My NFL Week 11 Power Rankings
M.D. Wright
11.11.08
1. New York Football Giants. Yes, the Titans are undefeated, but they are reading their own press clippings and teams are gunning for them. They have come close to losing (but haven't, so give them credit). The Giants have the best rushing attack and no one can touch that, along with the best offensive line in the NFL. They are also the most well-rounded/complete team in the NFL. The Titans are not going to be able to pass the ball when they need to in the playoffs with Collins. The Giants have proven they can (seek 2007 Playoffs).
2. Tennessee Titans. They are 9-0. But this isn't New England 9-0 (neither because they aren't cheaters but it is an uninspiring 9-0, they're not destroying anyone, and they've eeked out their last three wins). They run the ball nearly as well as the Giants and Falcons, and have an EXCELLENT defense, but Collins is STILL their QB. He's going to kill them like he killed us in 2000 in the Super Bowl.
3. Atlanta Falcons. They go this high because they are consistent. Yes, they have three losses, but one of them was directly attributed to the refs (vs. PHI). They don't make mistakes and Michael Turner and Roddy White are playing out of their minds. I thought Ryan was NFL-ready because of the pro-style offense he ran at BC. Trust me, as an FSU fan, I saw it first-hand. The Falcons are no fluke. Mike Vick just did 10 more sets as I typed this paragraph.
4. Carolina Panthers. Jake Delhomme was due for that stinker of a performance vs. OAK (7-27, 72 yds, 4 INT). Although I didn't think he would play THAT bad, he's got one of those in him every 4-5 games. This is why people are not completely sold on them... yet.
5. New York Football Jets. Hey, I'm playing Cee-Lo here. Part of this ranking is banking on their momentum carrying them to a win over New England and sole possession of the AFC East, 10 games into the season. Who saw that coming? The Jets are like a wave in Hawaii in regards to their yearly records. Go back and look at their records from 1995-present.
6. Arizona Cardinals. I don't care if they didn't blow out the 49ers like Vegas wanted (or myself) but they won, and that's all that matters. They have a 4-game lead in the NFC West and are very good. If they win consistently on the road, then you can be convinced.
7. Washington Redskins. Campbell is looking shaky, and I think Portis has peaked for the season.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers. I am reaching by even putting them this high. They stink when they play good defensive teams. All three of their losses came against fast defenses. Doesn't that spell doom for them?
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ... but you can't discard them.
10. Indianapolis Colts.
11. New England Patriots. You cannot put New England ahead of Indianapolis just based off records. The Colts beat the Patriots head to head and the Patriots are doing it with smoke and mirrors. Smoke and mirror teams don't win. Ask Green Bay last year.
12. Baltimore Ravens. I was tempted to put them at 7, but that will depend upon how they play vs. the Giants this Sunday.
13. Miami Dolphins. WILDCAT OFFENSE!!!
14. Chicago Bears. Hey, even Rex Grossman is playing well right now. The Bears very well could have beaten Tennessee last week.
15. Philadelphia Eagles. They better find out who they are ASAP, because finesse football never wins in the NFC East.
16. Buffalo Bills. They stink right now. Dick Jauron blew the game early on by not challenging a play that would have at least held the Patriots to a FG on their opening drive. It's the little things like that which have kept Jauron from winning and the Bills from getting over the 7-9/8-8 hump.
17. San Diego Chargers. You keep waiting for them to go on a run, but until they play better defensively (obviously NOT Ted Cottrell's fault, but none of his defenses have ever been great, now that I think of it), they aren't going to do anything but win the AFC West with an 8-8 record.
18. Minnesota Vikings. They are always alive with Adrian Peterson and always on the verge of being KILLED by Gus Frerotte's age and INTs/fumbles.
19. Dallas Cowboys. Hard to justify putting them any higher than this. If they lose to Washington on Monday Night they are DONE.
20. Denver Broncos. Their defense is a SIEVE. That, plus Cutler will have off days and they are not going to win more than 7 games. I had them at 6 preseason, so they are overachieving.
