Posted on Wednesday, March 31, 2004                                                      by Greg S

If you could ask one thing of God….what would it be?

I woke up early this morning to get some stuff done before I had to go to work.  You see I have a busy week…we all know what those are like…where you know what needs to be done and there is not enough time to do it all. 

Knowing how stressed I already was before the day actually began; I decided that I should spend the time I had with God.  I began to lay my burdens out before Him.   

I was asking for wisdom in many different areas, praying that God would give me the favor, time and knowledge I needed to do everything well.  The stressed/anxious feeling didn’t go away, so I continued pressing in.  I was there for quite a while, but I had not found God’s direction or His peace.   It was obvious to me that telling God about my problems was not working.

So I turned to God’s Word.  I opened my trusty Message Bible to Psalm 27 and began to read aloud. Verse four hit me… 

⁴I'm asking GOD for one thing,
only one thing:
To live with him in his house
my whole life long.
I'll contemplate his beauty;
I'll study at his feet.

That was that…there was no more need for me to go on and on about what I needed.  After all, next week this will all seem like nothing.  I really did not need God’s hand in those situations as much as I needed to be close to my savior.  Reading that verse quickly reminded me of what my heart should be crying for…true communion with Christ.  God’s peace did come…only after I gave up seeking the things of God and sought God Himself. If you are going to ask anything of God, ask that you may dwell with Him daily like a child in her father’s arms.

One final note from Charles Spurgeon:    

“Are you content to follow Jesus afar off? Can you contemplate suspended communion with Christ without alarm? Can you bear to have your Beloved walking contrary to you, because you walk contrary to Him? Have your sins separated between you and your God, and is your heart at rest? O let me affectionately warn you, for it is a grievous thing when we can live contentedly without the present enjoyment of the Saviour's face. Let us labour to feel what an evil thing this is-little love to our own dying Saviour, little joy in our precious Jesus, little fellowship with the Beloved!”  (Morning and Evening, 3/30)

A.  My dad exploded the other day.  He got mad.  And my dad never gets mad.  He is a very sweet, good-natured man of God.  But he got so mad.  Why? 

I cut my hair…again. 

The first time [a year ago] I chopped off a good fifteen inches right up to my ear.  This time, it’s back up there…maybe even a little shorter.  “Girls need long hair”, he says.  He believes it is biblical.  Not stated, but should be understood.  Just like girls should not wear pants.  He is not resolute about this theory of his.  He still lets his two girls wear pants, but he thinks that girls should look like girls.  None of this girls looking like a boy with cropped cuts and manly garb.  [“I looka like a man—Ms. Swann/MAD TV].  Now I am not positively sure about this…because I wasn’t there…but I think guys used to wear skirts and actually have long hair.  I think that is a fact. 

B.  Spring Break.  I went down to Asheville, North Carolina for a week of home repair with ReCreation Experience.  I’ll share more information and pictures in my next update.  But, it felt so good to be out in the mountains—away from the turbulence of city life.  There is absolutely no way to count the stars down there.  They are innumerable.  We all should move. 

[They still have Little Caesar’s…you guys remember that???]   

C.  I am chatting with my brother right now and I notice that he is wearing gel in his hair.  Why does a thirteen year old need gel?  I have this thing about guys and gel.  I hate gel.  Wait.  Hate is a strong word…let me rephrase that.  I have a disliking for gel.  Why do guys wear it?  It makes them look so slick.  Slick like the Gambino Crime Family, slick like alligator shoes, slick like a pink suit and a donnegal hat.  What ever happened to that clean, fresh, run your hands through it kinda hair? 

D.  What’s the old fogey up to these days?  Saddam Hussein. 

AOL NEWS:   WASHINGTON – “He doesn't have a lawyer in the room, but Saddam Hussein apparently is practicing what most attorneys would advise: Don't talk. Diplomatic and military officials say the former Iraqi leader has provided little useful information in interrogations so far - and may even be having fun.

