Last Friday the Oakton football season started with the Outback Bowl. Each year Oakton High and Madison High, to larger high schools that are 1.2 miles apart start their season against each for a trophy and game sponsored by a major steak chain, Outback. Normally both teams are highly competitive and strong…Madison being district champs four times in the last eleven years, Oakton twice district champs and they are the current defending state champions.
The following pics are from the game. At the Outback Bowl, both marching bands perform, with the visiting band performing before the game. Unfortunately due to lightening in the area just before the scheduled start time, the game was delayed 75 minutes (it also rained for 15/20 minutes). This meant that Oakton’s pre-game performance was cancelled. The band played pep music to help the Oakton crowd to cheer their team to victory. Oakton started the season in fine form. Going into the 4th quarter when they brought in their third string players they were up 41-6. They ended up winning 44-18.
The first picture is of Madison warming up. In the background is the Oakton band warming up for their performance. Shortly after the shot was taken the lightening was seen and everyone was moved into the school. The second pic is of Oakton’s first touchdown of the season. The third shot is the band celebrating the first touchdown. The last pic is on the touchdown that put Oakton up 28-0.
Friday is coming and with it another week's vacation. We are off to West Virginia. We have booked a pair of horses to travel to the mountain top to watch the sunset Sunday evening. All day Monday, we hit the Gully for a 23 mile white water trip. The Gully is rated as a class 5 and 6 in summer and with the rain of the last few weeks it will be even more demanding. The Gully is the only river (along with the Upper New River into which the Gully flows) in North America that has been used for international white water compititions.Where we go after Monday night is unknown at this time. Other than being in Winchester Friday and Saturday night for Oakton's marching band compitition Evie and I have not had a chance to think about what is happening in between. With me being on the road for 2.5 days last week and 4 days this week we have not had much of a chance to connect on the days between (as I type this I am sitting in a computer lap in Georgia learning a database...as they are going into batch enteries which my office does not do, I can zone out for an hour). I am looking forward to Sunday and Monday. I hope we will to get some great pics to post when we can find a hot spot.
One of the more troubling questions for my Wesleyan Theology students to handle is a question dealing John Wesley’s marriage to Molly. In his 40s John married Molly a widower. At first she traveled with him but soon became discontent not living in her own home.
The marriage was a disaster. He was on the road preaching for weeks and months at a time. Molly wanted her husband to become the minister of a local church and remain home. She was jealous when women would seek her husband for spiritual counsel and when he would visit women in their homes. Her discontent grew to the point where she spoke unguardedly to many of her complaints.
John later admitted that marriage had been a grave error. After the first few years they never saw one another again. When word came that she had died Wesley did not grieve.
Students have difficulty understanding how such a spiritual giant could have been such an uncaring husband. Clearly he neglected his wife and there was little effort to make his marriage work. Wesley’s marriage is an example of what a bad marriage, and should not be emulated.
I try to remind my students that the age in which Wesley lived marriage was understood in less romantic terms than today. We stand in an era affected by the commencement of Victorian romance novels that changed people’s thinking about romance and marriage. Back then, love was the secondary factor. Companionship, childrearing, keeping of the house and respect were the primary factors. Hence, many marriages were arranged or were part of business or political alliances. In the 1700s it was not uncommon for professional men to be away from home for months or even years at a time on business.
That all said, even by the standards and expectations of the day his marriage was poor. Divorce was not an easy option for anyone. Hence, separation was the equivalent. Functionally, the founder of the Wesleyan movement, the man used in a mighty manner by God, the man who is the founder of the modern discipleship and small group moment, was divorced.
Today, many evangelical churches would preclude such a man from being a spiritual leader, lay or otherwise. The common teachings within the holiness movement would seem to question whether a claim of spiritual vitality would be true for a minister who became divorce. It is little wonder that students have difficulty reconciling this part of Wesley’s life with his ministry and teachings.
While Wesley’s marriage is not to be emulated, I am comforted by this part of Wesley’s story. It reminds me that God uses a range of flawed men and women like me and those I know. Regardless of what we hear preached from our pulpits, God does not use only flawless people as such people are rare in life. Wesley’s marriage reminds us that failings, even significant failings, in one or two areas of a person’s life does not limit God’s use of us to impact others and to build his Kingdom. And at times He does use us in spit of ourselves. For that I am comforted.
Friday evening as the rain poured down, Josh, Evie and I relaxed listening to jazz after catching up on the Canadian news on our radio. Saturday afternoon we listened to the Iowa Hawkeye football game broadcast and 60s music later. Shortly after XM was launched in 2003 I purchased my first XM receiver, I was in the first 350,000 subscribers…Bernie at the office was in the first 100,000. For Christmas in 2004 Jonathan was given a receiver for his car, and then when he bought his car he got one with it so his old XM went to Evie.
As it is not uncommon for me to take 400 mile round trips in the division XM is a blessing. I not longer need to find a new station every 20-30 minutes or wonder when I hear some static if I am driving closer or further way from the station. Now, and if I so wish, the same station follows me throughout the whole journey. Though I rarely do I listen to the same station, it is possible to do so even on a 1,000 mile trip.
The digital sound quality is crisp and clear. The variety of stations is greater than you could ever hope to find even in the largest market. Amongst the 160 stations are a range of interests for everyone. There are stations specializing in each decade from the 40s to the 90s. There are several contemporary channels as well as channels that mixes music from the late 50s to the mid 80s. You name it, it is there…three classical music stations, three comedy stations, jazz, country music, urban music CNN, FOX, Weather Channel, ESPN News, most MBL and NHL games broadcast live, Big Ten and Pac Ten football and basketball games, comedy, Christian music, talk shows (sports, women, conservative, liberal, Christian, Oprah this fall), local traffic reports in major markets, and a Canadian news channel.
Beside the quality of the sound, I like that many of the music channels are commercial free. I also love being able to catch up on Canadian news and weather by turning to channel 244 (Canada 360), for 15 to 20 minutes.
The signals for XM come from a satellite which means that there are times when you could loose a signal for a moment in some urban canyons or in tunnels. Last June I was surveyed regarding which local radio. I was not helpful on the questions as between the ipod and XM I rarely listen to terrestrial radio anymore.