21. Green Bay Packers. They score on defense more than on offense it seems. That's not good in the NFL and it's not good as I have Aaron Rodgers in Fantasy Football.
22. New Orleans Saints. The Saints are like the 2003 Rams or something.
23. Jacksonville Jaguars. They finally came back to life after a bizarre week where the best LB on the team gets sent home over nonsense and then brought back before the game. ???
24. Houston Texans. I have given up on them.
25. San Francisco 49ers. Hey, Singletary has them fighting. Just last week he said "you can't play with 'em, can't coach with 'em, can't win with 'em... CAN'T DO IT!"
26. Cleveland Browns. What can Brown do for Romeo Crennel? Ship his boxes back to Richmond or East Rutherford, or wherever he plans to go after getting fired at the end of this season.
27. Cincinnati Bengals. *Hocks and spits on logo*
28. St. Louis Rams. Right when you think they are building, they get smacked by the other New York team. They have given up 88 points to the Giants and JETS in two games.
29. Seattle Seahawks. Sorry to see you go out like this, Mike (not really, I hate Green Bay).
30. Kansas City Chiefs. You go for 2 at the end of the game when you're down 1 because YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!!! HELLO!!!
31. Oakland Raiders. They showed a pulse this week, hanging with the Panthers whose quarterback actually looked worse than JaMarcus Russell did the previous week (which is VERY HARD TO DO IN THE NFL).
32. Detroit Lions. 0-16 and drafting... you guessed it, ANOTHER WR #1 overall in the 2009 Draft -- Michael Crabtree. Who could make this up???
As politically incorrect as I wanna be.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
ESPN's Week 11 Power Rankings
ESPN's Week 11 Power Rankings
1 (1) Titans 9-0-0 Has a team ever set franchise records for most rushing yards in a game and fewest in a game within four games? The Titans nearly did. They had to throw to beat the Bears and they did, to great effect. (PK)
2 (2) Giants 8-1-0 This is a Super Bowl team. No way anyone in East catches the Giants. (MM)
3 (4) Panthers 7-2-0 Survived a challenge from the mighty Raiders. Next up: Detroit. Panthers have to load up on wins before schedule turns tough. (PY)
4 (3) Steelers 6-3-0 "Big Ben" is struggling, and so are the Steelers. Suddenly Pittsburgh has dropped two of three. (JW)
5 (5) Redskins 6-3-0 They need Clinton Portis to play Sunday. He'll answer the bell. (MM)
6 (7) Buccaneers 6-3-0 Bucs should be pretty healthy coming off the bye, and they might have Cadillac Williams back. But Adrian Peterson will be most talked-about runner in Tampa this week. (PY)
7 (12) Patriots 6-3-0 The Patriots keep marching forward. Matt Cassel has established himself as more than a proxy for Tom Brady. He's a legit NFL starter. (TG)
8 (10) Falcons 6-3-0 Still think they're a fluke? The Falcons seem to get better every single week. (PY)
9 (11) Jets 6-3-0 The Jets' defense is among the NFL's elite. The Jets stop the run, sack the quarterback and create huge turnovers. (TG)
10 (15) Colts 5-4-0 The Colts impressed with back-to-back wins over New England and Pittsburgh, results that could be monumental when wild cards are sorted out. (PK)
11 (8) Cardinals 6-3-0 Sloppy play wasn't enough to cost the Cardinals against the 49ers, but Arizona must improve. (MS)
12 (13) Ravens 6-3-0 Is this an offense-first team or a defense-first team? The Ravens are averaging 33.5 points the past four games. (JW)
13 (6) Eagles 5-4-0 Now 0-3 in the division. And that game against the Giants wasn't as close as the score indicated. (MM)
14 (9) Bears 5-4-0 Even Rex Grossman would fare well against the Bears' pass defense. (KS)
15 (17) Dolphins 5-4-0 The Dolphins escaped with a 21-19 victory over the Seahawks in their first of three straight home games. Dolphins have won three in a row for first time since 2006. (TG)
16 (19) Cowboys 5-4-0 The bye week couldn't have come at a better time. Tony Romo should give them a big lift. (MM)
