to do is leave a comment on this post. by leaving a comment you are automatically entered into the contest (as long as your comment offers a way for me to get in touch with you, or you know that i know you). the contest will be open until next wednesday at noon, eastern standard time. at that time the contest will officially be closed and i will pick a random number. the person whose comment matches that number wins! for example, if i happen to pick the number 33, the thirty-third comment will win. oh, and one more rule: you can only post ONCE. if you win, i will send you the collage, signed by me, the artist, free of c...

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bad haircuts (for a laugh)

everybody needs to laugh. one good way i have found to make that happen is to do a simple google image search for 'bad haircut.' when you do so, some of the following gems show up. thankfully, my 9th grade school picture does NOT show up. otherwise, it would certianly make this list! please laugh freely and without inhibition. thank you and have a nice day.

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affirmed

i cannot express today the feeling i have. this picture that i found sort of expresses it but not really. for the last ten years i have poured myself into this vocation, daring to believe that God, the very God of all creation, has called me, even me, to this work. along the way many have affirmed me in this journey, but i have continued to work for the ultimate affirmation, ordination as an elder in the united methodist church. and now i have it. after two grueling (and i mean grueling in every possible sense, really) days i recieved the call today that the board voted to recommend me to the annual conference for ordination as an elder. and as i have already said, i cannot even begin to express the emotion i feel with words like relief, joy and satisfaction. there will be plenty of time for me to reflect on this and i will have more to say about it as i do that reflecting, but today is really a day for celebrating for me, and for thanking those who have journeyed with me and s...

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the unlikely orange

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