True Greatness

This made me laugh. Thanks to the guys at Relevant Magazine.

A creative film troupe has turned the campy 1991 film Point Break into a stage production. In the original Keanu Reeves film, Johnny Utah, a retired college football-turned-cop teams up with Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey) to catch a gang of surfing bank robbers. In Point Break LIVE! the play, each night an audience member is chosen to play the lead with the help of cue cards. The director said the idea was to capture the clueless essence of Reeves. Gary Busey will not be allowed to attend for numerous safety reasons ...

Made to Love

You know how every once in awhile you hear a song...and you remember the grace that is poured into your life everyday by our wonderful Savior, Jesus. Well, there is not a ton of confusion when it comes to what our life is supposed to look like as a follower of Christ:

Made To Love by Toby Mac

The dream is fading, now I'm staring at the door
I know its over cause my feet have hit the cold floor
Check my reflection, I ain't feelin what I see
It's no mystery
Whatever happened to a passion I could live for
What became of the flame that made me feel more
And when did I forget that...

I was made to love you
I was made to find you
I was made just for you
Made to adore you
I was made to love
And be loved by you
You were here before me
You were waiting on me
And you said you'd keep me
Never would you leave me I was made to love
and be loved by you

The dream's alive with my eyes opened wide
Back in the ring you've got me swinging for the grand prize
I feel the haters spittin vapors on my dreams
But I still believe
I'm reachin out, reachin up, reachin over
I feel a breeze cover me called Jehovah
And daddy I'm on my way
Cause I was made to love...


Anything I would give up for you
Everything, I'd give it all away

The Future of Mobile Technology

This will be the next phone I own! I'm already a Cingular customer and I can't wait till next Christmas!

If you want to see just how cool it is go to apple.com, It's amazing!

Your favorite super hero?

Inspired by a recent survey on Robnamy.com I'm curious.

FOOTBALL IS ENDING...SPIRIT IS NOT!

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A STARBUCKS GIFTCARD!

Please send me the most creative & most spirited "TOUCHDOWN" picture. Obviously, "TOUCHDOWN AUBURN" pictures are highly encouraged, but support YOUR team...even though it is much less of a team:) Pictures must be submitted by March 1, 2007 to be considered for the prize! Photos can be e-mailed to bethwebb@auburnalum.org or mailed to me....e-mail me for the address. Have Fun!

By the way, those are two of my roommates from college, Molly & Tara, who were going to miss a football game. They sent themselves with me:)

Sometimes it takes losing your toe to wake you up!

This article was originally posted on Wholehogsports.com

The kid in the article is named Darren McFadden and he's THE best running back in the country, he came in #2 (to a Senior QB) in the heisman race, and he's only a sophmore. I hadn't heard this story before, but It's pretty cool and worth the read.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Lying in bed, staring out the window, he had no idea what the haunting hollowness was about.

Just more than 36 hours earlier, Darren McFadden had gotten into a fight. He had lost a shoe but kicked one more time, and when he was pulled back by friends, his big toe was hanging by two or three tendons at the first joint.

It wasn’t just the thought of his football career being over that was eating at him that Sunday afternoon.

“I didn’t know what it was, but that it was something real,” McFadden said last week after a practice for the Capital One Bowl. “Something was missing, and I knew I needed that something.”

McFadden was missing God.

Like millions of others, he thought he was OK. He made some boyish mistakes, such as the fight, and he sometimes pushed the envelope, but he was polite to his elders and nice to youngsters.

“I was raised to treat others like I wanted to be treated, but I wasn’t raised in the church,” he said. “I really didn’t know much about religion or God. I thought it was enough to be a decent person.”

The fight, now known as the incident, was his wake-up call.

Football had been his God, and he didn’t know that afternoon if he would have the game he loved so much anymore.

“The thought of not playing any more bothered me, but I knew what was going on in my heart and head was bigger than that,” he said.

Within a few days after returning to Fayetteville, with his future still unknown, McFadden was approached by Marcus Carruthers, who started Dwelling Place Church in November 2004.

Carruthers was engaging and unchallenging, and McFadden became intrigued.

It didn’t take long for McFadden to realize the incident may have been a mistake, but some good was going to come out of it.

It had been a wake-up call, and he was paying attention.

His spirit began to heal faster than his toe.

McFadden had a multitude of questions, and Carruthers had an answer for every one of them.

To the surprise of almost everyone but himself, McFadden started the season opener against Southern Cal, although his play was limited and he spent more time as a decoy than a threat.

A week later, he rushed for 184 yards against Utah State, and at that point it would have been easy to decide football really was a god.

He followed that with games in which he rushed for 71 against Vanderbilt and then 112 against Alabama, and he was almost 100 percent physically.

