God Is Bigger

On the trip to Beaumont (actually a little town called Fanetta 15 minutes south of Beaumont). We got to help a family who had just bought a house 4 months ago. The house was just about destroyed all around. FEMA told them they had too much debris to pick up. So they dug out a Olympic size pool of a hole. They threw all their trash, debris in there. Before it fills, burn it and then cover it. I lead a team of 9 including myself. Sunday afternoon as we got done helping this family. We saw something that really rocked out world. Once again, I personally was humbled and reminded of a awesome God we serve. The picture is simple, two verses that the family wrote on the remains of their house. But it spoke volumes to our group. That God is faithful and now matter how bad it gets. He is bigger than any storm that comes our way.

Tranquility in times of chaos.

Finding The Good

Whether your stuck in traffic, or you got bird poop on your shirt, and finally if nothing is going your way. Try to find the good among all that suckness. It may not even be the day. It may be a person, place, or thing(basically a noun). Regardless of you current situation or position. Rejoice in the Lord and be glad.

To be honest, I've been having a couple of crappy days. I wanted the spotlight on me and my sucky life(I don't have anything to complain about). To have all my injustices exposed. I recently realized I need to just sit back and see all God has done. Regardless of my current state of mind. So,I started to see the little things that make life worth wild! Like seeing a squirrel jump tree to tree, or watching kids play on a playground. The little things sometimes are the most profound, and calming forces we experience.

No matter how bad life is, I can still find some good. So as I enter another crappy day. I will no longer pout, and linger in sorrow for myself. I will simply find the nearest, simplest thing in the world to make me realize. It is good.

Remember God felt the same way about us. He saw the good in us.

Genesis 1:31
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

Southwest Division Preview

The southwest division is by far the deepest division in the NBA. Four of the five teams will mostly likely make the playoffs. Starting with the aging Spurs, can they squeeze out one more championship? The Hornets are on the rise with Chris Paul leading the way. Houston traded for Ron Artest, can he behave and bring a third ring to H-town? Dallas is in limbo with a new system, but can't be taken lightly. Lastly, Memphis is in rebuilding mode and has some nice young pieces to build around.


San Antonio Spurs- One healthy Ginobili from going to the finals? That may be true, but no need to look in the past. The Spurs are no longer the cream of the crop in the west. Ginobili is out till mid-December, the Spurs are getting close to ancient. Tony Parker(26) will continue to develop into a superstar point guard. Tim Duncan will still be solid on a nightly basis. Outside of that it's up in the air. The Spurs have almost the same team coming back. The new addition happen to be relatively young. Starting with Roger Mason(28) he will be expected with Finley to pick up the slack till Ginobili comes back. Rookie George Hill( 22,IUPUI) can he be a sufficient backup for Parker? With all that said the Spurs are very capable of bring a ring back to the Alamo city. But this is the last chance with this group. Expect a huge youth movement next summer.

New Orleans Hornets- Chris Paul will be in the running for MVP. David West is a great sidekick to Paul. Tyson Chandler is a great defensive presence. The addition of James Posey will help more than we know. The bench is a little thin especially for the front line. Peja Stojavokic and Mo Peterson will have the green light to shoot. This team is ready for the next step. Except that next step isn't the NBA Finals. Hornets are one year away from being in a title. They need to tune up their bench for that to happen.

Houston Rockets- Ron Artest makes the Rockets contenders. He brings defense, depth and size. Pair him with Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming and you have very dangerous trio. Not to mention utility man Luis Scola and a maturing Rafer Alston. Also a solid bench that includes Shane Battier, Carl Landry, and Brent Barry. This is considering the fact that Yao and T-mac stay healthy and Ron doesn't go loony. If that happens it will be the biggest choke in clutch city.

Dallas Mavericks- How long can Jason Kidd be able to hold up? Will Josh Howard behave and not say stupid things he will regret? Will Dirk Nowitzki regain his MVP form? A lot of question to answer. With new coach Rick Carisle the Mavs will run more and abandon their defensive approach. Jason Terry should come off the bench for a little punch. Brandon Bass should get ample time to continue his development. Dallas has a nice center tag team in DeSagana Diop and Erick Dampier. Overall this team team is good enough to make the playoffs and that's about it. Expect Mark Cuban to move players if things go sour in Big D.

