New Widget

Just added a new widget to this webpage, at the bottom. I originally wanted to put it to the side of this webpage, but the widget was too wide and wouldn't fit. I still think it would look better off to the side, but unfortunately I don't know how to manipulate dimensions of this webpage. Anyway, as I was saying, the new widget is at the bottom of this page, under the "World Soccer" section. Honestly, if you're a soccer fan, this has to be the best widget ever!!!  It has all the latest results, standings, and news from all the major soccer leagues around the world--Including, but not limited to, the Big 4 (Spain,England,Italy,Germany) Scotland,France,Netherlands, Japan, Mexico,Argentina,Brazil, USA. Try it out, i think you'll love it. It's powered by OleOle.com, which is a great soccer fan website!!

The Trophies

 The FIFA Club World Cup
  The Old CONCACAF Champion's Cup 
  The SuperLiga Trophy
  The U.S. Open Cup
   The MLS Cup
   The Supporter's Shield

I wanted to give you guys a glimpse at all the trophies i spoke about in the previous posting.

Explaining American Club Soccer

Hello!!  after a little while away I am back...  I've been very busy trying to secure my future (filling out employment applications with all the local school districts) that explains why I was not making new blogs.

For this first post back I want to explain the structure of club soccer here in the U.S. As most of you know I am a big soccer fan, so allow me to indulge myself!! =)

In order to explain club soccer here in the US, the best place to start is with MLS.

MLS stands for Major League Soccer, and it is the highest level of soccer played at the club level here in the US. MLS is still a relatively young league compared with leagues in Europe and Latin America that have almost 100 years of tradition and history behind them. MLS started in 1996 as a condition of FIFA having granted the USA the World Cup in 1994.  FIFA said "you want the world cup? fine we'll give it to you but you have to start a level 1 soccer league here in your country." The last soccer league that had existed in the US, the NASL had gone bankrupt in the early 80's as a result of financial mismanagement (among other reasons).

When MLS first started in 1996, soccer fans in the US were happy because we finally had a league to call our own--but the quality of play on the field was poor. I think it would pretty fair to have described it as a "kick and run" league. Today, 12 years later, no one will mistake it for the EPL or Italy's Serie A or Spain's La Liga but it has definitely improved a lot. I think that MLS teams could more than hold their own in The Championship (England's 2nd tier) on an every week basis and could even beat EPL mid to lower table opposition. MLS currently has 14 teams and is slated to expand to 18 by 2011. MLS is definitely going through a good time right now--more corporate sponsors, more tv money, more investors, more owners. The public relations/ media coup was last year's signing of Beckham. MLS plays from spring to fall (April to September) with american style playoffs in October.  A lot of fans complain that this is not in keeping with world soccer practices (by which they really mean Europe's Big 4) because there a re other leagues around the world that play a spring schedule. I however love the fact that MLS plays mainly in the spring and summer--it's a very American thing to do and reminds me of playing soccer in high school and college when soccer season always started in the spring. Also by playing this way the only other sport competing on tv is Baseball, if we played in fall and winter we would be competing with the NFL, NBA,NHL, and NCAA football and basketball!! Definitely not advantageous.

So now that you know a little about MLS, here are all the things that MLS teams are eligible to compete in once the season begins.  The big prize in MLS (as with any other sports league) is the MLS Cup. The best 8 teams at the end of the regular season compete in the MLS playoffs and the team left standing at the end of the playoffs is the MLS Champion and given the MLS Cup. It's  a beautiful trophy with a unique design. The winner of MLS Cup besides having the prestige of being called MLS Champion also gets an automatic berth into the CONCACAF Champions League.  The MLS Cup runner up also receives a CONCACAF Champions League berth.

 A close second to the MLS Cup is the Supporter's Shield. As it's name implies this trophy originated with  the fans of MLS.  Many fans used to American sports were comfortable with the playoffs system that MLS uses, but it seems an equal number of MLS fans who had grown up watching the Euro leagues before MLS began, did not feel comfortable with the playoff system to crown a champion. They felt that it was more appropriate to give the award to the regular season champion--the team at the end of the regular season with the most points. Since the MLS used playoffs to officially crown its champion, the fans decided to create a trophy by themselves and unofficially award it, on behalf of the fans, with an on the field presentation ceremony to the team with the most points at the end of the regular season. That is how the Supporter's Shield came to be. It is a homemade trophy and it shows, but it also means a lot to the teams that win it because it comes directly from the fans. For many years the Supporter's Shield  was an unofficial award but recently MLS decided to recognize it and give it official league license. MLS and the fans now jointly award it and according to MLS it is presented to recognize "excellence in the regular season", though they are not considered  MLS champions.  It is more than just a mere recognition though--because the winner of the Shield also  gains an automatic berth to the CONCACAF Champions League -- just like the winner of MLS Cup !! Supporter's Shield is definitely not a bad "consolation prize" !! 

