Last Week: Cards 31 Fins 10

Ugly, Disappointing, Where's the D

Zach Smith Update

Last Saturday Zach went to the hospital for surgery on his broken leg. I forgot to mention that his leg was broken in two places. The surgery was successful and now he is in a wheelchair on campus. The doctors had to put a steel rod in his leg for the bones to heal correctly and Zach told me that that would take about 3 months. Hmm.. ironic I know a kid who was on crutches for three months. I really respect this kid, every time I see him or talk to him I am inspired and I want to do everything in my power to help him out. Continue to lift Zach up in your prayers!!

Fire On The Altar

Well It's been a busy week with lots of school, homework, and soccer and little sleep. It's been so awesome though I can't complain. Well this week was the first official week for "Fire on the Altar." Do you know what that means? Of course not! But don't worry I'll be glad to tell you. Every Tuesday evening on my dorm room floor Culby 16, from 10:30 to midnight we have what is called "Fire on the Altar." My RA (Residence Assistant) led the first night of it and it was incredible. It's a night devoted to confession and repentance....... Yea I know. I was so pumped cause coming here you already think that everyone is so super spiritual, but it was one of the most significant moments of my walk with Christ. This whole event kind of circulates of the passage of scripture in Daniel 9. I'm not going to post it cause I really want you to dive in and read this passage for yourself. It's awesome and it really challenged me. It was so powerful to walk into a room of college guys weeping, and crying out to God. We prayed for brokenness and that is what happened. Guys were just confessing out loud to God and repenting right there on the spot and so many chains were broken and burdens lifted as we watched Christ do an incredible work. It's going to be a night that I never forget, and the best part about it is it's every week! On September 23 I have the chance to speak at "Fire on the Altar" so if you could be praying that would be awesome. Pray that these nights are are driven and directed by the Spirit of God and only get accomplished what God wants. Thanks Again!

2008 Predictions

Well NFL 2008 is already getting interesting

Brady out for season

It's crazy to think how much difference one guy can really make not only for just the Patriots but for the entire NFL.  I mean think about it, think about how many teams have a shot now at the playoffs since Tom Brady won't be a factor. I mean that opens the door wide open in the AFC East. But I mean teams like the Bills, Jets, Broncos, Titans, and Steelers are all gonna be there in the end. Anyway I have never that great at predicting but after watching week one heres where I stand.

My choices are made knowing that Brady is out.

AFC

East

Bills 11-5

Patriots 10-6

Jets 9-7

Dolphins 7-9

North

Steelers 11-5

Ravens 10-6

Browns 8-8

Bengals 6-10

South

Colts 12-4

Titans 11-5

Jaguars 9-7

Texans 6-10

West 

Chargers 13-3

Broncos 10-6

Raiders 6-10

Chiefs 5-11

NFC

East

Cowboys 13-3

Eagles 12-4

Giants 10-6

Redskins 7-9

North

Vikings 11-5

Bears 9-7

Packers 7-9

Lions 6-10

South

Saints 12-4

Panthers 9-7

Buccaneers 8-8

Falcons 7-9

West

Cardinals 10-6

49ers 8-8

Seahawks 6-10

Rams 4-12

AFC Playoffs

Broncos vs. Bills

Titans vs. Steelers

Broncos vs. Chargers

Steelers vs. Colts

Chargers vs. Steelers

AFC Champion

Steelers

NFC Playoffs

Giants vs.Cardinals

Eagles vs. Vikings

Giants vs. Cowboys

Eagles vs. Saints

Cowboys vs. Eagles

NFC Champion

Cowboys

Super Bowl 

Dallas Cowboys 28 Pittsburgh Steelers 17

Dolphins vs. Jets

Well what can you say Brett Favre was Brett Favre. The Dolphins are a new and way more improved team from last years squad but so are the Jets. They are just a little further along than the Dolphins and it showed in yesterdays game. The Dolphins had some key mistakes with kicking, penalties, and the secondary but for the most part I was pretty excited at how close of a game it was ha. Anyway they had mistakes and the Jets capitalized so I'm not going to take anything away from the Jets they played well but everyone has to admit the Dolphins are taking that step that they needed. 

Final Jets 20 Dolphins 14

NFL Week One Recap

I hate grabbing a paper out of the gas station or the store and reading about the predictions of the Dolphins for the year and they are always negative. So I have decided to give my personal opinions (and that's all they are is opinions) about the Dolphins and other NFL news.