Memphis Grizzlies- Memphis has a promising group of youngsters. Starting with Rudy Gay a All- Star in the making. Rookie O.J. Mayo(USC) is a gunner and smart player. Mike Conley has a year under is belt and should improve. Rookie Marc Gasol(Spain) Pau Gasol's younger brother has a lot of promise at the 5. The bench is almost not worth mention. Harrick Warrick should get more playing time. Marc Iavaroni has his work cut out for him. This season should get ugly in the lost column. But it will be a year that this young team can grow together. With a couple of moves to fill some voids. This team could be on the rise before you know it.

Pacific Division Preview

The Pacific has one legit contender in the L.A. Lakers, one playoff team and hopeful contender in the Phoenix Suns, and three teams that will be lucky to get a low playoff berth(Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, and L.A. Clippers).

Los Angeles Lakers- L.A. is stacked just having MVP Kobe Bryant gives you a chance. You add two 7-footers in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum and multi- talented 6-10 forward Lamar Odom. Not to mention the point guard tandem of Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar. The bench has talent has well Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton and Vladimir Radmanovic. The cherry on the top is that they have Phil Jackson coaching. However L.A. has some doubts. Starting with Kobe can he hold up from Finals play to Olympic play to a injured finger. One wrong move on his hand and the Lakers contention for a title is over. Another issue is will Odom come off the bench or be traded? Overall, if Kobe stays healthy and if Bynum and Gasol mix this team will be the favorites to win it all.

Los Angeles Clippers- Baron Davis has arrived, Elton Brand and Corey Maggette have departed. Marcus Camby is in to shore up the frontcourt with Chris Kaman. Keep an eye on youngsters Al Thornton, rookies Eric Gordon(Indiana) and DeAndre Jordan(Texas A&M) they good be very productive. Cuttino Mobley will be sufficient for now. The bench is full of players who can fill it up, but only from time to time. Mike Dunleavy is still there imagine that. The Clippers are intriguing team. If B-Diddy can stay healthy and focused. Also If Camby and Kaman can jell with the others. The Clippers making the playoffs should be a very real possibility.

Phoenix Suns- Terry Porter has just been given the keys to a team. At a crossroads, Steve Nash isn't getting younger(34) Shaquille O'neal(36) and Grant Hill(36) either. However Amare Stoudemire is a beast and should take advantage of playing next to the Big Diesel. Expect Amare to be the leading scorer for the Suns. Raja Bell is solid. Leandro Barbosa is still a blur, and Boris Diaw is still useful. Matt Barnes was a good pickup and should start, rookie Robin Lopez(Stanford) was a good pick. The question mark is rookie point guard Goran Dragic(Slovenia) and apparently heir to Nash. Porter has a good team, but they will need to mix the youth and veterans in order to be successful.

Golden State Warriors- Corey Maggette was a good pickup and should help with Baron Davis gone. Stephen Jackson is very productive. Monta Ellis is an idiot for the moped accident. It will hurt the team and his development at point guard. Brandan Wright should get more playing time. Ronny Turiaf will bring energy off the bench. Don Nelson will let the reins loose on offense and defense. But at the end of the day this team will fall short of the playoffs. On the positive side they should be fun to watch!

Sacramento Kings- With Ron Artest gone Kevin Martin is no doubt the guy in Sac-town. Beno Udrih showed that he can play and be productive on a nightly basis. John Salmons is very talented forward for a bad team. The Kings have a plethora of young forwards, rookie Donte Greene(Syracuse) rookie Jason Thompson(Rider) and 2ND year Spencer Hawes. Not to mention centers Brad Miller and Mikki Moore. Francisco Garcia is in for a big year. Other than that the Kings are in rebuilding mode and have some interesting pieces to build on. King fans should expect a long season, with a hopefully future.

Northwest Division Preview

Ahhh the great Northwest, where the air is crisp and nature is at it's best. This year the Northwest Division will be predictable, but will have plenty of surprises. Can Portland live up to the lofty expectations? Can the Jazz stay stay consist? The T-wolves have new players and a new mindset, Denver is still defenseless, and last but not least the Oklahoma City Thunder, enough said.