The questioning of Saddam - initially handled by the CIA - is now a joint CIA-FBI operation, a sign that the aim is changing from finding intelligence to gathering evidence for any eventual trials. The people who are asking the questions at the moment are from the FBI, said a U.S. intelligence official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.  Instead, House Intelligence Chairman Porter Goss, R-Fla., now calls the questioning a ''patience project.''  ''He is very good at denial and deception. I am not sure he even knows what the truth is anymore,'' Goss said. ''I think he's been surrounded by yes-men and syncophants.''

On Sunday, Jacques Verges, a French lawyer who claims to be representing Saddam at his family's request, said he expects that a trial is still some time away.  Verges has not met with Saddam and is trying to act as his lawyer from afar, a U.S. intelligence official said.  Verges said he believes the United States has violated the Geneva Conventions in its detention of Saddam, and said the world must wait for a trial to determine whether Saddam was guilty of wrongdoing.

''We know that Mr. Bush has said he's guilty,'' Verges told Associated Press Television News. ''But what does that mean? Mr. Bush is not a judge. We cannot accept him as a judge. He is an enemy of Saddam Hussein.''

Associated Press Writer Curt Anderson contributed to this report.

E.  Interesting Word of the Day:  arcanum  [ar-KAY-nuhm]  (noun):  a secret; a mystery.  Specialized or mysterious knowledge, language, or information that is not accessible to the average person (generally used in the plural, arcana).  SYNONYMS: puzzle, unknown, enigma      

WORD WISE:  Arcanum is from the Latin, from arcanus "closed, secret," from arca, "chest, box," from arcere, "to shut in."  

QUOTE: Here we must enter briefly into the technical arcane of employment law.  
--Paul F. Campos, Jurismania The Madness of American Law.  

A.  Sup all.  As you can see, the new message boards are up.  I realize that its going to take a little getting used to after 3 +  years of the old board, but look at it this way.  IT is high time that we have a board worthy of the IPF audience.  Besides, the next four words are all I need to say:

Short Stories

Welcome boys and girls to Binu’s short story time. Today’s update will consist of 3 short stories. These stories are entirely true events that happened in my life or have been observed by eyewitnesses and told to me under oath. Enjoy.

  Story#1    5^th Grade Math  

I was sitting at my computer one fine Tuesday night  quietly tending to my routine procedures of checking email, paying some bills online and bidding on an ebay item or two.  All of a sudden, a panicked Vincent V  im's  me. There's desperation in his tone. I could sense it from his writing. He say’s,  “Binu! I need your help, My 11 year old cousin has a math problem and I am stumped” I tell him to go ahead and read the problem. Vincent reads, “There are 28 children in a class who  went on a trip to collect cans.  They collect a total of 12374 cans.  Some kids collected 441 cans and other kids collected 442 cans.  How many kids collected 441 and how many collected 442.”  I allow a second or two to pass so I could fully absorb the question. Then I put on my thinking cap and get to work. Standard multivariable algebraic problem consisting of a set of dual linear equations that solve by either simple substitution or algebraic summation. I finally set up the dual equations of x + y = 28 and 441x + 442y = 12374. Solve for x = 28 – y. Plug in that to the equation of 441(28-y) + 442y = 12374. I whip out the TI-85 to speed along the process and eventually get the answer,  x = 2 and y=1. Success! After reciting the solution in its completeness back to Vincent, he replies, “That's  great genius -- I knew that too, but how do I explain all this to a fifth grader. He doesnt even know what algebra is.”

  Story#3   Everybody do the Robot 

Yes I Know you are expecting a third story, but unfortunately I will not be able to live up to my promise and deliver.  For the sake of brevity I'll end this already long update and Ill leave you with these 2 video clips. I found them quite entertaining.  See yall next time. 

Thursday, March 25, 2004 - Benj

Busy, busy...   

You know how there can be stretches in life where things seem really busy?  Maybe the stretch lasts for a week, maybe for months.  I feel like I am in the middle of such a busy period right now.  Going 100 mph in all directions, so to speak.  

But it's all good.  Idle hands are the devil's workshop, as the old saying goes.  The main thing is to stay on the Christian journey in the midst of everything we do.  To not lose focus on what is eternal, and on what really matters.  Regardless of what else is going on.    

