The Steelers lost, the Packers won,
Talk about feeling undone!
Now the talk is about next year,
Which most often brings a tear.
When Big Ben threw the two picks
And Mendy lost the ball on a fumble,
I began to wonder about any more tricks,
About that time I began to feel humble.
When your favorite team loses a Super Bowl
You really don't know what to say
It is kind of like having to clean the toilet bowl,
And standing out in the field baling hay!
But questions continue to linger,
What happened to the D?,
Where was the #7 for the index finger?,
And what happens next year we will have to see?
The only thing I know to do is to tip my cap to the Pack,
And pray that the Steelers regather their steam,
For the dream to the Super Bowl we hope to get back,
So here's to next year with visions for a championship team!
If you are a Steeler fan let's stop the crying,
And get on with cheering, hoping and planning,
Instead of what might have been with all the sighing,
To regain our confidence, optimism and fanning!
One thing is certain as we review the last year,
Steeler fans we will ever be while we live here!
Go Steelers!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
A New Year
New Years resolutions, goals and objectives find their way onto our personal agendas. Some of us hope to get back into shape physically. Others want to draw closer to their loved ones. Many seek to improve their careers. Churches review what went right in the past year and how to improve for the new one. Whether it is the goal of losing a few pounds or enriching our families or growing at work a new year brings the opportunity for growth.
Interestingly the apostle Peter's last exhortation was to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior." (2 Peter 3:18) His second epistle is filled with the spiritual growth theme. (See 2 Peter 1:5-9) Yet, if you are like me growth becomes a struggle. I lose sight of my goals. After a few weeks we allow the motivation and momentum of the new year slip away. How many times have you started out with good intentions only to end up with few if any resolutions kept? Maybe the problem is our approach. Perhaps we need to take a new tact.
Yesterday (1/12/11) I read from Psalm 67:1-2. The ESV renders those verses as follows. "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth saving your power among all nations." More than anything else we need God's gracious hand to bless us. We require His face to shine upon us. Whatever resolution or goal we set forth we must first seek God's hand and help when it comes to accomplishing those. God's face shining upon us is the psalmists poetic way of emphasizing we need the Lord's Presence and power working in our lives. Goals, objectives and resolutions will only be accomplished if God is leading our lives. If we take the "me-first" agenda we will ultimately fail.
Something else we to bear in mind as we approach these issues. "This is the day the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it." (Psalm 118:24) Seize the day for Christ! Live in the moment! I know those are cliches. But if we pursue every day with same level of vigor and purpose God will surely guide us in the paths of righteousness. Goals and objectives remain just one slice of the pie we call life. They find fulfillment in a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. If goals or resolutions are simply self-improvement devoid of connection to God then they will most likely be short-lived. Live today for Christ. (Philippians 1:21) He is the reason we get out of bed and pursue what lies before us.
To God be the glory!
Interestingly the apostle Peter's last exhortation was to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior." (2 Peter 3:18) His second epistle is filled with the spiritual growth theme. (See 2 Peter 1:5-9) Yet, if you are like me growth becomes a struggle. I lose sight of my goals. After a few weeks we allow the motivation and momentum of the new year slip away. How many times have you started out with good intentions only to end up with few if any resolutions kept? Maybe the problem is our approach. Perhaps we need to take a new tact.
Yesterday (1/12/11) I read from Psalm 67:1-2. The ESV renders those verses as follows. "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth saving your power among all nations." More than anything else we need God's gracious hand to bless us. We require His face to shine upon us. Whatever resolution or goal we set forth we must first seek God's hand and help when it comes to accomplishing those. God's face shining upon us is the psalmists poetic way of emphasizing we need the Lord's Presence and power working in our lives. Goals, objectives and resolutions will only be accomplished if God is leading our lives. If we take the "me-first" agenda we will ultimately fail.
Something else we to bear in mind as we approach these issues. "This is the day the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it." (Psalm 118:24) Seize the day for Christ! Live in the moment! I know those are cliches. But if we pursue every day with same level of vigor and purpose God will surely guide us in the paths of righteousness. Goals and objectives remain just one slice of the pie we call life. They find fulfillment in a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. If goals or resolutions are simply self-improvement devoid of connection to God then they will most likely be short-lived. Live today for Christ. (Philippians 1:21) He is the reason we get out of bed and pursue what lies before us.