Portland Trailblazers- Greg Oden is back and ready to roll, Brandon Roy is a superstar in the making, and Nate McMillan is a hall fame coach in the making. The LaMarcus Aldridge is a stat stuffer, Travis Outlaw is quiet guy that does everything. The bench is full of fresh talented players Channing Frye, Rudy Fernandez(Spain), and rookie Jerryd Bayless(Arizona). Portland is can be scary good. They should be a shoe in for the playoffs. But like every young team. The Blazers will face some growing pains. In the future this team could be the next dynasty. The sky is the limit for these young Blazers.

Denver Nuggets- The Nuggets will no doubt be a offensive machine with A.I. and Melo leading the way. J.R. Smith can score at a rapid pace as well. The Nuggets traded Marcus Camby for cap space. Camby was the anchor of their defense. So can Nene and Kenyon Martin hold the fort down? The bench is average, nothing to get excited about. George Karl will be in the hot sit if the Nuggets go south quick. Denver is truly a talented team. But until they play defense. The Nuggets will get eliminated in the 1st round at best.

Utah Jazz- Utah has a great pick and roll combo in Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. Memo Okur spreads the defense with his 3pt shooting. Ronnie Brewer does the little things that have a huge impact. Anderi Kirilenko is a player of many talents. The bench is good with shooting specialist Kyle Korver, rebounding and low post play Paul Millsap, and veteran leadership in Matt Harpring. Not to mention some young talent. Jerry Sloan will get the best out of his team. But can they make it to the finals. Anything short of the finals would be a failure.

Minnesota Timberwolves- This team could be a sleeper for a 7 or 8 seed in the playoffs. Al Jefferson is explosive center on the rise. Rookie Kevin Love(UCLA) should be a great complement to Jefferson. The T-wolves got Mike Miller in the Mayo Love swap. Miller should keep defenses honest. Miller also gives Minny a another scorer. The bench is full of good solid players Ryan Gomes, Rashard McCants, and Craig Smith. Minny has a lot of talent and could be a surprise to the league.

Oklahoma City Thunder- Why the Thunder they couldn't think of a better name? Anyways, off my soap box. Kevin Durant is a scorer, but can he play some D. Jeff Green is a really talented utility guy. Rookie Russell Westbrook(UCLA) is a project on converting to a shooting guard to point guard. Nick Collision is undersized but hustles. Chris Wilcox is up and down. The bench is a project as well. The Thunder have a lot of work to do. One thing they should pursue are some veterans to shore up the bench. However I don't see the Thunder striking for awhile.

Think Different

No need to worry I will have my postings. Over the Western Conference by next week. But, in the mean time. I will be blogging about something outside the realm of sports.

My brother came into town the on Wednesday. As he got home he came in to show me a video. He saw in one of his classes. That he thought I would like. The title of the video was Think Different it was a apple commercial. It was actually pretty good, it had people. Who "thought different" which included Bob Dylan, Martin Luther King Jr, and Amelia Earhart to name a few. Here's the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No1MxAnHuJM&feature=related

As I watched again that night .I thought to myself Christians "think different" we try to be of God and not of the world. Thanks captain obvious, but I mean we really do. Jesus was always the black eye- pea of the bunch. Jesus never settled for the standards of the world. Jesus loved those who were casted out as useless, stupid and so on. Jesus conquer sin no matter the obstacle. Jesus remained focused on his Father's work on earth.

I sat there absorbing all this information. On how I strive to be different for myself. Imagine if we all strive to "think different" in terms of God's standards. For the standards of God are completely different then of the worlds.

So Let's Think Different!
Let's Be Guided By The Light!
In This Dark World

Southest Division Preview

The weakest division in the East conference. The Heat add rookie Micheal Beasley(Kansas State) and pair him with a healthy Dwyane Wade. North of Miami the Magic have a shaky team with Superman leading the way. Larry Brown got another gig in Charlotte with MJ!(not as a player)! The Hawks showed promise last year in the playoffs. Lastly, the defensive challenged Wizards, will Agent Zero play the number of games on his jersey?

Orlando Magic- Dwight Howard is a man child, he's super athletic, and a beast on the boards. However, he lacks a reliable go to move and a consist post game. Rashard Lewis can score and not much else, Hedo Turkoglu shined in this system and will continue to do so. Jameer Nelson is a great leader, but lacks a lot of qualities that a true point guard needs. The bench is thin up front and in the back court sub par at best. The Magic are a talented team, but they lack the ingredients to be considered contenders rigth now.


