this is really quick, because i need sleep. i made it back to prague from dublin safely. it was a great weekend. just too short! i do feel charged up and ready to get back into the real world of language school (not physically though, thus being in bed at “half eight” as my new irish friends would say). look for pics of dublin soon and snow pics from prague if i can snap some before it melts! blessings…
Archives for November 2007
happy thanksgiving and a little luck…
I wanted to come up with something creative for Thanksgiving today, but I don’t have anything! I’m a bit wiped… The last two weeks, my teacher has been ill and we have had a not so good teacher. Need less to say, the last two weeks have been up there as maybe the longest two weeks of my life yet! Not good. So the creative juices aren’t flowing. I do want my family, friends, supporters, readers and all of you out there to know I’m thankful for you! Really I am. God is good. I marvel at the people who cross my path, and me there’s. God is so good.
But as you American readers, family members, and supporters are enjoying your long holiday weekend I will be having a little luck! The luck of the Irish that is! Tomorrow morning, my good friend, Jason McFarland, and I are catching a cheap flight to Dublin for the weekend! I can’t wait. It is coming at the perfect time! So look for pics next week. Thanks for stopping by and blessings to you this Thanksgiving!
zhtv #11 – pardubice camp
Wow, there have been quite a bit of posts this week! I’m caught up now. I got a bit behind there with things. Here is another installment of zhtv. This primarily highlights last weekend and the camp that the Lions coaching staff helped with. Enjoy it and have a blessed rest of the weekend!
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highlights from the championship
I just saw that this was put up and thought you would love to see it! If you pay attention you can see me do my best interpretation of my father (like father like son right? Love you dad!) on the sideline. When the officials make mistakes I get a bit excited. Thanks for stopping by!
tom cruise and vin diesel in prague?
Well, they were here at one point, but to my knowledge they aren’ here now. Cruise and Diesel both stared in spy movies set here in Prague – Mission Impossible and xXx – in the last 12 or so years. According to an article I read this morning at the Prague Post, Radar Base Attracts Foreign Spies, there are an influx of real Ethan Hunts and Xander Cages (xXx) in the Czech Republic due to the talks with America about putting a radar/missile defense system here. Check out part of the article below:
To access the widest possible spectrum of reliable information, intelligence services typically work on two levels — both of which are at play around the radar base. The first, Šándor says, is referred to as “classic information gathering.†Often done by agents working as diplomats and journalists, this work consists of monitoring the political atmosphere and day-to-day developments surrounding the plans to build the base.
“These types of people travel to the military grounds near the base, speak with local mayors and track the views of politicians,†Šándor says.
The second level, which Šándor refers to as “classic espionage,†is slightly craftier. Charged with securing long-term informants, these types of spies strive to establish personal contacts with individuals who have access to classified information. To do this, they either access the source directly or recruit an agent to spy on the source in their stead — a method Šándor says is preferable because it allows spies to maintain their cover.
Aside from gathering intelligence, foreign spies also spread false information among locals for the purpose of building opposition to an undesired project.
Please don’t ask to many questions to my work here in Prague, there are things that I can’t tell you… Just playing… I always wanted to be a spy when I was a kid! Ha! Blessings…
last saturday and the rallies…
These were two questions I heard my dad ask as he called me earlier in the week and also two questions I read in emails directed to me. It was in reference to the rallies that took place, or tried to take place, last Saturday here in Prague and the international coverage they received. Oh by the way, the easy answers to those questions are, “Yes I’m fine,” and “I was two hours away from Prague.”
Neo-nazis and anarchists tried to march and have rallies downtown. The key word is try. I’ve read several articles this week trying to decipher what actually happened and I still am highly confused. So I thought I would give you a couple links to check out if you so desire (click here or here or here) and the video below from youtube. I have to warn you if you go to the youtube page that houses this video you will see many angry and obscene responses, so be warned. I do recommend watching the video right here on my blog. It’s in Czech but someone translated over it in English. Its just a news report about what happened last Saturday.
Needless to say, as I’ve read all of this and watched several videos I’ve been at a complete loss to what the heck is going and what happened. I get the gist of the neo-nazis a bit and what they are about, but the anarchists and their purpose yeah…I have no idea. What I think we got here is a lot of angry young men who don’t know what to do with that anger.
What’s interesting is this came just days after I read a post entitled Jesus Hardcore: Reaching Angry Mosh-Pit White Guys by Anthony Bradley over at TheResurgence.com . Bradley thinks out loud a bit and challenges the men of America to reach out to angry young men:
Can Christianity reach this awesome sub-culture? Not without a new brand of leaders. Most Christian men today are too soft, passive, and fearful to have any credibility with this growing movement. American Christianity often produces the kind of men that ‘the hardcore’ detests. Hardcore needs to be embraced, not condemned by the church.
Hardcore culture can be reached by a new brand of hardcore missionaries–men who have ‘salt and light’ fortitude and move toward human brokenness instead of away from it. This is where missional men come in.
Well, it’s not just American Christians who need to figure this out. Check out the whole of the article and pray for us here in Prague and Europe as it seems these groups of angry young men are on the rise. We will see what happens today in Prague as there are rumors floating around about more rallies, especially since today is the 18th anniversary of the fall of communism, that took place November 17, 1989. Here are a couple of articles (here and here) about what could happen today. May the God or radical love who beat down sin and death become King of these guys’ lives.
some pics from the finale
As I type these words, I’m procrastinating once again. I will get to my studying, but I thought it would be fun to put some pics up from the Finale. Click HERE for the rest. Here are a few of my favorites pics, as I looked through them all. I’ll give you a explanation of each picture real quick. {top left} This is a great picture of Lukáš, one of my defensive backs. I am so proud of my DBs and how they got better as the season went on. After each DB huddle we say one of two things, “sticks and picks,” (referring to big hits and interceptions) or “playmakers”! Well, in the Finale they did all of the above! {top right} This is our young QB Petr. He is so coachable. What I love about this pic is that he has the form we’ve been coaching up all year. {bottom right} I just had to give some love to my defensive guys, being a defensive coach and player. {bottom left} This is Å immi, one of our linebackers, laying the wood. This might have been the biggest hit I’ve seen in my time here in Czech. His helmet actually popped off with this hit. All in all, it was great win. Okay I have to get to studying…
zhtv #10 – junior team finale dinner
As promised here is another installment of zhtv. I have to get out the door… I’m getting dinner with my good friend, Jason McFarland, and then heading to church for a special night of worship!
I’ve figured out what was wrong with my subscription feed with iTunes, click the little podcast guy to subscribe to my feed via iTunes so you can watch this on your iPod. Blessings!
zhtv #9 – let the children come…
No I don’t have any kids coming, you will have to watch the video to see what’s up with this. Have a blessed day!
update on today
Here are a couple of quick updates before I go to bed for the night. Tanya and Molly (if you don’t know what I’m talking about see post below) made it to Prague and are more than likely sleeping off their jet lag at the Czech Inn right now. The Prague Lions are once again Junior League Champs! We have had a 3 year drought on the Junior team, but we beat the Bratislava Monarchs 19-14 today. It was a great game for our fans, but a bit stressful for us coaches. It got a bit crazy at times, but nothing as crazy as what you will see below. Just had to post it (found it at ElClinto’s). I’m off to bed!