• We had a cancer scare with Necole. We had to wait 4 weeks to find out if she had cancer or not. Come to find out, she did not. We are grateful.
• The Wades finally had baby Layton. Big congrats to them!
• We got some really important work done for HELP and our upcoming Haiti campaign. We received a $20,000 matching donation. More next week!
• I’m a HUGE lifelong LA Laker fan. It felt good to win last night against our most-hated rivals, the Boston Celtics. Amazing series, stressful! Of course, this is really trivial compared to all the other things

Needless to say, this week could have been really bad, but for me personally, it was good. Therefore, I rest, reflect and enjoy, because good weeks are not promised.

Christmas was great for the Marlow family. We woke up early and opened gifts at home. We told the kids they could not wake us up before 7AM-we got up at 7AM exactly! Then we headed to the in-laws for breakfast with the family. After that we went back home to chill and get ready for dinner at our place. After dinner we headed downtown to see lights on 37th ST, which is basically a typical Austin event that throws out tradition and adds it’s own vibe. Who needs baby Jesus in a manger? Jesus was replaced with Obama Welcome to Austin. 

Of course I had to watch the Laker vs. Celtics game. Glad we won! Boston is a great team and we needed the confidence. 

My only gripe with C-mas was the weather. It was hot and muggy. C’mon it’s December what gives.  (I can see Jeff Ramsey laughing at me now

I’m blessed, God has been good to me and my family. Now if I can just get some sleep!

It was a pleasure to chat with Charles Lee on the phone today. Charles is a pastor of this church in LA and he also is the co-founder of Just One. They are doing some great things for the Kingdom as the help the orphan, fight against human-trafficking and serving their local community through some refreshing and creative outreaches. I really enjoyed hearing his story.

I was finally able to hammer-out some long overdue to-do’s for HELP. Feels good to have it done.

A few friends have asked me to post my link to last week’s message at Vista. I’ve received some great feedback. I pray it’s blessing. Although I would consider the message to be a bit raw. Not my usual style of speaking. You can click here for the message.

And finally…The Lakers are BACK. Tonight..Can’t wait.

MY thoughts:

- Their comes a time when you recognize that one team is just better then the other team. Boston is just  a better team then LA. Ray found his shot, the bench played great, they fought through injuries. 

- NBA conspiracy folks can rest now. Now one can blame the refs. Boston just played better. 

- I’m really tired of the media cramming Kobe vs. MJ comparisons. I mean, for real…Its old, I”m tired of MJ. Let move on folks and enjoy Kobe, D-Wade, Lebron and others for who they are. Maybe when their careers are over then we can compare. 

- The NBA has to speed up the playoff process. It’s DRAGS on way to long. I’m mentally wiped. I almost don’t care, I just want the playoffs to be over. 

As for the Lakers…

- I think we forgot that this team lost their 2nd best player, made some in-seasons trades and they still almost one it all. If Bynum was playing in this series, it would have changed a lot of things. The dude is a stud-in-the-making and can play offense and defense. We really needed his D in this series. 

- Our future is bright. Sometimes you have to lose before you learn how to win. You learn on the fly. (still can’t blow 24 point leads) 

- I think we will win a championship or two in the next 4-5 years. Its going to be fun to watch and follow. 

As for this year…Unless we make some sort of epic comeback…Congrats to the Celtics. Hopefully we can do this again next year. Although I’m still shocked that they almost lost to the Hawks. Go figure. 

1. We moved into the new house. So grateful to be there. Thanks to all those who helped us move. We’ve been unpacking like mad. Yesterday I spent 5 hours with Time Warner Cable, by far the longest cable appointment of my life. But now all the technology is up and running, the house is mostly unpacked and the parties will begin soon. 

