tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165683412011-04-21T15:40:29.625-04:00Thoughts and ramblings in the here and nowjohn s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.comBlogger561100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-25944511222723108782007-09-30T17:38:00.000-04:002007-09-30T17:40:23.448-04:00

My son, nearly a teenager has asked for his own blog. You can find it at josh.john-simons.com. I have set him up with the newest version of WordPress. I may be upgrading to the new version soon.

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-62823658838775604852007-09-27T23:38:00.000-04:002007-09-27T23:40:41.036-04:00

I am in the process of setting up a new blog. It is located at john-simons.com. Come check it out. I will be porting all of the posts from this blog over there, once I get the chance.

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1153708183584255442006-07-23T22:16:00.000-04:002006-07-23T22:29:43.626-04:00

My son, who is also my oldest will turn 12 later this year. I am now looking for resources to help him navigate the next six years of his life and as turns from a boy into a man. I am also searching the scriptures specifically for what character traits are most important in a man, so that I can develop ways to encourage those traits.Finally, after a conversation with one of my good friends a

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1153541493097225832006-07-21T23:51:00.000-04:002006-07-22T00:11:33.116-04:00

Wow, it has been a while since I posted anything here.One of the things that I have been intending to post is about two new websites that are under development. Both have to do with Bible study, and both are next-generation website.The first, and more developed site, is eBible.com. This website is currently in beta and allows for users to study the Bible in English. This site has several

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1150416553779861842006-06-15T20:09:00.000-04:002006-06-15T20:09:13.870-04:00

Someone posted a comment asking about who won the sprints I had with the 11 year old.I don't see any benefit in answering. If I win, there is no glory in beating a kid. If he wins, I got beat by a kid. If I let him win, he is robbed of the thrill of victory.Everyone will have to draw their own conclusions.

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1150416522727391012006-06-15T20:08:00.000-04:002006-06-15T20:08:43.863-04:00

Yesterday, after my update, I went bowling with the kids. I am not a bowler, but it was fun. Then, the family dropped me off at camp and left for Atlanta.I had dinner. Then it was time to hang out until bedtime. Steve and Riley showed up and I helped them set up their camp. We listened to a really good bluegrass/country band. Then, we called it a night.In the morning, my legs felt great!

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1150326907995834402006-06-14T19:15:00.000-04:002006-06-14T19:15:08.183-04:00

Today, I have not ridden the bike. My legs need the rest. I did laundry at a local laundromat. The place was full of cyclists. We packed the car and went to lunch. After lunch, we went to the school and set up my campsite.We visited a park, then went for ice cream. Now we are bowling. After this, it will be time to go back to camp and say goodbye. The family is going to Lilburn to stay

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1150326871086163662006-06-14T19:14:00.000-04:002006-06-14T19:14:31.636-04:00

61.92 mi.5:01:1338.6 max.12.3 avg.HRM7:56:33133 avg. Hr182 max. Hr

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1150318312466892572006-06-14T16:51:00.000-04:002006-06-14T16:51:53.213-04:00

Whoever designed today's route is a sadist. There were long hills, steep hills, and long steep hills. There were roads with lots of traffic. One rest stop was at the top of a steep hill that we had to ride back down to resume the course. Then, at the end, the luggage trucks were located on the campus of Gainesville at the highest point of campus, up a steep access road. And to think, this is

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1150161328590937112006-06-12T21:15:00.000-04:002006-06-12T21:15:28.923-04:00

With no computer on the demo bike, I do not have complete stats.45.5 mi.Avg spd, approx. 14-14.5 (est.)5:25:19 (HRM Time, includes rest and starting to set up camp)135 avg. Hr204 max. Hr

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1150154786558476442006-06-12T19:26:00.000-04:002006-06-12T19:26:31.736-04:00

I did not sleep well at all last night. Not long after I went to bed and finally fell asleep, the fire alarm in the gym next to where I was camped. I was startled awake and, half-asleep, I scrambled out of my tent to see what was happening. Not seeing any emergency, I went back in my tent and waited for the alarm to turn off. A little while later, the alarm went off again. Then, during the

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1150076297068534172006-06-11T21:38:00.000-04:002006-06-11T21:38:17.763-04:00

We rode 74 miles today amidst beautiful scenery to arrive in Cartersville. I rode up several hills bigger than anything that I have seen in Florida, including Sugarloaf Mountain.As I got up at 6am, there were already people on their bikes, heading out for the day. At the first turn was the first hill. I had some great conversations on the bike. I started out riding with a guy and his teenage

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1149987497997046042006-06-10T20:58:00.000-04:002006-06-10T20:58:21.630-04:00

I have arrived in Dalton. Dalton High School resembles a tent city. My tent is on the soccer field. I have had dinner, and am sitting to watch the movie Glory Road.More details to follow.

