Easter 2006

Our home church, Forest Park Baptist Church, does a passion play every year at Easter. Its very good. I mean, seriously, good. And, as I watched Jesus getting nailed to the cross tonight, it occurred to me that I don't really ever care to see that again. It hurts. Emotionally, it is painful and inflammatory. As I watched it I was overwhelmed with the thought, not that He suffered that for me, but that I am not worthy of His sacrifice. So I prayed. I prayed that next time, I get the cross. The idea that I might be the recipient of that amazing grace is just so powerfully overwhelming that I can't imagine standing there and not screaming out, "TAKE ME INSTEAD!" The whole thing seems silly now, but the truth is that I love Jesus, and if it took my death on the cross to keep Him off the cross, I think I'd do it. I know, I know. It doesn't actually work that way, but you get the point. I'm not worthy. None of us are. And yet He came and suffered and died on our behalf. Holy Lord, that's AMAZING! Too amazing to accept, almost. Almost, but not quite. So I'll take the offer of free salvation, and I'll rejoice that I get to live in heaven forever, and I'll give every day of my life in ransom to the Master who bought my freedom. I am a slave to righteousness, slave to Jesus Christ, and praise God for that.

Fast Freedom is perhaps the suckiest ISP in the world. I can't tell you how much time I've wasted trying to use the 'net and getting jacked up by their inferior and infuriatingly sloppy, crappy, pathetic service. About two-thirds of the time I get a 'cannot find server' message. In fact, if you are reading this, its a miracle. I had an entirely different blog all typed up, but you're stuck with this dross instead since Fast Freedom flubbed up again. Sorry. Anyway, the second paragraph here is the tail end of what I had previously planned to post...

Sometimes this year I've felt like a mad scientist flipping a switch over some hacked together cadaver on a stormy night, and now I want to shout, "It's alive!" And truly, the BSU here at Missouri Southern came to life this year. Now as we prepare to take our first faltering steps into a future I hope is as bright as the Son we serve, we have been charged and challenged to apply ourselves to God's work with an abandon that I pray will lead to a greater revelation of God's glory on our campus and in our lives.

The Rules of SPEW

Just returned from our 'Spring Retreat.' Had about 30 students come and listen to John Kelsey from the University of Oklahoma BSU talk about discipleship, leadership and missions. We also played the first ever SPEW Tournament. SPEW (Sumo Pantyhose Egg Wrestling) is a sport I invented myself in a desperate attempt to think of something crazy fun for the students to do this weekend. Although it bears many similarities to previous incarnations of pantyhose sumo action, I believe it is original to the Missouri Southern BSU. By all reports our effort was a monumental success.

The Rules of SPEW:

1. Each combatant must 'pad up' on both back and front, thus making it difficult to break an egg on the torso and creating a true SPEW challenge.
2. Each combatant will place a whole, uncracked and unboiled, egg in the toe of a thigh-high pantyhose.
3. Each combatant will 'armor up' by placing the pantyhose over the whole of their head.
4. The combatants square off in an arena defined by mutual agreement. (Having definite borders, a la sumo, forces combatants to engage in meaningful combat.)
5. The referee will ask both combatants if the are ready to SPEW, and begins the match.
6. During the match the use of the hand to commence the swinging of the egg is acceptable, but use of the arms is otherwise prohibited. Should a combatant use their hands or arms to guide their egg into their opponent, such a move will be ruled a foul and the match will be halted and begun anew.
7. The victor is determined when the first egg breaks. If it is broken on the opponent, this is victory. If it is broken in any other way, (i.e., it cracks on the floor, or the referee, or their own body, et cet.) the combatant is disqualified and the opponent is the victor.
8. Although sparring is encouraged, no official SPEW match shall take place apart from the present of a third party referee.
9. SPEW recognizes no inherent advantage in either sex, therefore there shall be no provision made for male-only or female-only tournaments. Although such tournaments may occur, coed SPEW is acceptable and encouraged.

As for our first tournament, Clayton 'Crusher' Carnahan defeated Jordan Wendland for the championship. There were 16 entries, the first round was a best-of-3 match, and the final was over in seconds when Clayton abolutely CRUSHED his egg on the side of Jordan's head. It may have been the hardest hit of the night. Ironically, Clayton and Jordan are roommates in the MoSo dorms. So, pull on your pantyhose and fight like a man!!!