17 (14) Bills 5-4-0 They've lost three straight divisional games and four of their past five overall. An advantage they have is one more "home" game than every other AFC East team -- except they're playing one in Toronto. (TG)
18 (20) Vikings 5-4-0 Minnesota faces a tough task this week in Tampa Bay, where the Vikings haven't won since 1997. (KS)
19 (22) Broncos 5-4-0 The Broncos are battered on defense and they have no running game. But they do have Jay Cutler. Will it be enough? (BW)
20 (21) Chargers 4-5-0 The Chargers were lucky to beat the Chiefs on Sunday. They'll need more than luck to beat Pittsburgh this Sunday. (BW)
21 (16) Packers 4-5-0 Something is missing this season in Green Bay. (KS)
22 (23) Jaguars 4-5-0 The Jags go from facing winless Detroit to undefeated Tennessee in the span of a week. With the likelihood of a playoff berth fading, the Jags handing the Titans their first loss could be a season-maker. (PK)
23 (18) Saints 4-5-0 Injuries keep piling up and it seems like the Saints are on the brink of having their season fall apart. But they do have a trip to Kansas City. (PY)
24 (24) Browns 3-6-0 Despite its season going down the drain, Cleveland has some solace: Brady Quinn shows great promise. (JW)
25 (25) Texans 3-6-0 The Texans just haven't figured out how to hold onto the ball. Odds are their best chance to beat the Colts came in the first matchup, when they folded late and gave the game away. (PK)
26 (28) 49ers 2-7-0 Offensive adjustments seemed to make the 49ers more competitive, a positive step despite MNF defeat. (MS)
27 (27) Seahawks 2-7-0 Seahawks must emphasize running game even after Matt Hasselbeck returns. (MS)
28 (26) Rams 2-7-0 Last two games offset any progress the Rams made in their first two games under Jim Haslett. (MS)
29 (31) Chiefs 1-8-0 One of these days the Chiefs are going to win another game. Really. We think. (BW)
30 (29) Bengals 1-8-0 The bye gave Cincinnati two weeks to celebrate its first victory. But how long will it take to get win No. 2? (JW)
31 (30) Raiders 2-7-0 It's been three weeks since Oakland last scored a touchdown. It's also been three weeks since Oakland won a game. (BW)
32 (32) Lions 0-9-0 Who will the Lions call out of retirement this week? Eric Hipple? (KS)
1 (1) Titans 9-0-0 Has a team ever set franchise records for most rushing yards in a game and fewest in a game within four games? The Titans nearly did. They had to throw to beat the Bears and they did, to great effect. (PK)
2 (2) Giants 8-1-0 This is a Super Bowl team. No way anyone in East catches the Giants. (MM)
3 (4) Panthers 7-2-0 Survived a challenge from the mighty Raiders. Next up: Detroit. Panthers have to load up on wins before schedule turns tough. (PY)
4 (3) Steelers 6-3-0 "Big Ben" is struggling, and so are the Steelers. Suddenly Pittsburgh has dropped two of three. (JW)
5 (5) Redskins 6-3-0 They need Clinton Portis to play Sunday. He'll answer the bell. (MM)
6 (7) Buccaneers 6-3-0 Bucs should be pretty healthy coming off the bye, and they might have Cadillac Williams back. But Adrian Peterson will be most talked-about runner in Tampa this week. (PY)
7 (12) Patriots 6-3-0 The Patriots keep marching forward. Matt Cassel has established himself as more than a proxy for Tom Brady. He's a legit NFL starter. (TG)
8 (10) Falcons 6-3-0 Still think they're a fluke? The Falcons seem to get better every single week. (PY)
9 (11) Jets 6-3-0 The Jets' defense is among the NFL's elite. The Jets stop the run, sack the quarterback and create huge turnovers. (TG)
10 (15) Colts 5-4-0 The Colts impressed with back-to-back wins over New England and Pittsburgh, results that could be monumental when wild cards are sorted out. (PK)
11 (8) Cardinals 6-3-0 Sloppy play wasn't enough to cost the Cardinals against the 49ers, but Arizona must improve. (MS)
12 (13) Ravens 6-3-0 Is this an offense-first team or a defense-first team? The Ravens are averaging 33.5 points the past four games. (JW)