The Dewar Trophy is given to the winner of the US Open Cup tournament. The US Open Cup is the American equivalent of the English FA Cup, or Italy's Coppa Italia, or Spain's Copa Del Rey, or Brazil's Copa Brasil.  In fact most, though not all, soccer playing countries have some type of national cup competition.  The US Open Cup is a single elimination tournament--which means that if at any point in the tournament you lose, you go home. For MLS teams this means winning 4 games straight--because MLS teams don't start playing until the third round.  Third round, quarter finals, semi finals, final--you have to win every single game. It is open to all soccer teams in the US: amateur, semi-pro, or pro. There are 40 berths available--8 berths for MLS, 8 for USL-1 (tier 2), 8 for USL-2 (tier 3), 8 for PDL (semi), and 8 for USASA (amateur). Each league determines how it will allocate the 8 berths alloted to it. As far as MLS is concerned the teams finishing 1-6 at the end of the regular season qualify automatically, while the teams that finished 7 and below have to play each other in a series of qualifying "play-in" games for the remaining 2 slots.  

During the years when there was no professional league operating in the US, the winner of the US Open Cup was considered the champion of the US. This included the NASL years because the NASL was not recognized by FIFA as a legitimate tier 1 league. (it's a long story). There would never be a problem with the NASL winning the US Open Cup because the NASL deliberately chose not to enter the tournament. The US Open Cup dates to 1912, so it has a lot of history but it hasn't always had the recognition or exposure it deserves. MLS teams compete and honor the tournament but it seems a lot of them also field their B sides and only take it seriously if they reach the later stages of the tournament. The US Open  Cup received a much needed lift a few months ago when US Soccer announced that from now on the winner of the tournament will get an automatic berth to the CONCACAF Champions League. This assures that MLS competition for this trophy will now be fierce. Now if only the tournament could get itself on tv!!

SuperLiga is a tournament that has no analogue any competition in Europe or Latin America.  It is one of the tournaments that North American soccer can claim as its own. SuperLiga pits the teams that finished 1-4 in the MLS table with 4 of the best teams from the Mexican League in a mid season, short 3 week tournament in July. Although winning it does not qualify you to any other tournament--it does have a big money prize attached to it. 1 million dollars goes to the winning club--kaching, kaching!!! $$$$$  MLS clubs are money starved because they operate under a league mandated salary cap--so 1 million dollars is a huge incentive. What makes this tournament work is the intense soccer rivalry  between the US and Mexico. It is a huge honor to be among the teams that goes to SuperLiga since it only goes to the 1st 4 in the table, and on top of that it gives each team an international platform on which to show their stuff. All the SuperLiga games are televised and have so far garnered tremendous ratings.  In order to maximize revenue all games are held in the US. They are very intense games with a very high level of play, and are often very physical too!! Lifting up the SuperLiga trophy is something that must be seen to be believed--the fans and players go nuts!!!  Every MLS team wants to qualify for it and have a chance to grab the cash!! This year is its second edition and is currently underway--last year mexican club Pachuca won it all in a nailbiter against the LA Galaxy.

The CONCACAF Champions League is our region's version of the UEFA Champion's League or the South American Copa Libertadores. In otherwords it is CONCACAF'S highest club competition. This year will be its first edition. Before this year it was known as the Champions Cup and used a short tournament knock-off style with 8 teams. This year it will expand to have 24 teams, 16 of which will go on to a first ever group stage. 4  US MLS teams qualify (Toronto must qualify under the Canada Cup)--the MLS Champ, the MLS Cup runner up, the Supporter's Shield winner, and the US Open Cup winner. The winner of this tournament goes on to the FIFA Club World Cup. MLS teams have historically not done well in this tournament--only 2 MLS teams have won our region's highest honor--- the LA Galaxy won it in 2000 and DC United won it in 1998.  This tournament has historically been dominated by the Mexican teams and the Costa Rican teams. International competitions like this one are good for MLS as it toughens them up and acts as a good barometer of where the league is at as far as playing ability. The more international exposure our MLS Teams get the better they will get.

The FIFA Club World Cup is every MLS team's impossible dream--a possible shot at international glory on FIFA's highest club stage. It is held every year in December. This year's edition is in Japan. Could you imagine an MLS team going against a Euro team like Man U or Real Madrid? or going against a  South American team like Boca Jr or River Plate or Sao Paulo? As impossible as it seems-- it could happen. The road is tough and long but well worth it--only a select few qualify. The FIFA Club World Cup operates with 7 teams-- the champion from each of FIFA's six regions + the league champion of the country hosting the tournament. 