2008-2009 Miami Dolphins

Lets face it the Dolphins have been trying to put something together ever since Marino left and this year is no different. They bring in a new VP of football operations, a new VP, and a new coach, and even slap on a new slogan for the year. The slogan is "A New Beginning" and lets just hope that starts soon. The Dolphins finally did something right by bringing in Bill Parcels considering the success he had with the Giants, Patriots, Jets, and Cowboys. He brought with him new head coach of the Dolphins Tony Sparano. Sparano brings an intense energy and high level of expectation this very young and still building Dolphins squad. Sparano is a perfect fit for the Dolphins in that he is incredibly challenging and works them like crazy. Along with bringing in new guys to the offices and coaching positions of the Dolphins they also grabbed nine picks in the 08 Draft to begin filling some holes. With those picks the goal of Bill Parcels was to build this team from the inside out. They did this quickly by drafting OT Jake Long and having 5 of their picks be either defensive or offensive lineman. Now lets get real the Dolphins had a ton of holes to fill before the draft that it wasn't even funny. They still needed a stud receiver, lineman (on both sides of the ball), a secondary, and not to mention a QB. Well Parcels and Sparano got right to work getting some quality picks in the draft and in the free agency acquiring NT Jason Ferguson (Cowboys), Justin Smiley (49ers), and QB Chad Pennington NYJ just to name a few. Upon bringing in Pennington the Fins already had 3 QB's fighting for the starting job. That was quickly resolved when Pennington was named the starter for the 2008 season opener vs. his old team the Jets and McCown was released. So all that being said whats my final overall thoughts for this years Dolphins. It is a new beginning and they have began to fill the right holes and are beginning to take shape towards what could eventually be a pretty darn good team. But let's not jump the gun. They are still very young with a lot of new faces on both sides of the ball. Let's take it one step at a time, I am going to predict a 7-9 season for the Fins but who know maybe they could prove me wrong. 

Zach Smith

Along with the crazy business that I have been going through these past couple of weeks I decided to join the soccer team. Moody isn't like most colleges in that they don't recruit players. So when you try out you pretty much sign away your life! Ha ha just kidding but seriously for not being a school that really excels in athletics they sure practice like they do! Anyway I was really skeptical about playing cause I really just wanted to settle down and really focus on my studies. But when I observed a team practice that was going on I knew I wouldn't be able to watch them play all season. So I decided to give it a shot and wow it's been crazy. The transition from high school soccer and college soccer is huge! When I stepped onto the soccer field for a pre season inner squad scrimmage I didn't know exactly what I was getting myself into. After the first two days of practicing I really regretted going out for the team. I was out of shape and knew no one which was even worse. But after one of our workouts a guy came up and started talking to me. This just wasn't a regular dude. His name is Zach Smith, he is a senior and has played all four years on the soccer team. When he started talking to me his "bigger vision" just blew me away. We ended up going for a walk that night in the city and he told me something that was just awesome, he said, "Yea man soccer is great, but my attitude on the field is only inspired by my walk with Christ. I just don't get pumped up for a game with anything other than being close to God." Zach was the guy that helped me with my schedule and answered any annoying question that I had. But today at our game something really aweful happened. A kid from the opposing team took a shot but kicked Zachs' leg along with taking the shot and broke Zacks' right leg. This is an incredibly strong and solid young man in his faith, keep him in your prayers.

Week One: Humility

When I first walked onto the Moody Bible Institute campus I think I made a false accusation. I thought I would just walk right on campus and everything would just flow.

........ I was humbled. After going to some of my orientation classes I realized that I was with some of the most intellectual theologians around. At times I feel I don't even belong by being around such Bible geniuses. I just felt overwhelmed with the professors using such huge words, and me feeling like the only one who didn't understand. I am going to be completely blunt. Coming into Moody I was carrying a large load of pride on my back. I thought that I would easily be able to fit in and make friends and do just fine being here. After just the first day I realized that I was wrong. I will be thrilled if I graduate from here! ha But on a serious note God has an incredible plan for me here. Maybe for the first couple of weeks it was for me to realize that I'm not all that I thought I was. I have been so humbled by being here and it's challenging but it is what I need to go through in order to fully be seeking Christ. So what am I getting at? Well my initial attitude was to see how I could make a difference on the campus. Maybe my difference is saying I don't have it all. Leaving my pride at the door, and picking up the cross that the Lord lays before my daily. It's been tough, but God's grace and mercy have been what has been pushing me to strive. 

Were Back and Rolling

Ok were going to give this another shot haha! I am going to try my best to keep this blog updated as much as possible to keep you guys informed on how everything is going at college and ways that you can be praying. Wow! everything happened so fast this summer missions trip to Mexico, 4-H Fair, and now college. It's so crazy how fast this summer went by and to think that I am now a college student. My transition into Moody wasn't quite as smooth as you would think. On August 20th we began Freshman orientation and that lasted three days. Those were probably the most hectic three days of my entire summer. I had a ton of things to do: finalize my schedule, move into my room, sign and fill out like a million papers, get books, and try to meet some new people. I was getting really frustrated with my schedule because it didn't get finalized till my first day of classes. 

Well.... two weeks later I'm still alive! It's been a crazy ride but I am finally beginning to see why God opened this crazy door for me to be here. 

What A Comeback!

