Ohio State center could lift the Sixers

Check out this article on Greg Oden.

Examples:

Once, after the Lawrence North team finished a pregame recital of the Lord's Prayer, J.R. Shelt, a former assistant coach, noticed tears in Oden's eyes. Asked if everything was OK, Oden explained that he was thinking about having watched the movie The Passion of the Christ.

As players, coaches, cheerleaders and fans jumped with excitement, Oden walked over to a woman near the court.

"How's Esther?" he asked her.

Two years earlier, Esther had been born prematurely, weighing 1 pound, 4 ounces, to the relative of Lawrence North assistant coach Jim Etherington.

"He had met Rachel, my sister-in-law, once or twice," Etherington said. "He knew she was family. He remembered her name at a time when a lot of people wanted a piece of him. He has a personal touch. He has a sweet, genuine attentiveness to him."

When Oden made his recruiting visit to OSU, he kept holding the doors open to let coaches and others pass through first.

Friends chuckle about how often he thanks them for mundane matters, and he says "Yes, sir," and "No, sir," as if he's in the military. Oden began a recent news conference by apologizing for being late, which nearly caused reporters accustomed to waiting to drop their pens.

He sounds like a role model we can be proud of. Team him with Andre Iguodala, we may have talent and a role models for the kids of Philadelphia

Obama Takes First Step Toward Presidential Run

Please check out the video of Barack Obama's announcement that he is forming committee to run for president. This will be a watershed moment in the United States.

I remember feeling a similar way when I watched an obscure governor from Arkansas give his speech saying he was running for president.

Hopefully Barack will follow the same path.

The Love of Jesus

Even though I continue to hear sermons that insist that we must have mission to bring new followers to Christ, I think the sentiments found in this Purpose Driven Life devotional more than explain and justify my approach.

"In the process of loving our neighbors, we will inevitably introduce them to Jesus. (There’s no way you can love someone and not tell them about the most important thing in your life.) What happens then is God’s business, but we will be a witness to what we know of God to those who are compelled to ask. In the meantime, our mission is to keep on loving our neighbors, regardless."

"Love is truly our highest calling. It relates to all people saved or unsaved, regardless of religion, race, or gender. Love as God loves and you will not go wrong. When love is the goal, everything else gets done in the process."

The mistake that a lot of people make is describe as, "When it becomes our mission to save people, people can easily become targets, projects, assignments, or serve a host of other utilitarian purposes. The problem with this is that people become a means to an end. The end is to save everyone, to preach to everyone, to warn everyone, or in some way fulfill an obligation."