Spiritually, he was still growing, meeting regularly with Carruthers and attending church at Dwelling Place.

In a 27-10 victory over Auburn — a game that set the tempo for the season — McFadden ran for 145 yards.

The team arrived home late Saturday evening, but McFadden was up bright and early the next morning.

To the delight of the small congregation, McFadden was baptized that morning.

The next two months became a whirlwind for the sophomore. He was a late entry for the Doak Walker Award, given to the best running back in the country, and his name was coming up in the same sentence as Heisman Trophy.

After he bullied LSU for 182 yards and two touchdowns, he was a legitimate contender for any and all awards.

The Wildcat formation had thrust him into the college football spotlight. He ran, passed and handed off like a veteran quarterback, and the experts were impressed.

He was invited to Orlando, where he won the running back award, and then flown to New York, where he finished as runner-up in the Heisman balloting.

Through it all, he did not change.

His foundation is now solid with spirituality.

“Darren has always been a little quiet, but after he was baptized, he became very humble and that never changed,” Keith Jackson Jr. said.

That doesn’t mean he’s perfect, and last week, with a smile, he said: “I have to ask for forgiveness a lot.”

Now he gets it.

Merry Christmas!

I don't feel like posting right this second, but I was rereading an old blog and found this quote. Consider it a Christmas present . . .

"There is a danger in labeling things Christian. The word Christian first appears in the Bible as a noun. It's a person who follows Jesus. It's not an adjective that you attach to things to make them safe and palatable. So a Christian is someone who lives a certain way-who has oriented their life around a certain Savior's teachings, who believes profound things about the very ground of their being, who actually believes that compassion can change the world. A Christian is someone who lives a certain way. In the New Testament it's not a label that you attach to things in order to make them safe. Here's why: because something can be labeled christen and not be true and somethings can be true and not be labeled Christian."

- Rob Bell, teaching pastor, Mars Hill Church

Buyer beware!

Dear Warranty Holder,

Thank you for your email or fax. We have confirmed receipt of your claim form.

While we make every effort to accommodate and satisfy our consumers, we regret to inform you that your claim has been declined for the following reasons:

Per the terms and obligations of your limited product warranty, each occurrence of stains and damage must be reported to Stainsafe within the time frame stated on your limited product warranty certificate. Unfortunately, any claim reported outside this time frame must be declined.

(I only saw this on thier web-site after i filed my claim and it's no where in the pamphlet I recieved upon purchase.)

If you require a technician’s referral to assist you with this issue, please call our warranty center at the telephone number referenced on your limited product warranty certificate or reply back to this email. Please note that any service provided by an authorized Stainsafe technician on a denied claim will be at the expense of the warranty holder.

If you have any questions regarding coverage’s, exclusion and warranty holder responsibilities, please refer to your limited product warranty certificate for detailed information.

Respectfully,

On-Line Customer Care Correspondent

Stainsafe, Inc.

The Time frame FYI is 5 days. The companys 1-800 # simply tells you to fax or e-mail them your claim. I still have no idea how to talk to a person.

My warning to you is to Never Buy any thing with a Stain Safe Warranty. It's a bad deal, if you have any doubts google stain safe and you'll see what I mean.

It's Bowl Season Again...

Click Here for College Bowl Pick'em

Feel free to invite your friends to play as well! Have fun!

Snow

Ok so we went to Ohio last week. It was great to see a lot my family that I haven't seen in way to long. We felt very welcomed and were treated like royalty the whole time we were there. Aside from seeing family we also were hoping to catch a glimpse of snow. Seeing as how it "never" snows here except for the mountains.

Well, for those of you not from the NW. We've gotten a lot of snow the last couple of days. (probably like 1 to 2 inches). But the odd part is that it's actually stuck, typically it melts off in an afternoon. So schools were closed yesterday, and this morning was supposed to be chilly, but no new snow.

Here is where the fun begins. I'm used to cold weather we get plenty of it in the South and enough of it here to know what you are and aren't supposed to do. So this morning when I went to my car (which mind you has been sitting for the last 3 days because we decided to drive Beth's for errands the previous 2 days) it was obviously iced over. Now some where I used to have an ice scraper, no idea where that went. So I decide that water will do the trick.

I get luke warm pour it on my car it barely melts the snow let alone the ice. And here is where I made the crucial mistake. Knowing that it was a bad idea I decide that my wiper blades can probably get the snow off and I'll just wait for the defrost to get the ice. (I realize, now, that that ice is under the snow and closest to the wipers) So I turn on the wipers, which don't come on at first, so I turn them off, wait all of 2 seconds and try them again.

As the passengerside wiper began to clear the snow I realized that ice is a very powerful force. Because the drivers side never got going. Well that is until I grabbed it and manually moved the blade to clear the snow. So 3 liters of warm water later, I headed off to work.