A.  Check out 25 pics from the YES 2004 retreat.  Special shout out to Blossom Moses for these pics, and another special shout out to the person that wrote up the captions for me.

B.  New Media:  At this point, Justin Varghese doesn't need any introduction when it comes to media clips, and Me, Myself vs I, is no exception.  Be sure to download it.

C.  Inspirations Update:  Greg Smith's update will be posted next week. 

Oklahoma Revivals Pictures, Witnessing

All right  everyone, as Chris said yesterday the pictures section is up, and I was able to get some pictures of the Oklahoma revivals thanks to Nebu, one of our guys here in Houston.  There are only a couple of pictures, but you can get the idea of how the bus trip was as well as some of the meetings. One of the pictures has two guys looking very depressed (their names are Isaac and Christian btw) but that is only cause it was 6:30 in the morning and we had just gotten to Oklahoma from an all night bus drive. And last but not least, the  name of the lovely lady gracing the picture right below is Denise.

A few days ago someone posted on the message board something about witnessing to people about Christ, which is a very important issue. I am not completely sure as to there being one exact way of sharing the gospel, but I do think if we are led by the Spirit of God, as Llenis shared last week, He will guide us and direct us to know what to say and do. However, the Bible was also written for our guidance, and it is our responsibility to search out for ourselves what the Bible says.

I came across a certain scripture that really stood out to me, found in 1 Corinthians  1:17, that says "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect." One thing that can hinder us from witnessing effectively is the fact that we use our own logic to try to convince, thereby invalidating the power of the cross. I have finally come to the realization that the only One who can convince people and bring conviction is God. Sure we can debate the validity of the Bible using historical as well as archeological evidence, but that does not prove a person's need for a Savior, which is the most important thing.

It is our duty to present the plan of salvation as God designed it, not sugar coating it nor watering it down. Not only presenting Jesus as a convenience who will help him or her in his or her times of need, but as a necessity without whom he or she will perish. And then the rest of it is ultimately up to God. The only thing we can do is pray and ask God to give him or her repentance. If you want to read more up on this, the whole 1st chapter of 1Corinthians is very good, as well as books and pamphlets by an evangelist named Ray Comfort, whose writings can be found if you look them up online.

I know some of you are having your spring break right now, and I just hope you have an awesome spring break. Have a great time, and get all that  much needed rest you need. Take care. See you next time.

A.  Sup all.  Pictures are back up.  Thank you for your patience.  We'll have some YES pictures for you on Wednesday. 

B.  Syracuse 72, Maryland 70:  Well that's life I guess.  If the Terps had made some free throws at the end there, we would have pulled it out.  But hey, losing to the defending national champs isn't the worst thing, you know? 

Here's a positive:  The Terps are a young team that is now battle tested. The sky is the limit next year.

C.  I have quote here for you, written by Andrew Sullivan:

-------------------------------------------------------

"al Qaeda and its multiple off-shoots have learned a couple of things recently. The first is that the U.S. will not cower before a terror attack.  Bin Laden misjudged that one on 9/11, foolishly believing that he could move American public policy in his direction by shell-shocking the American public. He was hoping for classic isolationism in response to the casualties of that awful day.  Wrong.  In fact, the opposite happened - a huge miscalculation on al Qaeda's part, which led to the destruction of their client state, Afghanistan, the removal of a de facto anti-American ally, Saddam, and, even worse from their point of view, the possibility of constitutional democracies in two Islamic lands, Afghanistan and Iraq. The Anglo-American counter-attack also took Libya out of the WMD equation, and sent reverberations of democratic unrest into Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia."

-------------------------------------------------------

Well said.

Friday, March 19, 2004 - Benj

Is this World War III?  

We've arrived at the one-year anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Below is an article by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, from today's NY TIMES.

   Posted on March 18, 2004                                                                           by Llenis M

I need order.

I need peace.

I need freedom.

I need a break!

“Give me a break.  Give me a break.