13 (6) Eagles 5-4-0 Now 0-3 in the division. And that game against the Giants wasn't as close as the score indicated. (MM)
14 (9) Bears 5-4-0 Even Rex Grossman would fare well against the Bears' pass defense. (KS)
15 (17) Dolphins 5-4-0 The Dolphins escaped with a 21-19 victory over the Seahawks in their first of three straight home games. Dolphins have won three in a row for first time since 2006. (TG)
16 (19) Cowboys 5-4-0 The bye week couldn't have come at a better time. Tony Romo should give them a big lift. (MM)
17 (14) Bills 5-4-0 They've lost three straight divisional games and four of their past five overall. An advantage they have is one more "home" game than every other AFC East team -- except they're playing one in Toronto. (TG)
18 (20) Vikings 5-4-0 Minnesota faces a tough task this week in Tampa Bay, where the Vikings haven't won since 1997. (KS)
19 (22) Broncos 5-4-0 The Broncos are battered on defense and they have no running game. But they do have Jay Cutler. Will it be enough? (BW)
20 (21) Chargers 4-5-0 The Chargers were lucky to beat the Chiefs on Sunday. They'll need more than luck to beat Pittsburgh this Sunday. (BW)
21 (16) Packers 4-5-0 Something is missing this season in Green Bay. (KS)
22 (23) Jaguars 4-5-0 The Jags go from facing winless Detroit to undefeated Tennessee in the span of a week. With the likelihood of a playoff berth fading, the Jags handing the Titans their first loss could be a season-maker. (PK)
23 (18) Saints 4-5-0 Injuries keep piling up and it seems like the Saints are on the brink of having their season fall apart. But they do have a trip to Kansas City. (PY)
24 (24) Browns 3-6-0 Despite its season going down the drain, Cleveland has some solace: Brady Quinn shows great promise. (JW)
25 (25) Texans 3-6-0 The Texans just haven't figured out how to hold onto the ball. Odds are their best chance to beat the Colts came in the first matchup, when they folded late and gave the game away. (PK)
26 (28) 49ers 2-7-0 Offensive adjustments seemed to make the 49ers more competitive, a positive step despite MNF defeat. (MS)
27 (27) Seahawks 2-7-0 Seahawks must emphasize running game even after Matt Hasselbeck returns. (MS)
28 (26) Rams 2-7-0 Last two games offset any progress the Rams made in their first two games under Jim Haslett. (MS)
29 (31) Chiefs 1-8-0 One of these days the Chiefs are going to win another game. Really. We think. (BW)
30 (29) Bengals 1-8-0 The bye gave Cincinnati two weeks to celebrate its first victory. But how long will it take to get win No. 2? (JW)
31 (30) Raiders 2-7-0 It's been three weeks since Oakland last scored a touchdown. It's also been three weeks since Oakland won a game. (BW)
32 (32) Lions 0-9-0 Who will the Lions call out of retirement this week? Eric Hipple? (KS)
Bailouts? Hmmm...
Bailouts? Hmmm...
M.D. Wright
11.11.08
I don't know how I feel about this. Of course we, the taxpaying public, have to foot the bill for all the predatory and immoral lending that banks, mortgage loan companies and credit card institutions engaged themselves in. When I was little, you couldn't even THINK about getting a line of credit, buying a house for more than double your income or buy a car that cost 30% of your take home pay (which has become very commonplace) unless your credit score was pushing 800, you were white and had plenty of collateral. Now, a homeless person can get a $50,000 line of credit with no questions asked.
I have watched several people (first-hand) acquire a mortgage on a $200,000+ house and they were making less than $50,000 a year (with several thousand in other debts, mind you). I don't get it. How does this happen?
Meanwhile, throughout the 90s, people just became more and more loose with their spending, eventually resorting to running up credit cards and lines of credit, taking out second mortgages on their homes and robbing themselves of their 401(k)s and other savings. Now, a lot of those same people are being foreclosed upon. It's sad.