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1148440320663802482006-05-23T23:12:00.000-04:002006-05-24T09:37:23.523-04:00

This is a test of the mobile blog feature.

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1148440239342798322006-05-23T23:10:00.000-04:002006-05-24T09:35:54.863-04:00

This is a test of the mail to blog feature.

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1148438842143132882006-05-23T22:47:00.001-04:002006-05-24T09:33:13.450-04:00

Mobile blogging test. I am trying out a Treo 650. This is a test of some mobile blogging software. I am going to test a couple of different options to see what works.

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1147928575532112772006-05-18T00:45:00.000-04:002006-05-18T01:02:55.810-04:00

Well, the sermon on Sunday went fairly smoothly.I was somewhat nervous beforehand. There have been some very good teachers in our pulpit in the short life of this church. Plus, I was teaching in front of a group of people who I respect greatly, and who I hope respect me. I didn't want to fall on my face.I never did write out the full sermon. I prepared a detailed outline, and included all of

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1147577738130209622006-05-13T23:29:00.000-04:002006-05-13T23:35:38.543-04:00

8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.11 He must turn

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1146712471231077182006-05-03T22:53:00.000-04:002006-05-03T23:18:01.700-04:00

I publish my church's sermon podcast. It amazes me that about 20 people routinely check in to download sermons. This circulation has slowly, but steadily grown. I have listed the podcast on a couple of sites that serve as directories. One of these is Podcast Alley. Podcast Alley is one of the main directories for podcasts. It is set up as a ranking system, where users can vote for the

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1146537231370221242006-05-01T22:01:00.000-04:002006-05-01T22:33:51.896-04:00

I was having lunch with a friend the other week and we came upon an interesting discussion. He made the comment that it might be a good thing for all the Christians to move to one state (he recommended Texas) and secede from the Union, allowing the liberals to have the remaining 49. My initial reaction was to think of the old Geoff Moore song, Go to the Moon. You can find the lyrics here.I

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1143956028758582522006-04-02T00:28:00.000-05:002006-04-02T00:33:54.313-05:00

The Gators looked very strong against George Mason. They won handily. George Mason did not put up any where near the challenge that most expected. Lee Humphrey had a great shooting night. He has been one of my favorite players on the team since his freshman year. Back then, he started the year on the bench. When he got in the game, he frequently looked lost. He asked about redshirting,

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1143921471048525802006-04-01T14:55:00.000-05:002006-04-01T14:57:53.726-05:00

I may not have done very well in the office pool, but I have the consolation prize. I am in Indianapolis with tickets to tonight's games.Florida vs. GMULSU vs. UCLAI can't wait. My Gators look like they match up well. If they play good defense, and score some points, they are capable of winning and making it to the finals for only the second time in school history.Go Gators!Tags: Gators, Final

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1143775824922177052006-03-30T22:21:00.000-05:002006-03-30T22:30:25.026-05:00

As part of my ongoing work on the website for Christ Community Church I have created a podcast. If you are curious you can check it out and subscribe at Feedburner.Feedburner has expanded their free stats several weeks ago. I am amazed a the number of people who have downloaded our sermons, and at the number of people who are listed as subscribers. Granted the numbers aren't huge, but for the

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1143775279554524212006-03-30T22:19:00.000-05:002006-03-30T22:21:20.096-05:00

So, I haven't had time to post any entries on either blog for over a week. Nobody noticed. Nobody commented. The story of my blog. I am glad that I only do this for me, but the occasional comment would be nice.Doesn't anybody read this thing?Tags: blog, blogging, love

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1141610592938500872006-03-20T14:01:00.000-05:002006-03-20T14:52:02.756-05:00

So, in my training blog, I posted about expository preaching and said that I need to explain more about it.This post is intended to be my reasons why I believe that expository preaching is one of the best systems for a church to use.First, however, it is important to define terms. When I refer to expository preaching, I mean the type of sermon that is based on exegesis of a text from scripture.