Break me off a piece of that… …”

Sorry I couldn’t help myself there.  But, no seriously…

I need a break.

…just had two midterms.  One more to go.  And let me just tell you…procrastination is a killer.  After this week…[hallelujah music]…SPRING BREAK!

I need time to organize my life.  Time to put the clothes back on the hanger [for those of you who know me…one inch apart]…and the books back on the shelf [in alphabetical order, of course].  I need time to disinfect all the doorknobs and dust off all the picture frames.  I need time to myself so I can think clearly and not be swayed by what is going on around me.

I need some tea:) 

The following tea…is calming, yet keeps you alert.  I’ll gladly send you a sample taste…just email me.

Curl Up With a Good Book Tea

by Susan Wittig Albert

To blend 40 servings                                                   To brew 2 cups

¼ cup green tea                                                             2 heaping teaspoons blend

¼ cup dried chamomile flowers                                 2 cups water

¼ cup dried hibiscus flowers

3 tablespoons licorice root

1 tablespoon dried orange peel

1 tablespoon cloves

1 tablespoon aniseed

3 to 4 vanilla beans, finely chopped and dried

"Christopher Robin was home by this time, because it was the afternoon, and he was so glad to see them that they stayed there until very nearly tea-time, and then they had a Very Nearly tea, which is one you forget about afterwards, and hurried on to Pooh Corner, so as to see Eeyore before it was too late to have a Proper Tea with Owl."       -A.A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner

Be Happy, Drink tea.

Ciao!

Interesting Word of the Day:  sobriquet  [sobri kay]  (noun):  an unofficial name or nickname, especially a humorous one

P.S.  Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!  Here is a little...or a lot of information on St. Patrick himself. 

For more information, check out:  http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/stpatricksday/main.html

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling.

It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. Although his father was a Christian deacon, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of tax incentives and there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian.

After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice—which he believed to be God's—spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland. To do so, Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation—an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission—to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish.

Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish.

(Although there were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. The Irish culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. When this is considered, it is no surprise that the story of Patrick's life became exaggerated over the centuries—spinning exciting tales to remember history has always been a part of the Irish way of life. )

A.  The voting in of the Socialist party in Spain should be giving everyone outside that country a message.  The terrorists are fighting back.  Do you think it was a coincidence that more than 200 people were killed, and over 1,500 injured, in a Madrid train bombing, just DAYS before the election?

The terrorists are going geo-political, and using scare tactics to boot.  They are saying, if you target us, we are going to target you, and we're going to make you pay for it. They bombed that train b/c they knew how precarious of a position, Jose Maria Aznar (now the former prime minister of Spain) was in.  Aznar supported President Bush.  He sent troops to Iraq, when most of his country opposed it.  But let's even forget the war for a moment, DID YOU KNOW that Aznar cut his country's unemployment rate in half?  Did you know that Spain is now experiencing an economic boom unrivaled in recent history?  But who cares?

He was a threat, and the terrorists knew how to manipulate events.  They knew how close the socialists were to winning the election, and if Al Qaeda could push the socialists forward, and take 200+ infidels with them, then so be it.  In doing this, what has Al Qaeda accomplished you ask?

Today marks one year exactly, since Blessan passed away.  For this important milestone, IPF found it fitting to interview his brother, Benson, for The Tonight Show. 

Having met Benson on one passing occasion, I should be honest, I don’t know Benson that well.  He did make for an interesting interview.  Some of the questions are out dated because Benson decided to procrastinate.  Thanks to the gentle prompting of Brenda and Chris, Benson sent the interview in.  Benson frequents the IPF message boards where he has made bold claims of bringing tournament trophies home to Houston.  Talk is cheap.

This interview was conducted to further the legacy of Blessan Samuel.  I look forward to hearing your comments on the message boards.

Two updates on one weekend, this is odder than India and Pakistan playing cricket.  Did you hear about this one?  In efforts to ease tensions, India and Pakistan decide to play cricket.  India won.  But why couldn’t the U.S. just challenge Iraq to a baseball game or a horse race?  It would have been less expensive and Iraq would have had a decent chance against US baseball players since none of them take steroids.