2. Tuesday I had somewhat of a scary doctor’s appointment. My blood results were elevated and their was numerous possibilities like cancer, diabetes, heart problems and such. Lucky for me I got a clean bill of health. But of course the doc called me “fat” and said I need to eat better and exercise. OK, he did not call me fat but I still need to eat better and workout. This has now become priority number one in my life. Although the doc called me “stressed” and “tensed.” He told me I need to manage my stress better. Which that is not going to happen anytime soon because the Lakers/Celtics series starts tonight. I DO NOT ENJOY THIS. I get tensed, stressed and emotional. Yes its an addiction-bad for me. I know I know. But I can’t help it. My one hope is that the Lakers CRUSH the Celtics, but that is a bit far-fetched. 

3. I’m totally wiped. Hoping to regain some much needed energy and focus next week. Their is no question this is one of the biggest issues that we all face. Our lives are being pulled in so many directions. It’s hard to manage it all. But it is a necessity-so it must be done. Bit now I have to write a sermon for Sunday. Got the outline done-now its time to study. 

I love me some Magic… Scott…Worthy…Green…Kareem…Cooper…Thompson…Fisher…Fox…Shaq…Kobe…Horry.

Celtics are the best NBA organization ever. Dominated B-ball in the the 60′s, very very good in the 70′s and 80′s. 

The Lakers have been to more NBA Championships….The Celts have won the most NBA Championships. 

So many possibilities. Kobe in the Garden. KG’s first ring. I hate LA chants.

My thoughts:

Lakers have an advantage in experience. Kobe & D. Fish have won 3 rings and Phil 9. 

Lakers are used to stingy D. Utah and SA. Celts will have to adjust to LA offense. 

Lakers are battles tested. Celts had to play one good team-and that was Detroit. Lakers played 3 teams with 50+ wins. 

Celts have home courts. Plus the NBA Final format is bad for the road team. I don’t like it. 2-3-2. Basically there is a good chance you need to win two on the road. It’s hard to beat a team 3 straight times. Lot’s of pressure in the beginning on Celts. If you lose 1 game at home, you may not go back.

So who wins. I’m a Laker fan…I think Kobe and Phil wil tip the balance. I call Lakers in 6.

LET THE WAR BEGIN. Oh crap…We have to wait a week?!?!?! So lame.  

Of course we closed on our house. It all went smoothly. Actually the whole process went smoothly. So that is good. We are very grateful and the kids are super happy. 

After closing Necole and I watched Lost. I can’t wait for next year. I liked parts of it and other parts I was confused. It’s going to be interesting to see where they go next year. 

And then…I watched the Laker game. Man…Kobe just went off in the 4th. This time last year I was a very frustrated Laker fan. I knew this team had potential. But the last two years we kept getting injured and all. So it’s been amazing to see them come this far. 

Anyhow, I think we will beat Boston or Detroit. Should be a good series either way. But why do I have to wait a week before the finals start? Easter Conf series will be over by Sunday or tonight. Not happy about the 7-day layoff. 

Anyhow..Yesterday was a good day in my little world. 

That being said I’ve laid out a summer blog plan. I hope to do a site redesign (as long as studio 914 helps me of course) and start a series of posts on the gospel, culture and pastoral leadership.

Hopefully I can stay away from Home “freaking” Depot  long enough to study and write. I would hate to make promises and not come through. 

Writing is a skill that I’m hoping to improve on this summer. We shall see. Of course no promises till the Laker season is over. We must win 5 games and my life will be VERY HAPPY. 

Can’t stand Hillary Clinton. Just can’t stand her. I would vote for my dog before I voted for Hillary.

Gas prices are crazy. I’m going to have think-through my driving habits. Stay local more (too bad the coffeeshops suck where I live) and be a good steward of my resoruces.

I need a vacation. I’m getting ready to plan one. Just a few days to chill, think and pray with the wife.

Lakers tonight. This is soooo stressful. Playoffs take way to long.

Mavs, Wiz and Suns choked. I think it time for the Mavs to re-think the entire team. Kidd has brough nothing to the table in terms if leadership and tenacity.

I wonder if the Suns would rather have Marion or Shaq right now? Tough call.