Here come the Irish...

It's that time again. And, today, I sat on my own couch and watched the Irish trudge their way to an ugly win. Now, I'm not a guy who's gonna sit here and overanalyze the, for the most part, ugliness that we saw today, but I am going to answer the question my roommate (Ben) asked me today.

Kyle, why do you love Notre Dame football so much?

I hate to say that I love Notre Dame football but the sad reality is that I really really like this program. Some of my earliest childhood memories consist of sunny afternoons with my dad, brother, or other buddies on one of the most beautiful campuses in the world. The University of Notre Dame is truly a unique place. Many will say this, but I've felt it and I love it. The SEC may boast the rowdiest fans or the craziest tailgate parties, but nothing compares to the tradition experienced at Notre Dame. I know, they are sort of the Yankees of college football, and I certainly don't care to convince you, or anyone else, to like this team, but they have this reputation for a reason.
Great coaches. Great players. Great movie(s). They graduate players. They paint diagonal lines in the endzone. They wear the same gold pants and helmets every year. No names on the jerseys. Well spoken kids. Many years of all of this. I live an hour from South Bend and I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday.

Granted, sometimes this program represents a lack of priorities for a university. Or they handle a situation immorally. Or its fans are a little overconceited. This, I understand.

But, I still like this team a lot. I just do. You probably won't convince me otherwise.

Enjoy the Fall, whomever you like or don't like.

SALT 2008

I just got back from West Virginia. For the past 3 years, I've spent the first week of August with around 30 Bethel College athletes learning and growing in the area of Spiritual Leadership. The retreat is called SALT and was started by my dad 4 years ago. I spent the summer of 2006 interning for my dad at Bethel helping to plan for this retreat, so it has become very important to me. I actually posted about last year's retreat here.

I love this week. I love the students that I get to experience life with. This year, I got to serve alongside my entire family which was definitely a highlight. I got to see God use my dad as the athletic director at Bethel in a unique way in challenging these talented athletes to pursue Christ above all else.

Again, the vulnerability, honesty, and brokenness was so visible. There is something very unique about working with college athletes. First of all, any games that take place are all out wars. Secondly, there are unique walls and facades that often build up in the lives of athletes. These were moved and torn down this week. Third, it is so cool to watch a bunch of people who do not know each other well at all unite together and bond so strongly in 6 days. Fourth, my mom cooks so we eat like kings.

My experience could be summed up by the following sentence:

SALT 2008 encouraged me in ministry with college students (athletes in particular), with my family (so cool to do this together), and to my heart (a lot of things going on but I was encouraged).

This is something that I would love to see duplicated at Taylor and other Christian university athletic departments. We'll see if I'll ever have that opportunity. This is not just another retreat. It is a time where God has changed lives. I hope to share some of those stories later.

Coach Hoeppner. A true coach!

I'm kind of on a video kick, but this is another really cool one!

I love coaches. I would love to be a coach of some sort some day.

This is the story of an amazing coach. A coach who recently died, and a wife that is carrying on his legacy. It's been hard, but it's amazing to see!

Indiana recently became bowl eligible for the fist time in year!

The World of Fantasy

For the last six years I've been a part of a fantasy football league. You may think I'm crazy to live in this football "fantasy world" every Fall, but it's been such a cool thing to stay connected with some great guys.

My high school youth pastor, Derry Prenkert, wrote something cool today about our league. You can and should read it here. Outside of my family, Derry is definitely one of the top five most influential people in my life.