To God be the glory!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Christmas Time
The Holidays arrive each year with many of the same challenges, blessings and stressors. Shopping, cooking, decorating and sharing gifts fill the days. Families participate in traditions. The music, decorations, food and dare I suggest, attitudes stand out during this time of year. For the Confer family being together is what we most look forward to. Our traditions include eating cheese fondue Christmas Eve with chocolate fondue for dessert. We eat breakfast made up of leftovers from the night before. Then we open our gifts! Pictures are taken. We laugh and celebrate the season with a great deal of fun. For Christmas lunch/dinner we eat spaghetti, meatballs, fried bread, fried cheese sticks and salad. Also, Debi creates delicious cookies for us to devour. You can see we eat well during Christmas Time.
We watch the old Christmas classics including Its a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street and several of the cartoon, animation specials the kids grew up with. One of animation specials that we love laughing at is the Raisins Christmas. We still enjoy Rudolph and Elf along with a host of others. We listen to the radio, WEWE 97.3 that blares Christmas music for at least a month! The Confers also put up a decorations. I would say ours are rather modest, tasteful and warm. I really like the tree this year! Debi does such a great job with these things. Most years the girls help put up the tree but in 2010 we spent Thanksgiving in Cincy.
Every year is special! I love having the kids and grandsons home! This year Hudson and Dean are joining us for the first time. Needless to say we are fairly excited about them being in Indiana!!! The anticipation for both Mimi and Pap is almost too much to handle! Mimi made the boys stockings. We had fun last weekend hunting (shopping!) for a toy(s). They should have plenty of fun while at our house. I plan on spoiling them big time!
To those who read my blog I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas! May God bless you with health, good times and spiritual renewal.
We watch the old Christmas classics including Its a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street and several of the cartoon, animation specials the kids grew up with. One of animation specials that we love laughing at is the Raisins Christmas. We still enjoy Rudolph and Elf along with a host of others. We listen to the radio, WEWE 97.3 that blares Christmas music for at least a month! The Confers also put up a decorations. I would say ours are rather modest, tasteful and warm. I really like the tree this year! Debi does such a great job with these things. Most years the girls help put up the tree but in 2010 we spent Thanksgiving in Cincy.
Every year is special! I love having the kids and grandsons home! This year Hudson and Dean are joining us for the first time. Needless to say we are fairly excited about them being in Indiana!!! The anticipation for both Mimi and Pap is almost too much to handle! Mimi made the boys stockings. We had fun last weekend hunting (shopping!) for a toy(s). They should have plenty of fun while at our house. I plan on spoiling them big time!
To those who read my blog I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas! May God bless you with health, good times and spiritual renewal.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
# 400
My favorite coach lost today at OSU. Nice try JoePa! I have been meaning to write about last week's victory over Northwestern when Coach Paterno won his 400th game! Incredible! Amazing! I don't always agree with JoePa about his play calling or his choice of starters but to accomplish what he did is almost beyond words!! He has won with class. He was run a successful program since 1966. Coach Paterno not only teaches football but he also instructs his players and fans about how to live. He turns young students into better men. JoePa possesses integrity and character. I admire his courage to keep on coaching even when the critics and boo birds echo their sentiments, "Joe must go!"
Coach Paterno will most likely coach until his health declines or he feels he can no longer do the job. I hope he continues coaching! It his decision and no one else's. He has earned the right to make that call. I know folks who want to see Coach Paterno hang em up! But when he does my guess they will be the ones who complain about the new coach and harken for JoePa to walk the sidelines. I met Coach Paterno while living in Westerville, Ohio. He had recruited Mark Keilmeyer to be a defensive end. He was personable and down-to-earth. It was like talking to one of my neighbors. He even autographed a book of mine and a hat that my daughter Chantelle brought with her to our meeting. What a thrill!