There’s always a first time…One night, a few weeks ago, I was traveling out of Manhattan on one of the expressways.  I was on the left lane when I noticed one of the funniest vehicular interactions.  Just keep your eyes open, you will find one.  A United States Postal Truck was in the middle lane and two New York City Sanitation Trucks were merging from the entrance ramp.  The Postal truck driver had a lead foot, as he was traveling a few miles over the speed limit.  One of the garbage trucks decide that the right lane is not good enough, so he merges into the middle lane cutting off the Postal truck.  The other garbage truck remained on the left lane.  So for the next 10 minutes, the two municipalities decide to engage in road rage.

The Postal truck driver planting his palm on the horn while high beaming.  The garbage truck remains cruising at a cool 20 miles under the speed limit.  A battle between city and federal governments.  One outfit picking up garbage and the other delivering it.  Have you seen junk mail?  You non-under-the-table wage earners take solace.  Your tax dollars are hard at work.   

Hello everybody.  Its been some time since I’ve updated the weekends…I’m trying to work myself back into a flow, but its hard to type with Christian in my hands. He’s an energetic boy with a whole lot of fussin energy.  He’s destroyed all the left shoulder portion of my shirts with a mixture of saliva and formula.  Grace and I could use 8 continuous hours of sleep, but no such luck, we’re used to it.  I stopped doing cardio at the gym because trying to make him sleep is a workout itself, he needs to be rocked back and forth at a moderate speed.  Despite all the sacrifice, I wouldn’t trade it for anything…

Tournament Update

The Blessan Samuel Classic will be held in Philadelphia, PA with the target date of August 14, 2004.  The Philly Ballaz will be the host team and has actually offered to assist the set up of the tournament. 

All team representatives from Amityville, Newark, Philly, YO, DC, Houston, Chicago,  and Brooklyn please contact BINU (IPF Webmaster/Stunnaz SG) with your information and availability.

Please be advised of the following: all information is tentative.  If we do not garner enough interest for this year’s tournament, then this will most likely be our last.

Tomorrows update is a special anniversary update.  Stand by.

Thursday, March 11, 2004 - Benj

And Can It Be 

Here are two great verses and the chorus from "And Can It Be", by Charles Wesley.  This classic was recently sung at church, and blessed me.  There is something weighty and moving about these older hymns, especially those written by such heroes of the faith like Charles Wesley.

Easter is approaching, the Passion movie has just been released to much controversy, and it's as good a time as any to consider this question:  How much do I value what Christ accomplished for me through His life, His death and resurrection?  

And can it be that I should gain

An interest in the Savior's blood?

Died He for me, who caused his pain?

For me, who Him to death pursued?

Chorus: Amazing love! How can it be

             That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Long my imprisoned Spirit lay

Fast bound in sin and nature's night;

Thine eye diffused a quickening ray,

I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;

My chains fell off, my heart was free;

I rose, went forth and followed Thee.

   Posted on March 10, 2004                                                                                 by Ben H

Recently, I was having a Bible study with some friends from college. The Bible study leader had selected a passage from Numbers that day. It was the passage that talks about the twelve "respected" Israelite men that venture out to spy the land of promise. It was exactly what I needed to hear that day and it is something I would like to share with you all.  As the story goes, the men went in and explored the land , and were immediately awed by its beauty and luscious fertility. But when the men came back to camp, only two, Joshua and Caleb, had a good report. The rest told Moses in front of the whole assembly that the land could never be taken because the people who lived there were too powerful and the cities, too well fortified. They told Moses that the men there were descendants of Anak (Goliath's family).

"We look like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them [Num 3:33]."
 

   The Israelites immediately despaired and cried out, and grumbled  that things were better in Egypt. They even threatened to rebel against Moses and Aaron and return.  This is so much like me in my walk with God. I get to a point where I feel like I've hit a wall and I can't seem to get over  a besetting sin, a trial, a temptation. It's too hard God, I can't go any further. And sometimes we all find ourselves looking back to our old lives of sin. Forgetting the bondage, the guilt, and the emptiness that we were in, we want to turn back. We forget all the miracles that God has done for us and how amazing it is that he brought us as far as we are. It's so crazy, but its how the Devil works. He gets us so caught up in our own state that we don't have anything left to pour out for others.
 