I just hope that it doesn't snow/rain until I can get it fixed. Also, know ing that a $.99 scraper, or lack there of, will now cost me who knows how much to replace a wiperblade motor.

Thanksgiving

Well, Buck & I are currently in VanWert, Ohio...a tiny town in Western Ohio. Our journey started five days ago when we arrived in Cincinnati....our journey that is Buck's first trip back to Ohio (where he was born) in several years and my first trip to meet the extended family. We stayed with Jeff & Ryan...two cousins in their twenties...the first two nights. They took us to some Cincinnati favorites including two great restaurants and the Cincinnati History Museum. I also was able to eat at Chick-fil-A and Moes (two of my southern favs that are not in the Great Northwest). Then on Wednesday we headed north (here to VanWert) where Jeff's parents live. We have stayed with them the last three nights although we have been making day trips other places. We were also able to see Buck's parents, sister Diane, and her two girls. On Thursday we went about another two hours north and had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with the Kinney (Buck's mom) side of the family. I met about thirty-two new people. Then today, we drove about an hour east of here and had Thanksgiving with the Webb side of the family. I met about thirty-two more new people. It was a lot of fun. My favorite new person to meet was Grandpa! Buck talks about him all the time. He is 95, but you would never know it. I think one of my favorite things, besides the fact that he made me laugh, was how much Christ was reflected in Him. Also, he seemed the most interested in where we were serving & how God was working in our lives. It is always awesome to know you have someone like Him praying for you. Anyway, it has been a great trip. I am so thankful for a wonderful husband to share the journey of this life with. I have enjoyed learning more about him by meeting more of his family. Tomorrow is our relax & recover day before we head home on Sunday morning. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my beautiful wifes Birthday! So if you get a chance then give her a call, or send her a card! I love you babe! Hope your day has been wonderful!

World Series Champs!

Ok so my cousin ryan thinks that the Cardinals were the worst World Series Champ ever! So I must respond.

Seriously? you really think that this was just one big fluke?

Lets look at the evidence:

1. The previous 2 years the cardinals won over 200 games. And easilymade it to the playoffs.
2. The team lost a few bench players, Grudzelanik, and Sanders (walker didn't play much last year s ohe doesn't matter)
other wise I'd say they kept thier core and thier entire starting rotation.
3. Injuries, the team battled not only losing it's #2 starter for most of the year, but also for key stretches:

Eckstien (the Worldseries MVP), Edmonds, Rolen (who wasn't right until the end ot the LCS) and it's Super star (Pujols) who was hobbeled the second half and missed a month of the season (on a side note look at his #'s and then remember he misses a MONTH, scary stuff)

Those 8 game losing stretches don't happen if everythindg is right with the team.

The team got healthy right before and during the playoffs.

4. The Cardinals won in 5 games. Meaning they virtually dominated a team that was supposed to beat them easily.

I know they had thier issues, but dave duncan has been able to take guys like Jeff Weaver and get them to realize thier potential for decades (dave stewart, Daryl Kile, Woody Williams, to name a few) . This series shouldn't be a suprise!

They aren't the 27 yankees, but they are deserving champions!

30 HOUR FAMINE

Buck & I are leading our students next weekend as we participate in the 30 Hour Famine. We will not eat for that amount of time for many reasons...to understand a bit of what it is like to go without food as so many children do around the world and to raise money for those children. My goal is to raise $360 which would feed a child for a year. If you are interested in sponsoring us, please comment below. You can mail me a check within the next week. Please make the check payable to WorldVision. If you would like more information, please visit the 30 Hour Famine Website. Thank you for your support!

We are both ok . . .

I can't remember the last time I got so many calls and well wishes. But thanks for the concern. Our household is intact and we are on good terms.

For the 1 0r 2 of you that don't know what I'm refering to, Arkansas played Auburn this weekend. And the Hog won. Our parents called to make sure things were ok, and our friends called, and we even had a few let us know they were praying for peace in our household (True story). But we are doing good, I tried my best to contain my elation (it was one of the biggest wins in the RECENT history of Arkansas football).

But I will say that Auburn fans are very classy people, and not just the nice ones that I know well. Even the random people that I met when we got engaged, had nothing but flatering things to say. So it was easy to be gracious, and to know how painful it is to lose when you have a shot at the national title. So let me just say best of luck to the tigers from here on out. War eagle. and Pig Sooie!

Okay???