So this is a salute to you, Coach Paterno! You are an example to us. Keep on doing what you love. And thank you for all of the years of coaching and teaching that helped to make our world a better place.
WE ARE PENN STATE!
Coach Paterno will most likely coach until his health declines or he feels he can no longer do the job. I hope he continues coaching! It his decision and no one else's. He has earned the right to make that call. I know folks who want to see Coach Paterno hang em up! But when he does my guess they will be the ones who complain about the new coach and harken for JoePa to walk the sidelines. I met Coach Paterno while living in Westerville, Ohio. He had recruited Mark Keilmeyer to be a defensive end. He was personable and down-to-earth. It was like talking to one of my neighbors. He even autographed a book of mine and a hat that my daughter Chantelle brought with her to our meeting. What a thrill!
So this is a salute to you, Coach Paterno! You are an example to us. Keep on doing what you love. And thank you for all of the years of coaching and teaching that helped to make our world a better place.
WE ARE PENN STATE!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Learning from Our Founders
At our Bible study on Tuesday evenings we will begin studying a book entitled America's Godly Heritage by author David Barton. If you are interested in learning more about our founders and the nation's founding check out the website wallbuilders.com. They have lots of resources and materials. One of the narratives that has gotten lost in the contemporary world is the faith of our founders. Typically we hear about how the founders were mostly deitists and agnostics. But in truth many of the founders were true believers and clearly demonstrate faith in Jesus Christ. The revisionist history nearly cuts out the Christian principles underlying the American Revolution and the founding of the nation.
The Declaration of Independence is one such document that lately has been misquoted. When President Obama refers to our unalianable rights he fails to include the phrase "endowed by our Creator." Why is that? Does he not know the document? Or is a matter of systematic removal from God concerning the founding of nation that occurred? I believe our president has been influenced by what he has learned and now believes regarding our founding. The faith of our founders is no longer emphasized in our institutions of public learning. But that reality does not represent reality. The truth is the founders were extremely religious and spiritually minded men. Several of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were ministers. Prayer was very much apart of their meetings before, during and after the Revolution.
I am reading a book entitled Sacred Fire. The authors dispell the myth that George Washington was deist. Their case is based upon 15 years of scholarly research. It reads like an encyclopedia with a narrative twist. Their quotes originate from Washington's writings, what his contemporaries wrote about him along with numerous footnotes relevant to the point that detail that our first president was "a Christian in the traditon of the 18th century Anglican Church." But many Americans have been taught to believe otherwise. Their seminal work is a must read for anyone serious about learning the facts and therefore the truth of George Washington's faith.
Why is this important? One reason is that this secluar whitewash of our founding has led to the many of the problems, societal ills and moral decay we witness in our great nation. We simply must restore the principles, values and moral framework that enabled our founders to form a nation that has reached greatness due to divine Providence. The general principles of the Christian Faith were etched into the foundation of this great nation. The more we restore the intentions of our founders and practice those general principles the sooner our nation will heal. "Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people." (Proverbs 14:34)
The Declaration of Independence is one such document that lately has been misquoted. When President Obama refers to our unalianable rights he fails to include the phrase "endowed by our Creator." Why is that? Does he not know the document? Or is a matter of systematic removal from God concerning the founding of nation that occurred? I believe our president has been influenced by what he has learned and now believes regarding our founding. The faith of our founders is no longer emphasized in our institutions of public learning. But that reality does not represent reality. The truth is the founders were extremely religious and spiritually minded men. Several of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were ministers. Prayer was very much apart of their meetings before, during and after the Revolution.
I am reading a book entitled Sacred Fire. The authors dispell the myth that George Washington was deist. Their case is based upon 15 years of scholarly research. It reads like an encyclopedia with a narrative twist. Their quotes originate from Washington's writings, what his contemporaries wrote about him along with numerous footnotes relevant to the point that detail that our first president was "a Christian in the traditon of the 18th century Anglican Church." But many Americans have been taught to believe otherwise. Their seminal work is a must read for anyone serious about learning the facts and therefore the truth of George Washington's faith.