A lot of it has to do with how we view ourselves. To the ten rebels, they were "grasshoppers" in their own eyes.  Listen to what Joshua said: "And do not be afraid of the people of the land because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone but the Lord is with us[4:9]." I think that Joshua had been spending time in God's presence. He knew how God saw him and that God was with Him. No matter what you are going through, you are God's child, and God said he will never leave you. He loves you more than you could ever know. To him, you're only holy and nothing that you've done will remain except what you do for Him. Don't look back. You've come too far already.

A.  Everyone, the site may go down for a little while today as we are working on getting the Pictures section back up.  Hang with us.

B.  The Passion of the Christ:  My hat goes off to Mel Gibson for making this movie.  He has taken a lot of flak in Hollywood, and may even get black listed for making this film, but you know what?  Mel doesn't need their approval anyway.  He's already done everything he could have done on the big screen.  He's had more hit movies than I can remember, AND he's got an Academy Award.  Enough said, let's go straight to the film:

There were no previews at the beginning of this movie, which I thought was a great touch.  This isn't Hulk or Spider Man here, The Passion is more of an experience film, not a blockbuster, popcorn, summer time date movie.  

Here are some scenes that stand out in my mind:

1)  He walked among us:  The scene when Jesus is making the wooden table, and sharing a light moment with Mary.  I thought that was a really, really nice touch, it just hits home on how Jesus walked among us, and from age 12-33, lived life.

2)  The Torment of Judas:  When Judas was sitting at the bottom of the bridge, and that demon flashed by his face, it almost looked like an orc from LOTR, but it was a lot more hideous.  Scary to think about....

Also, when those two kids were laughing at him after the high priests rejected his money, that was nuts.  The faces of those kids morphed into demons that taunted and laughed at him.  You could really sense the torment in the eyes of Judas.

3)  Brutality:  This movie is so brutal.  From Jesus falling over the side of the bridge bound in chains, to the hooks of the whip getting stuck in his back, to Mary mopping up his blood, to the piercing of his side, and the blood/water flowing out, just to name a few.   

4)  The Right of Vengeance:  I don't think there was a single person in the theater who didn't want to jump on screen, and at least get a hit or two in on Caiphas, and those soldiers who were beating Jesus.

That's our human nature, and in reality, the very man who was being beaten said:

 "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."  

Those may be the most compelling words in human history.  How can you hate someone that turns their cheek to you in love?

5)  The Cons:  One thing I didn't like about the film was the fact that there wasn't more footage of the resurrection of Christ.  That is the center piece of Christianity, the fact that he didn't die, but rose again.  But IT WAS shown at the end, albeit in a small part.  

All in all, this movie has done a lot more good than bad.  You cannot walk out of this movie, and not be affected by it.  You just can't.  It will put you in awe of what Jesus did, and that is a good thing.

A few weeks ago, a very well placed IPF source revealed a person within our NTC community who has a ‘hook up’ with a reputable organization that met all above mentioned criteria.  So why hasn’t a date and time been set yet ?  Let me lead up to my explanation.  There are a number of components we need in order for this to be a smooth running tournament ( I may miss a few):

 (1) We need referees.  i.e.- In our last tournament, Ramon Ray and Bro Terry                        caved many chest cavities and man handled people. 

 (2) We need record keepers, score keepers and time keepers.

 (3) We need to weed out scabs

 (4) We need to collect deposits for the gym and from individual teams.

                 (5) We need people to split up responsibilities (CRUCIAL)

Although  I mentioned only 5 components, there are many more, so much more than one person can accomplish.  Here’s the bottom line, I will not be able to spear head this initiative by myself because of newly added responsibilities (since Nov 1).  Binu has assisted in many ways, but its not enough.  Gauging by the posts on the message boards, people are still interested in having a tournament.  So, we need a good group of people to organize this event.  There are at least 50 different tasks to be completed by tournament’s time.  We have a good gym with an excellent price and we need to act fast.