I sat and watched with my Real Estate buddies around 2000-2001 and we all shook our collective heads (pause) at the people who were getting ARMs (Adjustable Rate Mortgages) and Interest-Only loans on houses. While the market is good and property values increase (and while there is relatively little variance in the FED rate and mortgage companies being bought out -- as is customary), this is a moderate-risk, potentially high-reward venture. When the Housing Market bubble began to lose air around 2002, 2003, then those people (if they were wise, they would have prepared at the time) began to pay exorbitant mortgage payments, in some cases QUADRUPLING what they were previously paying while the Housing Boom was taking place. In other words, you had people paying $900/mo. on a mortgage, paying, in some cases, nearly $3,000/mo. Naturally, as many middle class families are, they were close to the break-even point when they signed the mortgage, so such a swing would kill their wallets.
Likewise, with credit cards. Everyone had 3-5 credit cards in 2000. Many with over $7,500 balances (yours truly included, although I was debt-free in 2003 and again ran up thousands in business and education debts later... along with the purchase and subsequent blind costs of owning a brand new Nissan 350Z at the time). Most figured as long as they were working, they'd be fine. Not true. Just like the housing situation, as long as the economy is good, there's no problem. When the minimum payment due increase took place in February 2006, the minimum payment tripled for many people who were already in the red.
Credit crunch + Housing Crash = COMPLETE DOMINATION when you are living check to check.
All I know is I want a bailout for all this student loan debt and credit cards, since General Motors, AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Circuit City (and probably Starbuck's with their 97% losses in the 3Q) along with any other company that did not make their outrageous "bottom line" by bending everyone over with their crazy prices and moving jobs overseas. Do not get me started. I feel very strongly about this.
I feel no pity for these companies who have made a living from getting over on consumers by predatory and reckless lending.
In the midst of all this, the New York MTA is claiming losses (huge shock), even though rideship is up, more than ever -- up from an already skyrocketing number since July 2006 -- and therefore they think raising fares again. What is it going to be now? $2.50/ride? $6 for the express? $12 for the Verrazano? When I first started college, the train was $1.50. Perspective. When I was 9 and we still used tokens and what not, it was 75¢!!!
I WANT MY BAILOUT SO I CAN WIPE MY DEBTS CLEAN, BARACK OBAMA!!!
M.D. Wright
11.11.08
I don't know how I feel about this. Of course we, the taxpaying public, have to foot the bill for all the predatory and immoral lending that banks, mortgage loan companies and credit card institutions engaged themselves in. When I was little, you couldn't even THINK about getting a line of credit, buying a house for more than double your income or buy a car that cost 30% of your take home pay (which has become very commonplace) unless your credit score was pushing 800, you were white and had plenty of collateral. Now, a homeless person can get a $50,000 line of credit with no questions asked.
I have watched several people (first-hand) acquire a mortgage on a $200,000+ house and they were making less than $50,000 a year (with several thousand in other debts, mind you). I don't get it. How does this happen?
Meanwhile, throughout the 90s, people just became more and more loose with their spending, eventually resorting to running up credit cards and lines of credit, taking out second mortgages on their homes and robbing themselves of their 401(k)s and other savings. Now, a lot of those same people are being foreclosed upon. It's sad.
I sat and watched with my Real Estate buddies around 2000-2001 and we all shook our collective heads (pause) at the people who were getting ARMs (Adjustable Rate Mortgages) and Interest-Only loans on houses. While the market is good and property values increase (and while there is relatively little variance in the FED rate and mortgage companies being bought out -- as is customary), this is a moderate-risk, potentially high-reward venture. When the Housing Market bubble began to lose air around 2002, 2003, then those people (if they were wise, they would have prepared at the time) began to pay exorbitant mortgage payments, in some cases QUADRUPLING what they were previously paying while the Housing Boom was taking place. In other words, you had people paying $900/mo. on a mortgage, paying, in some cases, nearly $3,000/mo. Naturally, as many middle class families are, they were close to the break-even point when they signed the mortgage, so such a swing would kill their wallets.
