Follow-Through

Now, I think I know what you're talking about with the follow-through, but people are going to ask: Why does what you do after you have released the ball affect whether or not it goes in the basket?

Focusing on the finish, and what you're doing after the shot, forces you to complete the proper mechanics when the ball is in your hands. Common shooting flaws include letting the ball release before your arm is fully extended, "pulling the string," walking away at the end of the shot, or not balancing yourself. If you're intent on a good, solid, end of your shot, those things take care of themselves. It makes you attentive to start and middle.

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"If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this." - C.S. Lewis

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"Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither." - C.S. Lewis

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"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." - Matthew 6:33

Job 16:19-21

19 Even now my witness is in heaven;
       my advocate is on high.

 20 My intercessor is my friend
       as my eyes pour out tears to God;

 21 on behalf of a man he pleads with God
       as a man pleads for his friend.

Psalm 77

In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord

To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

1I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.
2In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
3When I remember God, I moan;
when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah
4You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5I consider the days of old,
the years long ago.
6I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;
let me meditate in my heart.”
Then my spirit made a diligent search:
7“Will the Lord spurn forever,
and never again be favorable?
8Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
9Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah
10Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
11I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
14You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
15You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16When the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
indeed, the deep trembled.
17The clouds poured out water;
the skies gave forth thunder;
your arrows flashed on every side.
18The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lighted up the world;
the earth trembled and shook.
19Your way was through the sea,
your path through the great waters;
yet your footprints were unseen.
20You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Read About Uber Street

* This is where I was last week.  I'm elated that it's getting some press exposure.  Thanks to Jamie.

Teaching tolerance in the street

Day camp creates safe haven for North Phila. children.

By Vernon Clark

Inquirer Staff Writer

The Rev. Taehoo Lee , a Temple University instructor and Baptist minister who lives a few blocks away, organized the camp. He hopes to launch a neighborhood after-school program next.

» More images

For young children in North Philadelphia, it's a way to have fun and learn a few things in the waning weeks of summer.

Yet for the 43 mostly Asian volunteers of the three-week "play street" program in the 2100 block of Uber Street, it's a way to bridge communities, spread Christian faith, and reach out to a neighborhood in need.

"We believe the Gospel should have an impact in the community," said the Rev. Taehoo Lee, who organized the Uber Street Summer Camp. "It should have an impact for the betterment of the community."

Lee, a Temple University instructor and Baptist minister who lives a few blocks away, said the Uber Street program engages children ages 4 to 13 in activities including arts and crafts, martial arts, African American history, and Bible study. The free program, in its second year under Lee's leadership, runs from July 31 to Aug. 18.

As about 40 children used colored chalk to draw pictures on the asphalt of this tree-lined street yesterday morning, Lee said the goal was to provide a safe and fun place for children to play and learn in the summer.

He said the program also brings together Asian Americans and African Americans in new ways.

The majority of the 43 volunteers at the camp are Asian Americans. Thirty-one are from a church in Flushing, N.Y., and five are from a church in North Haledon in North Jersey.

Lee said that most people in North Philadelphia know Koreans and other Asian Americans only as merchants who come to the black community to operate delis and other shops.

The Uber Street Summer Camp "breaks stereotypical ideas about African Americans and Koreans," Lee said. "This breaks down walls between two communities."

The volunteers "come here and see a different face of African Americans, and the community sees Asian Americans in a different light," Lee said.

Hanna Chung, a Chicago native who is volunteering in the program this summer, said neighbors had embraced the program and its workers.

"I was surprised with how welcoming the community has been," Chung said. "The neighbors see this as a good program."

Nick Foster, 70, a resident of the block for close to a decade, said the summer camp program had been good for the neighborhood.

"I think it's nice for the kids. We need it more often," Foster said. "It helps keep them out of trouble. I look out my door and they are enjoying themselves."

Lee said the "play street" program was originally operated by community resident Michael Riley, whom he befriended when Lee moved to the neighborhood.

"He wanted to have some program that could engage the children," Lee said.

Lee said he and Riley planned to volunteer and provide lunch to the children, but a few months before the program was to begin, Riley died. Lee said other neighbors "stepped up in his place."

Lee said he called on high school and college students from Korean American churches and from his classes at Temple University, where he teaches an intellectual-heritage course that combines history, philosophy and other disciplines.

He said that running the program cost about $10,000 and that the money came from individual donors and churches he had contacted.

Lee said he hoped later to launch a year-round after-school program for neighborhood children.

Ann Tanner, who lives about a block away from Uber Street and whose grandchildren attend the camp, said the race of the volunteers didn't matter.

"It's not about their race. The kids just love them," Tanner said. "This is the best thing that could happen to our kids."

John Piper's Hatred for the Prosperity Gospel

KG, Bonds, and Angels

There have been quite a few big sports stories lately.  Two that stand out to me right now are Kevin Garnett's arrival in Boston and Barry Bonds' pursuit of 756 (which I am watching right now).  Both stories are significant and spark a lot of thoughts, opinions, and chatter.  I'm sure the words "Did you hear..." and "What do you think about..." have been said a lot concerning these two stories.

And rightfully so.  Both KG and Bonds are currently in buzzworthy positions.

Then I got to thinking...

I wonder what the angels said to one another when Christ was born, crucified, and resurrected.

Let me throw in a Bible verse:

And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
  - Isaiah 6:3

The interesting part of that verse is that the seraphs call "to one another" when they say "Holy, holy, holy..."

I like to think that whenever humans talk with one another in amazement, excitement, or awe about something, it is a slight reflection of what the angels do.

I can imagine how astounded they were when Jesus was born in a manger as a baby, and how they must have prattled with one another with wide eyes.

I can also imagine how mournful they must have been when Jesus was crucified on the cross, and how they must have wailed with one another with tearful eyes.

I can imagine how ecstatic they must have been when Jesus rose again three days later, and how they must have shouted together with praises filled with joy, adoration, and astonishment, taking hold of each other, embracing one another, and jumping up and down with hands raised.  Boston Celtics fans must have tasted a glimpse of this when KG's arrival was announced.

And I can also imagine how the devil and his cronies must have cried foul when Christ was raised again, accusing God of cheating with infinitely more vehemence than those who currently accuse Bonds of breaking the rules of baseball.

Am I way off on this?  Is this speculation a bit much?  Maybe.

But two things are certain:

1. "...there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." - Luke 15:10

2. I want to experience angels' joy.

"Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things." - 1 Peter 1:10-12 (emphasis added)