"Sheet of Integrity"
Listeners to the Mike and Mike morning show on ESPN radio will recognize the title phrase. "Sheet of Integrity" refers to, as I have recently become convicted, what a sports fan is obligated to stick with when participating in multiple NCAA tournament pools. 2008 is the first year that I have limited myself to one "Sheet of Integrity."
Every year I hear the same self-justification from fellow pool junkies: "I have Teams A, B, C, and D in the Final Four for my office bracket, but I entered Teams B, C, F, and J in my Cousin Vinnie's pool." I admit that I have been guilty of succumbing to the temptation to post different brackets in different pools. Mike Golic's reasoning was enough to convict and convert me. I am hereafter a one-bracket per year guy.
Advantages:
- Adds to the tension with each game. One bracket makes each pick more of a do-or-die scenario.
- Legitimizes boasting about correct upset picks. If you had all your money on Team X making the Final Four when no one else did, you have sole bragging rights. If you picked against Team X on your other three brackets, you lose all credibility.
Disadvantages:
- If you have a crucial team fall early, you lose all your money in all your pools early.
- Not only do you lose money, but you likely lose much interest.
Win or lose, Opening Day is just a few weeks away!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Grandpa Cuomo
A man whom I considered to be my adopted grandfather, Donald Cuomo, was diagnosed with terminal cancer throughout his body a few months ago. His seemingly imminent passing has weighed heavy on many hearts in the Cuomo family and in my own, especially in the past weeks. Don and his wife, Barbara, had "adopted" my parents as their own children when my father served as an intern at the OPC church in Harmony, NJ 27 years ago. They treated my siblings and I as if we were Cuomos. You may remember that Don Cuomo gave the prayer of blessing at my wedding.
With his decreasing state of health in mind, I had, in fact, written a type of tribute letter to him which went out in today's mail. Not even an hour after the mailman came and left, my father called me with the news that Grandpa Cuomo has passed into glory. He will never read the letter, but you may find it posted below.
I post it as a tribute to a great man in my life, and a great leader and example in the church of Jesus Christ. I post it as a praise to my heavenly Father who has granted me the gift of love from this man for the years on earth in which our lives overlapped.
- Grandpa Cuomo,
It would be difficult for me to overestimate what your life has meant to my own. The Lord has used your love, your wisdom, and your example to bless me and my family in ways to numerous to count or quantify.
You have been faithful as a godly husband, father, grandfather, and elder before my eyes and the eyes of so many others. What great assurance I have when considering the future generations of my family when I can so clearly see how the Lord has been faithful to the generations of the Cuomo family after you.
What immeasurable joy and happiness I can expect to find in the future years of my own marriage when I see the depth of love and unity you share with the wife of your youth.
What confidence I have in considering the future of the church of our Lord Jesus Christ when I reflect on the wisdom, conviction, and the love of the Word with which He equipped you to serve Him. Your years of faithful leadership and service are an inspiration and a comfort to me as I consider how the Lord would have me to help build His church.
The memories and thoughts of you that I am blessed to possess are treasured in the most dear halls of my heart. I not only thank the Lord for allowing me to be loved and polished by a man such as you, but I thank you for the ways in which you, in both word and deed, have helped me to more greatly love and trust our Heavenly Father.
You are one of the greatest blessings of my life. I love you, and will see you soon.
- Scott
A man whom I considered to be my adopted grandfather, Donald Cuomo, was diagnosed with terminal cancer throughout his body a few months ago. His seemingly imminent passing has weighed heavy on many hearts in the Cuomo family and in my own, especially in the past weeks. Don and his wife, Barbara, had "adopted" my parents as their own children when my father served as an intern at the OPC church in Harmony, NJ 27 years ago. They treated my siblings and I as if we were Cuomos. You may remember that Don Cuomo gave the prayer of blessing at my wedding.
With his decreasing state of health in mind, I had, in fact, written a type of tribute letter to him which went out in today's mail. Not even an hour after the mailman came and left, my father called me with the news that Grandpa Cuomo has passed into glory. He will never read the letter, but you may find it posted below.
I post it as a tribute to a great man in my life, and a great leader and example in the church of Jesus Christ. I post it as a praise to my heavenly Father who has granted me the gift of love from this man for the years on earth in which our lives overlapped.
- Grandpa Cuomo,
It would be difficult for me to overestimate what your life has meant to my own. The Lord has used your love, your wisdom, and your example to bless me and my family in ways to numerous to count or quantify.