Likewise, with credit cards. Everyone had 3-5 credit cards in 2000. Many with over $7,500 balances (yours truly included, although I was debt-free in 2003 and again ran up thousands in business and education debts later... along with the purchase and subsequent blind costs of owning a brand new Nissan 350Z at the time). Most figured as long as they were working, they'd be fine. Not true. Just like the housing situation, as long as the economy is good, there's no problem. When the minimum payment due increase took place in February 2006, the minimum payment tripled for many people who were already in the red.
Credit crunch + Housing Crash = COMPLETE DOMINATION when you are living check to check.
All I know is I want a bailout for all this student loan debt and credit cards, since General Motors, AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Circuit City (and probably Starbuck's with their 97% losses in the 3Q) along with any other company that did not make their outrageous "bottom line" by bending everyone over with their crazy prices and moving jobs overseas. Do not get me started. I feel very strongly about this.
I feel no pity for these companies who have made a living from getting over on consumers by predatory and reckless lending.
In the midst of all this, the New York MTA is claiming losses (huge shock), even though rideship is up, more than ever -- up from an already skyrocketing number since July 2006 -- and therefore they think raising fares again. What is it going to be now? $2.50/ride? $6 for the express? $12 for the Verrazano? When I first started college, the train was $1.50. Perspective. When I was 9 and we still used tokens and what not, it was 75¢!!!
I WANT MY BAILOUT SO I CAN WIPE MY DEBTS CLEAN, BARACK OBAMA!!!
Disobedience Has Consequences
Disobedience Has Consequences
Jeremiah 7:13-15
"And now, because you have done all these things,' declares the Lord, "and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you but you did not answer, therefore, . . . I will cast you out of My sight . . ."
Remember Lot's Wife
While God was gracious enough to rescue her from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, she dared to look back, and lost her life because of it. Her looking back was a sign of dissatisfaction with what God had provided. She was willing to obey Him, but she still had a place in her heart for her old sinful life. This is a slap in God's face, and in a way, a rejection of Him and of the salvation He was offering to her. We need to obey Him, and be happy with it, because He truly has our best interests at heart, and our circumstances will always be better when we choose to follow His commands.
Sometimes, we don't obey Him because it will make us uncomfortable
In the first four verses of 2 Timothy chapter 4, Paul warns Timothy, a young church leader, to preach the truth, even if the recipients of the message don't want to hear it. In verse three, he says: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth . . . "
Paul obviously is implying that these believers who want their ears tickled are not pleasing God, and if you and I truly wish to please God, we need to be willing to hear Him speak, even if He is speaking through a fellow believer, and even if it hurts to hear it. The truth of the matter is that God never called us to be comfortable. According to 2 Corinthians 4-5, any comfort we get comes from Him. We are called to glorify Him with our lives, a task which will often require us to step out of our comfort zones.
Experiencing Him should cause us to want to obey Him
Peter was an apostle who, as you may know, messed up several times during the time Jesus was walking the earth. He cut off a guard's ear. He lost faith while walking on water, and had to be rescued by Jesus' hand. And, of course, he denied association with Jesus just before the Crucifixion. When listing all of Peter's bonehead moves, however, it is interesting to note that none of them occur after the Resurrection. That is, once Peter had seen the risen Christ, he was all of a sudden able to keep his eye on the prize. He had singleness of purpose, and could no longer let his own will get in the way of doing God's will.
If you have a difficult time obeying the Lord's voice, you should consider that maybe you have not really experienced Him. Not that you aren't saved, but that you haven't been in a place where you truly connected with God. Once you have, you will never be the same, and obedience will come easier for you, just as it did for Peter. The idea of how to cross this line is beyond the scope of this little lesson, but I recommend Henry Blackaby's book Experiencing God for more on this.
Jeremiah 7:13-15
"And now, because you have done all these things,' declares the Lord, "and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you but you did not answer, therefore, . . . I will cast you out of My sight . . ."