Well, Mel (and others who love me:)), I guess you could say I am okay. That's about it. Obviously, I will not go into everything here. But...here goes:)

There is much of my life that is wonderful! My husband is still absolutely amazing. He truly loves me and serves me more than I could have ever imagined anyone on this earth doing! I have learned so much in our first year & a half of marriage. I have learned that boys will be boys! I have learned that the commitment we made so long ago holds up everyday, even when things are not perfect. I have learned that supporting Buck and watching him succeed mean more to me than most things. I have learned (as many of you told me) that serving alongside of Him will bring peaks & valleys. We are beginning to understand how we are wired individually & together...so, that is fun...and frustrating.

My life is also wonderful, because even in the hard times I know my Heavenly Father pursues me! That still blows my mind sometimes. Even when I am out of energy to pursue Him...He PURSUES me. I experience his mercy & blessings everyday, although I often choose to ignore them because I am busy "fighting the good fight" and I don't stop to encounter my Savior.

I am almost certain there would be a smile on my face more often if I woke up each day desiring an encounter with Christ...if that was my priority. Days that used to be spent seeking an opportunity to serve or a friend to encourage, are now spent running and hiding, asking for nothing more, wanting to give up. I am tired. I am tired of pursuing relationships with others. I am tired of trying to find a friend. I am tired of watching Buck struggle to support our family & do what He is passionate about and very gifted to do. I am tired of trying to find my place. I am tired of doing the social thing and skipping over the "spiritual thing". I long for the old days when I met with a group of women and we discovered who Christ was, who we could become in Him, and how the church was an amazing design. I long for a friend to care for. I long for something right here in Tacoma; once you have had amazing friends, it is hard to settle for anything less.

I really don't know if that lets you know anything...but, those are some of my thoughts hashed out onto this computer screen today. I know it always goes back to pursuing Christ first, to allowing Him to be the source of my strength, my sustaining power, the grace needed to live. I have also learned that He intentionally places people in our lives to help us live out our journey with Him, our pursuit. We are not supposed to walk this alone.

All of my Jobs...

Well, it may seem crazy to some people...and it kinda is...but, I do enjoy all of my jobs:

1. I babysit two boys in the morning: They are almost 2 years old & 5 months...super cute. Then I drop them off at the childcare they have during the day.

2. I work in the YMCA nursery. I enjoy this job about 88% of the time. Also, this job is directly across the street from our apartment, and I get a free membership & Buck's is 50% off...great perks. Plus, I think there are some other jobs at the YMCA that I am better qualified for and that I would enjoy more...so, if they ever come open, I will be ready!

3. I substitute teach when I can. I love being in any classroom...and most days are good. Plus it pays pretty well.

4. I work as an Instructor at the Etum Academy in Lakewood. I teach a "book club" curriculum to 5th grade korean students. I totally love this position. I am hoping I will get some more classes to move me up from the two hours a week I work now.

5. Oh yeah, and I am applying for the Head Girls Basketball Coach at Stadium High School. If that doesn't work out, I am probably going to take a Junior High Head Coach Position at Curtis, which would keep me with the same program I worked last year. It will be different having my own team!

Well, I am scattered...and sometimes I feel beat, but I love how quickly my day changes...I love bouncing from one thing to the next. I do wish I was more stable. But, hopefully my life is piecing together little moments that impact others. That makes me feel good:)

Our Family is Happy...

Auburn whipped Buffalo...WAR EAGLE! And, Arkansas pulled out a tough win...okay, so they got lucky, but they won! They beat BAMA!

so, i post...

It happened...finally I was reading the blogs of many of my dear friends and was guilted into posting. But, I do enjoy posting. And, I need somewhere (besides my poor husband) to put down my thoughts sometimes. I know he must often think: "why doesn't she just stop thinking", but I am a thinker...believe me, I have tried to turn it off.

Lately, I have been pondering the idea of loyalty. What is it really & what drives to live a life of loyalty? I have many friends that are loyal (as far as I know), but they all seem to express it in different ways. I know it doesn't mean you have to "be there all the time"...thank goodness or I might be friendless at this point in my life. I think for me at least, that loyalty is something that is earned...not the right word...it is developed through combat, maybe. It takes awhile for me to consider someone loyal...I think I have to observe them love me & allow me to love them back...you know, that level of a relationship that has to be worked on, the friends you have been through something with...the ones who have seen your victories and have seen you fall flat on your face.

I have been watching our middle school students lately, and I have observed that they have no idea of this sense loyalty. Maybe they haven't been through enough together...maybe we are even more selfish then than I am now. I just don't know, but it breaks my heart. Loyalty is undervalued. I do know that. I can name those people I would call during a crisis. I can name those people that I will always love no matter the circumstances...no matter how long the time between one conversation and the next.

I love students & I love serving alongside Buck, sharing our hearts with these teenagers and watching them grow.

Pray for me that I would share only Christ with them as they seek Him...and try to follow Him...and bring their friends in hopes that they will encounter Christ.

Pray that we would all encounter Christ everyday.

Amy's Shirt