Atlanta Hawks- Al Horford is a undersized center, but showed he can hold his own. Horford will continue to improve. Josh Smith is very talented, but loses focus on little kiddie things. If he starts to mature watch out! Mike Bibby should benefit with a full training camp under his belt. Marvin Williams showed that he isn't a bust(yet). The bench is very thin, expect some trades to go down. To address some needs on the bench. Joe Johnson is the man on this team, he showed it against Boston. The really question for this team. Is can they stay focused and build off last years success.


Washington Wizards- Gilbert Arenas should shut up get over his injury and play. Because the Wiz just signed him to a fat contract(6 years 111 million) Antawn Jamison is a work horse, if only he had a reliable post up game. Caron Butler is the best player, because he plays both sides of the ball. The bench is solid, the Wiz problem is there commitment to defense. They can score with anyone that's for sure. But until they commit to the defensive side of the ball. The Wiz will receive plenty of 1st round exits, or worse be lottery bound.

Miami Heat- This team to me has enough talent to make some noise. Dwyane Wade is healthy and showed the world in the Olympics. Shawn Marion is in a contract year, which should be extra motivation for him to play well. Rookie Micheal Beasely(Kansas state) is a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year. The bench isn't is bad as people say. James Jones can play D, shoot the 3-ball. Udonis Haslem is a bulldog and does the little things. The only thing Heat lack are a center and a point guard. So the Heat will be playing center/point guard by committee. Heat have the talent it will on depend. On how they respond in pivotal games down the stretch. Oh yeah and their rookie head coach Ed Spolestra.


Charlotte Bobcats- Larry Brown is back, how will this new gig turn out? Emaka Okafor is underachieving and lacks a offensive game. Jason Ricardson is a scorer and nothing else. Gerald Wallace is a solid player. The point guard situation should get interesting, especially since Brown's in. The bench has a lot of young legs and inexperience. At the end of the day the Bobcats will be lucky to have a glance at a playoff berth. What can Brown do for you? Should be fun!

Central Division Preview

The central division is going to be interesting. LeBron James can he keep his play up? Can the Pistons finally win in the conference finals? Can number 1 pick Derrick Rose(Memphis) help the Bulls? Will the Pacers and Bucks go beyond potential playoff bottom feeders?


Detriot Pistions- In Motown the Pistons will be rolling. The starting lineup is still the same, except for one new addition. Coach Mike Curry says Antonio McDyess will be coming off the bench. Which should help the Pistons depth. Expect Amir Johnson to start at the 5 or 4. The Pistons bench has a great balance of veterans and young guns. Rodney Stuckey should have a solid season, especially if he gets more minutes. The only thing that's holding this team back is themselves. So we shall see how they react in late April

Cleveland Cavaliers- LeBron James is "superhuman" not only did he get better. King James is still growing? To a 6"9 260 small forward, who can do just about anything. The Cavs are a good team, but not great. Their defense is solid, but their offense is a joke. Their offense runs through LBJ, but they rely on him to much. Everyone else just sits their and watches. The acquisition of Mo Williams should help a little. I'm not sold on this deal, Mo is a good player but, can he handle a offense in dire need of production outside of James? The front court is either old or offensively challenged. Once again, it looks like LBJ will have at best minimum help. Danny Ferry better be working those phones,2010 isn't far away.

Chicago Bulls- Derrick Rose was selected #1 overall in the 2008 draft. Rose is a fine point guard, but he doesn't address the hugely obvious need. Micheal Beasley(Kansas State)
would of had a bigger impact in the windy city. They have most of their roster coming back. They also have a rookie coach in Vinny Del Negro. Don't be surprised to see trades with the plethora of young talent they have. Rose may be a good player. But he doesn't score in the post. Until Chicago gets a post presence, getting a 7th or 8th seed in the playoffs is over achieving.

Indiana Pacers- Jermaine O'neal is finally gone, Jammal Tinsley is on his way out. In comes rookies Brandon Rush(Kansas) Roy Hibbert(Georgetown) and veterans T.J. Ford, Jarrett Jack, and Rasho Nesterovic. Danny Granger is a future all-star, Mike Dunleavy is playing solid ball. The bench is above average. Jim O'Brien is a underrated coach. Making the playoffs is a possibility this year.

