What was I thinking?

Yesterday morning I did something really really dumb. I realize that most of you who know me believe that I am simply incapable of doing something that is not brilliant. But I am writing this this morning to let you know that I am merely a human being. I too, bleed red liquid. Most people call it blood. I call it "blood plasma," which is a specialized bodily fluid and technically a tissue.
Most of you would be surprised by this, but I put my socks on one at a time. I only wear one pair of underwear at a time- at the most. And I chew my food just like everyone else. Sometimes I drool on my pillow. Sometimes on my shirt. I run red lights too, and I occasionally will prank call random people- just like everyone else. Occasionally I too will take part in gang violence and I will lie like crazy to make people think that their house is on fire. I too believe that I know where the Weapons of Mass Destruction are hidden. I too enjoy the WE (Women's Entertainment network- channel 263 on DirecTV) and I LOVE Celine Dion as well. Just like the average Joe, I enjoy hot baths and I love listening to Delilah on 103.7 at night. I have mimicked Mr. Miaggi and I still wear a towel around my neck and fly off the couch occasionally.
That's right. I am relatively normal. Except yesterday morning. I said something to my wife that was really really DUMB. It was right before we left the house in the morning (we carpool). It happened the same way it happened to the boy on "Christmas Story" who let a dirty word slip out of his mouth. The preceding moments happened so fast, but the words came out extremely slow- and were pointed towards my wife's beautiful face- "You need to clean up your room." You got it. What was I thinking? Not too many brain cells swirling around my brain yesterday morning. And the room was not even that messy. It was the kind of thing that would take 3 minutes to clean up- just some clothes on the floor.
The truth is that I adore my wife. I am pretty normal as I stated earlier, but I would like to think that my love for my wife is not normal. I love her, not just because she is beautiful, but because she is beautifully crafted by God. I love who she is- inside and out. She can be a firecracker, but at the same time she is really pretty shy too. She is funny- and gets funnier as the days go by, and her smile will light up a room. Her laugh will grab your attention and, yes, it's one of those laughs that is contagious. I love life with my wife. We are about to celebrate our 5th year of marriage this summer. I think about this often: neither one of us is guaranteed another day in life- or another day of a clean bill of health. I am so thankful for the life God has given us together. I didn't know my heart was capable of loving this much and expanding to how big it is now- but I also know based on the past 5 years that I will love her even more tomorrow. I know that no matter how stupid I can be sometimes, my wife has got my back and I will never have to wonder how she feels about her goofy hubby.
Most of you probably think I am blogging this in order to kiss up to my wife. She would tell you that I don't need to kiss up to get back into her "good graces." Our conversations and text messages over the following hour and a half yesterday left no question that we are still madly in love with one another.
And I realize that my family will probably begin calling me "Ben Walker" as my dad has made quite a name for himself pulling the same stunts- I just hope I never get to where I tell other people at other houses "You need to clean your room." Wink. Wink.
Seems a bit random, but I just thought I would share one of my most truly RETARDED moments of my marital career. What was I thinking?

March Madness ramblings

I love March Madness. I cannot help but try to watch EVERY game that comes on during the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament which happens every March. I have been enthralled with it ever since I was in junior high. I remember one year I put up one of those miniature basketball goals over the door in our family room and I played while the tournament was going on. I would mimic specific moves and shots that I saw those athletes do. I remember rooting for Oklahoma State one year and watching this guy named Randy Rutherford hit a fade-away 3 pointer to put a game away during the tournament. It was unbelievable. They went on to reach the Final Four that year in 1995. Ever since then I have tried to pull off the same move when I am alone shooting hoops. Normally I am VERY unsuccessful. I remember the same year watching a guy named Tyus Edney dribble from one end of the court to the other with only 4.8 seconds left on the clock to beat the buzzer with a lay-up, putting away Missouri's run at a National title. UCLA went on to win it that year.
It's called March Madness because anything can happen. And normally the craziest things happen. This year Davidson beat Georgetown. Wha?
That's why I love March Madness. I find myself cheering for Texas A&M?! Against UCLA. Or I find myself looking forward to watching Davidson play Wisconsin (cuz there's this one guy that plays for Davidson that is unbelievable behind the 3 point line, and omg I find myself getting giddy when I see him shoot an NBA 3 pointer with a guy in his face and it's nothing but net baby!). Why even pay attention to those who-cares games? Because it's March Madness and something maddening is going to happen.
My wife and I fill out brackets every year and the loser normally has to do something for the other person. This year's wager: The loser has to plan out a spectacular date and graciously host it for the other person. I am making my plans now. The score right now is 40-35. Jess is winning, and I think she has a really good shot at finishing me off next week. That is unless Kansas and Texas make the championship game. But the chances of that happening are so small- 2 Big 12 teams in the National Championship game? Come on!
Some of my picks that are just flat out cooky: Baylor beating Purdue- and then beating... Georgia? Yeah, that's right- I picked Georgia to beat Xavier and then to play Baylor. I also picked St Joe's to beat OU.
And something else that's funny- I had the sneaky suspicion that Western Kentucky (12 seed) was going to beat Drake (5 seed). I picked the upset- like an expert. I felt like I had a good lead on Western Kentucky. March Madness is fun. It makes you do stupid things like predict Western Kentucky will beat a team named Drake or cheer for teams that you hate like Texas A&M. Okay that about wraps up my ramblings- except to say that I am hoping that my Texas Longhorns are victorious against the Stanford Cardinal on Friday. Which makes me wonder- who the heck gave Stanford their mascot- is the Stanford Cardinal a bird, a tree, or a person in the Catholic Church? I hear their mascot is a tree- but that's not very impressive to me...
I leave you with Tyus Edney during the madness of 1995. Enjoy...

Right now

Okay, so I am sitting in the coffee shop and I am listening to this song called "Hosanna" from the new Passion cd- and I am totally getting caught up in it. I am getting a little stir crazy right now- like I am getting carried away in the midst of this song- but I am not getting carried away. I am more plugged into reality right now than just about ever. Because right now there are throngs of angels joining the praise of millions of people and beyond- praising the Son of God. I join them today. But what I fear right now is that I will never see some of my friends come to experience the greatness of worshipping Christ alone. Jess and I have friends that God has blessed us with, and we know that heaven will not feel full enough for us unless these friends of ours join us in praise of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is infinitely valuable, friend, and I hope that you join the praise of millions today because that's the only way your heart will be filled.
If you need a little help, purchase this song or you can find it on my playlist at the bottom of this page.

What dream is worth selling out for?

What dream am I willing to sell out for? This message gripped me years ago when I first heard it as a college student. As long as I am in America I will have to keep a narrow focus on answering this question wisely. When I lose sight of it, I will become idle, uninspired, and a stumbling block to those needing to see God's Kingdom and not my own. This message is about 8 minutes long. It's well worth the time if you have yet to hear it. You will have to scroll down to the bottom of the page and hit pause on the music player so you will be able to hear the video clearly.