Remember Lot's Wife
While God was gracious enough to rescue her from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, she dared to look back, and lost her life because of it. Her looking back was a sign of dissatisfaction with what God had provided. She was willing to obey Him, but she still had a place in her heart for her old sinful life. This is a slap in God's face, and in a way, a rejection of Him and of the salvation He was offering to her. We need to obey Him, and be happy with it, because He truly has our best interests at heart, and our circumstances will always be better when we choose to follow His commands.
Sometimes, we don't obey Him because it will make us uncomfortable
In the first four verses of 2 Timothy chapter 4, Paul warns Timothy, a young church leader, to preach the truth, even if the recipients of the message don't want to hear it. In verse three, he says: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth . . . "
Paul obviously is implying that these believers who want their ears tickled are not pleasing God, and if you and I truly wish to please God, we need to be willing to hear Him speak, even if He is speaking through a fellow believer, and even if it hurts to hear it. The truth of the matter is that God never called us to be comfortable. According to 2 Corinthians 4-5, any comfort we get comes from Him. We are called to glorify Him with our lives, a task which will often require us to step out of our comfort zones.
Experiencing Him should cause us to want to obey Him
Peter was an apostle who, as you may know, messed up several times during the time Jesus was walking the earth. He cut off a guard's ear. He lost faith while walking on water, and had to be rescued by Jesus' hand. And, of course, he denied association with Jesus just before the Crucifixion. When listing all of Peter's bonehead moves, however, it is interesting to note that none of them occur after the Resurrection. That is, once Peter had seen the risen Christ, he was all of a sudden able to keep his eye on the prize. He had singleness of purpose, and could no longer let his own will get in the way of doing God's will.
If you have a difficult time obeying the Lord's voice, you should consider that maybe you have not really experienced Him. Not that you aren't saved, but that you haven't been in a place where you truly connected with God. Once you have, you will never be the same, and obedience will come easier for you, just as it did for Peter. The idea of how to cross this line is beyond the scope of this little lesson, but I recommend Henry Blackaby's book Experiencing God for more on this.
When & How To Terminate A Relationship - Part V
When & How To Terminate A Relationship - Part V
Neil Clark Warren
eHarmony.com
Over the past four articles we've been examining relationship termination. There is no way for a good person to feel pleased when it's time to end a relationship with someone they like, especially if it's clear that they really like you.
But in order to marry the right person, you need to avoid marrying the wrong person. That means understanding when a relationship isn't going to work and ending it.
As a quick review, here are the points I've touched on previously.
If you have doubts, set a six-month limit to make a decision.
Some problems require an immediate termination of the relationship.
Understand the importance of chemistry to a relationship.
Assess your ambivalence.
In the final installment we look at your enthusiasm.
Idea Number Five
The fifth area that I want to talk to you about is when there is a low level of certainty about the wisdom of investing more of yourself in the relationship. You just aren't sure at all that this is the right relationship for you.
"She's a nice person, he's a nice guy, and you know, I like his mother, I like her mother, and they have a really nice family and he's always been very kind and considerate to me but I don't know, I just don't get excited about it." You've got a kind of a low level of drive.
Making a marriage work takes energy – boy does it take energy! You've got to fill your energy tank on a frequent basis, and the more natural it is the better off you are.
If you need to fill your energy tank and work hard just to understand the other person or work hard to feel good about the other person, that's tough. So if you have kind of a low level of energy in relation to another person, here's what I'd suggest. I would suggest that you go see someone like myself, a psychologist, who's been at it for a long time and who can see you for five sessions. All I want you to do is see this person for five sessions.
Don't make a career of seeing this person, and here's what I'd like you to talk about. I'd like you to say, "Here's what I like about this other person and here's what I don't like about this other person." My suspicion is that, on this low level of energy, your list will be short on both sides. There will be some things you like, but not very many. There will be some things you don't like, but not very many.
It's kind of like you just don't have much drive to be with them. The big questions I would ask you are these:
"What would it be like five years from now if you say no to this person right now?"
"What do you think you would look back and feel?"