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1142398132343953132006-03-14T23:46:00.000-05:002006-03-14T23:48:52.426-05:00

Here is a cartoon from Reverend Fun that I ran across the other day. Check it out:You can find Reverend Fun by clicking on the cartoon in the sidebar.Tags: cartoon, Reverend Fun, satan, Christianity

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1142397897094680472006-03-14T23:42:00.000-05:002006-03-14T23:44:57.503-05:00

Over at JollyBlogger, David Wayne has posted a great post about the dangers of putting too much into deep exegesis. JOLLYBLOGGER: The Problem of Over-ExegesisMy post on expository preaching is still coming together. In the meantime, take a look at his comments on exegesis taken to the extreme. The next time you hear a pastor teach that the Greek word for power, δύναμις, is related to the

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1142004433629916072006-03-10T10:26:00.000-05:002006-03-10T10:27:14.266-05:00

Zack Hubert, the host of zhubert.com, correctly identified the last verse as 1 John 1:9. While his translation is certainly a good one, here is the NASB translation, which is my prefered English translation for Bible study:If we confess our sins,He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sinsand to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.Here is a new verse for this week:τοὺς δὲ βεβήλους καὶ

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1141441758256411382006-03-03T21:39:00.000-05:002006-03-03T22:09:36.323-05:00

I put a post on my training blog last night about a sermon from Mars Hill Church that I listened to while training. In that post, I commented about expository preaching, and that I should post an entry about why I like expository preaching. I am not ready to compose that post yet. I need to gather some information first, and organize my thoughts. You can expect to see a post in the next week

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1141439644487091822006-03-03T21:21:00.000-05:002006-03-03T21:34:11.676-05:00

Several weeks ago, I put up a brief New Testament passage in Koine Greek. It actually got two comments from the outside world, which is a first for me. Only one of the comments tried to decipher the verse, but was off by several verses. Ian quoted 1 John 3:1. I had put in the greek text of 1 John 3:16:We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us;and we ought to lay down our lives

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1140587479312376782006-02-22T00:29:00.000-05:002006-02-22T00:51:19.600-05:00

My grandfather passed away on Sunday night.He was moved to Hospice on Thursday afternoon, I think. He was no longer able to stand up, he was having more trouble breathing. The nurse from Hospice came to the Thhouse on Wednesday and talked to my Mom. They agreed that it was the right time to move him. It took a while to get all the paperwork in place. Then they had to actually transport him

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1140586148461071612006-02-22T00:18:00.000-05:002006-02-22T00:29:08.770-05:00

I once again learned a new appreciation for my wife. She left town for the weekend. She and her mom took a long weekend away. Certainly my wife needed and deserved the break. But I am glad that she is back.Normally when she goes away, I am happy to have her back because: (1) I don't like to cook, (2) I don't like to do laundry, or (3) the kids are difficult to manage. This time, those didn't

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1139725406895282812006-02-12T01:23:00.000-05:002006-02-12T01:24:25.030-05:00

I just came across a great post about the dangers of having a new Bible for each subgroup of Christians. Check it out here. It is a classic.Tags: Bible, Translation, Christianity

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1139704133127841972006-02-11T19:27:00.000-05:002006-02-11T20:06:54.500-05:00

I was out checking Technorati Tags and Google Blog Search to see if anyone else is looking at NT Greek in their blogs. I came across Koine Greek Geek, a relatively new blog that someone has put up to chronicle their own study of NT Greek. The author of that blog has just posted here with frustration that Blogger's text editor doesn't include the Symbol font and that she was going to have to

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1139622561405035162006-02-10T20:38:00.000-05:002006-02-12T00:29:34.640-05:00

I have begun trying to relearn NT Greek. I studied Attic Greek in college. Attic Greek is much older and is generally referred to as Ancient or Classical Greek. NT Greek is not as complex as Attic Greek. NT Greek is also known as Koine Greek.I am working on learning the language for two reasons.First, I want to be able to use the Greek to study the New Testament. I don't know that I will use

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1138321340034478892006-01-26T19:12:00.000-05:002006-02-12T18:28:39.243-05:00

My son is in a youth basketball league. It is under the umbrella of Upward Basketball. This is a league that modifies some of the rules to make sure that all the kids get to play and have fun. They also have devotions at each of the practices, and at many of the games. I am coaching my son's team, and having a blast. There are nine guys on the team, all in fifth or sixth grade. We spend