Why is this important? One reason is that this secluar whitewash of our founding has led to the many of the problems, societal ills and moral decay we witness in our great nation. We simply must restore the principles, values and moral framework that enabled our founders to form a nation that has reached greatness due to divine Providence. The general principles of the Christian Faith were etched into the foundation of this great nation. The more we restore the intentions of our founders and practice those general principles the sooner our nation will heal. "Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people." (Proverbs 14:34)
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Fantasy Football
It started! Fantasy Football has descended upon the fruited plain. My team is 1 - 1. The fun of F.F. is that you never really know for sure what a player is going to do. I didn't start one running back and the guy in front of him got hurt. So my player (the backup) ended up with 35 points! Since I had him on the bench those pts. didn't matter. But that was ok because I won anyway! Go figure! One of my starters broke his leg. Reggie Bush is out for at least six weeks. Now what to do? The wheels begin to turn. Strategy is a big part of F.F. And that is also part of the fun. Do I put Bush on the PUP list for a minimum of 6 weeks? Or do I keep him on the short-term IR? I will likely go with the former alternative. That way if another player gets hurt I can place him on the IR and still go pick another player.
Also, when I listen to the "experts" most of the time they are wrong! I even watch the guys on ESPN before the game on Sunday. The reality is F.F. is like the stock market. Past performance is no guarantee for future results. Just because a player has one good week does not mean he will the next week. Now there players who are consistent. But even the stars have bad days. Ever heard of Bret Favre? The experts said Marion Manningham should not start but I started him anyway. He had another good game. But Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks are supposed to be the go-to players. But football is unpredictable! Again, that is what is fun and frustrating at the same time. Who know how things will turn out? But one thing is certain. The unpredictability of F.F. is a given. So for any of the owners from the league who read my blog stay the course. It will be fun. There will be good days and bad ones. You will guess right and wrong. Good luck and enjoy the season!
Also, when I listen to the "experts" most of the time they are wrong! I even watch the guys on ESPN before the game on Sunday. The reality is F.F. is like the stock market. Past performance is no guarantee for future results. Just because a player has one good week does not mean he will the next week. Now there players who are consistent. But even the stars have bad days. Ever heard of Bret Favre? The experts said Marion Manningham should not start but I started him anyway. He had another good game. But Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks are supposed to be the go-to players. But football is unpredictable! Again, that is what is fun and frustrating at the same time. Who know how things will turn out? But one thing is certain. The unpredictability of F.F. is a given. So for any of the owners from the league who read my blog stay the course. It will be fun. There will be good days and bad ones. You will guess right and wrong. Good luck and enjoy the season!
Monday, August 30, 2010
GRANDSONS
Well its been a week since we have seen our grandsons. And they are grand! It is hard to describe what it feels like to be a gradnparent and watch these little guys grow up! They are so wonderful and funny too! The last time I saw them was back in June. If my math is correct it was about two and half months. My oh my how they changed! I could not believe how much they had grown in that period of time. I must admit I wish we had spent a little more time with them. But they are so friendly. They were not strange to us whatsoever. Hudson loves to do this jumping thing. Dean smiles a lot and laughs. They both sit up really well. They both will soon be crawling. Dean enjoys hugging too. Hudson has four teeth now. It is such a blessing to be apart of their lives. We stare at their pictures on the blog every day. It is a daily routine. It is hard to imagine life before they were born. I was talking with my sister Syd about how great it is to have grandchildren. I hope I never lose that feeling and perspective. Someone at services said to me yesterday that if we could we would have the grandchildren first! I laughed. Our children are a blessing. And so are the grandchildren. May their tribe increase!
I found the perfect Christmas presents for the guys! All I am going to say is that it has to do with the world of sports! But it was one of those items that caught my attention. Their dad has seen a picture of the idea. Who knows maybe I will change my mind between now and then. To Hudson and Dean, have a great week little men!
Love,
Pap Confer
I found the perfect Christmas presents for the guys! All I am going to say is that it has to do with the world of sports! But it was one of those items that caught my attention. Their dad has seen a picture of the idea. Who knows maybe I will change my mind between now and then. To Hudson and Dean, have a great week little men!
Love,
Pap Confer
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