This message goes out primarily to the north east coast teams, Newark, Yonkers, Amityville, Philly and Brooklyn, because hint, hint, the gym is located on the north east coast.  WE NEED PEOPLE TO SACRIFICE AND HELP…if not, are you willing to accept the fact that the PHILLY BALLAZ will be the one and only champs ?  Are you willing to accept the fact that our first tournament will be the last ?  

Chris writes:  “ If you can help in any way, please let us know, as we want to make this a joint effort, and hopefully a better tourney.  Just submit your name, phone #, and e-mail add so we can get in touch with you.  It is appreciated. ” 

This is a serious request.  Please contact Binu, Chris, Sony or myself with your willingness to help.  

Tech Support

If you’ve ever had to make a call to a computer technical support technician you know the experience can be either quick and painless or long and grueling.

Its either the technician doesn’t know what he/she is talking about and is walking you around in circles or the caller can’t distinguish a mouse from a keyboard. Its usually the latter but in any case, here's a good place to segue into some classic tech support jokes. Have a read:

Tech Support: I need you to right-click on the Open Desktop.
Customer: Ok.
Tech Support: Did you get a pop-up menu?
Customer: No.
Tech Support: Ok. Right-click again. Do you see a pop-up menu?
Customer: Not at all.
Tech Support: Ok, sir. Can you tell me what you have done up until this point?
Customer: Sure, you told me to write 'click' and I wrote down 'click'
Tech Support: Ok, did you type 'click' with the keyboard?
Customer: Yes. Oh man! I've done something stupid, huh?

A confused caller to IBM was having troubles printing documents. He told the technician that the computer had said it "couldn't find printer." The user had even tried turning the computer screen to face the printer - but his computer still couldn't find it.

Tech Support: "OK Bob, let's press the control and escape keys at the same time. That brings up a task list in the middle of the screen. Now type the letter 'P' to bring up the Program Manager."
Customer: "I don't have a 'P'."
Tech Support: "On your keyboard, Bob."
Customer: "What do you mean?"
Tech Support: "'P' on your keyboard, Bob."
Customer: "I'm not going to do that!"

Ok some of those were Corny but here’s one from my own experience:

Tech Support: Dell technical Support. May I have you express service code please

Binu: zc5vv***

Tech Support: How can I help you

Binu: Im not getting any sound from my speakers

Tech Support: Are they plugged in?

Binu: Lemme check………No they’re not….. Thank you. [Click]

Mind you I spent 20 minutes on hold for that call.

That’s all my time. See yall next week.

Thursday, March 4, 2004 - Benj

Bush Vs. Kerry 

It's official.  Bush even surprised Kerry on Tuesday night by phoning him to congratulate him on all his primary wins, and to wish him well in the upcoming campaign.  

Everyone SAYS that this is going to be a hard-fought campaign which will likely end up in a fairly close election.  With Bush prevailing.      

   Posted on March 3, 2004                                                                                    by Liza B

I am sure we have all heard this passage of scripture at one time or another and agree that it is probably the hardest commandment in the Bible. One reason may be because we tend to  view worrying as a bad habit rather than a sin.

Keeping that in mind, lets go back to the sin of worry. It's one of those things that does most damage to the person indulging in it because he or she can never fully enjoy life as it is marred by fears, worries, and what-ifs. It also gives us the feeling that we are actually accomplishing something when we are actually being extremely ineffective.

There was once a man who had been wanting to ride in an airplane all his life, and finally had the opportunity when he was older because his son bought him a ticket. When the older man returned from his trip, his son excitedly asked him, "So how did you like it dad?" The dad replied, "Well son, I did enjoy it very much, but I am quite tired because I did not put all of my weight on the seat and half stood all the way as I didn't want to put all of my weight on the airplane.

Even though that logic is almost laughable, we tend to do the same thing when we worry and fret over things, when there is absolutely no need for it. Our God is strong enough to carry our burdens, only if we take it to Him in prayer and leave it there. We can be assured that if we give our burdens to Him, He will take care of them because of His great love for us.