5 million goes to the winner plus the title of Club World Champion plus a place in the halls of club soccer history.

i've been a little busy lately --for which i apologize but i will put up  a new blog this week

VISITING THE SICK PART 2

Yesterday I went to see Roy, an elderly man with whom I feel a deep connection at church. He is a warm fellow and I enjoy the fact that we are of very different ages yet love to speak with each other. I cant really explain how this happened-- some people you feel an instant friendship vibe with.  I learned over the weekend that he was in the VA Hospital in Manhattan, and I knew that I had to go see him. I thought that it was strange how I had to make two hospital visits in the time span of about a week--but life is like that sometimes. 

When I went to see Roy he was in good spirits and his son Gabe was there with him. Gabe told me that in comparison to how he  had come into the hospital, he was now miles better. He certainly had a healthy rosy color as opposed to yellowish-greenish. Roy's problem was cardiac in nature. He had suffered a slow build up heart attack and checked himself into the hospital when he started feeling ill. It wasn't until he was  in the hospital that the staff informed him he had suffered a cardiac arrest. When I went to see him yesterday he had undergone same day surgery to have 2 stents put in. He was told he will have to modify his diet--low salt, low fat/cholesterol. Less meats more veggies. I cant help but think how much suffering and money America would save itself if we as Americans put as much energy and resources into prevention as we do into treatment once illness sets in. So many of our illnesses are perfectly avoidable and seem to be brought upon ourselves by our bad habits or lifestyle. Well lest this post turn into a rant let me say that Im happy that Roy was able to get his problem seen to in time. We all want Roy to be with us a lot longer. Roy I wish you a speedy recovery and take it easy!!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

On this day above all others we remember what it means to be an American. With an upcoming presidential election that will affect this nation for years to come I pray that the Almighty will guide the leaders of this mighty land, and that His blessing be upon the American people. Despite its defects, America still stands as a beacon of light and hope and liberty to all. I firmly believe that this nation was founded as man's  first and perhaps best attempt at trying to come up with a humane and responsive system of government. A system of government ruled by laws and not the whims of men. Whether the current administration has lived up to that is of course a matter of debate, but if you are disillusioned you must remember that the value of America is not measured by those in power and what they do but rather by its set of ideals. Ideals so powerful that they have managed to transcend time and that still today inspire the hearts of men everywhere.Ultimately in a democracy like ours we are all responsible for our nation's well being--for America is not the president in the White House or the Senators and Representatives in Capitol Hill--America is first and foremost us. If we believe in  the promise of America in our hearts then that is what we will push our country to become and  we will hold our leaders accountable to that vision. If we become cynical and jaded and choose to opt out of our civic responsibilities then our nation will suffer for it and become a mirror image of what we the jaded expect it to be. America is a living experiment in the potential of the human spirit, for ultimately all human beings long to be free and can only express themselves to their full potential in a place where they are free.  This is so because God created human beings to be free.

The Constitution starts by saying "We the People." The powers of government in this nation ultimately flow from us. It is a call for deep introspection on the part of all of us--what do I  hold dear? What values do I espouse? What is the vision of America that I want to see come to life? What should this mighty country do around the world? What would be a responsible use of its power? How should it treat the people within its borders? Power is only as good as what it is put to use to. Power for its own sake is never legitimate, that road only leads to moral bankruptcy. The quintessential American comic book super hero Spider Man would say, "With Great Power comes Great Responsibility".  Too many Americans today feel disenfranchised and out of touch with the political system not realizing just how much power they truly hold. America let's wake up and stop the bellyaching--instead put your power to work--vote, write your congressman, form grass roots committees, put together  a third party, have political debate  and discussion societies, watch the news, inform yourself of the issues so you can make informed choices, print political newsletters, begin political blogs, etc. Your freedom of political speech is guaranteed by this nation!!  This nation begins and ends with you!!! The American Revolution started when ordinary American citizens like you and me decided they couldn't take it anymore. Civil Rights in this country were gained when ordinary people decided that  they weren't going to tolerate being treated like second class citizens any longer.  We can and do affect our nation!! But in order to do that we have to be willing to embrace our role in the political process and not be content to let others make all the decisions for us.

 A long time ago, President Lincoln once said  that he was resolved that "this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."  Hundreds of years later--those words have never rung more true. I hope that it is our resolution as well.

I want to wish each and every single one of you a very Happy 4th of July!!