You have been faithful as a godly husband, father, grandfather, and elder before my eyes and the eyes of so many others. What great assurance I have when considering the future generations of my family when I can so clearly see how the Lord has been faithful to the generations of the Cuomo family after you.
What immeasurable joy and happiness I can expect to find in the future years of my own marriage when I see the depth of love and unity you share with the wife of your youth.
What confidence I have in considering the future of the church of our Lord Jesus Christ when I reflect on the wisdom, conviction, and the love of the Word with which He equipped you to serve Him. Your years of faithful leadership and service are an inspiration and a comfort to me as I consider how the Lord would have me to help build His church.
The memories and thoughts of you that I am blessed to possess are treasured in the most dear halls of my heart. I not only thank the Lord for allowing me to be loved and polished by a man such as you, but I thank you for the ways in which you, in both word and deed, have helped me to more greatly love and trust our Heavenly Father.
You are one of the greatest blessings of my life. I love you, and will see you soon.
- Scott
Friday, January 25, 2008
2007 - Books in Review
There are several reasons why my list of books read in 2007 is drastically lesser than my list of books read in 2006. The introduction of Netflix to the Scott Pearce home has radically reduced the amount of reading in which I partake with any regularity. Another reason is that I will not allow myself to start reading a new book until I have completed the one with which I am presently occupied. You will notice that Moby Dick was tops on the list to start the year, and I was not able to surmount the tale of the white whale until September. This left me just enough time to plow through a surprisingly difficult encounter with God of Promise before the end of the year.
Moby Dick - Herman Melville - It started altogether promising. Immediately following the famous "Call me Ishmael" opening address began a handful of chapters which caused me to respond it such a way as to question whether I had, in fact, forsaken the true calling of my soul to be a man of the sea. A taste: Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from methodically knocking people's hats off--then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. Great stuff.
Between the opening line and page 126 lie a wonderful sermon on the story of Jonah, a few ambiguous prophecies from a character named Elijah, and an entire chapter on the merits of chowder. Between shove off and the first sightings of the white whale on page 689 (!), Melville interrupts an appropriately deliberate narrative with a generous (read: excessive) number of chapters detailing the whaling profession, the glory of the whale, and a biological exposition of the body of the whale--body part by body part. A sampling of the chapter titles comprising the bulk of the book: The Tail, The Honor and Glory of Whaling, Jonah Historically Regarded, and Does the Whale's Magnitude Diminish? I couldn't make this stuff up.
The last five chapters were riveting. It was one of only a few times when I have ever found myself incapable of putting a book down. The close to the story was good enough to make me forget and disregard the nine months of my life that I had spent reaching the close to the story. Moby Dick is perhaps the only exception I would make in passing judgment on someone for reading an abridged version of a classic novel. I could, upon request, cut the 135 chapters of Moby Dick down to 35 essentials and you would not miss a thing.
God of Promise, Introducing Covenant Theology - Michael Horton - I knew nothing about Michael Horton before our church's Men's Reading Group suggested God of Promise for our January meeting. Somehow, I felt as if I knew almost as little about covenant theology. Sure, I was familiar with regular references to the "old covenant" and the "new covenant" and the "Abrahamic covenant" and the "Mosaic covenant," but the distinctions and characterizations of each were anything but crystallized in my mind.
All in our reading group agreed that Horton did an excellent job arguing the significance of understanding covenant theology, of expounding the topic, and of explaining the application and implications of the topic. There were a few chapters where Horton led his readers to greater depths and/or loftier heights of thinking than I was able to follow. However, I found his work most helpful and would recommend it to all. A few selections can be found below:
We were not just created and then given a covenant; we were created as covenant creatures--partners not in deity, to be sure, but in the drama that was about to unfold in history.
Reformed theology is synonymous with covenant theology.
It is hardly anti-Semitic to observe that the covenant with Israel as a national entity in league with God was conditional and that the nation had so thoroughly violated that covenant that its theocratic status was revoked. Dispensationalism and the so-called two-covenant theory currently popular in mainline theology both treat the land promise as eternal and irrevocable, even to the extent that there can be significant difference between Israel and the church in God's plan. Both interpretations, however, fail to recognize that the Hebrew Scriptures themselves qualify this national covenant in strictly conditional terms.
There are several reasons why my list of books read in 2007 is drastically lesser than my list of books read in 2006. The introduction of Netflix to the Scott Pearce home has radically reduced the amount of reading in which I partake with any regularity. Another reason is that I will not allow myself to start reading a new book until I have completed the one with which I am presently occupied. You will notice that Moby Dick was tops on the list to start the year, and I was not able to surmount the tale of the white whale until September. This left me just enough time to plow through a surprisingly difficult encounter with God of Promise before the end of the year.