This week at the Crossing we have talked about lives that have "Comeback" and been turned around by Christ. Some of the stories will just blow you away - how God's grace and mercy have just performed miracuously in the lives of many individuals. So as we talked about these great comebacks, a famous person's name was brought up. Kobe Bryant. I know what your thinking, he's not a Christian so why talk about him? I feel there has been no greater comeback in the Hollywood World, in the past five years than the story of Kobe. As most of you may know he was charged with a felony of sexual assult on July 18, 2003 in an alleged incident with a 19 year old girl in a luxury hotel. Previously on July 4, 2003, he was arrested and had to post bond of $25,000. Eventually all charges against Bryant were dropped, but his story would never be forgetten by all who have heard of him. At this point Kobe could have just handed in his jersey and tried to take his face out of the world so he could try to live in peace and ignore the press. But he did something that many superstars never do after their public figure has been destroyed. He displayed perseverance. It wasn't easy coming back to the Lakers and trying to go on as if nothing had happened. He had to come back facing the fans, teammates, coaches, anyone who watches or knows anything about what he did! But you know what is real funny, that almost 5 years later Kobe Bryant has the Los Angeles Lakers in the semi-finals of the Western Conference Finals. He helped lead his team to capture a first place in the West and also earn himself a MVP this year.

Moustache May

There has been declared a challenge to NMC males for the whole month of May to grow a moustache. Due to some allergic reaction to the whiskers under my nose, I will sadly not be able to participate. But best of luck to all those growing them out - it should be a good time. I am looking forward to seeing Dan Weiss' stache the most!

It's Too Late, To Apologize

That's the truth - it is officially to late to apologize for not blogging in like a year. Just kidding, but seriously it has been forever. Hopefully, I will be more consistent with my blogs in the next couple of weeks. But during the time I haven't blogged all of this has happened...........
NFL Draft, 2 More Ducks Games, Softball Starting, Lakers sweeping the Nuggets, I mean holy cow! I will try to blog as much as possible the next couple of weeks to make up for my lack of blogging lately.

And the winner is....... Tim Johnson???

Yep, that's right the winner of this years Eby's 2008 Spring Break Quarter Bracket People's Tournament was Tim Johnson. If you don't know who that is, he is a made up person that Griggs created freshman year just to be incredibly random. So whenever we would need someone really random we would just say, "hey what about Tim Johnson." Anyways, the overall winner in points was Kristy Mikel with 115 points. It was fun, and of course always random, and I can't wait to see who will be crowned champ in 2009!

Ducks 6-2!

Tonight the Ducks pulled off another quality win by beating Cockapalooza 63-60. We only had 4 guys , so my pops Todd stepped in and did a great job. The Ducks are currently 6-2 with two weeks remaining before the tournament.

Upset? or Upset! It's Down to Four!!!

Well, hey there again to all the people who check out this blog. I am finally back from an extended blogging vacation. Actually the main reason I haven't blogged in such a long time is that they blocked Blogger at school so I couldn't get on . Well anywho the Quarter Bracket Tournament is now down to just 4 with the winner being announced live tomorrow night at Wednesday Night Church. The final 4 include Cameron "Coo" Williams, Tyrus Graverson, Tim Johnson, and Leslie Yoder. It should be pretty exciting to see who comes away champ tomorrow, but all in all this tourney just gives everyone a good laugh or two haha.

"True" March Madness

Eby's 2008 Spring Break Quarter Bracket People's Tournament Preview

The Official Eby's 2008 Spring Break Quarter Bracket Peoples Tournament

Ever since I have been little, I have had an unhealthy obsession with tournaments and brackets. This time of year (March Madness) is my time of year. I would always make my own brackets, filling the spaces with NFL teams, NBA teams or if I was really bored I would put my friends names in the spaces. I would then flip a quarter and if heads, the person on top of the bracket would advance and tails the bottom. So my friend Mike Griggs and I decided our freshman year that we were going to have a "Peoples Tournament" every year during March Madness just for fun. It's very simple actually, I'll break it down for you. I choose the most random 64 people I can think of (Family Included) and fill them in the bracket in no particular order and start flipping the quarter. That's all there is to it. This year is full of incredible first round match ups and what soon could be Cinderella stories. It looks to be the most exciting tournament action ever. Stay caught up on all of the results right here on my blog. Tournament starts Sunday April 6th. Brackets are also available to fill out and turn in for a prize. Just contact either Mike Griggs or myself and good luck!

My buddy Griggsy now a fellow Blogee!

So if you haven't heard my best buddy Mike Griggs has officially set up a blog. You can check out his blog at www.michaeljgriggs.blogspot.com.

Ducks (5-1)!!!

Last night the Ducks went at it again playing the South Bend Crossing. This time I actually got to play for the Ducks. The Crossing kept it kind of close in the beginning, but the Ducks were just to much as we quacked our way to victory 70-46. Right after the Ducks game, I had to play for the Elkhart Crossing and it wasn't so hot getting beat 82-50, yeah ouch! So I went 1-1 on the night. The Ducks currently stand at 1st place in the league with a 5-1 record. The Elkhart Crossing at 2-4. Oh by the way, I have never fallen down so many times in my life!

P Dave Brings it!

Yesterday Pastor Dave preached what I thought was an incredible sermon. I loved it! It was short and right to the point with every part of his sermon pointing directly to the cross. He gave us the analogy of how we go through life trying to swim from California to Hawaii. With how ridiculous that is it's almost hard to believe but it's so true. He brought out these key passages of scripture...

Romans 5:8
Romans 6:23

So will you swim or get in God's boat??