VISITING THE SICK

Yesterday Kevin and I went to visit at Cornell Medical Center on Manhattan's Uppper East Side. One of our church members had her son get into a terrible motorcycle accident  on the 59th street bridge this pas weekend. His entire left arm was very badly damaged with extensive bone injures. His mother summed it up best when she said his arm had "shattered." Ouch. He was very lucky to get out of such a terrible accident alive.  When we went last night, he had just been taken to the operating room for his 3rd operation in a week. I was told that they were going to remove part of a nerve in his leg so that they might graft in in his arm. In the accident one of his major arm nerves got cut and by all medical accounts his entire arm should be paralyzed--miraculously he is still somehow able to move it and retains some feeling. The physicians are unable to explain it but they are glad--as are we. Enilda (the mom) had a lot of things to tell us and I think that most of all she was just happy to have someone lend an ear. At one point the doctors felt they might have to amputate, though  that has so far been avoided. 

They really are in a lot of trouble and their case will need a lot of prayer. Enilda' son is a former marine who gave 8 years of service to his country--unfortunately like so many others in this economy, he has not been able to find a fulltime job and so far has been working part time. Like so many other part time workers--because his position is part time he does not have any benefits--meaning no medical insurance. The doctors have already approached his mother and told her the hospital is going to kick them out and that she should find somewhere else to put her son. She is scared to death of putting him in the VA due to the perceived low level of care in that institution. As of yesterday the bill for the first operation came in --and that procedure alone was $16,000. Enilda is a single woman barely making ends meet and her son of course is a part time worker. That's not even counting stuff like physical therapy and rehab he will have to undergo.  Before this whole ordeal is through they might very well end up in the poorhouse.  In this country three things can ruin you-- credit, becoming involved in a lawsuit, and getting seriously sick. As a person with legal training, after hearing the facts behind the accident I told her  she might have a case against the city--but told her to seek expert advice on this matter, and I definitely do not qualify as an expert. If nothing else perhaps she might be able to get enough money to pay the medical bills.

After our visit to the hospital was over we went to the church for a Chamber Group practice. The Chamber Singers had not been able to get together to practice for the past 2 weeks, so coming together once again and making music was a nice experience. We began work on a new piece yesterday--excerpts from Bach's Jesus Meine Freude. Like any Bach it is difficult, but when it comes together it will be beautiful. Can't wait for us to make that piece come alive, but of course half the fun of practice is the goofs, having a good natured laugh, and having fun discovering the piece and figuring out how it works.

CELEBRATING KEVIN'S BIRTHDAY

I am pretty much a loner, at first by circumstance (no one really wanted to be with me when I was younger--I was the nerdy kid who was always being made fun of)  and later on in life--pretty much by choice as I grew accustomed to not having that many people hanging around and after observing in college that most people tend to be annoying, or superficial/ petty.  Anyway, lest I sound as if I hate humanity, I should say that I do indeed make friends!! They tend to be few in numbers but good in quality. It takes me a while to get to know someone and even longer to let them into my inner circle. 

Yesterday was the birthday of Kevin--a person that I consider to be one of my closest of friends. He is from Korea and a great guy--we sing together in praise team, in chamber group at church, in choir( which is much larger than the chamber group), and help each other to set up the sound equipment in church, aside from just hanging out and just chatting. Kevin tends to be understated in speech, but deep in thought and is a man of prayer. He was a teacher of religion in Korea.  We also serve together in our church's community services dept. Cynthia-- who is my other best friend  ( beautiful and also somewhat of an enigma as most women are) contacted me and suggested that we do something for Kevin's b-day yesterday and I readily agreed. We settled on going to Zenith's Vegetarian Dining (311 West 48th St) in the heart of the theater district in Manhattan NYC. I knew the place for I had previously taken Cynthia there for her birthday and since both of us had such a good time there the last time we were there, it seemed only natural to "share" the place with our other friends. The other person who was there was Olga-- a very nice girl from Russia, God fearing, quiet and reliable, red hair and freckles. Church treasurer, alto in the choir, and until recently was solely in charge of printing bulletins on friday night--but a few months ago thankfully she managed to get help so she doesn't have to do it all alone. She's a very nice addition to the group --sweet disposition and always has cookies in her purse in case of a sudden attack of the munchies--as Cynthia will happily attest to!!

Anyway, We all decided to meet at the restaurant. The place is one of those rare restaurants that has a perfect all around atmosphere--whether it be for a romantic date or just a group hang out with friends. Enya was singing smoothly in the background and we were surrounded by asian wall scrolls and tastefully positioned tealights. My favorite was a  wall scroll to my back that featured a happy sumo wrestler (sumotori).  

