In Kentucky we grow up loving 3 things; Our God, Our family and our basketball team. It is what separates us from all the other areas of the country…we put a disproportional amount of love into watching a team shoot a round ball into a peach basket. But it is something so much deeper than typical fanaticism. Some say it is woven into our DNA, but what it comes down to is all people want to be a part of something that is bigger than themselves. Kentucky as a state has little man syndrome, we just don’t have a whole lot to hang our hat on other than horse racing…and let’s be honest, that’s a dying sport. Our basketball team gave us something to be proud of and to help us feel significant to the rest of the country.

At Kentucky, we hang banners for championships and nothing else…so when we go through the longest drought of final fours in our program’s history we cry for the rest of the country to not forget about us and remind them that we are still significant. Big blue nation is called the most passionate fan base in the country, and it goes back to understanding that we all feel like we are a part of the program. Every Kentucky fan has been watching games since before they can remember. Don’t get me wrong…it is sports, and in the grand scheme of life a win or loss doesn’t change the lives of the people of Kentucky, and most fans are able to keep that in perspective. However, it is also a very cultural thing…our plans for vacations, weddings, and work are changed by the games. Because it is a moment where we as families, friends…and heck even strangers can come together to be in community and share a common bond.

So yes…we are excited as fans that our team has returned to the final four. A place that most in Kentucky would say is part of our programs birth rite. Even more than that, we are excited that as a cultural community, our common bond has been renewed. We are excited that as a state, we seem to matter again to the rest of the country…even if it is only through a basketball team. We are excited because one of the simple joys of Kentucky life that we all seem to share has found its way back.

In the end..it is sports..and our God and our families come first…but we sure do love our basketball team.

 

Here’s my top ten albums from my life…clearly, not the greatest in musical terms and I don’t even listen to many of them any more. Most make the list due to a nostalgic factor. They are not ranked other than being in the top 10…cop out I am aware.

1. Brave Saint Saturn – Light of Things Hoped For (I said they weren’t ranked however, this is my favorite album..thus it makes it)

2. Weezer – Blue Album (rare to find an album where you love every song)

3. Blink 182 – Enema of the State (I love blink, and this is where it started)

4. Goldfinger – Hang-Ups (Hard to say exactly why…other than I love it)

5. Five Iron Frenzy – The End is Here (Has all the best of FIF, including my favorite song of all time)

6. Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s – Dust of Retreat (An album that had large influence in changing my musical taste)

7. Jack Johnson – Brushfire Fairytales (The first acoustic album I bought)

8. O.C. Supertones – Loud and Clear (Makes me think of high school and listening to this album..over..and over…and over again)

9. Seven Day Jesus – Seven Day Jesus (Not that great of an album..BUT in small ways [um, a girl?!] helped lead me to camp Galilee, where I have been transformed more than any other place on earth)

10. DC Talk – Jesus Freak (my favorite band for a long time when I was a kid)

so i like living in texas…its been a good time so far and slowly i am feeling more at home…HOWEVER, there are a few things that suck about texas and not seeing my bengals today served as the inspiration for this post.

what texas doesnt have…

1. i cant watch uk games

2. i cant watch bengals games

3. there are no lightning bugs

4. i dont get to eat skyline

5. they have the fall season…but i use that loosely…so my favorite season basically gets skipped

6. there is no change in terrain…its kind of flat and ugly here

7. pepsi is rare, its all about coke down here

just a reminder of the small things that make life  more awesome to me…

lightning bugs, warm french fries, not being sick, climbing a tree, catching a frisbee, singing in the car, getting all green lights, waking up on your own, a cold pillow, camp fire, firework smell, 70 degree weather, canceled classes, high fives, stars, twilight, lyrical connection, midnight movies, pepsi, spontaneity, laughing.

i am a runner. always have been, and most likely always will be. one of the small blessings God gave me was the ability to run…and run…and run, and for some odd reason i just don’t ever get tired. i recognized this early on in my childhood and when i was 7 created a runner’s club with my best friend matt. dorky and true. all we did was run. when i got to middle school (’95ish) i was delusional enough to believe i was going to run in the 2000 olympics. this love of running obviously led to taking up track, indoor track, aau track and cross-country in high school. but my identity as runner was not limited to track and xc but in other sports i was the idiot that always ran around constantly.

one of the main aspects of running that i enjoy is the endurance it takes to accomplish the goal of victory. it is much more a mental challenge than a physical one and it is at that breaking point moment when your body says stop but you go on. the feeling that what takes you past the physical limitations is a mental determination that without you cannot pursue victory. i also like the fact that you cannot simply go out and run a race and expect to succeed, but you have to put in hours of practice building up miles to your foundation. completion of any goal is much sweeter when effort and time is put into it and the goal is accomplished.

“i hated every minute of training, but i said, ‘don’t quit. suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion” – M. Ali

today i went out and ran as i try to build back up to where i was prior to my acl surgery. the things i love most about running became quite apparent to me. not only am i out of shape but my leg strength is weak at best. it was tough to endure through the run b/c the lack of a foundation that i had built for myself. i saw that my ability to endure through the tough moments of a run were directly tied into the time and effort i had put in prior to the test.

often it is through the things in life we are passionate about we find God reveal himself to us. naturally is this moment He was taking these virtues and applying them to my life in Him. we cannot hope to build a life in Christ without building a foundation through training, which allows us to endure through the tough moments of life. we are strong in Christ, as His strength becomes our own. He is the determination that allows us to overcome the physical limits of this earthly life as we head to our eternal life in Him.

we never know when God may decide to speak to us. how lucky are we that He sometime chooses unique avenues to do so?

i am a runner, and i desire to be a runner for Christ.