Why blog?

I have to admit that it is difficult to motivate myself to blog when: 1) I don't think anyone is reading this bad boy and 2) I really am not that interesting.  I guess it does give me a way to do some out loud thinking, which can be helpful.  

I am trying to learn to find total sufficiency in Christ.  I am also learning that you can't learn to let find your sufficiency in Christ.  Sure it's a process (sanctification) but can I really learn something like that?  Maybe the learning is giving up to Christ the things that I hold onto to feel some sense of self-worth, one by one.  If Christ is sufficient (and He most certainly is) then I need to not try and find fulfillment elsewhere, at least not in place of the fulfillment that needs to be found in Christ.  Man, I don't even understand what I'm talking about any more.

I really hope the Lakers beat the Spurs.  I think Duncan is a good player, and while I can't stand his whining, I mostly am OK with him.  Same with Tony Parker.  But I can't stomach this boring, cheap, chippy, team, with Bruce Bowen who can't do anything but annoy the crap out the opponents best player, Manu Ginoboli, who is better than he should be but is the biggest flop artist going right now and... Robert Horry.  Seriously?  THIS guy has won 7 rings?  To be such a low-bit utility player AND to be so dirty (Steve Nash anyone?) and to win all these championships when guys like Dominique Wilkins never really came close to a ring is a little too much to handle.  

The Hawks, Busch Gardens, the Coates, and an 11

So these past 10 days or so have been incredible.  I can't even begin to say how excited I was with the Atlanta Hawks playoff run.  I mean, we (yes, we) were 30 games WORSE than the Celtics in the regular season.. we would have been 4 games out of 11th place in the West.. I felt like it was a victory to be TIED at half time of game 3 - but the Atlanta Hawks won THREE games against the mighty Celtics.  Unbelievable.  

I wish everyone knew the Coates family.  They make me extremely happy.  Jimmy is basically my bigger brother (who, despite his age and cunning, cannot beat me in a wrestling match), Dee is pretty much my favorite person in the whole world, and they have four amazing children who are crazy awesome and also treat me like family.  I realize how much God has blessed me with this family, and am extremely grateful.  I probably need to tell Him more often.  

Went to Busch Gardens on Sunday and it was super awesome.  You go once and you get an unlimited pass for the rest of the season (middle of September).  We only rode a few rides, but it was easily my favorite day at a theme park in my life: Ruthie Coates wanted to hang out with me all day AND made sure we sat next to each other on the Big Bad Wolf.  Made my day times ten.

Also, in the span of 4 days I received not one, but TWO 11's in the game Jim Bag, Ace and I play.  Boom.  That's domination.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, you need to.

Matthew 6:33

Wayne