Moby Dick - Herman Melville - It started altogether promising. Immediately following the famous "Call me Ishmael" opening address began a handful of chapters which caused me to respond it such a way as to question whether I had, in fact, forsaken the true calling of my soul to be a man of the sea. A taste: Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from methodically knocking people's hats off--then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. Great stuff.
Between the opening line and page 126 lie a wonderful sermon on the story of Jonah, a few ambiguous prophecies from a character named Elijah, and an entire chapter on the merits of chowder. Between shove off and the first sightings of the white whale on page 689 (!), Melville interrupts an appropriately deliberate narrative with a generous (read: excessive) number of chapters detailing the whaling profession, the glory of the whale, and a biological exposition of the body of the whale--body part by body part. A sampling of the chapter titles comprising the bulk of the book: The Tail, The Honor and Glory of Whaling, Jonah Historically Regarded, and Does the Whale's Magnitude Diminish? I couldn't make this stuff up.
The last five chapters were riveting. It was one of only a few times when I have ever found myself incapable of putting a book down. The close to the story was good enough to make me forget and disregard the nine months of my life that I had spent reaching the close to the story. Moby Dick is perhaps the only exception I would make in passing judgment on someone for reading an abridged version of a classic novel. I could, upon request, cut the 135 chapters of Moby Dick down to 35 essentials and you would not miss a thing.
God of Promise, Introducing Covenant Theology - Michael Horton - I knew nothing about Michael Horton before our church's Men's Reading Group suggested God of Promise for our January meeting. Somehow, I felt as if I knew almost as little about covenant theology. Sure, I was familiar with regular references to the "old covenant" and the "new covenant" and the "Abrahamic covenant" and the "Mosaic covenant," but the distinctions and characterizations of each were anything but crystallized in my mind.
All in our reading group agreed that Horton did an excellent job arguing the significance of understanding covenant theology, of expounding the topic, and of explaining the application and implications of the topic. There were a few chapters where Horton led his readers to greater depths and/or loftier heights of thinking than I was able to follow. However, I found his work most helpful and would recommend it to all. A few selections can be found below:
We were not just created and then given a covenant; we were created as covenant creatures--partners not in deity, to be sure, but in the drama that was about to unfold in history.
Reformed theology is synonymous with covenant theology.
It is hardly anti-Semitic to observe that the covenant with Israel as a national entity in league with God was conditional and that the nation had so thoroughly violated that covenant that its theocratic status was revoked. Dispensationalism and the so-called two-covenant theory currently popular in mainline theology both treat the land promise as eternal and irrevocable, even to the extent that there can be significant difference between Israel and the church in God's plan. Both interpretations, however, fail to recognize that the Hebrew Scriptures themselves qualify this national covenant in strictly conditional terms.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Your Resolutions for the New Year
Not being one to take special interest in resolutions of the New Year's variety, I have been a bit of a wet blanket this January as I have been asked about my list of New Year's Resolutions. I have countered this awkward social situation by creating a list of resolutions that I would like to see you follow this year.
Don't kid yourself. It is obvious to us all that your life has not quite reached the Fulfilled plateau. Below find several resolutions to which your adherence is a must in 2008:
(in no order of importance)
1. If you claim to be a Patriots fan, generate a list of at least five reasons why. All reasons must not include any reference to winning.
2. Do not allow the balance on your credit card to carry over to the next month.
3. If you have more than one credit card, cancel all but one.
4. Walk more, especially in the company of loved ones.
5. Vote.
6. Buy, listen to, and love "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen. If you have been a New Jersey resident for more than any ten years of you life, make this Resolution #1.
7. Buy a pickup truck, or at least imagine how much better your life would be with a pickup truck.
8. Tip your garbage man and mailman more than you tip your bartender.
9. Realize and embrace the fact that the current purse craze is stupid. Use a twelve-step program, if necessary. Convince yourself and your friends that a purse with a letter on the outside is no more special than one without. Remind yourself that wanting something just because every one of your friends has one is not a good reason to do anything.
10. Eat more legumes.
11. Write your mother a card on a day other than Mother's Day, her birthday, or Valentine's Day. Make it a Blank Inside card, and write your own sincere message.