It was nice to be in a restaurant where none of us had to worry about the menu. The service was excellent, the conversation was great, and the food was very good!! Most importantly there was enough of it, the portions were not too small but not too large either!!! All of us interchanged bits of our meal with each other--letting the others take a little and put it on their plate. I don't know if that's classy or not (I suspect not) but it was more of a fun night rather than a formal one--so it seemed appropriate. I had some tofu in with tomatoes and zuchinni in black bean sauce that was great and also some fried rolls topped with peanut sauce. As I had never had peanut suace before I was a little nervous, but the peanut sauce imparted a very subtle flavor as opposed to a strong or overwhelming flavor. The birthday boy Kevin had some veggie ground beef with pine nuts and red bell peppers with white noodle puffs served on top of cabbage leafs, Olga had some bok choy and mushrooms and chinese eggplant and  Cynthia had a steaming bowl of tofu mixed with mushrooms and broccoli. The waiter mixed it in front of our table and the steam rose up till it seemed to envelop the small restaurant !!! Thankfully the smoke subsided after a short while--but it certainly was quite a sight!!  All the food was very tasty and we had our fill. We ended the meal with two bowls of ice cream 1 per 2 people--- Kevin and Olga had green tea ice cream and Cynthia and I shared Tahitian vanilla. We spent some time in dessert discussing the difference between normal ice cream and gelato. 

The only hiccup to the night's proceedings came at night's end when we had to pay. Cynthia and I had agreed to split the cost of the meal between the 2 of us as a present to Kevin, but Kevin wouldn't hear of it. He insisted on paying for everyone. It seems that what was at work here was the difference between western and eastern cultures. Apparently in Korea the birthday person as a token of gratitude for being surrounded by his friends pays for them. It is in very bad form to let them pay for you. Of course this was not what Cynthia and I had planned but finally we had to let Kevin do as he wished (after all it was his birthday) but not before Cynthia had a somewhat heated discussion with him, trying to convince him that he should allow us to pay. The discussion went long and I could tell that it was starting to fray both their nerves as neither of them wanted to give in. I'm pretty sure Cynthia finished the night pretty upset at Kevin for not letting us treat him and perhaps at me as well for not joining her in pressing Kevin. What happened is that after the third time she asked and Kevin said No--I would've just dropped it, so at that point i didn't feel comfortable joining in with Cynthia and piling on the pressure. By having the discussion continue and still insisting I'm pretty sure things started going downhill. The ride back home (Kevin gave everyone rides back home) was somewhat uncomfortable and subdued as I could feel her upset in the back of the car--the hairs in the back of my neck were all standing like some kind of real life spider-man spider sense. I'm sorry the night ended on such a sour note, but I'm happy for the good time we had as a group until that point.  

I'm not quite sure what happens next---perhaps nothing. I'm hoping this will blow over, and perhaps it already has- after all, I'm writing this the day after. I keep on thinking that it would be crazy to keep a grudge over this-- but it's been my experience that with women you never know.  It's a times like this that I remember the last time I was in a relationship and the very bad times I had and I am suddenly grateful that I am single even though it can be very lonely at times. Having a friend mad at you, even though it's uncomfortable, definitely cannot compare to the hell that is having a girlfriend mad at you.

Kevin I hope you had a great birthday!!

SPAIN WINS!!!

Congratulations to SPAIN!!!  As yo may know from looking at the sidebar on this same blog, one of the sports that I follow is soccer. I love MLS soccer which is our own domestic league, but I also like international soccer. I have been following the European Championship all month long and yesterday (Sunday June 29th) was the big final Championship Game. It was Spain vs Germany--two giants of the game. Everyone that follows soccer knows the pedigree of these two national team programs-- Germany has won the World Cup 3 times--the only teams that have done better are Italy with 4 World Cups and Brazil with 5.  Of course this is not the World Cup--this is the European Championship--but the World Cup only happens once every 4 years. On off years there can be no greater honor than a team winning its own confederation championship. In my estimation the Eurocup and the Copa America are the 2 biggest prizes in the national team soccer world in years when the World Cup is not in session.  The Olympics would run a close second. The Olympic soccer tournament doesn't win outright because a team can't use all its best available players for the Olympics--there is an age restriction in place. 