Milwaukee Bucks- The Bucks got a coach in Scott Skies. Skies will preach defense all year long. Sadly, the Bucks will not respond to his intense defense approach. However, Richard Jefferson should help the Bucks. Joe Alexander(West Virgina) is a tough cookie, a talented one too. Michael Redd is a marksman not much else. Bogut is ok, nothing special. The Bucks had some good pickups during the off season. But their lack of focus on the defensive side and chronic injuries should derail this team to the lottery.

Atlantic Division Preview

The start of the NBA season is approximately 20 days 55 hours and 55 minutes away. Im' getting shivers down my spine. So for the next few days I will be previewing the NBA by division. I will be starting out with the Atlantic Division.

The Atlantic this year will be interesting, with the champion Celtics, the Sixers new addition in Brand, and Jermaine O'neal play alongside Chris Bosh. You can't forget the Knicks who have a new coach in Mike D' Antoni and Nets who hope their roster of young talent can show some signs.

Boston Celtics(NBA World Champions)- The Big Three came up big, by delivering a championship to bean town. For every champion the same question arises, can they repeat? For starters the Celtics kept the starting lineup the same. They add Darius Miles in a low risk move, Partick O'Bryant should get a lot more burn then he did in the Bay Area, and they added solid rookies in Bill Walker out of (Kansas State) and J.R. Giddens of(New Mexico). But they lost James Posey to New Orleans. This lost will hurt the Celtics, Posey's ability to guard multiple positions, and 3pt shooting will be missed. This means Tony Allen will get Posey's minutes. Overall the Celitcs are fine, and have a legit shot to repeat. We will see if The Big Three can stay healthy. Their not getting any younger.

Philadephia 76ers- The Sixers made the biggest splash of the summer. By landing Elton Brand from the LA Clippers. Brand gives them the post presence. That they have been lacking for I don't know how long. Brand will take the scoring load off Andre Iguodala. Iguodala should flourish with Brand in the post. Andre Miller is a underrated point guard. Don't forget Samuel Dalembert as center and promising forward Thaddeus Young. The Sixers bench has 6th man potential in Louis Willams, they signed Theo Ratliff(for D), Donyell Marshall and Kareem Rush(3pt shooting). They drafted Marresse Speights(Florida) has shown promise and may get some time behind Brand. Overall, the Sixers look good on paper. However, youth and lack of 3pt shooting may be their Achilles heel. The Sixers will be a team you won't want to see in April.

Toronto Raptors- Up in Canada the Raptors are ready to embark on a new journey. Can they get past the 1st round? Can they exceed last years record of(41-41)? A lot of questions, and the Raptors should answer by the All- Star break. The Jermaine O'neal trade is a 50-50. If he stays healthy they can make some big time noise. If he gets hurt like usual, then the Raptors could be staring at the lottery. Jamario Moon is a stud at the 3, Andrea Bargnani play will make or break his future in Toronto, and Anthony Parker will be overlooked as usual. Jose Calderon is better than T.J. Ford. But if Calderon is hurt for a extended period of time. The Raptors could see the lottery. This team has talent but, if key players go down. The shallow bench will have to step up. If that's the case well you know..............

New York Knicks- The only reason the Knicks are relevant is the fact they reside in the Big Apple. Can Mike D'Antoni make them relevant? Can Marbury shut up and behave? The Knicks have plenty of issues to settle. As for their summer it was almost silent. They signed Chris Duhon from Chicago Bulls, drafted Italian rookie Danilo Gallinari, and for most part kept the same roster. Will D'Antoni help the Knicks play as a team? I can come with a thousand questions for this team. D'Antoni will be bring his run and gun offense to NYC. Marbury is one dumb accident away from being traded, or getting a buyout. The Knicks will be lucky to hit .500. Two things are certain Spike Lee seating courtside and plenty of juicy stories.

New Jersey Nets- I really don't how to approach this team. They will be a lottery team. They are try to get cap space for King James. Jay-Z has some ownership in the Nets. The Nets drafted Brook Lopez(Stanford), Devin Harris is a upcoming point guard, Yi has plenty of time to improve. Then there's Vince Carter who will have to shoulder almost the whole scoring load. Outside of Carter, Harris, and Yi no one can score on a regular basis. Other than that, it should be interesting to see how they score. Don't be surprised to see Carter get traded by the trade deadline. Other than that the Nets don't have much going on. 2010 is when they will be busy, but if they don't land LeBron. Then they be in the role of being a witness, once again.