A.  The Passion:  For those of you who’ve seen The Passion of the Christ…there is no way you could have left the theatre without being stirred by this movie.  I went on opening day.  Before even actually seeing it…I had a good feeling that this would be like no other movie I’d seen before.  And it was.  Timeless.  At times during the movie I could not understand how he did it.  How could a man still love while he was being beaten to death?  Jesus’ act of love was truly something special.  His humility and servile spirit was indeed nothing of this world.  He lived, breathed and walked in holiness.  That should be our goal—to live a life of righteousness.

Does anyone have an interpretation of the scene where Jesus is being scourged and the devil furtively walks by holding a baby?  Post your answer on the message board.

Speaking of devils…I could not stop thinking of that face before I went to bed the past few nights;)

"Passion" holds the crown for the second-highest-grossing first five days for a film opening on a Wednesday. The first five days of "Passion" pulled in $122.2 million, just behind New Line Cinema's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" ($124.1 million), but ahead of 20th Century Fox's "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" ($105.7 million).   

B.  Oscar Fashion:  I didn’t get the chance to watch the Oscar’s this year, but I did see one Jennifer Garner who looked resplendent in her orange vintage Valentino gown.  Has a sort of Indian flair to it…

C.  In other recent news, Martha Stewart judge drops most serious charge.  "As my trial nears its conclusion, I am hopeful and optimistic that I will be exonerated," Stewart said in a letter posted on her Web site. 

"I'm pleased that the judge has dismissed the most serious of the charges against me, concluding that there is no evidence to support it." 

D.  Welcome Jeremy C. Thomas!!!  My new baby cousin—a LEAP YEAR baby!!!  Quite a handsome little lad.

E.  Please pray for me…I have a lot of reading to catch up on;)

Interesting Word of the Day:  flibbertigibbet  [FLIB-ur-tee-jib-it]  noun:   a silly, flighty, or scatterbrained person, especially a pert young woman with such qualities.

A.  Welcome back everyone.  Thank you for your patience.  I know that a few hours ended up turning into a few days, but this move was very, very necessary.

We now have a 99.9% guarantee for no more down time.  :)

NOTE:  The Pictures section is being re-organized, so please bear with us.

B.  Tourney 2004 Update:  Attention all team heads/players, Vinod will be updating this weekend with a lot of details/info for you, so BE SURE to check that out.

C.  Passion WINS BIG at the Box Office:  Raking in $76.2 million from Friday to Sunday, and a $117.5 million haul from Wednesday to Sunday.  Let's put those numbers into perspective.  The LOTR: Return of the King pulled in $72.7 million over its 3 day initial release.  Those are big, blockbuster numbers, not some independent film chump change.

I have yet to see this movie, but everyone that has seen it appears to have been deeply affected by.

For a case in point, "kuttans" has submitted a review:

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I saw the move "The Passion of The Christ" and it has changed my life. All my life I had just read the gospel accounts over and over again, but this movie brought life to those passages. 

At first I was angry at the blood thirsty high priests, then I turned the light onto my own life. It was for my sins and healing that he went through those scourgings, lashes, humiliation and torture. He took my penalty upon Himself. How dare I sin against him and grieve him anymore? I pray that God gives each one of us grace to say NO to sin, considering the price that our LOVER and SAVIOR had to pay. Do we want to nail him to the cross again with our sins? 

P.S. I think every believer should watch this movie. It is life changing, probably better than a thousand sermons on the same subject. Kudos to Mel Gibson.

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D.  Ebert & Lao:  Speaking of great films, LOTR: Return of the King took home 11 Academy Awards last night including Best Picture, Best Original Score, and Best Director, Peter Jackson.  The amount of time and effort that Peter Jackson put into these films is just incredible, and it shows in every frame. 

A.  Submitting Content:  Missing your Birthday in the B-Day section?  Want to submit an article, event or comment?  Well we just made it easy for you.  Just fill out the form below, and click submit.  Its as simple as that.