12. Make Brian Regan a part of your life.
13. Meditate on the Lord's unmerited favor to you in 2007. Expect more of it in 2008.
Not being one to take special interest in resolutions of the New Year's variety, I have been a bit of a wet blanket this January as I have been asked about my list of New Year's Resolutions. I have countered this awkward social situation by creating a list of resolutions that I would like to see you follow this year.
Don't kid yourself. It is obvious to us all that your life has not quite reached the Fulfilled plateau. Below find several resolutions to which your adherence is a must in 2008:
(in no order of importance)
1. If you claim to be a Patriots fan, generate a list of at least five reasons why. All reasons must not include any reference to winning.
2. Do not allow the balance on your credit card to carry over to the next month.
3. If you have more than one credit card, cancel all but one.
4. Walk more, especially in the company of loved ones.
5. Vote.
6. Buy, listen to, and love "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen. If you have been a New Jersey resident for more than any ten years of you life, make this Resolution #1.
7. Buy a pickup truck, or at least imagine how much better your life would be with a pickup truck.
8. Tip your garbage man and mailman more than you tip your bartender.
9. Realize and embrace the fact that the current purse craze is stupid. Use a twelve-step program, if necessary. Convince yourself and your friends that a purse with a letter on the outside is no more special than one without. Remind yourself that wanting something just because every one of your friends has one is not a good reason to do anything.
10. Eat more legumes.
11. Write your mother a card on a day other than Mother's Day, her birthday, or Valentine's Day. Make it a Blank Inside card, and write your own sincere message.
12. Make Brian Regan a part of your life.
13. Meditate on the Lord's unmerited favor to you in 2007. Expect more of it in 2008.
Friday, November 23, 2007
The Lord Watches Over the Sojourner
The odometer on my little truck is coming up on 172,777 miles. While a seemingly inconsequential milestone, it will mark 125,000 miles that I have traveled since the purchase of my 2001 Dodge Dakota 3 ½ years ago. Some quick arithmetic reveals that I am averaging 35,700 miles of travel per year.
My truck and I have been as far east as Riverhead, Long Island, NY; as far west as Beaver Falls, PA; as far north as Cheektowaga, NY; and as far south as Virginia Beach, VA.
I am having a difficult time choosing an average speed for my total time traveled calculations. Somewhere between 30 miles per hour and 60 mph, so for round number’s sake, I will assume that I have traveled an average speed of 45 miles an hour throughout the past 3 ½ years.
In light of the above, consider the below:
Hours Behind the Wheel: 2,777 hours, 40 minutes
Days Behind the Wheel: 115.7 days
Weeks Behind the Wheel: 16.5 weeks
Years Behind the Wheel: 0.32 years
All said, I have spent 9.1 % of the last 3 ½ years of my life behind the wheel of my truck!
How good is my Heavenly Father to have preserved me through all this! And yet how often do I neglect to meditate upon my dependency for God’s care in even ordinary aspects of life? My little truck has been free from any trouble worse than a persistently on-again-off-again “Check Engine” light, and yet how unfaithful I am to remember my Lord in thanksgiving for granting me a reliable vehicle.
My heart should be more often in tune with Psalm 121, which reads:
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”
The odometer on my little truck is coming up on 172,777 miles. While a seemingly inconsequential milestone, it will mark 125,000 miles that I have traveled since the purchase of my 2001 Dodge Dakota 3 ½ years ago. Some quick arithmetic reveals that I am averaging 35,700 miles of travel per year.
My truck and I have been as far east as Riverhead, Long Island, NY; as far west as Beaver Falls, PA; as far north as Cheektowaga, NY; and as far south as Virginia Beach, VA.
I am having a difficult time choosing an average speed for my total time traveled calculations. Somewhere between 30 miles per hour and 60 mph, so for round number’s sake, I will assume that I have traveled an average speed of 45 miles an hour throughout the past 3 ½ years.
In light of the above, consider the below:
Hours Behind the Wheel: 2,777 hours, 40 minutes
Days Behind the Wheel: 115.7 days
Weeks Behind the Wheel: 16.5 weeks
Years Behind the Wheel: 0.32 years
All said, I have spent 9.1 % of the last 3 ½ years of my life behind the wheel of my truck!
How good is my Heavenly Father to have preserved me through all this! And yet how often do I neglect to meditate upon my dependency for God’s care in even ordinary aspects of life? My little truck has been free from any trouble worse than a persistently on-again-off-again “Check Engine” light, and yet how unfaithful I am to remember my Lord in thanksgiving for granting me a reliable vehicle.
My heart should be more often in tune with Psalm 121, which reads:
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
