Here's a reluctantly-posed-for picture of my niece and nephew, Kyle and Kristin, taken a couple of Saturdays ago. Many of you have heard me talk about them and the athletic prowess they inherited from me, so here's some proof that they do exist and they do got game.Unfortunately, their games were at the same time that weekend. So, we went to the first half of Kristin's soccer game and the second half of Kyle's football game, making the way from one venue to the next across town with lawn chairs in tow. Oh, the weekly rituals of elementary school sports fans!Kristin prefers to play with her glasses on and has never been known to pull her hair back from her face. But it all seems to work. The girl can play. Check out the action shot below of her scoring one of her goals. That's right. One of her two goals.Kyle plays with his contact lenses ... if he remembers to put them in in the morning, of course. I'm not sure if things are blurry for him out on the field, but it's pretty hard to miss the endzone as long as you're running in the right direction. And speaking of being blurry, that's what Kyle is as he flies down the field. The shot below shows him scoring one of his three touchdowns in that game. That's right. One of his three touchdowns. The only three touchdowns in the whole game.
I know, I know ... you're probably thinking, "Well, let me tell you about my niece/nephew ..." I understand that Kyle and Kristin aren't the only kids in America who scored that day. But I'm their uncle, I'm proud of 'em, I love 'em ... and you can go start your own blog! ;-)
Buy these two stamps and you'll still have 25 cents left to call a friend and tell him about the newest addition to your collection. Get 'em now before they run out! 
I was at Game 5 of the National League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park. With just one strike away from finally realizing what I've longed for for decades as an Astros fan -- a trip to the World Series -- Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer to left field putting the Cardinals ahead by one run (5-4).My guess is that most of you saw it on TV. What you didn't see was that ball falling down from wherever it went above us in the Crawford Boxes -- and landing at the feet of the people in the row in front of me. Fortunately, the guy who picked it up was a man of great integrity and unquestionable character. He quickly threw the ball back onto the field -- right where it belonged.Today, I placed "warning" signs on my office door declaring the space (and a 5 foot radius around me) as a "No Astros Discussion Zone" -- a clear sign to my co-workers that I do not want to talk about the game. And as of 4:40 pm today, I have avoided all such conversations.But then my friend Lisa Karabatsos forwarded me an article which snapped me out of my funk -- or, I should say that it "convicted" me out of my funk. It's an article about Pujols -- the Villain of Game 5 and the man whose name I have made fun of for years. In the article, I learned that Pujols and I will be spending eternity together singing the praises of our Heavenly Father. As it turns out, Pujols is a Christian. And as if God were specifically trying to get my attention to snap me out of the (dare I say) "hatred" I have been feeling toward Pujols today, the headline proclaims him to be "the real deal" -- the very name of the new Bible study that I am teaching on Sunday nights. (DOH!)During the game, I told my friend Rolly how great it is to have a home-town team with so many believers -- Berkman, Ensberg, Everett, Pettitte, Lidge, Lamb, owner Drayton McLane. So, if I want to be "the real deal" myself, I have to find it within me to rejoice in Pujols' faith, too, and to be thankful that he has a platform to reach people for Christ, to pray that he would be a man of integrity in his professional life, and that he would do all things for God's glory. Even if that includes beating the Houston Astros.Man. Living the Christian life and being "the real deal" really isn't easy, is it?
On November 8, Texas voters will decide how the Lone Star state defines marriage. On their ballots, they will indicate whether they are "for" or "against" the following proposal:"The constitutional amendment providing that marriage in this state consists only of the union of one man and one woman and prohibiting this state or a political subdivision of this state from creating or recognizing any legal status identical or similar to marriage."
Many opponents of this proposed amendment (Proposition 2 on the ballot) will argue that state law already prevents same-sex marriages, and that this proposal is unnecessary and simply adds insult to injury.While it is true that same-sex marriages are illegal in Texas, it would not be difficult for that to change based on the decisions of an activist judge or a liberal-leaning legislature who decides to change the law. A constitutional amendment, on the other hand, places the decision directly in the hands of Texas citizens. We have the power to define marriage as one man and one woman -- period.Since most people reading this are my friends and folks who know me, I am pretty sure that I am preaching to the choir on this issue. However, what you believe does not concern me. What does concern me is that you actually vote. Unfortunately, this is not a presidential, congressional, or gubernatorial election year. There are no major, high-visibility elections to draw people to the polls (with the exception of municipal elections -- Houston mayor, city council, etc.). Traditionally, only about 5 to 7% of registered voters vote in years such as this. Even in a fairly conservative state such as Texas, that may not be enough to ensure that this proposal passes. We have to get people to the polls.Of course, this is not the only item that voters will weigh in on. There are a total of nine proposed amendments to the Texas constitution, and like I mentioned, local city elections as well. For an advance look at everything you will see when you vote in Harris County, take a look at the sample ballot. (Keep in mind that this is not precinct-specific; therefore, it includes all of the positions and not just the ones relevant to where you are registered to vote.)Finally, be aware that early voting begins October 24 and runs through November 4. Election Day itself is Tuesday, November 8. For a listing of times and locations, visit the Harris County Clerk's website and click on "Early Voting Info" in the left margin.
Few people know that I am one of five identical brothers. Here they are from our last get together. (I was taking the picture, so I'm not in it.) We each have our own personalities and hair-care needs.
The star of the Stephen F. Austin Gators football team in Baytown -- Kyle Murray. 
My 11-year old nephew scored all three touchdowns in their 21-0 victory this past Saturday. As he ran along the sidelines after the third touchdown (giving high-fives along the way to his adoring fans), he shouted, "This is getting boring!" After the game, I asked him what his secret was -- how is he able to score so often?"RUN!" Enough said.Updated pictures of my niece, Kristin, are coming soon!
I love seeing living legends. My first concert was Frank Sinatra. Since then, I've seen Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Billy Joel, Madonna, Willie Nelson, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross ... and George Strait, of course. Not only do (or did) I like their music, but I would be able to tell my kids and grandkids that I saw so-and-so back in the day.To that list I will soon be adding Neil Diamond.And you, too, could add The Diamond to your list by going with us! We have two extra tickets in the group that's going on Tuesday, October 11, at the Toyota Center. Among the folks who are going so far are David, Lori, Lisa, and Debbie (she doesn't have a blog, but we still like her).So if you're interested, let me know.
Here's a reluctantly-posed-for picture of my niece and nephew, Kyle and Kristin, taken a couple of Saturdays ago. Many of you have heard me talk about them and the athletic prowess they inherited from me, so here's some proof that they do exist and they do got game.