As for Spain--fans of club soccer know that Spain hosts one of the best soccer leagues in the world. Real Madrid and Barcelona constantly reach the advanced stages of the Champions League and the player signings that these Spanish clubs tend to make usually grab world headlines--such as when Ronaldinho signed with Barca or Beckham at one time signed with Real Madrid. The big problem with Spain had always been that even though they had one of the best domestic soccer leagues in the world, they had never been able to parlay their success at the club level into success at the national team level. (think of the NBA and Team USA in basketball in order to understand the difference) Somehow the stars that shined so brightly in the Spanish League (and played abroad in England, and Italy as well)  for their individual clubs, when they got together to form a spanish dream team were never able to get their act together and bring home a major trophy. The Spanish Team's reputation in the soccer world was unfortunately for being big chokers in the tournaments that truly mattered.

There were many favorites going into the start of this tournament---France, Italy, Germany, some were also saying this could be the year when Spain got its act together---but the majority of analysts and fans never truly believed this. I myself was among the doubters. I told a good friend of mine--I'll believe it when I see it. This depsite the fact that SPain had a very long unbeaten streak at the national team level going into this tournament---but those are all just firendlies and EuroCup qualifiers--that's not really serious competition right? Yet slowly but surely the 83 year old coach Sergio Aragones got his very young team to come and gel together and slowly start to silence their doubters.  I couldn't believe it when my personal favorite Holland was eliminated in the quarterfinals yet Spain advanced. In the final playing a super conservative scheme with only 1 striker upfront the Spanish were nevertheless able to put on constant pressure on the German team, which found itself defending more and more as the game wore on. Torres' lone goal of the match was enough to put Spain over the top in a match that was dramatic all the way to the end. What a smart goal it was too!! From a very difficult angle being approached from behind by a defender and being approached from the front by the German goalie---Fernando Torres somehow managed to chip the ball softly over the German Goalkeeper as he dove for the ball in very tight space. It was a goal that will live forever in Spanish and Euro soccer history. Other notable performances for the Spanish team throughout the tournament were David Villa (who missed the final due to injury), Cesc Fabregas, Xavi, Carlos Puyol, Marcos Senna, Sergio Ramos, and Iker Casillas. The refereeing in this final was absolutely horrid--with the ref coming very close to losing control of the match. The ref was allowing the skilled players to get hacked to bits out there.  It only speaks to the great determination of this team that they were able to overcome the refereeing as well as the German team and hold on for the win.

So to the boys from Spain--well done!! As an American of Latino descent I feel proud of what "the mother country" has done. Spain-- enjoy your first major tournament victory in 40 odd years. But don't rest on your laurels--you have an appointment to make at South Africa in 2010!!

PRAISE TEAM GOES TO CAMP BERKSHIRE!!

I am the leader of my church's praise team--more by necessity and circumstance (a story in itself) rather than by talent or being deserving of the spot. There are people in the church who know a lot more about music, conducting, and group leadership dynamics than I--yet nevertheless there I am. It's been an interesting ride--I could be wrong but I think I've now been in that position going on 3 years. The people of the praise team are all my friends, but leading them is quite a different matter than being a friend and I feel that at times the responsibility has been beyond me. However, lest this post turn into all gloom and doom--I should say that even though they can be frustrating, they have also worked hard and have progressed a lot in a short time span.

Anyway--let me get to the point--- About a month ago my church's pastor sat down with me and informed me that we had been invited to conduct the song service for the sabbath school at camp meeting. I was happy and fearful at the same time. Happy because being invited to sing at camp meeting means that the leaders at the higher levels of the local church organization have somehow become aware of the praise team in our church and have deemed it to be of quality. Good enough to lead out in music during a time when all the churches of the area gather together. It is a tremendous honor and a great recognition of the hard work that the people have put in. This was the second time in 3 or  4 years that we have gone--so it was a double honor.  I was fearful because organizing to get the group up there is a true headache--the time and effort you have to put in not only to practice the group for camp meeting (in addition to the normal every week worship practice) but also in organizing all the little details such as coordinating with the pastor in charge of sabbath school at camp meeting, figuring out transportation, lodging, and food, figuring out equipment requirements etc. Needless to say it is a huge interruption in the normal flow of  the praise team.

This year was especially frustrating-- due to circumstances that were beyond my control I wound up basically not having any real practices, I had to chase down the conference officials at every turn only to get pushed to the side, ignored, or given the run around (oh you're calling about that? no you have to speak to pastor so and so--once you call him he refers you to someone else etc.) and on top of that I had to deal with praise team group dynamics--everyone wanting to know what was happening (when I didn't even know because no one at the conference would get back to me) and a few in the group wanting do things their own way.  

Things reached a fever pitch when last wednesday I was still waiting to see what would happen regarding meal tickets for the group. I had to call up the pastor I was working with for sabbath school and tell him either this would be resolved or the group was not going. i wasn't rude about it--i knew he wasn't in charge of the food aspect--but I told him I needed his help because I was getting nowhere. I told him that as leader of the group I could not possibly ask the group to get up at 4 am and have them starve the whole day. Faced with the real possibility of us pulling out,  someone got back to me within the half hour. It is a sad but true testament to the lack of organization that exists in the higher levels of camp meeting planning. It should never have come to that point in my opinion.