If you say, "You know, I think I'll look back and say, I think he was a good person, and I know that she's married now, but I don't think I'd have many regrets," there's your answer.
How long would you go with this nice person? How long would you go with this low level of interest? I'd say again, six months or so if you want to. I mean, when you get married, make sure it's a big emotional thing for you. Make sure that you just love this person so much. Marylyn and I were in different parts of the country during parts of our courtship and I can still remember that everything about my mind was on her.
I was in the east going to graduate school and Marylyn was in the west, a stewardess for an airline. We wrote to each other two full typewritten pages every day, and I would look out the window of the classroom I was in, waiting for that mailman to come because I could just not wait to get her letters. That energy has served me well. Her energy was similar and served her well through these long years of our marriage. That's what I want for you: Plenty of energy in the relationship.
Well, those are the five ideas. Remember this: The likelihood is, if a relationship is going to get good, it will get good early on because ultimately most relationships get good pretty early and you have a little bit of a tough time holding on to the goodness over the years. If the relationship takes quite a while before it gets good, it's quite an unusual relationship. Six months is probably long enough to wait.
Neil Clark Warren
eHarmony.com
Over the past four articles we've been examining relationship termination. There is no way for a good person to feel pleased when it's time to end a relationship with someone they like, especially if it's clear that they really like you.
But in order to marry the right person, you need to avoid marrying the wrong person. That means understanding when a relationship isn't going to work and ending it.
As a quick review, here are the points I've touched on previously.
If you have doubts, set a six-month limit to make a decision.
Some problems require an immediate termination of the relationship.
Understand the importance of chemistry to a relationship.
Assess your ambivalence.
In the final installment we look at your enthusiasm.
Idea Number Five
The fifth area that I want to talk to you about is when there is a low level of certainty about the wisdom of investing more of yourself in the relationship. You just aren't sure at all that this is the right relationship for you.
"She's a nice person, he's a nice guy, and you know, I like his mother, I like her mother, and they have a really nice family and he's always been very kind and considerate to me but I don't know, I just don't get excited about it." You've got a kind of a low level of drive.
Making a marriage work takes energy – boy does it take energy! You've got to fill your energy tank on a frequent basis, and the more natural it is the better off you are.
If you need to fill your energy tank and work hard just to understand the other person or work hard to feel good about the other person, that's tough. So if you have kind of a low level of energy in relation to another person, here's what I'd suggest. I would suggest that you go see someone like myself, a psychologist, who's been at it for a long time and who can see you for five sessions. All I want you to do is see this person for five sessions.
Don't make a career of seeing this person, and here's what I'd like you to talk about. I'd like you to say, "Here's what I like about this other person and here's what I don't like about this other person." My suspicion is that, on this low level of energy, your list will be short on both sides. There will be some things you like, but not very many. There will be some things you don't like, but not very many.
It's kind of like you just don't have much drive to be with them. The big questions I would ask you are these:
"What would it be like five years from now if you say no to this person right now?"
"What do you think you would look back and feel?"
If you say, "You know, I think I'll look back and say, I think he was a good person, and I know that she's married now, but I don't think I'd have many regrets," there's your answer.
How long would you go with this nice person? How long would you go with this low level of interest? I'd say again, six months or so if you want to. I mean, when you get married, make sure it's a big emotional thing for you. Make sure that you just love this person so much. Marylyn and I were in different parts of the country during parts of our courtship and I can still remember that everything about my mind was on her.
I was in the east going to graduate school and Marylyn was in the west, a stewardess for an airline. We wrote to each other two full typewritten pages every day, and I would look out the window of the classroom I was in, waiting for that mailman to come because I could just not wait to get her letters. That energy has served me well. Her energy was similar and served her well through these long years of our marriage. That's what I want for you: Plenty of energy in the relationship.
Well, those are the five ideas. Remember this: The likelihood is, if a relationship is going to get good, it will get good early on because ultimately most relationships get good pretty early and you have a little bit of a tough time holding on to the goodness over the years. If the relationship takes quite a while before it gets good, it's quite an unusual relationship. Six months is probably long enough to wait.
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