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1138207713422429712006-01-25T18:48:00.000-05:002006-02-12T18:02:48.640-05:00

I recently found the JollyBlogger's site. Actually, his mother-in-law told me about it. He has reposted an older message about blog discussions titled: Some Thoughts on Godly Disputation or "How to Have a Christ-Like Argument". His points are very well made and worth checking out. In fact most of his points are valid for real world conversations and not just the blogosphere.Tags: blog,

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1138193980203067422006-01-25T07:42:00.000-05:002006-01-25T07:59:40.550-05:00

I just finished reading a book. This is worth commenting on for two reasons. First, it is the first book that I have had the time to read in a couple of years that was not children's literature. It seems that 90% of my reading these days is either at work or to my kids.The other reason that this is worth commenting on is that it was a good book. I read Riding with the Blue Moth by Bill

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1138085802402662012006-01-24T01:51:00.000-05:002006-01-24T01:56:42.443-05:00

Well, I have no sooner sgined up for BRAG (Okay, I really signed up in December) when I see that someone is planning cycling tour that is BIGGER and BADDER than BRAG.It is the Paris to Dakar by Bike. That's right. Someone is organizing a bicycle ride from Paris, France on the European continent to Dakar, Sengal in Africa.You can read an article on it here.No. I am not going to sign up.Tags:

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1137908709435303132006-01-22T00:23:00.000-05:002006-01-24T02:12:32.003-05:00

Well, I believe that one way to accomplish a big goal is let others know what you are going to do. It makes it much harder to back out if you have told others in advance.So here goes . . .I have signed up to participate in BRAG - the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia. I first read about this cycling tour several years ago when I lived in Atlanta. I read about the idea in awe, and thought that

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1135229379474865142005-12-22T00:20:00.000-05:002006-01-26T19:23:11.116-05:00

"In it, not of it," the statement was madeAs Christian One faced the world, much afraid."In it, not of it," the call was made clear,But Christian One got something stuck in his ear."Not in it, or of it" was the thing that he heard.And knowing the world was painfully absurd,He welcomed the safety of pious retreat,And went to the potluck for something to eat.Now Christian Two, he knew what to do,

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1135225346461586402005-12-21T23:22:00.000-05:002005-12-21T23:22:26.526-05:00

Life has been incredibly busy. First, I had to recover from appendicitis. Then, I had to get caught up at work. On top of that, my wife and kids still want me to spend time with them. To add to the fun, I am now coaching my son's basketball team. And life is still busy with the church plant. So, now in the Christmas season, it seems I just don't have time to blog. Anyhow, another blog I

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1133151989939056612005-11-27T22:32:00.000-05:002005-11-27T23:26:30.003-05:00

So last week, my appendix decided that it didn't like me anymore. Sunday night, my stomach wasn't feeling very good. My wife had run to the store to pick up some things that we needed; I put the kids to bed. But, my stomach was starting to bother me.I figured it was just gas. I was burping a lot; it would surely pass. No pun intended. I was reading a book on the couch, waiting for my wife

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1131420009227851192005-11-07T21:53:00.000-05:002005-11-07T22:20:09.243-05:00

Well you know it’s not the first time and it will not be the last When you find me here on my knees praying for the storm to pass But what I am really needing is much more than just relief I am crying out for wisdom only you can give to me ‘Cause it’s such a mystery I’m a clueless man when it comes to knowing how to love a womanHow do I love her How do I let her know she means more than anything

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1129688701685307432005-10-18T21:49:00.000-04:002005-10-18T22:25:01.703-04:00

One of the passages that impacted me the most during my Retreat of Silence last weekend was the Sermon on the Mount as recounted by Matthew. What probably struck me the most from this passage was the discussion in Matthew 5:17-48 about God's standards and the Law. The standard that Jesus sets for His followers is not simply to obey the Law. That was the standard that the Jewish leaders of the

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1129516947980138102005-10-16T22:37:00.000-04:002005-10-18T22:10:18.306-04:00

So the big camping trip (see the prior entry) was centered around a retreat of silence. It was, in short, a chance for me to get away from normal life, meditate, study, and pray. Now, in my case, as a Christian, I studied the Bible for quite a long time. Several hours Saturday morning. Another hour or so in the afternoon, and then a little while longer in the evening.On top of the study time, I