The group had to get up at 4 am in order to be able to be there on time for sabbath school song service at 9:15 am. 4 am to get ready at home (take a bath, prepare the clothes, get dressed, do their hair etc.--you get the idea) 5 am to start getting to the church from nj and brooklyn respectively, and leave from the front of the church to the camp meeting at 6:15 am. We got there at 8 am, which turned out to be enough time to set up the equipment and eat breakfast. But we had to sing cold--no time to warm up or practice. I was praying that if this was going to be for God that He would help us to lead His people in giving glory to His name. 

The song service itself went well--something for which I can only praise the Lord because I know that it was all Him. It is a tremendous responsibility to lead out such a large group of people in song worship. the only explanation is the the Lord wanted those who came to camp meeting to meet with Him and so He helped us to do a task that could have easily gone very wrong.  The song service went long --because the leaders had a little trouble starting on time. I estimate that our song service lasted about 30 to 35 minutes--8 songs every stanza plus a time to meet and greet. It's a good thing that we came prepared with a list of emergency songs.  Normally song service in our local church is 3 songs. We could have gone 5 more songs after those 8, but after that I would have had to improvise--- thankfully that did not turn out to be necessary.  There was, however, one last surprise in store---the bulletin indicated there would be an opening and closing hymn for the sabbath school, but as to what they were--it was not listed in the bulletin. I went in the back  during the meet and greet and consulted with the sabbath school pastor to see if he knew what they were---he didn't know either, and I wound up having to pick an opening hymn on the spot.  I mentally prayed and we sang Redeemed (the classic one, not the newer one).  The whole assembly belted out Redeemed with much joy and  I felt that it set the correct tone for the rest of sabbath school.  

Our pianist  had to leave for the train station at 10:25 to go back to NYC because she had family coming over to her house that afternoon and she had to be there to meet them. By boarding the train at 10:40 she was ensuring that she would be back home at about 12:40 or 1:00--perfect time to eat sabbath lunch together. Since our pianist had to leave, I told our keyboardist to be ready to play during the closing hymn and he got very nervous at the prospect--but thankfully it did not turn out to be anything to worry about. Because the sabbath school was running late the sabbath school leaders decided to cancel the closing hymn and instead just pray to end the sabbath school and go directly into personal ministries time. 

With sabbath school officially over the praise team was now free to enjoy the rest of the day. The speaker at the Youth and Young Adult Tent turned to be Pastor Sheldon Cooper from southern New Jersey who had a powerful message for those in attendance regarding the dangers of being lukewarm and calling the young people to make a full and wholehearted commitment to God. After eating a very delicious and healthy lunch at the camp cafeteria we went back home this year instead of staying until the end of evening vespers service like in years past. We just felt very exhausted and all of us wanted to get home at a reasonable hour rather than at midnight or 1 am like in past years. Since the trip from the camp to the city is 2 hrs and 30 minutes it is easy to see how if you leave camp meeting at 9:30 pm you might wind  up going home past midnight. Remember that 2 hours and 30 minutes would be just to reach manhattan--after that everyone has to go back to their homes in brooklyn and new jersey.   So we left this year at 3-- and wound up getting home at around 6:30 pm. All things considered it was a good day.

GOD AND POLITICS

This is my first post at my first ever attempt at a personal blog. I want my little place of the internet to be  peace filled place where all can exchange views but ironically, I find myself writing about a topic that is explosive in many circles-religion and politics. I am not posting out of a desire to be controversial but simply because it is what is in my heart right now.

We are in the midst of election hoopla right now. Even as I am writing this I am watching Hardball with Chris Matthews. Politics and government is a topic that is dear to my heart. In college I majored in political science and I then went on to law school. Although many have grown cynical and jaded with our government, I still believe in the goodness of democracy and I still believe that genuine public service is about improving people's lives rather than to serving oneself. I still believe that there are people in public office in this great nation that seek public office out of a genuine desire to serve rather than out of a desire to lord authority over others and I truly believe that one vote can indeed make a difference.

