Trying to come up with the top 7 biggest let downs of all time

1. Y2k
2. The XFL
3. The Geraldo Opening of an Egyptian Tomb
4. Crystal Pepsi
5. Fox's "Glow Puck"
6. Virtual Boy
7. Kevin Costner's Water World

But Pink is the New Red!

Question: In the past few years how often have you asked a Christian "What is your religion?" and they respond, "Oh, I don't consider myself religious, I consider myself spiritual".

SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE HECK DOES THAT MEAN!?!

I, a Christian, must confess that in my own mind, I consider myself to be spiritual rather than religious. I can say that with a bit of pride, knowing that such a sentence gives me the license to hold onto a Christian belief system, without being stereotyped into the Christian "Religion" crowd (Christian music, Jesus fishes on your bumber, and a level of ignorance of how isolating such behaviors can be in a secular society).

But both religion and spirituality are fairly ambiguous terms when you take the time to think about them in isolation. Maybe more relative than ambiguous.

Religion - Does religion simply mean a personal belief system on life or life's purpose? A moral code? Or does it mean an organization of people meeting together under the banner of shared beliefs? Perhaps it means simply the devotion to something, i.e. "my religion is college football".

Spirituality - Is this a fancy word for a simple awarness of forces beyond our human senses or a spiritual world? Perhaps it means new age beliefs or eastern theology? Maybe it means a belief in ghosts.

Alone, both terms mean very little, but when you combine it with the word Christian, you get two very different, but clear, definitions.

Although I graduated from college two years ago, let me explain the above in the college context. Maybe being a "religious Christian" was cool in generations previous to mine, but now days, if you announce on a college campus that you are a "religious Christian", you are critized for being closed-minded, hypocritical and ignorant. On the other hand, if you announce that you are a "spiritual Christian", acceptance comes much easier.

The term "religious Christian" has been ruined by so-called Christians who protest at the funerals of homosexuals, bomb abortion clinics or simply live a life that is contrary to what they preach. So in an effort for Christians who truly take Christ's message to heart and recognize that we are meant to be a light in the world, we have clung to a new term, "spiritual Christian". In doing so, we are left to defend only the merits of our faith, not what others before us have done in the name of religion.

Think of it in this way, on the same token that you might read in some fashion magazines that "Pink is the new Red", "Spiritual is the new religion".

But what happens when this new term is tainted? What happens when some "spiritual Christians" come along and ruin that term for the rest of us and create a whole new set of false stereotypes. How then do we identify ourselves in Christ?

"I don't consider myself spiritual, I consider myself balanced"....pshhhh

Top 10 Nights Ever

Have you ever had an evening of nostalgia? You know, the nights where every song on the radio brings back memories of high school, a friend you haven't seen in awhile calls, or suddenly you're overwhelmed with feelings from days past? I am fortunate enough to have nights like these on occasion. Sometimes I wonder if they're provoked by dreams from the previous evening or just a deep, internal longing for the familiar past.

Regardless, tonight is one of those nights. After work I spoke with my mom (being the good son I am, I called her on my drive home from work). We caught up on what each of us had done that day, but somehow the conversation turned to the street I grew up on as a child. We tried each others' memories on the names of neighbors, events of the 1980s and what the old neighborhood was probably like now. Not even 30 minutes after that call with my mother, I caught myself singing along to "3am", by Matchbox 20, on the radio. I suddenly found myself feeling all those familiar emotions of freshman year of high school when the song originally came out. Not only did I feel the excitement of freshman year all over again, but I could even smell my high school. Weird, I know.

I called my buddy Robbie, who lived down the street when I was a teenager and has remained a close friend since, but he was busy. I wanted somebody to reminisce with. Sadly though, my thoughts turned from happy times of the past to things of the present; work, the volatile stock market, and questions of where I would be in a year.

Later that evening, after helping a friend move into a new apartment, I found myself at home eating a bowl of cereal and watching baseball. I have been captivated by this homerun chase of Barry Bonds for several weeks now, and sadly I have watched significant portions of the Giants last 6 games in hopes of seeing history occur. My efforts have not been in vain though, Saturday night, while watching with my dad who happened to be in town, we saw Barry tie Aaron's record (fitting), and then tonight I watched alone as Bonds broke the record (not-so-fitting).

I'm not sure if I'm bummed that I was alone watching one of the most historical moments in baseball history or the fact that I'm almost always alone in North Carolina.

I think it is a curse. A curse brought on being nostalgic about the past. Things are always great in the past and the present always seems bleak and disappointing. Was I actually bummed that I was home alone, doing domestic things that an independent adult should do, or was I bummed that I wasn't a kid captivated by the magic of something as big as a homerun record? Maybe I was just sad that I had nobody to share the moment with.

Regardless, I feel inspired tonight. I feel inspired to brainstorm the Top 10 nights of my social life with friends. Some are downright wholesome, some are not so innocent. Regardless, here's the list

10. NCAA 2003 All-Nighter with David Knight, Chang and Robbie - July 2002
9. Prank Phone Calls At David Knight's - February 2001
8. St. Louis SDSP Reunion - October 2003
7. Shaun's-Going-Away-Palooza - May 2005
6. Chris Oliver's Wedding Rehearsal Dinner - January 2006
5. Summer Project Man Room Night - July 2003 - "Toby, Chris, Frank, Shaun"
4. Cameron's Bachelor Party - October 2004
3. Adam Cline's Epiphany with Barker - February 2003
2. Vegas Nights With Robbie, Chang and Durham - March 2003
1. Halloween 2004 - "4 More Years!" - October 2004