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1129516626220519612005-10-16T22:21:00.000-04:002005-10-26T21:19:18.310-04:00

So, what does camping mean to you. I went camping this past weekend, and am surprised at the variety of what people consider camping.Now mind you, I believe in camping on a budget. Except of course for the fact that in the chaos of packing the car, and getting the kids to let go of me long enough to get anything packed, I managed to forget my pillow. Any my sleeping bag. And several other things

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1128471830736544712005-10-04T19:22:00.000-04:002005-10-05T09:28:39.666-04:00

I had a conversation with a friend at work today. As we sat in her office, she told me that her son had asked their pastor about how it is that anyone can start a church. He wanted to know who is right among all the churches in the world. The pastor responded that it was not a question that he could answer "in the line" (as everyone was shaking his hand on the way out of church) and that he would

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1127706466745280732005-09-25T23:34:00.000-04:002005-09-26T00:16:46.416-04:00

We had the third Sunday evening worship service for Christ Community Church tonight. So far, the experience has been a lot of work, but all of it is worthwhile. Here is the rundown of a Sunday afternoon.4 p.m. - Time to begin getting ready for church. We have several materials to prepare. My beautiful wife is in charge of creating activity packets for the older kids (any child over 5 years old)

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1127705633753716032005-09-25T23:13:00.000-04:002005-10-05T09:25:49.210-04:00

Yesterday was a Saturday. The Gator football team was at an away game in Kentucky (they won, 49-28), so there was no need for a trip to Gainesville this weekend. To have a fun adventure, my son and I went to Orlando to watch a bike race.As I have talked about recently, cycling is one of my hobbies. I haven't been able to ride much this year, and am getting out of shape, but it is still a hobby,

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1126581712476184762005-09-19T22:00:00.000-04:002005-10-19T13:22:54.456-04:00

I am a recreational cyclist. Every year, I put at least a thousand miles on my bike(s). Sometimes, I put in a couple thousand. This year, I won't be able to do it.Last summer, we went up to New Hampshire to visit my father-in-law. While we were there, I rented a road bike from a shop in a neighboring town, and planned on a 40 mile ride up past Lake Sunapee, where there is a ski resort, and then

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1127181841964660602005-09-18T22:00:00.000-04:002005-09-19T22:04:54.846-04:00

The Gators managed to beat Tennessee. It was mostly defense, which played a very strong game. The offense struggled throughout the night to make consistent progress. They had one or two good drives, but had way too many penalties, and had problems blocking the Tennessee defense. Special teams added a couple great plays, and the Gators won 16-7.My dad and I went to the game together and had a

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1126580221246884332005-09-12T22:26:00.000-04:002005-09-12T22:57:01.500-04:00

Well, I suppose that it is inevitable that I eventually talk about Hurricane Katrina in this blog. It is inevitable for several reasons. First, one of the initial reasons I thought about creating this blog was to process my reaction to Katrina. Another is that it is the pivotal event in current affairs right now. Pretty hard to avoid references to Katrina these days.But first, a little aside.

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1126530009423895162005-09-12T08:52:00.000-04:002005-09-13T11:12:49.643-04:00

Our humble church plant had its first worship service last night. No, the service was not scheduled intentionally to coincide with the anniversary of 9/11. We really didn't even address it.What a great time of worship! We had a total of 31 people (adults and older kids) in the worship service. To find out more about the church, click here. To download the sermon from last night, click here. The

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1126323030588517362005-09-09T23:25:00.000-04:002005-09-13T10:59:55.566-04:00

The Florida Gators have their second football game tomorrow night against Louisiana Tech. The Urban Meyer era got off to a good start last week. Hopefully, they will build on last week's performance and improve some.Next week comes the real challenge with Tennessee coming to town. That will be a game worth watching.

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16568341.post-1126320622382947972005-09-09T22:45:00.000-04:002005-09-09T22:50:22.386-04:00

So, this is an attempt at starting a blog to see if I have anything to say. Over the last week or so, I have been browsing around and checking out some of the thoughts and stories on blogs around here. I have been thinking about setting up my own blog to see how all this works.I'm not sure yet what there is to say around here, but hope that something will come of it.The working title for this

john s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09494202820863862157noreply@blogger.com0