 I have to believe this--because to believe otherwise is to accept the complete and utter failure of the human soul and of American society. As a Christian I freely acknowledge that people have a bent towards sin, selfishness and evil-- but people for the most part are not completely rotten to the core, there is a bit of good or basic decency (humanity) in all of us. If this were not so we would not be able to be reached by God.  Like many Americans, I am not blind. I know that our society and government are far from perfect and have committed many mistakes in the past (supporting dictators that abused human rights in Cold War, Slavery in our early history etc), however even acknowledging this, I still believe that America is still  a better place than other places out there and that it has been blessed especially by God. This country was founded by  pilgrims seeking religious freedom and sought God's blessing as it was established, and for the most part God's blessing has indeed stayed with us. Go to the midwest and see the acres of corn and wheat--we are the breadbasket of the world. God has given to us that we may be a blessing others.

One thing that bothers me however, is that every election cycle when it comes near this time we see the body of believers deeply divided between political parties. America is unique in that it has a 2 party system, so people don't have a lot of choices politically. You are either for one candidate or the other. Although we are all Americans, and in the church we are all united in Christ--political differences tend to run deep.  It is ok to be a part of the political process and to be for someone--but we must not forget that first and foremost we are part of the body of Christ. Unfortunately In some congregations it seems that if Mr. X doesn't vote Republican (in mostly conservative evangelical churches) or Ms. Y doesn't vote Democratic (in mostly liberal mainline churches)  they are looked down upon and proclaimed to be less than Christian by others in the congregation. In my opinion we have become victims of  a culture of American party politics, we are manipulated by party machines that seek to get our votes. Instead of seeking to spread the lifesaving gospel of Christ to others- we seek to convert others to the gospel of partisan politics--having somehow confused the two.

If we are believers our authority must be the Word, and to me at least, it seems clear that God is above being a Democrat or a Republican. God is neither--He is instead the supreme ruler of the universe--he puts on the thrones of men those whom He wills to carry out his plan for humanity. That is the cornerstone behind biblical prophecy. God works out His will through history. When He was here on earth Jesus was asked if he was a king-- when pressed by Pilate to answer the question, Jesus  simply responded "my kingdom is not of this world." (John 18:36) Yet some of us act as if party politics is about bringing the kingdom of God to earth. It is not-- neither party has a monopoly on godliness. 

There is no such thing as God's party, there are only fallible human institutions. Republicans stand against many of the things we view as being wrong in our society such as abortion on demand, gay marriage etc.  yet this same party is also the party that openly supports the greed of Wall Street and believes that helping the poor and elderly is best done by cutting social services to those who need it most. The Democrats have a soft heart for the downtrodden in our society and stand for things like universal health care and aid to the poor however  they are also the party that supports the increasing ungodliness of our society. Both parties have been involved in their fair share of political corruption, sleazy backroom deals and manipulation for political benefit, payoffs by PACS and other special interest groups, and immoral sex scandals. Every time Congress announces a new investigation into something the executive branch has done (something going back all the way to Nixon) I roll my eyes and say "what now?" Yet I am strangely relieved knowing that despite the malfeasance and bad faith of some, the political process IS working and correcting itself.  Ethically speaking however, the point is that it shouldn't happen in the first place.It is clear that both these parties fall far short of the gospel as it was preached by Jesus Christ and His Apostles.

So what is a Christian to do? Should we withdraw from the political process? No, Jesus said Give unto Ceasar what is Cesar's and to God what is God's. (Mark 12:17)  In this case what we owe to Ceasar is what any citizen owes to the American democracy--their vote. If no one were to vote our system of government would fall apart. So how are we to vote? Well this is where we come full circle  to the beginning of this post. We are to vote our conscience. We have to believe that there are still honest people that seek power in order to do right by the American public. We must believe there are modern day Daniels and Nehemiahs (Nehemiah although not a politician was the king's confidante and used his influence correctly) We must use the moral sense God has given us and examining the issues come to what we think is the best choice. We must vote for the person and party who we think will lead us in the way we need to go.  It is an imperfect process but the only one we have. We are responsible to God and to each other as Americans to vote our conscience. To let anybody else make that choice for us by telling us what to think, be it the media, the local party campaigners or the church pulpit, is tantamount to dereliction of a sacred duty. We will be responsible before God not for how Joe or Frank or Mary voted but for how we voted. Once we cast the ballot and someone is elected --whether we win or lose we are to pray for the leaders of this nation in accordance with the overall spirit of the principles enunciated in Romans 13 and Titus 3.

So go on--enjoy your political news show (i know i do!!), discuss the issues with your next door neighbor, go to your local political rally--but don't make how someone votes in your church a litmus test of their faith. It is something deeply personal between them and God and they may in fact have very God fearing reasons for voting for a party you wouldn't. Each person knows why they vote the way they do even if we don't agree with them. And remember that in the long run-- we are citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom. The eyes of the world will be upon us to see if God's body is indeed defined by its love for each other or whether we are simply like everybody else.