History In The Making

43 Years of New Orleans Saints football and the Saints have the opportunity to play in and potentially win their first Super Bowl. It has been a long and troubled road for this team that means so much to the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana. What can you say other than.....

"Who Dat !"

1967 3-11-0 (First season played in Tulane Stadium)

1968 4-9-1

1969 5-9-0

1970 2-11-1

1971 4-8-2 (Archie Manning drafted)

1972 2-11-1

1973 5-9-0

1974 5-9-0

1975 2-12-0 (The Louisiana Superdome opens.)

1976 4-10-0

1977 3-11-0

1978 7-9-0 (My family moved to River Ridge, La)

1979 8-8-0 (First non-losing season)

1980 1-15-0 (The "Aints", fans wore paperbags over their heads.)

1981 4-12-0 (I graduated from East Jefferson High School)

1982 4-5-0 (Strike canceled 7 games)

1983 8-8-0

1984 7-9-0 (Baltimore Colts move to Indianapolis)

1985 5-11-0

1986 7-8-1 (I graduated from LSU & married Tammy - Geaux Tigers!)

1987 12-4-0 (First winning season)

1988 10-6-0 (I was stationed at Barksdale AFB. Amanda was born.)

1989 9-7-0

1990 8-8-0 (Ashley was born.)

1991 11-5-0 (Saints win first division title)

1992 12-4-0 (Tammy, the girls and I moved back to Metairie, La)

1993 8-8-0

1994 7-9-0

1995 7-9-0

1996 3-13-0 (Tammy, the girls and I move Florida)

1997 6-10-0

1998 6-10-0

1999 3-13-0 (Mike Ditka & Ricky Williams fiasco)

2000 10-6-0

2001 7-9-0

2002 9-7-0

2003 8-8-0

2004 8-8-0

2005 3-13-0 (Hurricane Katrina)

2006 10-6-0

2007 7-9-0

2008 8-8-0

2009 13-3-0 (The Saints are in the Super Bowl!)

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/norleans/saints.html

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Pretty amazing to consider all the history that has unfolded these past 43 years.

Nine presidencies

Lyndon N Johnson

Richard M Nixon

Gerald R Ford

James Carter

Ronald Reagan

George H.W. Bush

William J Clinton

George W. Bush

Barack H. Obama

US Military Actions

Vietnam

Tehran hostage crisis

Grenada

Beirut

Gulf War

Somalia

Yugoslavia

Global War on Terror (GWOT)

To Do versus To Be

"How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them." - Benjamin Franklin

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Calvin & Hobbes 2008

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For some people New Years Eve is a chance to make resolutions for the year ahead. Exercising more, lossing weight, eating healthy, spend less, save more are commonly heard resolutions along with reading the bible more, praying more, or volunteering to help others. Every year many people make resolutions about things they want "to do" and by the end of January I suspect most resolutions have not been kept.

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I was listening to an Andy Stanley podcast titled "A New You Resolution" and he made a comment that really struck home with me. To paraphrase him, don't make a list of things "to do" but make a list of things you want "to be". It is a challenging question to ask oneself "What would I like to be" and it is an even more challenging question to contemplate and answer.

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What do you want to be this year?

Generous....Honest....Trustworthy....Caring....Patient....Compassionate

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You are going to be something in 2010 so why not ask yourself what that is and then work at being that person!

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Grace & Peace

Good News of Great Joy

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6

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And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

Luke 2:8-15

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May you become more aware of the grace and peace you have already been blessed with as we celebrate the birth of Christ and await the start of a new year.

Christmas Vacations 2009

Disney at Christmas time is quite a nice experience. The lights and decorations were incredible and the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT was very well done and quite enjoyable.

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Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom.

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Osborne Family Spectacle at Hollywood Studios.

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Bellingrath Gardens Magic Christmas in Lights

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Saturday afternoon Matt, Katie, Tammy and I headed of to Bellingrath Gardens to enjoy the annual "Magic Christmas in Lights". The weather was a bit iffy but we were able to walk most of the evening without getting too wet. The rain did limit my picturing taking opportunities but I was still able to snap a couple decent images. Tammy & I definitely want to go back in the spring during daylight to walk the gardens. I added a web album with several of the other images I took during our visit.

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Grace & Peace

Advent (the coming)

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"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." Matthew 2:1-2

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Possible route of the Magi from the East

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The details concerning the journey, route and circumstances of the magi from the East are few and some of what has become the traditional story of the "Three Wise Men" comes from sources outside the books of the New Testament. Taking just what is written in the book of Matthew 2:1-2 we get the basics of quite a story;

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-a location (Bethlehem in Judea)

-a time (the time of King Herod)

-a group (Magi from the East)

-a question (where is the one born king of the Jews?)

-a reason (we saw His star in the East)

-a purpose (to worship a king)

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Pretty amazing to consider that these Magi made decision to embark on a journey that could have taken months and covered a distance of hundreds of miles because of what they saw and interpreted in the sky. So as we live out the next few weeks of the Holiday Season and as we consider what the Christmas celebration means let us ask ourselves a few questions.

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What is guiding me today?

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What journey am I on this Christmas Season?

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What king am I going to worship?

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Grace & Peace

Context is King

So when you look at the image below what comes to your mind? Beautiful snow capped mountains....great skiing....great view.......wish I had some cocoa?

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How about the words bleak, frigid, stark, dangerous, or lonely?

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It is so very easy in life to get selectively focused on portions of our existence and lose sight of the larger context in which we are living. The Holiday Season is a time when we can be particularly susceptible to being narrow, maybe even a bit selfish, in our focus.

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The Holiday Season is also a great time to pause, step back and view our lives in a much larger context. As a follower of Christ the way we live out our lives over the next several weeks may be the only witness for Christ that some people see. The exhausted single mother and cashier at the grocery store, the sales clerk struggling with family problems and irate customers, the neighbor next door who I have not made acquaintances with just yet, a co-worker struggling with children making unwise choices.....the list goes on and on of the people we interact with everyday whose only experience with Christ may be a kind word and a sympathetic ear from a believer.

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So if you will; please pause, step back and keep stepping back until your view of your surroundings and the people around you includes God.

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And the beautiful mountains above... the view from a fire base in Afghanistan.

Forward Operating Base Airborne, Afghanistan Nov 25, 2009.

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Grace & Peace